List Rules Your favorite turn-based strategy games, on any system.
For this list we're ranking the best turn-based strategy games of all time for any console or system, including cover art pictures when available. These highly rated turn-based strategy games are ordered by popularity, so only the greatest turn-based strategy games are at the top of the list. Spanning the entire history of the genre, these turn-based strategy games are considered the best in the genre. This list includes all challenging turn-based strategy games that have ever hit the shelves, so it doesn't necessarily have all the more obscure or new turn-based strategy games.
This list features games like Civilization V, Rome: Total War, and many more. This list answers the questions, "What are the best turn-based strategy games?" and "What is the greatest turn-based strategy game of all time?"
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Deniz added XCOM: Enemy Unknown2012 XCOM: Enemy Unknown is a military turn-based tactical alien invasion/planetary defense strategy science fiction video game, developed by Firaxis Games and published by 2K Games. The game is a ...more
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508 223
Heroes of Might and Magic III: Armageddon's Blade1999 Heroes of Might and Magic III: Armageddon's Blade is the first of two expansion packs for the turn-based strategy game Heroes of Might and Magic III. It was developed by New World Computing for ...more
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550 297
Civilization V2010 Sid Meier's Civilization V is a 4X video game in the Civilization series developed by Firaxis Games, released on Microsoft Windows in September 2010, OS X on November 23, 2010, and Linux/SteamOS ...more
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354 165
Rome: Total War2004 Rome: Total War is a PC strategy game developed by The Creative Assembly and released on 12 April 2004 by Activision. The Mac OS X version of the game was released on 5 February 2010 by Feral ...more
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Carlos Benavides added XCOM 2
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320 136
Medieval II: Total War2006 Medieval II: Total War, the indirect sequel to 2002's Medieval: Total War and the fourth game in the Total War series from The Creative Assembly, is a game of turn-based strategic rounds and ...more
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Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri1999 Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri is a video game in the 4X genre which is considered a spiritual sequel to the Civilization series. Set in a science fiction depiction of the 22nd century, the game ...more
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JaakkoToivanen added Jagged Alliance 21999 Jagged Alliance 2 is a tactical role-playing game for PC, released in 1999 for Windows, and later ported to Linux by Tribsoft. It is the third game in the Jagged Alliance series, and was ...more
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Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword2007 Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword is the second official expansion pack of the turn-based strategy video game Civilization IV. The expansion focuses on adding content to the in-game time periods ...more
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Heroes of Might and Magic III1999 Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia is a turn-based strategy game developed by Jon Van Caneghem through New World Computing originally released for Microsoft Windows by the ...more
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Heroes of Might and Magic II1996 Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Succession Wars is a turn-based strategy video game developed by Jon Van Caneghem through New World Computing and published in 1996 by the 3DO Company. The game ...more
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Civilization II1996 Sid Meier's Civilization II is a turn-based strategy video game developed and published by MicroProse. It was first released in 1996 for the PC and later ported to the Sony PlayStation. In 2002, ...more
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Bl4ckSh33p added Master of Orion II: Battle at Antares1996 Master of Orion II: Battle at Antares is a 4X turn-based strategy game set in space, designed by Steve Barcia and Ken Burd, and developed by Simtex, who developed its predecessor Master of ...more
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93 34
XCOM: Enemy Within XCOM: Enemy Within is an expansion pack for the turn-based military alien invasion strategy wargaming simulator XCOM: Enemy Unknown. The Windows and OS X editions require XCOM: Enemy Unknown to ...more
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AndrewLull added Final Fantasy Tactics1997 Final Fantasy Tactics is a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square for the Sony PlayStation video game console. It is the first game of the Final Fantasy Tactics series and ...more
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ian.teig added Total War: Shogun 22011 Total War: Shogun 2 is a strategy video game developed by The Creative Assembly and published by Sega. It is part of the Total War series and returns to the 16th-century Japan setting of the ...more
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Fallout 21998 Fallout 2 is a role-playing open world video game developed by Black Isle Studios and published by Interplay in 1998. While featuring a considerably larger game world and a far more extensive ...more
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Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Shadow of Death2000 Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Shadow of Death is the second of two expansion packs for the turn-based strategy game Heroes of Might and Magic III. It was developed by New World Computing ...more
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Panzer General1994 Panzer General is a computer wargame published by Strategic Simulations in 1994 and set in World War II.
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FallOut 11997
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Civilization III2001 Sid Meier's Civilization III, commonly shortened to Civ III or Civ 3, is the third installment of the Sid Meier's Civilization turn-based strategy video game series. It was preceded by ...more
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Medieval: Total War2002 Medieval: Total War is a turn-based strategy and real-time tactics computer game developed by The Creative Assembly and published by Activision. Set in the Middle Ages, it is the second game in ...more
samiboles added The Battle for Wesnoth2005 The Battle for Wesnoth is a turn-based strategy video game with a fantasy setting, designed by David White and first released in June 2003. In Wesnoth, the player attempts to build a powerful ...more
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Empire: Total War2009 Empire: Total War is a turn-based strategy and real-time tactics computer game developed by The Creative Assembly and published by Sega. The fifth installment in the Total War series, the game ...more
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Panzer General II1997 Panzer General II is a turn-based strategy computer game by Strategic Simulations, Inc. Released September 30, 1997, Panzer General II is the sixth SSI game in the "General" series and ...more
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Civilization V: Gods & Kings2012 Sid Meier's Civilization V: Gods & Kings is the first official expansion pack for the turn-based strategy video game Civilization V. It was released on June 19, 2012 in North America, and on ...more
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165 96
Master of Orion1993 Master of Orion is a critically acclaimed turn-based, 4X science fiction computer strategy game released in 1993 by MicroProse on the MS-DOS and Mac OS operating systems. The rights are ...more
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170 100
Master of Magic1994 Master of Magic is a single-player, fantasy turn-based strategy 4X genre video game created by Simtex and published for MS-DOS by MicroProse in 1994. The player is a wizard attempting to ...more
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Sid Meier's Colonization1994 Sid Meier's Colonization is a computer game by Brian Reynolds and Sid Meier released by MicroProse in 1994. It is a turn-based strategy game themed on the early European colonization of the New ...more
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Civilization II: Test of Time1999 Civilization II: Test of Time, released in 1999, is a turn-based strategy game remake of the best selling game Civilization II that was released to compete with Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri. Test ...more
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Lords of the Realm II1996 Lords of the Realm II is a computer game published by Sierra Entertainment and developed by Impressions Games. It was first released for the PC on October 31, 1996, and is the second game in the ...more
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X-COM: Terror from the Deep1995 X-COM: Terror from the Deep is a strategy video game developed and published by MicroProse in 1995 for the PC. It is the sequel to UFO: Enemy Unknown and the second game of the X-COM series.
