Best Turn Based Strategy Games

Executing the perfect plan in the face of overwhelming odds is the ultimate tactical thrill. If you’re searching for the best turn based strategy games, you aren’t just looking for a casual pastime; you’re seeking a mental arena where every decision matters and foresight is your greatest weapon. Here at Beat That Level!, we don’t focus on narrative fluff or cinematic flair. We provide the tactical playbook for victory, breaking down the complex systems that separate a crushing defeat from a decisive win.

This guide moves beyond simple recommendations. We will dissect the core mechanics of top-tier turn-based titles, offering a foundational strategy for each. This is your first step toward mastering the intricate dance of positioning, resource management, and predictive analysis required to dominate the board, the battlefield, and the victory screen.

What Defines the Best Turn-Based Strategy Games?

The elite titles in this genre share a common DNA. They are defined by deep, meaningful decision-making where every choice ripples through the rest of the match. Unlike their real-time counterparts that test reflexes, these games are a pure test of intellect and planning. Success hinges on your ability to analyze the current state, predict future threats, and allocate limited resources with maximum efficiency.

Core pillars include calculated risk, action economy (getting the most out of your turn), and positional superiority. Mastering these concepts is the key to victory, whether you’re commanding a squad of soldiers, a galactic empire, or a deck of cards. We’re here to show you how.

Top-Tier Selections for the Best Turn-Based Strategy Games in 2024

Our selections are based on tactical depth, replayability, and the sheer satisfaction of executing a flawless strategy. For each game, we provide a tactical briefing designed to get you from “stuck” to “solved.”

XCOM 2: War of the Chosen – Mastering High-Stakes Squad Tactics

XCOM 2 is the gold standard for squad-based tactical combat. You command a small team of elite soldiers against a technologically superior alien force. One wrong move doesn’t just mean a failed mission; it can mean the permanent death of a veteran soldier you’ve spent hours training.

Objective: To win a campaign, you must manage the global resistance from your mobile base, the Avenger, while successfully completing missions on the ground to disrupt the alien “Avatar Project.” Your ultimate goal is to assault the alien fortress and end the occupation for good.

Preparation: The Geoscape Layer

• Build the Guerrilla Tactics School First: This facility allows you to increase your squad size, a critical early-game power boost. Why: An extra soldier on the field is a massive increase in firepower and tactical flexibility.
• Prioritize Magnetic Weapons Research: Immediately begin the research path to unlock the second tier of weaponry. Why: Enemy health and armor scale quickly. Sticking with conventional firearms will make later missions nearly impossible.
• Establish Resistance Comms Early: Building this facility allows you to contact new regions, increasing your monthly income and expanding your operational reach. Why: More regions mean more resources and more opportunities to counter the Avatar Project.

The Strategy: Executing the First 3 Turns of Combat

1. Advance with Blue Moves: Your soldiers have two action points per turn. Use the first action (a “blue move”) to advance from one piece of high cover to another. Never dash (using both actions) into unexplored territory. Why: This prevents you from accidentally revealing and activating multiple groups of enemies, a common cause of squad wipes.
2. Set Overwatch Traps: After moving your lead soldier, use their second action to go into Overwatch. This creates a kill zone. When an enemy patrol wanders into your line of sight on their turn, your soldier gets a free reaction shot. Why: This allows you to control engagements and often eliminate a threat before it can even act.
3. Focus Fire to Eliminate Threats: Once an enemy pod is activated, commit your entire squad to eliminating one target at a time. Start with the most dangerous or easiest-to-kill enemy. The best strategy to win at a game like this is to reduce the number of guns firing at you each turn. Why: An alien with 1 HP deals the same amount of damage as an alien at full health. Removing them from the board is the only way to reduce incoming damage.
4. Use Consumables Aggressively: Do not save your grenades. Use them early to destroy enemy cover, which makes them easier to hit, or to guarantee damage on a high-priority target. Why: A guaranteed 3-4 damage from a grenade is often better than taking an 80% chance-to-hit shot and missing.

Common Pitfalls:

• Activating Multiple Pods: The most common mistake. Patience and cautious advancement are paramount.
• Ignoring the Avatar Project: Focusing too much on upgrades while letting the red progress bar fill up on the Geoscape will lead to an instant loss.
• Relying on Low-Percentage Shots: Taking a 50% shot when you could have repositioned for a better one or used a grenade is a recipe for disaster. Always seek to maximize your odds.

Into the Breach: The Chess-like Precision of a Turn-Based Puzzler

Into the Breach strips turn-based tactics down to their purest form. Each mission is a small, 8×8 grid where you control three mechs against giant insects called Vek. The game tells you exactly what the Vek will do on their turn; your job is to use your limited actions to create a perfect solution that prevents all damage to civilian structures.

Objective: Survive a series of islands, protecting the Power Grid from the Vek. Each civilian building destroyed reduces your Grid. If your Grid reaches zero, you lose. The goal is to complete enough islands to power up your final assault.

