# Are there any good strategy games for the PC anymore? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [December 20, 2020, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-strategy-games-for-the-pc-anymore/928445 "2020-12-20T05:46:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-strategy-games-for-the-pc-anymore/928445/1 "2020-12-20T05:46:58Z")
I mean, specifically, a turn based strategy game, something with a good war in it maybe. I did pick up “Total War Three Kingdoms” but I have extra dough in my Steam wallet and I long for the good old days of strategy games. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-strategy-games-for-the-pc-anymore/928445/2 "2020-12-20T07:52:40Z")
Sure. - [Hearts of Iron IV](https://www.ign.com/articles/2016/06/06/1558481) - Crusader Kings III (there is currently an SDMB game running on this one I think) - Europa Universalis IV If you like Total War (which is a hybrid turn based game with real-time battles) then Total War: Warhammer 2 is amazing. And Civilization V with the DLC is superb. Some like Civ VI better but no…Civ V is where it is the high water mark. Both are good though. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-strategy-games-for-the-pc-anymore/928445/3 "2020-12-20T08:05:31Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > - [Hearts of Iron IV](https://www.ign.com/articles/2016/06/06/1558481) > - Crusader Kings III (there is currently an SDMB game running on this one I think) > - Europa Universalis IV Hearts of Iron is a WWII battle game. All pew pew. Turn based. Really good. Europa Universalis is more war stuff. Crusader Kings is more politics. Both are pretty great but have steep learning curves. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-strategy-games-for-the-pc-anymore/928445/4 "2020-12-20T08:23:55Z")
Actually all of these have a steep learning curve. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-strategy-games-for-the-pc-anymore/928445/5 "2020-12-20T09:14:27Z")
I liked _Wargroove_ (2019). It’s like _Advance Wars_ (GBA, NA 2001) or the old _Fire Emblem_ (GBA, NA 2003). Also available on consoles. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-strategy-games-for-the-pc-anymore/928445/6 "2020-12-20T09:18:49Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > And Civilization V with the DLC is superb. It’s also been around for a decade (7 years for the _Brave New World_ expansion). Personally I liked _IV_ better than _VI_ and _VI_ better than _V_. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-strategy-games-for-the-pc-anymore/928445/7 "2020-12-20T09:26:40Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Europa Universalis Wait, isn’t EU real-time strategy? ~Max ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-strategy-games-for-the-pc-anymore/928445/8 "2020-12-20T09:28:03Z")
I hear stuff like this a lot. I don’t get it. But to each their own. Whichever is your favorite the Civ games are a great time sink. I have experienced the trope of someone who just has to play “one more turn” before bed then notices the sun is coming up and I have to go to work in an hour. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-strategy-games-for-the-pc-anymore/928445/9 "2020-12-20T09:29:26Z")
> [@Max\_S](#): > > Wait, isn’t EU real-time strategy? Definitely not. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-strategy-games-for-the-pc-anymore/928445/10 "2020-12-20T09:29:43Z")
It’s the stacks. I liked the stacks. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-strategy-games-for-the-pc-anymore/928445/11 "2020-12-20T09:30:48Z")
I mean, you pause to micromanage, it’s not really turns is it? I only played EU I and III though. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-strategy-games-for-the-pc-anymore/928445/12 "2020-12-20T09:46:57Z")
I guess you are right. Just felt more turn-based to me but I may be remembering wrong. It certainly is not an RTS. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-strategy-games-for-the-pc-anymore/928445/13 "2020-12-20T09:50:41Z")
Steam has nominated Crusader Kings III for the [Best Games You Suck At award](https://store.steampowered.com/steamawards/2020/#BestGameYouSuckAt). ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-strategy-games-for-the-pc-anymore/928445/14 "2020-12-20T12:27:38Z")
I would have loved a expanded Heroes of Might and Magic 4 or Age of Wonders Shadow Magic rather than the later additions we got. I go back to the original Warlords on diskette. > [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Steam has nominated Crusader Kings III for the [Best Games You Suck At award](https://store.steampowered.com/steamawards/2020/#BestGameYouSuckAt) This doesn’t sound promising at all. Ideally, a HOMM or AoW game with a good random map generator that you can then edit and save would be the best. I don’t need state of the art graphics, in fact that might detract as too many of the studios put their time into the graphics and not the game play and replayability. > [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I have experienced the trope of someone who just has to play “one more turn” before bed then notices the sun is coming up and I have to go to work in an hour. I want this back. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-strategy-games-for-the-pc-anymore/928445/15 "2020-12-20T14:53:02Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Hearts of Iron is a WWII battle game. All pew pew. Turn based. Really good. I did pick up Hearts of Iron. I am this way that way about it - it is, even for me, appallingly complex. (I loved earlier Paradox games; I played the hell out of EU2.) I find Paradox’s later games just don’t have a good interface. Good recommendation and I’ll try it again after Christmas, though. Civ VI is great of course. I guess I wish they had hex-based games again, or things similar. I am forever surprised that no one besides Paradox has tried to make a WWII strategic game recently. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-strategy-games-for-the-pc-anymore/928445/16 "2020-12-20T15:26:36Z")
> [@Max\_S](#): > > I mean, you pause to micromanage, it’s not really turns is it? I only played EU I and III though. > > ~Max I like to look at the Paradox games as turn based, with 1 turn being 1 day. But since a game has so many turns, you don’t hit spacebar to move through them one at a time. Instead you let them run past rapidly, pausing to make adjustments. It just doesn’t feel like a real-time game. Maybe because for the most part you interact with the world through lists and such. And speaking of Paradox games. It is criminal that the most approachable and (imho) most fun Paradox title hasn’t been mentioned: Stellaris! ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-strategy-games-for-the-pc-anymore/928445/17 "2020-12-20T15:40:06Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > It just doesn’t feel like a real-time game. Maybe because for the most part you interact with the world through lists and such. I agree that Paradox games aren’t really RTS in the sense that, say, Warcraft or Supreme Commander are. In the latter games, the ability to quickly move from place to place on the map and use your mouse and keyboard to make rapid decisions is an integral part of the game. In a Paradox game, it’s not important at all. If the game WAS turn based it’d barely make a difference. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-strategy-games-for-the-pc-anymore/928445/18 "2020-12-20T15:43:29Z")
As far as actually turn based games - I’m sure you know about XCOM and XCOM 2? If so - have you tried out Chimera Squad? It’s a shorter experience (XCOM 2.5) where it seems like they’re experimenting with the XCOM formula - the initiative system is very different and managing it is a huge part of gameplay, for example. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-strategy-games-for-the-pc-anymore/928445/19 "2020-12-20T15:45:43Z")
These games are phenomenal, among my most-played games ever, but they focus much more on tactics than on strategy. There is a strategy layer, but it’s much more rudimentary. That said, if you’re interested in a turn-based game where you get rich choices about how to defeat an opponent, XCom is THE BEST. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-strategy-games-for-the-pc-anymore/928445/20 "2020-12-20T15:47:36Z")
I loved XCom, I beat it earlier this year (I assume you mean the new ones. I long ago beat the old ones. Loved them, too.) I was extremely unimpressed with XCom 2, which felt more like a puzzle game than a strategy game because you really didn’t have any choices; each mission had to be done one perfect way or else you were easily defeated. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-strategy-games-for-the-pc-anymore/928445.md?page=2)