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Fire Emblem2003 Fire Emblem, released in Japan as Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken is a tactical role-playing game for the Game Boy Advance, developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo. The game was ...more
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Heroes of Might and Magic V2006 Heroes of Might and Magic V is the fifth installment of the Heroes of Might and Magic fantasy turn-based strategy video game series. Like the other games in the series, players control ...more
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Age of Wonders1999 Age of Wonders is a turn-based strategy video game often likened to Master of Magic. Originally titled World of Wonders, the game incorporated several role-playing video game elements that were ...more
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ian.teig added Total War: Rome II2013 Total War: Rome II is a strategy game developed by The Creative Assembly and published by Sega, released on 3 September 2013 for Microsoft Windows. The eighth standalone game in the Total War ...more
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meta-lagger added Crusader Kings II Crusader Kings II is a grand strategy game set in the Middle Ages developed by Paradox Development Studio and published by Paradox Interactive as a sequel to Crusader Kings. It was released for ...more
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Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel2001 Fallout Tactics is a turn-based/real-time tactical role-playing game set in the post-apocalyptic Fallout universe. Developed by Micro Forté and published by 14 Degrees East, Fallout ...more
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Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic2003 Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic is a turn-based strategy video game in a fantasy setting. Shadow Magic is the third incarnation of the Age of Wonders series, and is a direct sequel to Age of ...more
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110 84
Age of Wonders II: The Wizard's Throne2002 Age of Wonders II: The Wizard's Throne is a turn-based strategy video game in a fantasy setting. The first sequel to Age of Wonders, it was developed by Triumph Studios, a Dutch game developer.
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_1445176307549 added Shining Force II1993 Shining Force II, is a tactical role-playing game for the Mega Drive/Genesis console developed by Sonic! Software Planning in 1993. Its storyline is not directly connected to the original ...more
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Disciples II: Dark Prophecy2002 Disciples II: Dark Prophecy is a PC game by Strategy First that was released on January 24, 2002. The game is the sequel to the 1999 game Disciples: Sacred Lands, and has become significantly ...more
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fondfoat added Age of Wonders III Age of Wonders III is a turn-based strategy video game in development by Dutch developer Triumph Studios, and was announced on February 6, 2013 following a successful digital re-release of the ...more
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DrPostman added Ageod's American Civil War 217 SEP 2013
Civil War 2 is the definitive grand strategy game of the period. It is a turn based regional game with an emphasis on playability and historical accuracy. It is built on the renowned AGE game engine, with a modern and intuitive interface that makes it easy to learn yet hard to master. This historical operational strategy game with a simultaneous turn-based engine (WEGO system) that places players at the head of the USA or CSA during the American Civil War (1861-1865). You take the part of the military and political leadership, trying to lead your nation to victory, in the midst of some of the toughest operations of the Civil War. You will build, organize and command your armies over one of the largest maps of the USA ever made for a Civil War game. There are a host of real military leaders to appoint with their own strengths and weaknesses and choosing the right man for the job is crucial. However you are not just a military leader and must make vital economics and political decisions. These can have far reaching effects and you can even influence foreign intervention from the French & British who were constantly intervening in America for power and prestige. Each turn lasts 2 weeks and you must issue your orders in advance, planning on where the enemy will be, not where they are now – which is called a WEGO system (We Go at the same time). Orders are executed simultaneously in 14 phases – 1 per day. Battles are resolved on the day they occur so scheduling the arrival of your forces and planning the logistics or your army are key to success. You can send a massive force to assault an enemy position but if you do not carefully plan the attack you can have you troops arriving piecemeal and being easily dispatched. The WEGO system adds excitement and suspense and is far more realistic than traditional turn based games. This is must have game for anyone interested in the period or grand strategy games in general.
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Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords2006 Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords is a 4X turn-based strategy by Stardock for Microsoft Windows. It is the sequel to the original Galactic Civilizations, and was released at retail and on ...more
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King's Bounty1990 King's Bounty is a turn-based fantasy computer and video game designed by Jon Van Caneghem of New World Computing in 1990. The game follows the player's character, a hero of King Maximus, ...more
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david-estes-mcknight added Advance Wars2001 Advance Wars, later released in Japan as Game Boy Wars Advance is a turn-based tactics video game developed for the Game Boy Advance by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo. It was ...more
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Shadowrun Returns Shadowrun Returns is a turn based tactical role-playing game developed and self-published by Harebrained Schemes, an independent video game company led by Jordan Weisman, the creator of the ...more
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gunthrix-maximillian added Axis & Allies1998 Axis & Allies is a 1998 turn-based strategy video game closely based on the Axis and Allies: Classic board game. Players take control of one of five world powers at the start of 1942 in WW2, ...more
