Introduction
If there is one thing that has become clear over the last few years, it is that the strategy genre is healthier than it has ever been. We are seeing a massive resurgence in everything from classic real-time strategy to massive grand strategy epics. However, with so many options hitting Steam and Epic every single month, it can be hard to know where to spend your time and money, especially if you’re looking for a multiplayer game to invest time and money into.
I decided to put together this list of titles that represent the absolute best the genre has to offer right now. Some of these are stone-cold classics that have stood the test of time, while others are newer titles that are currently pushing the boundaries of what a strategy game can be. Whether you want to lead a football club to glory or command a division in a cold war gone hot, there is something here for you.
10 – Broken Arrow
Broken Arrow is the newcomer that everyone is talking about, and for good reason. It feels like the natural evolution of the large-scale modern tactical genre. The level of detail in the unit models and the way modern weapon systems interact is staggering. You aren’t just clicking units and watching health bars go down; you are managing laser-guided munitions, electronic warfare, and complex amphibious landings. It brings a level of spectacle to the genre that we haven’t seen in a long time, making every engagement feel like a scene from a big-budget action movie.
It follows a very similar formula to that of WARNO and the Wargame series of titles, but reduces the excessive micromanagement by focusing the player on controlling a much smaller number of units at a time, and letting them specialize their decks to combine with team mates, and one can mostly focus on the ground aspect of combat, while the other can keep his eyes in the sky and provide overhead support. While the game is still actively being worked on and patched, there’s a strong multiplayer community around it, so people to play with are sure to abound. It’s recent, and the free Baltic Battalion DLC added three new nations and dozens of new units.
9 – Company of Heroes 2
Despite its age, Company of Heroes 2 remains a very high standard for tactical World War Two combat, even surpassing Company of Heroes 3 in nearly every aspect, and it’s still keeping a very active multiplayer community. The way it handles cover, line of sight, and the sheer impact of combined arms warfare (tanks, mortars, artillery, etc.) is still better than most games coming out today. It captures the chaos of the Eastern Front perfectly, and is the longest-running game in the trilogy, and is still beloved by every fan. With a very low admission price during Steam sales, there’s no reason why you should skip a couple of multiplayer skirmishes with this one.
8 – Hearts of Iron IV
No other game lets you dive into the “what if” scenarios of history quite like Hearts of Iron IV. As of 2026, Hearts of Iron IV is the ultimate grand strategy sandbox for World War 2. You can team-up and play against other players to follow historical paths or completely upend the world order by turning the United States into a communist state, bringing back the German Empire, and even working together to avoid a conflict altogether. Very few games do what Hearts of Iron IV does, and with the incredible depth and ease of play as well. Mechanics such as production, the depth of the division and naval designer, the air wing management can be daunting at first, but once you understand how to supply your front lines and keep your factories going even in the most dire of cirmcustances, it becomes an incredibly addictive experience and an extremely satisfying one. It is a game that demands “just one more hour” until you realize it’s three in the morning and you’ve finally successfully invaded Great Britain despite your and your friend swearing a pact that this time you would not do it.
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