If you want to spend hours racking your brain in a video game, then PCstrategy gamesare the way to go. You’ll have a myriad of decisions to make that will alter the very landscape that you’ve immersed yourself in. They truly are a wonder and make you keep your thinking cap on every step of the way.
There are loads of PC strategy games for every taste. You’ve got your military-style simulators. There are empire building titles. And the best part is that you can take them into fantasy lands, outer space, or the real world. No matter where you end up, you’ll be strategizing like your life depends on it.
Updated June 14, 2025 by Zackary Wiggs: Nothing gets your brain’s gears turning quite like a strategy game. Whether you want to make a peaceful space-faring civilization or you want to try your hand at beinga World War 2 general, strategy games are there for you. As PCs get more powerful, it’s easier for developers to pack more and more into a single title. There’s never been a better time to boot up your PC and dive into the strategy genre, but looking at these new titles, they definitely aren’t going anywhere.
Age of Empires 4is a real-time strategy game in a long line of immaculate RTS titles. It was the first numbered entry in the series in over 15 years, and the wait was definitely worth it. It brings everything we love from the previous games to the modern era.
It is all about building your empire and outlasting all the others. You can tackle campaigns with set stories or battle against real players to see who can take control first. You’ve got land and naval units at your disposal from a varietyof historical civilizationsto conquer the world.
12Terra Invicta
From Earth To The Stars
There are plenty of games that let you build your empire across the Earth, and some that even let you do the same thing across the stars. But, there are not too many games that let you do both. Terra Invicta lets you do just that though.
You get to create your own civilization from scratch on earth, and then through various tech trees you get to craft interplanetary ships to explore the cosmos and expand your empire’s reach. It’s a wild ride, and one that balances strategy in both eras pretty seamlessly.
11Gears Tactics
The Gears World Goes Strategic
Gears of War is a third-person shooter series with armored up soldiers and chainsaw bayonets. Turn that into a strategy game and you’ve got Gears Tactics. It has all of the movement, weapons, and lore of the Gears series, but puts you in control of an entire squad’s wellbeing rather than just your own.
You have the main characters to work with along with additional characters you can customize to your liking. Send them to do side missions or take on the main campaign to fight the Locust horde. It even has the big climactic boss battles Gears of War is known for.
10Endless Legend
A Legendary Journey
Set on the planet of Auriga, Endless Legend is a 4X turn-based fantasy strategy title where you create your own legend by conquering it or saving it from those who wish to. You can lead one of eight civilizations in the base game, each with their own storyline intertwined with one another.
It comes with randomly generated quests and worlds, so you may replay it as many times as you like. No playthrough will ever be exactly the same as another. It’s very similar to other strategy games, but its fantastical elements go above and beyond.
9Into The Breach
Strategy Meets Retro Graphics
The Vek are the bad guys inInto the Breachand humanity must battle these monsters. In this turn-based strategy game set in the future, the only way you can truly combat them is byemploying giant mechsoperated by your soldiers.
You’ll be given a fixed number of turns to complete each maps' specific objectives. Protect the civilians, fight off the Vek, and look to rebuild any damage that is done. It’s lesser in terms of graphics compared to some PC strategy games, but the strategy you need to win is vast.
Crusader Kings 3isn’t your basic strategy game. Instead, you’re able to create lengthy dynasties that last for centuries. You aren’t building a basic empire with this one. You’re creating a legacy as youcontrol heir after heir when characters die.
The game is set in either 867 or 1066, depending on your choice. From there, you’ll form your kingdom and play through the year 1453. During this time, it is up to you to decide the religion, governing style, and military might under your rule.
Starcraft 2is definitely one of the most popular strategy games available on PC. Like the original game, you’ll come across the Protoss, Terran, and Zerg species. Perfect whichever you desire to dominate both singleplayer and multiplayer matches.
You’ll have unique units at your disposal that can drastically alter the course of a battle if used correctly. Gather resources and expand your military. That’s the only way you’ll get the upper hand in Starcraft 2.
There are few games that handle strategy games on the grander side of things like the Victoria series does. It can be a little on the intense side for those who are new to the mix of grand strategy and empire-simulators, but it’s well-worth the learning curve.
Starting in 1836, you get to pick any country and lead it through a century of ups and downs. You can alter the countries goals as needed and even pick from various playstyles. It’s a wealth of knowledge, but it’s one of those games where you can easily lose track of time with.
Sid Meier’s Civilization games are some of the most well-known strategy titles ever.Civilization 6is the dream fully realized. You have multiple leaders to place at the front of your civilization and a vast amount of time periods to expand your civilization to control the entire world.
It is completely up to you how you advance through the ages. you may build up your military to fight for control. You can also gain allies and advancements through science or with words. Brute force isn’t necessary and staying peaceful proves to be a true challenge.
If you want to place soldiers on a battlefield and take turns gunning down alien invaders, thenXCOM 2was made for you. The turn-based tactics and strategy game puts you in charge of XCOM. It is a military organization tasked with taking out the alien threat.
XCOM has lost the war, however, and is now reduced to a resistance. Build up that resistance, customize your characters, and ensure you have varying types of soldiers in the fight. It is notoriously difficult no matter the setting you choose. You’ll need all your brainpower to win this war.
