5 – Burden of Command
Burden of Command just came out, and soon became one of my favourite strategy games of all time, and certainly one of the best World War 2 strategy games ever, period. Players are tasked with commanding Nickel Company from the real 7th Infantry Regiment, the “Cottonbalers”, and you’ll fight the most iconic battles the regiment took part in during World War 2, from their landings in North Africa to their capturing of. Burden of Command is as much a turn-based strategy game, or wargame, as it is a roleplaying game (RPG), where every decision you make will reflect itself on the life of the men who serve under you, either they live or die, how they see you and how good you are as a commander. It’s such a unique and personal take on a genre that’s usually more concerned about armies with thousands of men, tank numbers, logistics and what kind of shells should be used in a specific engagement, that I think everyone who loves the topics of World War 2, turn-based strategy and has a passing interest in leadership should play Burden of Command.
4 – Balatro
Balatro has earned more Games of the Year awards than any other game on this list. This roguelike, deckbuilding, turn-based strategy poker game was developed by LocalThunk who decided that poker can be a lot more interesting and high stakes than it is in real life. Players need to combo cards and poker hands to reach an arbitrarily high score to beat the game’s blind, to move to the next one, and the next, and so forth. Each card has a number of chips assigned to it, which is multiplied by a mult value. The twist is, that with each blind you win, you can add new cards and new jokers into your deck, each of them massively changing the way you play and combo into higher and higher scores. Some jokers will activate cards twice, others will double your mult, and others will favour certain poker hands and suits. Get a couple of jokers under your belt and things will start to go incredibly wild very fast. The game’s also quite the challenge, and with each new blind, the number you have to achieve goes up, and there are a couple of boss stages that can throw a couple of wrenches into your deck-building plans.
Balatro offers a fresh and dynamic take on the strategy genre. Its emphasis on tactical decision-making and deck customization makes it a standout choice for strategy fans seeking a unique and challenging experience in 2026.
3 – Dwarf Fortress
Dwarf Fortress is a legendary simulation game that generates incredibly detailed and dynamic fantasy worlds for players to build their dwarf kingdoms in, get way too invested in what they built, for a cat or some other creature to step into some wine, get drunk, and setting the whole thing on fire (yes, really) and forcing you to start anew. Dwarf Fortress is the game where the phrase “losing is fun” originated from. More likely than not, it’s also the most complex videogame ever made, and the true definition of emergent storytelling (the whole thing about cats getting drunk is a real thing, by the way).
The core gameplay involves managing a colony of dwarves, attempting to help them survive in a harsh and unpredictable environment. Players must deal with everything from resource management and base building to defending against hostile creatures and managing the dwarves’ often-complicated social dynamics. While it has a reputation for its steep learning curve and ASCI graphics, when Dwarf Fortress arrived on Steam with a very detailed graphical pack that does a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of user interface, learning the game became a lot easier, and a lot more accessible to a wider audience, and it’s 95% Overwhelmingly Positive rating on Steam are proof that players can’t get enough of this classic.
2 – XCOM: Enemy Unknown
XCOM: Enemy Unknown is a personal favourite of mine, and of a lot of other players. This turn-based tactical strategy game challenges players to lead the XCOM project in a fight against an alien invasion. As the commander of the XCOM force, players will manage their teams of soldiers, acquire and make the most of limited resources, research new alien technologies, and engage in tactical, squad-based combat to defend humanity from extraterrestrial threats. XCOM: Enemy Unknown, the reboot of the beloved classic UFO: Enemy Unknown, is single-handedly responsible for revitalizing the whole strategy gaming genre when it hit the scene, and it lives on in 2026 as one of the most beloved strategy games of all time, a top-seller, and a critical success. Offering a thrilling and tense experience (especially with Iron Man mode on), XCOM: Enemy Unknown blend of a grand-strategy layer with some of the best tactical combat of all time makes it a standout title for strategy gans in 2026, and earns it a well deserved second spot on this list.
Leave a Reply