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Top-down and isometric games that still hold up

The whole board in view, from somewhere above it

441 games · page 1 of 10

Chrono Trigger 1995 Why it still holds upAreas hardly overstay their welcome and the puzzles are challenging without being frustrating, which is why the pacing holds up today.
Diablo II 2000 Why it still holds upThe item system keeps it worth replaying now: tiers, sockets and the Cube allow so many builds that two characters are rarely built alike.
StarCraft 1998 Why it still holds upEach race plays differently and none has an innate advantage, which is why it still plays well today.
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty 2010 Why it still holds upChoosing your jobs and spending the earnings between missions gives the campaign its shape, which keeps it worth playing today.
Planescape: Torment 1999 Why it still holds upThe writing and the companions are still the reason to play it today, since your stats and what you say keep opening options in conversation.
Divinity: Original Sin II 2017 Why it still holds upFreedom in and out of combat, where a fight is a puzzle of armor, elements and position and a quest has more than one answer, still makes it worth playing today.
Sid Meier's Civilization 1991 Why it still holds upEvery turn is still a small decision about research, building or war today, and the order you choose shapes the whole run.
Omori 2020 Why it still holds upA story that moves between a cheerful dream and the real world, and from comedy into psychological horror, is still the draw today.
Grim Fandango 1998 Why it still holds upPlay it now for a Day of the Dead inspired afterlife styled as film noir, in a game where you cannot get stuck.
Factorio 2020 Why it still holds upThe factory is still what makes it worth playing now: every machine's output feeds the next, and there is always a part to rebuild bigger.
Baldur's Gate 1998 Why it still holds upDeep tabletop rules that run themselves let you make tactical decisions rather than handle the math, and that is why it is still worth playing.
Diablo 1996 Why it still holds upClick to act real time combat over randomly generated dungeons, built around finding better items, still endures.
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 1996 Why it still holds upTwo sides built differently, and a power grid that doubles as a target, keep it distinct from other strategy games today.
Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty 1992 Why it still holds upIt was not the first real time strategy game but the archetypal one, which established the format, and the harvest, build and attack loop it set out is still the template later games followed.
CrossCode 2018 Why it still holds upFights and puzzles built from the same launch still give its dungeons two kinds of challenge today.
Age of Empires 1997 Why it still holds upFinite trees, four resources and buildings to place still turn each match into a city planning problem today.
Final Fantasy Tactics 1997 Why it still holds upJobs that unlock abilities and a Charge Time that decides who acts still make every battle a puzzle of order and class today.
FTL: Faster Than Light 2012 Why it still holds upShort runs and random generation still let you try a different mix of weapons, systems and crew every time today.
Terranigma 1995 Why it still holds upBecause the world is rebuilt as you progress, its towns and dungeons change with Ark's actions, and quick controls keep it easy to pick up today.
Anno 1800 2019 Why it still holds upProduction chains and tiered populations that all have to be supplied still turn city layout into a planning puzzle today.
Command & Conquer 1995 Why it still holds upTwo asymmetric campaigns with varied objectives such as sabotage, rescue and time limits still give it variety today.
Divinity: Original Sin 2014 Why it still holds upProblems with several solutions, in fights and out of them, still make it worth playing today.

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