Highlights

• Strategy games on PC offer a more precise and immersive experience than on consoles due to mouse and keyboard controls.
• Xenonauts 2, Terra Invicta, and other exclusive PC titles provide unique gameplay experiences for fans of strategy games.
• From tactical SWAT missions in No Plan B to managing a train in Last Train Home, PC strategy games offer diverse and immersive challenges.

Strategy games are deeply rooted in the PC community, primarily thanks to their mechanics being well-suited for a mouse and keyboard. Typical console controllers don't often suit the complex inputs and micromanagement required of real-time strategy games, and even turn-based games can quickly become tedious on a controller.

Despite many modern strategy games having console ports, there are still titles that are exclusive to the PC. These are just a few examples of well-crafted strategy games that, at the time of writing, have yet to be ported to consoles.

10 Xenonauts 2 - A Homage To Classic XCOM

Steam User Rating: 79%

• Platform(s): PC
• Released: 2023
• Developer(s): Goldhawk Interactive
• Genre: Strategy

This well-crafted homage to the classic XCOM games features tactical turn-based combat from an isometric perspective. In the game, players manage a variety of units in tactical battles against an overwhelming alien threat.

In between these tactical battles, players will also have to defend against UFOs, train their units, and research new technologies. Despite being in Early Access at the time of writing, Xenonauts 2 is already a worthwhile foray for fans of turn-based tactics and old-school XCOM alike.

9 Terra Invicta - Unique Grand Strategy In A Hard Sci-Fi Future

Steam User Rating: 80%

Despite its daunting appearance and dense gameplay mechanics, Terra Invicta can be a deeply rewarding experience. Terra Invicta features a hard sci-fi aesthetic and tone, with a focus on grand strategy and tactical combat.

In Terra Invicta, players control one of several factions in a dynamic solar system, engaging in geopolitics and competing with the other factions. Terra Invicta is a truly unique game, and many players are likely to bounce off its steep learning curve, but it's an experience that offers an abundance of strategic depth.

8 No Plan B - A Tactical SWAT Game

Steam User Rating: 88%

• Platform(s): PC
• Released: 2024
• Developer(s): GFX47
• Genre: Strategy

No Plan B is a unique tactics game that uses a timeline system to set itself apart. In No Plan B, players coordinate their squad of units, carefully planning every move before watching it play out in real-time.

No Plan B features four playable factions and a variety of missions to complete, including everything from bank robberies to hostage rescue. With roguelike campaigns and short skirmishes to play through, there's plenty of replay value to be had in this tactical indie game.

7 Last Train Home - Real-Time Strategy Across Siberia

Steam User Rating: 87%

This combination of management and real-time strategy offers a tactical experience with a grim tone and atmosphere. Last Train Home tasks players with managing a train and its crew in the middle of a civil war, managing resources, and fighting real-time battles.

Last Train Home features a dark and unique narrative that takes place in the aftermath of World War 1 and follows the lives of the Czechoslovak Legion. Last Train Home takes place in Siberia, and its environments are mostly well-crafted, making it a particularly immersive strategy game. The train management mechanics are a welcome palette cleanser between the real-time battles.

6 Starship Troopers: Terran Command - Horde-Fighting Tactics

Steam User Rating: 88%

• Platform(s): PC
• Released: 2022
• Developer(s): The Artistocrats
• Genre: Real-Time Strategy

Set in the universe of the Starship Troopers films, Starship Troopers: Terran Command is a real-time strategy game that tasks players with battling against hordes of the iconic Arachnids. Terran Command features a variety of specialized units and masses of bugs to kill, making it the perfect game for fans of Starship Troopers and RTS games alike.

Starship Troopers: Terran Command is a fairly straightforward real-time strategy game, but it manages to stand out somewhat with its focus on line-of-fire. This makes tactically positioning units a huge priority and failing to do so often results in the Arachnids tearing apart the player's infantry.

5 Nebulous: Fleet Command - A Heavily Simulated Sci-Fi RTS

Steam User Rating: 91%

Reminiscent of the space battles in the science-fiction show, The Expanse, Nebulous: Fleet Command is a deeply tactical real-time strategy game. What makes Nebulous so deep is its focus on heavy simulation, particularly its advanced movement controls.

Nebulous: Fleet Command takes place in 3D space, making maneuvering the game's lumbering warships an advanced process. While the in-depth controls and hefty simulation won't be for everyone, Nebulous has plenty to offer for particularly patient players.

4 Backpack Battles - Inventory-Management Meets Auto-Battler

Steam User Rating: 92%

For fans of auto-battlers such as Super Auto Pets and Backpack Hero, Backpack Battles is a worthy contender. In the game, players manage an ever-expanding inventory as they attempt to maximize their offensive and defensive abilities.

After spending their money in the shop and organizing their inventory as best they can, players fight a random player to the death. Backpack Battles works similarly to Super Auto Pets, with players attempting to reach ten victories before losing all of their lives. However, Backpack Battles is somewhat more competitive and offers a completely different set of gameplay mechanics that help it to stand out.

3 Against The Storm - A Roguelite City-Builder

Steam User Rating: 95%

With a visual style reminiscent of Warcraft 3 and a distinctive gameplay loop, Against The Storm succeeds on both a visual and mechanical level. Against The Storm is a strategic city-builder condensed into a roguelite structure, featuring meta-progression that ensures players progress with every run.

Against The Storm also features several modifiers and six unique biomes that help to make each run feel unique, along with a dynamic weather system that keeps players on their toes. Overall, Against The Storm is perfect for fans of both roguelites and objective-based city-builders.

2 Creeper World 4 - A Strategic Tower Defense Game

Steam User Rating: 95%

• Platform(s): PC
• Released: 2020
• Developer(s): Knuckle Cracker
• Genre: Tower Defense

This fourth entry in the truly unique Creeper World series distinguishes itself with its 3D environments, which further add to Creeper World's complexities, offering players more strategic options. Creeper World is known for its physics-based antagonistic goo, the "Creeper," and Creeper World 4's 3D aesthetic helps to make the Creeper even more threatening.

Despite its upgrade to 3D, Creeper World 4 is not the most visually appealing game. However, the game's in-depth mechanics and heaps of replay value dramatically help in looking past its lackluster aesthetic.

1 Thronefall - Real-Time Strategy Meets Tower Defense

Steam User Rating: 97%

This minimalist base defense game combines elements of real-time strategy and tower defense games, offering a uniquely strategic experience. In Thronefall, players ride across their miniature Kingdom on horseback, fighting off enemies with the help of their various defenses and units.

Thronefall features several distinct levels, a variety of challenging enemies, and plenty of strategies to think of using the game's perk system. When combined with the roguelike mode and well-crafted minimalist art style, Thronefall is more than worth its relatively low price.