4 – Master of Command
I’m currently writing my review of Master of Command, so the fact that it’s so high up on this list should be an indicator of what I think about it. This very unique real-time tactical strategy game set during the Seven Years’ War blends the grand tactics of large-scale historical battles with hundreds of units, with persistent army management and a roguelike-inspired procedural campaign similar to Battle Brothers.
The game puts players in command of a single army, emphasizing survival and logistics: players must manage their men’s supplies, equipment, and morale, as every loss is permanent and resources are scarce, and the pressure is constantly mounting. I have to say that I didn’t have a lot of expectations for Master of Command, and so far, I’ve been having a blast with it. It’s not the most realistic of games, certainly far from it, but it trades the authenticity factor for fun, and I can appreciate that. The game is developed by Armchair History Interactive and is scheduled for release on October 27, 2025, and if you’re a fan of either Total War, Battle Brothers, or even Mount & Blade, I can see you having major fun with this one.
3 – Anno 117: Pax Romana
Anno 117: Pax Romana is one of the most exciting games, still to be released this year. The latest installment in the award-winning city-building and real-time strategy franchise is set during the Roman Empire in the year 117 AD. Players, as Roman Governors, are tasked with building vast, intricate cities and expanding their influence across two distinct provinces: the beautiful Roman heartland of Latium and the mysterious, challenging Celtic wetlands of Albion.
The core gameplay is exactly what you would expect from an Anno game, and the game is treading very closely to the extremely successful Anno 1800. The gameplay loop is all about creating cities from scratch, optimizing complex production chains, setting up trade networks, and balancing the demands of your citizens. To me, personally, the most exciting part of playing the Anno games is just seeing a massive city grow almost organically and contemplating its beauty during the long game. As a fan of the franchise, having played Anno 1503 way back in the early 2000s, this is right up my alley!
If you’re a fan of city-builders and colony-sims, Anno 117: Pax Romana demo should be a no-brainer for you!
2 – MENACE
While Anno 170: Pax Romana and Master of Command have already impressed me, I don’t think my excitement for those can match the one I have for MENACE, a turn-based tactical RPG that combines deep squad management with challenging, sci-fi combat, mixing up XCOM and Battle Brothers (yes, the game is developed by the team behind Battle Brothers, too). The game puts players in command of a strike force aboard the cruiser TCRN Impetus, sent to restore order in the lawless Wayback system. The available demo showcases the game’s combat system (the full version of the game will have a strategic layer as well), and so far, the mechanics and the way it plays have managed to impress me quite a lot. It’s extremely complex, and there’s an unusually large amount of choice in how you can equip your soldiers. Very interested and very excited to see the final result.
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