Disciples: Sacred Lands 1999
Why it still holds upUnits that gain experience give a strategy game the pull of a role playing one.
Strategy games that still hold up
Thinking two turns ahead, whether or not there is a clock
Games
Disciples: Sacred Lands 1999
Why it still holds upUnits that gain experience give a strategy game the pull of a role playing one.
Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive 2001
Why it still holds upPlayers who like to plan a Western heist themselves will find that it still holds up today.
Cannon Fodder 1993
Why it still holds upA squad where every soldier is one round from death still makes each decision tense today.
Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic 2003
Why it still holds upThe choices it keeps handing you, which spheres to research and which heroes to hire, are still its draw today.
SimCity 4 2003
Why it still holds upGrowing a region one segment at a time is a long project that remains absorbing today.
Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright 2015
Why it still holds upChoosing how much a loss costs lets a player find a difficulty that suits them, and that is still a good idea.
Fieldrunners 2 2012
Why it still holds upA choice of six weapons before each level gives you a plan to test.
World in Conflict 2007
Why it still holds upBecause every unit needs careful use, battles reward tactics for anyone who sits down to play now.
Warlords III: Reign of Heroes 1997
Why it still holds upThe carried heroes still make a campaign whose generals remember the last war.
Imperium Galactica 1997
Why it still holds upRanks that unlock new functions one by one still introduce a strategy game with a large set of units gently.
The Settlers: Fourth Edition 2001
Why it still holds upA settlement that has to feed its own army is still a patient challenge to take on.
Dawn of Discovery 2009
Also known as Anno 1404
Why it still holds upTwo halves of a world that depend on each other's goods still make every new street part of a longer chain.
SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech 2019
Why it still holds upBuilding a deck of your own cards makes each fight a small puzzle.
Ground Control 2000
Why it still holds upTroop choice matters so much that each battle rewards planning, as it does for anyone who plays now.
The Settlers II: 10th Anniversary 2006
Why it still holds upRoads and their flags are still the whole economy, and placing one well is the game.
Cities: Skylines 2015
Why it still holds upToday it remains open ended, since a city can grow in whatever direction the player chooses.
Brigador 2016
Why it still holds upThe city is still a town you are paid to flatten.
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together 2010
Why it still holds upA branching war story that can be rewound still gives reasons to go back today.
Endless Space 2 2017
Why it still holds upWith every faction playing by its own rules, each new campaign is still a different game.
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness 2007
Why it still holds upHaving a test pick your Pokémon is a hook that works for new players today.
Command & Conquer: Generals 2003
Why it still holds upA match built on three very different sides is still worth a try.
Panzer General 2 1997
Why it still holds upThe prestige still means the army you bring to the next battle is the one you earned in the last.
Total War: Three Kingdoms 2019
Why it still holds upSince the generals decide which units you have, who you bring still matters as much as your orders.
Myth II: Soulblighter 1998
Why it still holds upA battle where every unit counts gives each level the feel of a puzzle.
Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation 2 2005
Why it still holds upIt is where the story of the original cast continues, and a way to play the Original Generation line on the Game Boy Advance today.
Valkyria Chronicles 4 2018
Why it still holds upPoints spent on a turn, and then taking aim yourself, still make every move a choice today.
MissionForce: CyberStorm 1996
Why it still holds upThe BioDerms are still as much equipment as the machines they pilot, built and spent in the same way.
Rebelstar: Tactical Command 2005
Why it still holds upAction points and short ammunition still make every turn a count of what each soldier can afford today.
Imperialism 1997
Why it still holds upThe transport screen still sets an empire's limit at how much it can carry.
Imperialism II: Age of Exploration 1999
Why it still holds upThe New World is still a blank continent at the edge of the economy, and a race to be the one who fills it in.
Combat Mission II: Barbarossa to Berlin 2002
Why it still holds upWatching each minute of battle from any angle still shows how every decision played out today.
Faselei! 1999
Why it still holds upProgramming a few moves ahead still makes each turn a small puzzle.
Wendy: Every Witch Way 2001
Why it still holds upGravity that flips with one button still turns every ceiling into a place to walk.
Sid Meier's Civilization III 2001
Why it still holds upAn empire built a tile at a time still makes a long game worth starting today.
Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis 2001
Why it still holds upThere is still plenty to plan with an army that grows from six units into dozens.
Curse of the Azure Bonds 1989
Why it still holds upA party carried over from earlier games, or built fresh at a higher level, still keeps a long campaign personal today.
Herzog Zwei 1989
Why it still holds upThe mech is both your weapon and your only way of commanding, so each battle mixes arcade flying with strategy, and that blend is still its character.
M.U.L.E. 1983
Why it still holds upEvery trade is still a two sided decision, with rivals who depend on each other.
Shining Force III 1997
Why it still holds upEach scenario is a new view of the same war, which gives the three parts a reason to be played in turn.
Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim 2000
Why it still holds upEvery order is still a price today: you place buildings and offer gold, and the heroes decide whether the job is worth taking.
Parkitect 2018
Why it still holds upHiding the work behind the fun still gives each park a backstage to plan as well as a front.
Nexus: The Jupiter Incident 2004
Why it still holds upThe handful of ships still makes every hull a name and a crew you cannot replace.
Dune 2000 1998
Why it still holds upA struggle over a desert planet's spice is an enduring setting for a strategy game, and it still makes a good starting point.
Worms 2: Armageddon 2009
Why it still holds upTurn after turn of silly weapons still makes each match a scramble of jokes.
Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends 2006
Why it still holds upThree races that play differently still make each campaign a new take.
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Pool of Radiance 1988
Why it still holds upBuilding a party from scratch is still a draw now.
Jagged Alliance 1995
Why it still holds upThe hiring still means a war fought with the people you chose to pay, eight at a time.