Welcome to our comprehensive guide highlighting the top-rated turn-based strategy games for PC in 2026, including card turn-based games and co-op turn-based games. In this article, we delve into the captivating world of turn-based tactics, showcasing top-tier titles that promise thrilling gameplay experiences. From the iconic XCOM series to the critically acclaimed Into The Breach, we’ve curated a selection of games that epitomize strategic brilliance and offer immersive gameplay. Whether you’re a seasoned tactician or a newcomer to the genre, these games provide endless hours of turn-based enjoyment.
This list is arranged according to my current favorites at the time of writing, but it’s always subject to change. Feel free to share your opinions and let me know if there are any seminal Turn-Based Strategy games that deserve a spot on the list!
For more insights into the world of strategy gaming, don’t forget to check out our companion article showcasing the best RTS games on PC in 2026.
21 – Phantom Brigade
After leaving its self-imposed exile on the Epic Games Store, the Phantom Brigade sneaked its way unto Steam rather quietly. More Into the Breach than XCOM, it’s a turn-based tactics game that rests on the premise that your units have some kind of time device that allows them to look 5 seconds into the future, see the enemy’s actions, and act accordingly in order to counter, intercept or downright prevent them from enacting their evil misdeeds.
Similar to other games in the genre, the action is slip between two layers: the world map, and the tactical plane. On the world map the usual suspects make an appearance: customization of your units, research and development, upgrades, and building new weapons and mechs, all the while going around looking for fights. It’s all pretty vanilla stuff. But the whole customization of all mechs is fantastic. Swap out arms, legs, and torsos, equip a lot of different weapons (each has a very specific use and optimal range), and create your dream squad. It’s all very well implemented and yes, you can even paint them too. What sets it apart from the tactical battles is the unique mechanic where players can see a simulation of how the battle will play out before making their move, opening a lot of avenues for strategic planning and decision-making, not too dissimilar to what you would do in Into The Breach.
Phantom Brigade has excellent building destruction and after each battle, the maps will feel like a battle between big stompy machines really took place. The constant updates are actively improving the game, and Phantom Brigade is well on its way to consolidate its place as one of the best turn-based strategy games you can play on PC in 2026.
20 – Endless Legend
Endless Legend is a turn-based 4X strategy video game developed by Amplitude Studios and released in 2014. The game is set in the fantasy world of Auriga, a mysterious and beautiful land that is full of ancient ruins and secrets waiting to be discovered.
One of the unique features of Endless Legend is the inclusion of minor factions, independent groups that can be befriended or conquered. These factions can provide unique bonuses and units, making them valuable allies or dangerous enemies. Endless Legend is a highly strategic 4X that offers a unique blend of exploration, diplomacy, and combat. While Endless Legend might not be as relevant today as when it came out, it dared to shake up and tweak the Civilization formula in meaningful ways, making the combat particularly more in-depth, where positioning and terrain mattered.
It recently saw a resurgence of interest, gaining more than 1800% of players after a flash sale, proving that even a decade later, Endless Legend is still one of the top-rated turn-based strategy games on PC.
19 – Battle Academy
The seminal turn-based strategy wargame for players looking to jump into the grog habitat. Battle Academy, the friendliest of wargames, offers a diverse range of units, including infantry, tanks, artillery, and aircraft, each with strengths and weaknesses. One of the key features of Battle Academy is its innovative control system, which allows players to easily select units, move them around the battlefield, and engage in combat. The game’s interface is designed to be intuitive and user-friendly, allowing players to focus on strategy and tactics rather than wrestling with complicated controls.
Get it on sale, as it usually goes for less than a dollar. What more do you need from one of the top rated turn-based strategy games ever?
18 – Darkest Dungeon
Even though Darkest Dungeon 2 is out already, I don’t think it manages to hold a candle to the original. The definition of an Early Access sweetheart, and one of the best RPG/ Turn-based strategy games ever made, Darkest Dungeon will take you exploring the darkest corners of the earth, all the while fighting Lovecraftian creatures your party can’t even understand. Sending human beings deeper and deeper into the wells of madness as they venture forth, hopeless and scared against the ancient creatures of aeons past, all the while trying to unravel what happened, and what left your family estate in ruin.
17 – Gears Tactics
Gears Tactics is a solid turn-based strategy game that, despite being dragged back with a below-average storyline, has an excellent visual presentation. The game adds a lot of what makes Gears of War so recognizable into a fantastic and fun 3D tactics game: the brutality of the fights against the Locust, the industrialized aesthetic and gameplay adaptations like 3 actions turn with chain kills, making you live that high-intensity fights that made Gears so iconic, even in a turn-based format. My only wish was that Gears Tactics had been able to nail the management layer as well as it did the tactical one.
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