10 – XCOM 2
Arguably, the best turn-based strategy game ever made, XCOM 2 builds upon the original game by adding more of everything: More enemies, more classes, more challenges, more maps, more missions. The XCOM 2 Collection is under 10 dollars, and it’s an absolute steal. If I were you, I would pick up the XCOM: Ultimate Collection, which has both XCOM: Enemy Unknown and XCOM 2 and all their DLCs and extra content, all for under 20 dollars. One of the best deals of this sale, and my heart will always have a place for XCOM: Enemy Unknown, a game that’s still a 10 out of 10 in 2025.
9 – Songs of Syx
Songs of Syx makes its first-ever appearance on one of my lists. This fantasy city-builder in the vein of Dwarf Fortress has risen through the strategy gaming ranks to become one of the best strategy games ever made, and a highly respected game beloved by players due to the depth of its systems, astounding scale, and complex simulations of thousands of citizens and soldiers. The battles in this game are spectacles to behold.
8 – Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Definitive Edition
As someone who had never played a lot of the original Dawn of War game, the Definitive Edition was the perfect excuse for me to finally give it a go without having to go through the headache of trying to make the original work on a modern system. Warhammer 40,000 – Dawn of War: Definitive Edition added 4K support, improved cameras and visuals, unit and world lighting upgrades, improved textures and details, upgraded the game’s pathfinding system, and added a Mod Manager. Better yet, this excellent Definitive Edition has all the content for the original Dawn of War, meaning all the campaigns, factions, and units are present, with no additional DLC needed. If you want to know more, you can read my review here.
7 – Into the Breach
Into the Breach is the definition of excellence in design. A turn-based strategy game set on an 8 by 8 grid where players control powerful mechs from the future, going back in time to defeat huge aliens threatening to destroy human cities (yes, they’re brand Kaijus). What makes Into the Breach so fun to play is how the game was built around the idea of manipulating the terrain and enemies to create the most efficient way to take them all down without allowing them to destroy a single city. Yes, it’s a bit puzzle-like, but the game’s randomly generated maps give it enough diversity that you always feel like you’re facing something new. Each mech squad has different abilities that synergize well with one another and play differently enough that each deserves its own play thought. And I’m talking from experience. I must have finished Into The Breach at least 30 times by now.
6 – 9 Kings
This list has mainly been about big-hitters strategy games, so what if we now jump into one of the best bite-sized strategy titles around? One that can be played in just a couple of minutes. 9 Kings is a roguelike kingdom builder taking place in a 3×3 grid, where players must use their cards to build their kingdom and create synergies between the buildings and their forces. At the end of each turn, an enemy attacks their kingdom, and now the game becomes an autobattler where these synergies become crucial to survive. The game was intentionally built with the idea of allowing players to create the most broken, insane builds possible, and it’s so damn satisfying. I reviewed it, and it was one of my favorite strategy experiences of 2025.
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