In the video game sense of the term, “strategy” is something broad, but which essentially concerns a single platform, the PC. There have been successful console incursions, but as you will see, our selection of the best titles unfortunately does not often open on PlayStation / Switch / Xbox media.
Talking about a strategy game therefore encompasses many styles. Thus, our selection of the best titles combines real-time strategy with 4X, management / strategy games with grand strategy games, tactical games with real-time tactical confrontations. A nice mix of genres which however has one thing in common: we must always put on the face of our opponents!
Age of Empires IV – Successful return for the historic franchise
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See the priceSee the testAge of Empires IV
- Successful tribute to AoE II
- Eight very varied civilizations
- Four long campaigns
- Extensive single/multiple content
- Remarkable educational plan
Disappeared from the radar since 2005, the Age of Empires franchise signed its return in November 2019 with a small trailer. Age of Empires IV was released two years later and it honors the previous installments of a franchise that will be etched in the memories of all fans of RTS (Real Time Strategy game).
Age of Empires IV especially pays homage to the second opus, Age of Kings. It offers to choose from eight peoples and covers a historical period between the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries. We take advantage of well-scripted solo campaigns as much to learn the basics of the game as to have fun discovering great pages of history: the invasion of England by William the Conqueror, the Hundred Years War and the epic of Joan of Arc, the development of the great principality of Moscow and the rise of the Mongol Empire.
Developed by genre specialists, Relic Entertainment, Age of Empires IV above all manages to dust off the concept of the real-time strategy game without abandoning its roots. It modernizes the mechanics of the game without ever betraying them and brings new blood to an achievement that might have deserved a little more ambition. It remains a wonder to try as soon as possible.
Crusader Kings III – Dynastic Intrigues and Shenanigans
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See the Crusader Kings III review
- Successful aesthetic overhaul all along the line
- Clearer, more readable, better organized
- Comprehensive tutorial and nested tooltips system
- Phishing and intrigue to perfect dirty tricks
- More roleplay than ever (3D characters, lifestyles...)
- Countless hours of gameplay ahead
Available for almost two years, Crusader Kings III is – we would have guessed – the third installment in the franchise imagined by the Swedish Paradox Interactive. It is a grand strategy game which, to put it simply, means that it focuses on large-scale strategy, leaving aside the micro-management aspect of some games.
In Crusader Kings III, you take control of a family that must survive – and if possible prosper – between the years 867 / 1066 and 1453. Unlike other games of the genre, here you do not rule a country or a nation, but a dynasty and, more specifically, the leader of that dynasty. Part of the engine of the game remains the development of the regions under its control, the conduct of military operations and learned negotiations to weave profitable alliances, but Crusader Kings III also looks at all political issues.
We should rather speak here of intrigues and shenanigans taking as a framework the relations between hundreds of dynasties. Ours must survive, even if it means forced marriages or a risky hunting trip for an overly ambitious uncle. Of course, commercial tensions and religious unrest add to the adventures that are sure to stand in our way to the titles of Duke, King or, why not, Emperor.
Gears Tactics – A few grams of finesse in a universe of brutes
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PriceGears Tactics
- Successful fan-service around Gears
- Realization of all beauty, soundtrack that takes to the guts
- Variety and customization of soldiers
- Effective, but limited locust bestiary
- Interesting rhythm of (good) missions
- Thoughtful game mechanics
The Gears of War universe is well known to fans of big banging guns, pure action, and full-on knockouts. To prove to us that it is also possible to slaughter Locust with a certain finesse, Xbox Game Studios has entrusted the creation of a tactical combat game in this universe to the British from Splash Damage.
Released in April 2020 on PC and later on Xbox One / Xbox Series, Gears Tactics is certainly not the best tactical available, but it provides the essentials and provides good sensations. It must be said that Splash Damage has managed to retain the deliciously gory side of Gears of War and to stage it wonderfully without the tactical aspect seeming under-represented. As a successful prelude to the other games in the franchise, Gears Tactics takes the time to introduce us to its characters and, in particular, Gabriel Diaz, the parent of the franchise's new heroine, Kait Diaz.