Preparation: Squad and Pilot Selection

• Start with the Rift Walkers: This starting squad (Combat Mech, Cannon Mech, Artillery Mech) is perfectly balanced and teaches the game’s core mechanics of pushing and pulling enemies.
• Prioritize Grid Defense Upgrades: When spending Reputation between islands, prioritize anything that restores or buffs your Power Grid. It’s your most important resource.
• Invest Reactor Cores in Utility: Your first few Reactor Core upgrades should go towards unlocking new abilities or enhancing movement, not just raw damage. Why: A mech that can push an extra tile or attack multiple targets is far more valuable than one that just does one more point of damage.

The Strategy: Solving the Turn

1. Assess All Threats: The first step is always to identify which Vek is attacking which tile. Hover over each Vek to see its attack pattern and target. This is your problem set.
2. Look for Chain Reactions: The most elegant solutions solve multiple problems with a single move. Can you push one Vek into another, damaging both? Can you push a Vek into the path of another Vek’s attack?
3. Prioritize Buildings Over Mechs: If you must choose between a civilian building taking damage or one of your mechs taking damage, always sacrifice your mech’s health. Why: Mech health can be repaired between missions. Grid damage is often permanent and leads to a loss.
4. Use the Environment: Pushing Vek into water, chasms, or A.C.I.D. pools is an instant kill. Blocking a tile where a Vek is about to emerge will damage it and prevent it from appearing.
5. Undo Your Move: The game has a “Reset Turn” button for a reason. Use it. If a plan doesn’t work out perfectly, reset and try another sequence of actions. There is no penalty.

Common Pitfalls:

• Focusing on Kills: The objective is not to kill every Vek; it is to survive the turns while protecting buildings. A Vek that is pushed off-target is a neutralized threat for that turn.
• Forgetting Turn Order: The order in which you move your mechs matters. Sometimes attacking with one mech first will open up a new solution for another.
• Underutilizing Your Mechs’ Abilities: Don’t just punch. Remember that pushing, pulling, shielding, and blocking are your most powerful tools.

Sid Meier’s Civilization VI: A Premier Grand Strategy Turn-Based Game

Civilization VI is a titan of the 4X (eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, eXterminate) genre. You guide a historical civilization from the Stone Age to the Information Age, competing against other leaders to achieve one of several victory conditions. The scale is immense, and long-term planning is essential.

Objective: Achieve one of five victory conditions: Science (launching a mission to Mars), Culture (attracting the most international tourists), Domination (conquering every other capital city), Religion (converting all other civilizations to your religion), or Diplomacy (earning enough Diplomatic Victory points).

Preparation: The First 50 Turns

• Settle Smart: Your first city should be on a tile with access to fresh water and high yields (at least 2 Food and 2 Production).
• Initial Build Order: A highly effective opening build order is Scout -> Slinger -> Settler. Why: The Scout explores to find tribal villages and city-states, the Slinger defends against barbarians, and the Settler allows you to expand quickly.
• Initial Research Path: Aim for Animal Husbandry (to reveal horses), then Pottery (for Granaries and early writing), then Writing (to build a Campus and generate Science).

The Strategy: Executing a Strong Opening

1. Expand, Expand, Expand: The single most important goal of the early game is to settle at least 3-4 cities. This is known as “going wide.” Why: More cities directly translate to more Science, Culture, Faith, and Production, creating a snowball effect that will carry you through the rest of the game.
2. Hunt for Eurekas and Inspirations: Every technology and civic has a mini-objective (e.g., “Kill a unit with a Slinger” boosts the Archery tech). Actively pursue these. Why: Completing these boosts cuts the research time by 40%. Consistently hitting them is the fastest way to get a technological advantage.
3. Specialize Your Cities: Don’t try to build everything in every city. Plan for one city to be your science hub (with a Campus and Libraries), another to be your commercial hub (with Harbors and Markets), etc. Why: District adjacency bonuses reward careful city planning and specialization.
4. Deal with Barbarians Immediately: Use your starting Warrior and newly built Slingers to find and destroy barbarian camps near you. Why: If left unchecked, barbarian scouts will spot your cities and spawn waves of units that can cripple your development.

Common Pitfalls:

• Not Expanding Fast Enough: New players often focus on building up their capital city instead of training Settlers. This is a critical error in Civilization VI.
• Building Early Wonders: Wonders are tempting, but the production cost in the early game is immense. That production is almost always better spent on Settlers, military units, or districts.
• Ignoring Adjacency Bonuses: Placing a Campus next to two mountains provides a significant boost to its science output. Ignoring these placement rules neuters your cities’ potential.

Slay the Spire: Mastering Deck-Building in a Turn-Based Roguelike

Slay the Spire brilliantly fuses turn-based card combat with roguelike progression. You choose a character, build a deck of cards as you ascend a map, and engage in tactical battles. Each run is different, forcing you to adapt your strategy on the fly based on the cards and powerful relics you find.

