5 – Hearts of Iron IV
I wanted to recommend Europa Universalis V in here, but the higher price had me going back to the good old Hearts of Iron IV, a game whose longevity no doubt surprised me as much as it did Paradox. Who would have known that what was once a beloved, traditional wargame would have become one of the most played strategy games of the last decade? Well, I didn’t, but the combination of a cheap entry point, with a lot of DLC covering almost every major nation that took part in the conflict, or was in some way adjacent to it, is a massive factor for its success, I’m sure. I advise everybody who has an interest in World War 2 strategy games to pick up Hearts of Iron IV, just because it’s the easiest to get into for the franchise, it’s very cheap, goes on sale often, and there’s an almost 100% chance that the nation you want to play as is available, and has its very own focus tree. Behind all the memories that a game like Hearts of Iron IV inspires, there’s also a very complex military system at play, covering land, sea, and airborne operations.
4 – XCOM 2
It’s XCOM 2, a game that, in the opinion of a lot of people, is the best turn-based strategy game ever made. While I personally prefer the first one, the value for money here makes XCOM 2 the best entry point for new prospective buyers. If you can, pick it up with the War of the Chosen DLC, which massively improves the base experience by adding more content and tough boss encounters against the titular Chosen.
3 – Gates of Hell – Ostfront
The World War 2 RTS genre has seen better days, that’s for sure, with the early 2000s being the golden period for the sub-genre. What the time period never saw was a game as high-quality, polished, in-depth, and yet so accessible as Gates of Hell – Ostfront. I don’t think anyone will argue with me that this is the best World War 2 RTS ever made, even surpassing Company of Heroes in all regards: RTS fundamentals, granularity of control, the strategic options, and representation of World War 2 tactical combat, the insane amount of singleplayer content (with plenty of extensive DLCs on offer as well), a very active multiplayer and co-op communites, and a modding scene that’s unrivaled, except maybe by titles like Arma 3. I cannot recommend Gates of Hell enough, and it’s one of those titles that has become a permanent fixture in all of my machines, both desktop and laptop.
2 – Battle Brothers
I’m going to be a bit tacky and call Battle Brothers the Darksouls of strategy games, just for the sake of brevity, because a 20-game list can take a while to skim through, especially if you have Steam open and are adding games to your cart. Released in 2016 (and still getting updates as of this month), Battle Brothers distinguishes itself for being unapologetically hard, complex, and absolutely brutal, punishing each mistake with permanent consequences that might require several retries before you finally get the hang of things. Each hack of a hax, swing of a sword, or chuck of a spear carries the risk of permanently injuring your soldiers by removing their fingers, damaging their brains, breaking bones, and all other sorts of maladies. Unlike other games, where a quick nap on the medbay will have your MVP up and running in no time, in Battle Brothers, an unlucky swing might turn your double-sword-wielding leader into a traumatized coward with a couple of missing fingers. However, the fact that the game went on to become a fan favorite and led to the creation of one of 2026’s best strategy games so far, MENACE, is proof enough that Battle Brothers earned its place amongst players’ hearts.
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