Experts will no doubt criticize a lack of inventiveness and verticality in the various maps as well as a not very inspired end to the campaign, but for the rest it's a good job with a beautifully optimized game so that it runs well even on modest PCs.
Humankind – Strategic melting pot
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See the priceSee the testHumankind
- New - and a lot - in the 4X
- Well-thought-out civilization aggregation
- Clear if somewhat incomplete tutorials
- Well seen event system
- Mountain of implications on every choice
- Rich and interesting diplomacy
- Original combat management
- A beautiful aesthetic
A turn-based strategy game, Humankind is what we call a 4X. It is therefore based on the four pillars – eXploration, eXpansion, eXploitation, eXtermination – dear to Civilization by Sid Meier, one of the pioneers of the genre. In fact, in Humankind, it is always a question of leading its people from the Stone Age to the first space discoveries.
Imagined by the Spaniards of Amplitude, Humankind stands out on a crucial point: there is no question of choosing a single civilization. A part is divided into several periods and, at each of them, we change civilization. The idea is to show that people evolve through the ages while retaining certain traits of the past. This results in more varied games with people – and bonuses – that are changed according to the needs of the period: here more military, there more focused on trade or science.
Humankind also tries to distinguish itself in its way of approaching the fights, but the result is perhaps less convincing. However, it is a remarkable – and successful – variation on the theme of 4X, just to change a little from the inevitable Civilization. Good pick !
Sid Meier's Civilization VI – The 4X pioneer is aging well
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Sid Meier's Civilization VI
- The 4X at its peak
- Concept of enlarged cities/districts
- Remarkable handling
If he is no longer so involved in the productions of his studio – Firaxis – Sid Meier is one of the greatest creators of video games and his Civilization is a title that has marked generations. The sixth installment of the franchise was released in 2016 already and it was completed by two expansions.
Civilization VI is a landmark work that has still marked millions of players and shortened many more nights. The concept is very simple: at the head of a people of hunter-gatherers, it is a question of imposing oneself within the concert of nations. Victory can take many forms depending on whether one seeks to crush others militarily, to triumph over one's own faith or to embark on space exploration. Of course, the player has countless means to achieve his ends and it is this openness that has made the success of the franchise.
This sixth opus is distinguished by a more cartoonish realization and by the integration of a system of expansion of cities by districts. The interface is a marvel of clarity, but the regulars regret that the artificial intelligence is incapable of conducting a somewhat interesting diplomacy. Six years after its release, Civilization VI is however a classic.
StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty – Must Real Time Strategy Game
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StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty
- Remarkable Single Player Campaign
- Gameplay quality, accuracy
- Outstanding Multi Competitive
The oldest game in our selection, StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty clearly does not make us any younger since Blizzard Entertainment – which did not yet belong to Activision and even less to Microsoft – marketed it in 2010. In almost twelve years, the However, the game did not have competitors strong enough to challenge its dominance in the real-time strategy genre.
StarCraft 2 takes place in the XNUMXth century. Three factions are vying for galactic domination: the Terrans, descendants of Earth prisoners, the Zergs, insectoid creatures, and the Protoss, a humanoid race endowed with psionic powers. Only three factions will say some, but the differences and the quality of the balancing are such that we cannot blame Blizzard who therefore preferred to focus on quality rather than quantity. Blizzard has also bet on the excellence of a gameplay so perfect that it is still a benchmark in eSports today.
Two years after its release, it had already sold more than six million copies and, since 2017, Blizzard has been distributing it for free so that everyone can taste the accuracy of its gameplay, the nervousness of its action, the excellence of its achievement. A masterpiece.
Stellaris – In space, the 4X is more accessible
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See the priceStellaris
- Finally an accessible Paradox game
- Exciting exploration phase
- Comprehensive breed management
- Clear and practical interface
- Efficient Multiplayer
After Europa Universalis, Hearts of Iron, Crusader Kings and Victoria, Stellaris is the fifth grand strategy franchise developed by Paradox Development Studios. In reality, it detaches a little from the kind of predilection of the Swedes to move more towards the 4X.
