Strategy games
Managing resources, position and timing: The genre where the winner is the one who plans well, not the one who moves fast.
What is the strategy genre?
In a strategy game you command not a single character but an army, a city or a whole civilization. Winning depends less on how fast you click and more on where you put your resources, which unit you build when and how you read the map. Every move is an investment in the next one.
The genre has two main branches. In real-time strategy the world keeps moving while you think, so the pressure never stops. In turn-based strategy you have as much time as you want to think, which makes mistakes harder to forgive: A wrong move has no excuse.
What defines it?
Limited production and income force you to pick your priorities.
Position, line of sight and terrain advantage are often worth more than the number of units.
The payoff of today's move often arrives dozens of turns later.
The same genre runs at two different tempos, and their audiences largely split.
Landmark games
Well-known examples often used to explain the genre. For the list on our site, see the games section below.
At a glance
Strategy games (197)
Neighbours from Hell TR
Crusader Kings 3 TR
Europa Universalis 5
Frostpunk: 1886 TR
Kingdom's Deck TR
8.5
Clonizer
Blacksmith Master TR
Endless Legend 2 TR
Jurassic World Evolution TR
Planet Coaster TR
7
Planet Coaster 2 TR
F1 Manager 2024 TR
Tempest Rising TR
Commandos: Origins TR
Ixion TR
Manor Lords TR
Age of Empires Mobile TR
Sid Meier’s Civilization 7 TR
Age of Mythology: Retold TR
Anno 117: Pax Romana TR
Company of Heroes TR
Company of Heroes 2 TR
8.5
Company of Heroes 3 TR
8.1
Eyes of War TR
Latest stories on strategy games
Frequently asked questions
What do RTS and TBS mean?
RTS is real-time strategy, where the game keeps running while you think. TBS is turn-based strategy, where everyone moves in turn. They are two tempos of the same genre.
What is 4X strategy?
The name comes from explore, expand, exploit and exterminate. It describes civilization-scale strategy games that are usually turn-based and very long.
Are strategy games too heavy for beginners?
The first hours are dense because there are many systems to learn. Starting with a turn-based game is usually easier, since you are not under time pressure while you learn.