5 – Warhammer 40,000: Chaosgate – Daemonhunters
Warhammer 40,000: Chaosgate – Daemonhunters is 40K – XCOM, the game. That’s it. Replace the XCOM operatives with Grey Knights Space Marines, and the invading aliens with minions of Nurgle, and that’s it. Easiest sales pitch ever. I’m not even joking when I say that, the game is so close to XCOM, that’s hard to even find differences aside from the setting, a couple of mechanics here and there that are more because the game is set in the 40K universe, rather than anything else. Does this make the game any less good? Not at all. In fact, Daemonhunters is one of the best Warhammer strategy games I have ever played. Add to all of that the gorgeous graphics, and you’re golden.
4 – Mewgenics
Mewgenics is, low-key, the most successful turn-based strategy game of 2026, so far. A weird concoction of ideas that could have only originated from the twisted and genius mind that gave us The Binding of Isaac. If you can stomach and get over the gross art style, then what awaits you is a strategy roguelike game where you breed cats and take them into random campaigns to acquire new trinkets to equip your feline fighters with. At your base, you breed your furry four-paw companions into stronger (and sometimes weirder) offspring. There are well over one thousand items to pick up, and a nearly countless number of different cats to breed.
3 – Wartales
If Battle Brothers tickled your fancy, then Wartales should feel quite familiar and welcome, too. A brilliant, grounded, and low-fantasy sandbox. There are no great tales of heroes, chosen ones, and Gods picking favorites. Just your group of wanderers scouring the world looking for fame, fortune, or bread. Exploration will have you finding quests, bandits, politiquing lords, and all sorts of dangers. It’s an emergent storyteller kind of game, where the story you tell is the one you and your party craft. It’s a beloved cult classic that, while it might not have seen the mainstream praise and coverage of other titles on this list, it’s still massively successful, and new DLC is consistently being added, making a grander game, even larger.
2 – MENACE
MENACE comes from the same team that worked on the aforementioned Battle Brothers, and nearly all of its DNA derives, in some way or another, from what made it so successful: Freedom and player choice, unrelenting difficulty, and the typical “put your band of mercs together, and go earn money” we have come to expect. MENACE takes that formula, rockets it into the deep abyss of space, and improves upon it in every way. You now control full squads instead of individual soldiers, vehicles were added, a massive pool of equipment to customize your troops is already available in Early Access, there are several enemy factions, and a propper campaign progression that’ll have you pushijg back the titular MENACE, in my review I called it a tactical sci-fi strategy game that’s perfect for fans of Battle Brothers and XCOM, due to its eclectic mix of elements from both games.
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