Compared to the classics of the genre, Stellaris stands out first of all for the introduction of real-time gameplay, as on an RTS such as StarCraft 2. Unlike the latter, you can of course pause the game, but that change a lot of things in the management of his faction. A management which is also upset by the system of "pops" which comes to divide our population according to their belonging to such or such people. Migrations take place between the systems and it is necessary to manage the antagonisms between these pops.
For the rest, Stellaris is a pure juice 4X which puts more particular emphasis on the exploration part with countless finds such as anomalies or "fallen" empires. The combat aspect is perhaps less successful, more messy, but the general accessibility of the game easily compensates. A great introduction to the 4X genre.
Total War: Three Kingdoms – Management and tactics in China
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Total War : Three Kingdoms
- China of the Three Kingdoms
- Vastly revamped diplomacy
- Gorgeous interface
Imagined by the Briton from The Creative Assembly, the Total War saga is iconic of the strategy / management / tactics game on PC. The concept has not changed since the first opus, marketed in 2000. It is always and again about leading a faction by playing on two distinct tables. On the one hand, we use a map of the region to move our forces, manage our cities / provinces and advance key characters, schemers, traders...
The second side of a Total War takes place when two armies meet. We then change scenery to move onto a battlefield where we take control of our entire army: each of the regiments, the general and even the siege machines. Multiple strategies are possible by making the best use of its heavy infantry, its light cavalry, its archers... In addition, reading the map is essential to take advantage of the topographical advantages, of the areas of coverage.
Three Kingdoms is undoubtedly the most successful opus of the franchise while the context of China of the Three Kingdoms is clearly not to displease us. Aesthetically, it is a marvel which however suffers from a (slight) problem of readability on certain points.
Total War: Warhammer II – Fantastic Creatures and Games Workshop Pitched Battles
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Total War: Warhammer II
- The long and exciting campaign
- Mortal Empires Mode
- More tactical, more posed battles
While we have just detailed the concept of a Total War with Three Kingdoms, we are not going to do it again to present Total War: Warhammer II. It is based on the same mechanics to combine two radically different gameplays: a faction management part and a tactical combat part on the battlefield.
Total War: Warhammer II therefore proceeds in the same way, but is logically distinguished by the adopted universe. It is not a question here of leaning on our own history, but of inviting the creatures of Games Workshop. The Warhammer universe is rich and gives rise to many factions and units, each more incredible than the next. On the purely management part, we cannot say that Total War: Warhammer II brings a lot.
On the other hand, on the tactical aspect, the freedom offered by the fantastic units makes it possible to go much further in delirium and inventiveness. Magic, flying and hero units are all ways to rethink battle and, to be honest, it's hard to go back to a historical Total War.
XCOM 2 – Tactical combat at its peak
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XCOM 2
- Concept of planetary invasion still as effective
- Revamped combat tactics
- Rhythm, variety of approaches
It's been six years since Firaxis followed up on its tactical, XCOM: Enemy Unknown. In the latter, it was a question of repelling an alien invasion. XCOM 2 assumes that this invasion succeeded, that the players failed to win. On Earth, the aliens have created Advent, a military institution whose goal is to keep the human population under control.
Of course, Advent doesn't have the easy part, and a human faction has emerged. The Resistance has only one goal: to thwart Advent's plans despite much inferior human, financial and technical means. In XCOM 2, it is no longer a question of managing your base to prevent alien attacks, but of controlling Talion, an alien ship stolen by the Resistance in order to make it your HQ. From there, we manage our squad, we determine the next missions, we develop new modules, we study alien technologies...
The goal is to prepare for the second part: military operations. With a squad previously selected and equipped, we measure ourselves against the forces of Advent by managing the action points of our units. Of course, different classes of soldiers, different equipment and five types of actions bring variety and renewal while the maps are among the best ever drawn for a game of this genre.
