Almost Up There With The Best Strategy Games You Can Play In 2025!
When I was putting together my three-part list about The 100 Best Strategy Games To Play in 2025 I ended up moving a lot of those around quite a lot, and some entries were removed because I thought other games on those lists were a better fit, for several different reasons. This is all debatable, of course, but since I had these entries all written up and ready to go, I thought I might as well share those with you! Unlike the previous lists, this one isn’t just about the best of the best in any particular order, so you can consider these to be honourable mentions and a complementary list of other great strategy games you can play in 2025!
25 – Grit and Valor: 1949
You know, I enjoyed Grit and Valor: 1949 in the same way that I enjoy FTL: Faster Than Light and MiniMotorways. It’s an addictive real-time strategy (RTS) roguelite set in an alternate version of World War 2 where the Evil Axis forces managed to get their hands on mech technology, and now it’s up to the players to take the fight all the way to Berlin by turning their own wonder weapons against them. Since this is a roguelite game with progression, every time you fail, you’ll be going back to base and do another run, now with new unlocked mechs, more experienced pilots and new knowledge. Released in March of 2025, Grit and Valour: 1949 is a good experience that might be worth your time if you enjoyed any of the aforementioned titles, or if you’re looking for one of those games that have the “just one more round” appeal to them.
24 – Rise of Nations: Extended Edition
Here is another banger from the past that’s worth a permanent place in every best strategy games list: Rise of Nations: Extended Edition. This Xbox Game Studios RTS delivers an epic, sweeping real-time strategy experience, encompassing human history (until the early 2000s, when it came out). This game distinguishes itself through its blend of civilisation (and Civilization the game) building and real-time combat. It allows players to guide a nation from its humble beginnings to global dominance, all on a single map. It’s quite a unique experience that has, sadly, never been tried since, at least to my knowledge.
The gameplay is very much your typical RTS experience, as you’ll be centring your attention on nation-building, resource gathering, and territorial expansion through warfare. Now that I think about it, Rise of Nations is starting to sound a lot like Sins of a Solar Empire.
23 – Combat Mission: Black Sea
Few are the gaming companies willing to tackle the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the closest you’ll ever get to gaming out that conflict is with Combat Mission: Black Sea, a game that delivers a highly realistic and tactically deep simulation of modern combined arms warfare in the volatile Black Sea region. While the game predates the real-life conflict, it’s still a grim reminder that the Battlefront team can meticulously transcribe into gaming format the realities of warfare. This game distinguishes itself through its meticulous attention to detail, its sophisticated ballistics and armour modelling, and its focus on simulating the complexities of contemporary combat. The gameplay centres on commanding detailed formations in challenging scenarios, demanding players master combined arms tactics, utilize terrain effectively and adapt to dynamic battlefield conditions.
22 – Dungeons 4
I don’t think there’s a single person out there who never dreamed of being an evil overlord. I’m sure that was the rationale behind the wonderful, funny, and lovely Dungeons series of games. Dungeons 4, developed by Realmforge Studios and published by Kalypso Media, is a dungeon management and real-time strategy (RTS) hybrid with a humorous twist and a hilarious narrator. Players step into the role of the Dungeon Lord, and are tasked with building and managing an underground lair filled with traps, monsters, and resources that need to hold against those pesky good guys, with their stupid shiny armor, blue eyes and long, blonde hair. The game features two distinct gameplay layers: the underground dungeon building, where players design their evil domain to attract and house various creatures, and the overworld, where players send their minions to conquer human settlements in a traditional RTS fashion. Everyone who played Dungeons knows that what sets the game appart (besides the excelent strategy elements, of course), is the sarcastic narrator and the game’s self-aware humor, often poking fun at fantasy tropes. With a lovely single-player campaign, skirmish modes, and cooperative multiplayer, Dungeons 4 offers a lighthearted yet strategically engaging experience that blends dungeon management with overworld conquest for those of you who miss the days of Dungeon Keeper.
21 – The Lamplighters League
The Lamplighters League had some very big shoes to fill, and when it came out, plagued by performance and technical issues, the players didn’t forgive Harebrained Schemes, the famous creators of the Shadowrun and BATTLETECH series of games. Despite it being much better, it never truly recovered from its launch. Despite its problems, I love the way it blends real-time infiltration and turn-based tactical combat, and the fact that it’s set in an alternate 1930s adventure pulp world with a tinge for the supernatural. Players command a team of unique and charismatic agents, each with distinct skills and personalities, in a global fight against the Banished Court, a dangerous cult on the verge of world domination. The game follows very closely on the XCOM formula (and that’s a great thing!) as it features a strategic layer where players manage their agents, conduct investigations, and disrupt the Banished Court’s plans. When missions commence, gameplay shifts to real-time stealth and infiltration, allowing players to strategically position their agents and utilize their abilities to avoid detection. If discovered, or when the time is right, the game transitions to turn-based tactical combat, where players leverage their agents’ skills and the environment to overcome enemies. With a focus on character-driven storytelling, stylish presentation, and a blend of stealth and tactical action, The Lamplighters League offers a distinctive strategic experience. I think players who love XCOM, Gears Tactics, and Marvel: Midnight Suns should give a try.
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