10 – Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus II
The first Mechanicus is a cult classic for a reason. Well, several reasons, but the biggest one that has converted players to the Omnissiah has to be the theme and the combat between the Necrons and the Adeptus Mechanicus. Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus II takes everything that worked and doubles down. This time around, we aren’t just playing as the tech-worshipping Adeptus Mechanicus; we actually get a full Necron campaign. I came out of my preview of Mechanicus II rather impressed with the introduction of the Necrons and how differently they play from the Adeptus. The game is looking gorgeous and has some of the best graphics and animations I have ever seen in a Warhammer game.
9 – Espiocracy
We have had grand-strategy games that focus on war, like Hearts of Iron, on societal transformation, like Victoria 3, and even space exploration, like Distant Worlds 2 and Stellaris. What I’m pretty sure we never had was a grand-strategy game that allows you to play as the leader of an intelligence agency during the Cold War. A grand-strategy game where you’re no longer painting the map your color, but working from the shadows so that others might do just that. Regime change, sabotage, counter-espionage, proxy wars, and shady manipulation are the things that will make Espiocracy special.
8 – D.O.R.F. Real-Time Strategic Conflict
Technically speaking, there are a lot more good-looking games in this list than D.O.R.F. Real-Time Strategic Conflict, if you define “good” as high-polygon counts. But if you grew up on Command & Conquer, D.O.R.F. is the most beautiful thing you’ll see all year. It’s an unapologetic throwback to the 90s sprite-based RTS era, featuring weird, over-the-top units and base building that we all loved! Players will take command of three unique factions and proceed to do all the good stuff the RTS titles of yore allowed us to! There are very few things more satisfying than seeing a massive two-turret tank coming out of your factories and slowly lumbering into the enemy base, wasting everything in its path! I’m expecting plenty of that!
7 – Empire Eternal
If you have been here for a while, you probably know that Empire Earth is one of my favorite strategy games of all time, and a nostalgic masterpiece. So, when I heard about Empire Eternal, a game that’s best described as the spiritual successor to Empire Earth, I was elated! To be published, my MicroProse is a real-time strategy (RTS) game where players take their civilization from the early days of humanity to the far-flung future. I have been keeping up with their developer diaries, and the game could be one of the best strategy games of 2026, if every piece falls correctly.
6 – Dinolords
I’m a huge fan of wild and innovative ideas. All my reviews, even the less favourable ones, will give a game that dared to innovate a pass, just for trying, especially in a genre that has become known for being somewhat stuck in its old ways. I guess that the team behind Dinolords also thinks alike, because how many people do you know who look at the Middle Ages and think: What would elevate the setting would be dinosaurs! Somehow, a full team of people and a publisher all agreed that this was a great idea. And you know what? So do I! Dinolords is a traditional real-time strategy game set in the medieval period, where instead of having knights on horses, they’ll be riding dinosaurs, and players can take direct control of their dino-riding Lord! Nice!
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