Objective: Fight your way through three Acts, defeating a powerful boss at the end of each. The ultimate goal is to beat the Act 3 boss, and for advanced players, to collect keys to face the Corrupt Heart in Act 4.

Preparation: Navigating the Map

• Hunt Elites in Act 1: Elites are tough fights, but they are guaranteed to drop a relic, which provides a powerful passive bonus for the rest of the run. Be aggressive in Act 1 to build your power base.
• Prioritize Upgrades at Campfires: Resting to heal should be a last resort. Upgrading a key card (like transforming a Strike into a Perfected Strike) provides a permanent power boost that is far more valuable.

– It’s Okay to Skip Card Rewards: After each fight, you’re offered a choice of three cards. If none of them fit your deck’s strategy, it is almost always correct to skip the reward. Why: A bloated deck with unfocused cards is far worse than a lean, consistent one.

The Strategy: Principles of Effective Deck-Building

1. Solve the Next Problem: Don’t build a theoretical “dream deck.” Build a deck that can solve the challenges immediately ahead. Why: In Act 1, you need high front-loaded damage. In Act 2, you need area-of-effect (AoE) for hallway fights. In Act 3, you need a scaling solution for long boss fights. Adapt your picks accordingly.
2. Identify Your Engine: A strong deck is built around a core synergy. Are you a Silent deck using poison to kill enemies over time? An Ironclad deck scaling your Strength to absurd levels? A Defect deck generating a wall of Frost orbs? Every card choice should serve this central plan.
3. Remove Starting Cards: The basic Strike and Defend cards are weak. Use Merchant services to remove them from your deck whenever possible. Why: Removing a bad card increases the odds of drawing your good cards, making your deck more consistent and powerful.
4. Value Card Draw and Energy: The most powerful effects in the game are those that let you draw more cards or gain more energy. These allow you to “break” the normal limits of a turn and execute powerful combinations.

Common Pitfalls:

• Deck Bloating: The number one mistake is taking every card offered. Be selective.
• No Scaling Solution: A deck that only has upfront damage will eventually fail against bosses with thousands of hit points. You need a way to increase your damage or block output over the course of a long fight.
• Ignoring Potions: Potions are free actions that can save a run. Use them to survive a tough fight or to set up a powerful turn. Don’t die with a full belt of unused potions.

FAQ: Your Questions on Turn-Based Strategy Games Answered

What makes a turn-based strategy game different from a real-time strategy (RTS) game?

The core difference is pacing and the skills being tested. A turn-based game is like chess; it’s a deliberate, analytical process where you have ample time to consider all possible moves and their consequences. Success is determined by the quality of your decisions. An RTS game, like StarCraft II, is about speed, efficiency, and multitasking (APM, or actions-per-minute). It tests your ability to make good decisions under extreme time pressure and execute them quickly.

Are turn-based strategy games good for beginners?

They are an excellent entry point into the strategy genre. The “turn-based” nature removes the pressure of real-time execution, allowing new players to learn the game’s mechanics at their own pace. You can take five minutes to plan a single turn if you need to, reading every tooltip and exploring every option. Games like Into the Breach or playing Civilization VI on a lower difficulty setting are perfect for learning foundational strategic concepts.

How do I improve my decision-making in these games?

Improving requires a conscious effort to analyze your own play. First, before making any move, force yourself to pause and analyze the entire “board state.” Second, try to think at least one turn ahead: “If I do this, what is the most likely response from my opponent?” Third, and most importantly, learn from your losses. Don’t just hit “restart.” Take a moment to identify the specific turn or decision where things went wrong. Understanding why you lost is the first step to figuring out the best strategy to win at a game next time. Finally, watch expert players on platforms like YouTube or Twitch to see how they solve problems that you find difficult.

What are some other notable turn-based games I should check out?

The genre is vast and full of incredible titles. If you enjoy the tactical combat of XCOM but want a deep role-playing experience, Baldur’s Gate 3 is a masterpiece. For a unique blend of turn-based tactics and psychological horror, Darkest Dungeon is a challenging and rewarding experience. If you enjoy the 4X elements of Civilization but prefer a fantasy setting, the Age of Wonders or Endless Legend series are fantastic choices. And for fans of sci-fi tactical combat with a heavy focus on atmosphere, Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus is a hidden gem.

Conclusion

The best turn-based strategy games are more than just entertainment; they are intellectual gymnasiums. They challenge your ability to plan, adapt, and execute under pressure. The titles we’ve broken down represent the pinnacle of strategic design, each offering a unique and deeply rewarding tactical puzzle to solve.

Mastery will not come overnight. It requires understanding the core systems, learning from failure, and refining your approach with each attempt. You now have the foundational playbook for several of the genre’s best offerings. The next move is yours. Go execute, and claim your victory.

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