5 – Caves of Qud
Caves of Qud is a monumental science fantasy roguelike RPG, renowned for its unparalleled depth, retrofuturistic aesthetic, and deeply simulated world, where every living thing has the same set of stats as the player. Set in a post-apocalyptic future millennia after civilization’s collapse, players explore a world brimming with sentient plants, ancient ruins, and bizarre mutations. It’s a turn-based survival experience that features a robust character creation system, offering a vast array of mutations, defects, castes, and kits to shape unique adventurers. Beyond its challenging combat and permadeath, Caves of Qud boasts a rich, procedurally generated history and emergent narratives, ensuring that each playthrough is a fresh journey through a truly alien and endlessly fascinating world.
4 – Tactical Breach Wizards
Tactical Breach Wizards is one of my favorite games of 2024, and I highly praised it in my review. It is a fresh and humorous take on turn-based tactics, where players lead a squad of modern-day wizards in kevlar, using gun staffs and silenced wands, tasked with unraveling a bizarre conspiracy. This indie gem combines satisfying tactical/puzzle-like combat with a witty, story-driven campaign, allowing players to experiment with unique spell combinations and leverage a generous rewind mechanic to perfect their plans. Of course, the best part of the game, apart from the excellent and funny writing, is the discovery of new and distinct abilities from new wizards entering your party, and finding out how all of those come together. Charming, well-designed, funny, challenging, and with a penchant for mind-bending puzzles, Tactical Breach Wizards is the definition of what an accessible, but in-depth turn-based strategy game should be and play like.
3 – Cyber Knights: Flashpoint
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint just came out on the 2nd of June after a long stay in Early Access. Just by looking at its trailer, you can see that this is clearly a deep, turn-based tactical RPG that plunges players into a dystopian cyberpunk future. Lead a crew of mercs, hackers, and malcontents through a neon-soaked world, executing high-stakes heists. This game excels with its innovative blend of gridless tactical combat, where stealth, hacking, and powerful cyberware are key to success, and a sprawling narrative system that ensures each playthrough is unique. Featuring extensive character customization, multiclassing options, and a dynamic world influenced by your choices, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint offers immense replayability and strategic depth for fans of the cyberpunk genre and intricate squad-based combat. The game has been massively well-received, and it’s already packing a hefty 20% discount.
2 – Into The Breach
I don’t think there’s a game designer as successful in doing so much, with so little, as the guy who created FTL: Faster Than Light, and then went on to create the perfect turn-based strategy game ever. Into The Breach is a masterful turn-based strategy where players command powerful mechs from the future, tasked with defending the last remnants of human civilization against a colossal alien threat. What sets this tactical roguelike apart is its unique focus on perfect information: all enemy attacks are telegraphed, transforming each battle into a grid-based puzzle. This encourages tactical thinking geared towards using this information to the player’s advantage, as players must carefully position their mechs, utilize environmental hazards, and anticipate enemy movements to minimize collateral damage to cities and maximize maximum damage to the alien threat. Since it came out, the game has received massive updates that added large numbers of new mech squads, increasing the replayability of one of the most replayable games ever. Each mech squad works very differently from one another, so getting to know them all and using their abilities to perfection takes a lot to learn and master.
1 – Wartales
We’re finally here, the coveted number 1 spot on a Strategy and Wargaming List. It was a toss-up between Into The Breach and Wartales, but I decided to go with this gritty, open-world tactical RPG that casts players as the leader of a mercenary band struggling for survival in a plague-ridden medieval world because it is the one players seem more interested at the moment, and the one I’m certainly more interested right now. This turn-based strategy game offers a deep sandbox experience very similar to something like Mount and Blade, focusing on emergent storytelling and player agency rather than a rigid main quest. Players will recruit diverse companions, manage their resources and professions, and engage in challenging tactical combat that rewards careful positioning and skill synergy. With its emphasis on exploration, dynamic world events, and the constant struggle to keep your company fed and paid, Wartales delivers a unique blend of survival, economic simulation, and robust turn-based battles, providing extensive replayability for those who enjoy carving their own path through a harsh, unforgiving landscape. The game’s also getting constantly new, high-quality DLC, so the fact that it is still in active development might be a deciding factor for some of you.
Don’t Miss Out on These Turn-Based Gems
Hopefully, this list has helped you out in securing your next tactical obsession games. Whether you prefer the intricate puzzles of a roguelike, the grand scope of a 4X empire builder, or the character-driven narratives of an RPG, this sale has showcased the incredible breadth and innovation within the turn-based genre. Remember, the Turn-Based Strategy Steam Fest ends on the 9th of June, so be quick, and dive in before it’s too late!
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