Summary
Strategy comes in different flavors. There are 4X or grand strategy games that focus on strategic gameplay on the main map. Then there arereal-time strategy gamesthat focus on tactical gameplay in real-time battles, and then there are games that combine both of these playing styles into a unified experience.
Not allstrategy gamesare created equal when it comes to the value they offer. Some are only good for a single playthrough, before being left on the shelf never to be played again. And there are yet others, that for some reason or another, offer fantastic value. Either due to the length of the playthrough, or the overall replayability of the game.
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 2
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Anniversary Edition is the definitive Dawn of War II experience, featuring the original Dawn of War II, Dawn of War II - Chaos Rising, Dawn of War II - Retribution, Dawn of War II - The Last Stand, as well as all DLCs and cosmetic items.
With a focus on fast-action RTS gameplay, Dawn of War II brings to life the science fiction universe of Warhammer 40,000 like never before. Experience the intimate brutality of battle as you play through your chosen race’s epic campaign. Clash with the enemies on battlefield ablaze with visceral melee and ranged combat. Lead and develop your squads from raw recruits into the most battle hardened veterans in the galaxy.
Brutal Frontline Action & Tactics
Get straight into the action to experience intense melee and devastating ranged combat. Use vicious melee sync-kills to obliterate your enemies. Outsmart your opponents using dynamic and destructible environments to suppress, flank and destroy your foes.
Non-Linear Single Player Campaign
Command an elite strike force, developing the skills and abilities of your squads and commander as you progress through the game.
Co-Op Multiplayer
Play through the entire single player campaign co-operatively with a friend, at any point in the game, anytime.
Bespoke RTS Engine
Utilizing Relic’s proprietary Essence Engine 2.0 Dawn of War II delivers cinematic visuals, detailed graphics and amazing special effects.
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Chaos Rising
New Single Player Missions
Continue your fight against the enemies of the Emperor and use your squads’ wargear, abilities, and experience to battle against Chaos in 15 new missions
New Multiplayer Race
Swear loyalty to the Chaos Gods and play as the bloodthirsty Chaos Space Marines in multiplayer battles against both Chaos Rising and Dawn of War II ownersNew Units
New multiplayer units join the Space Marines, Ork, Eldar, and Tyranid armies.
2 New Last Stand Heroes – Face off against the relentless horde as either the Chaos Sorcerer or Tyranid Hive Tyrant
Multi-Race CampaignFor the first time in the Dawn of War II series, players will be able to experience a single player campaign with any of the six available races.
Build your ArmyUpgrade your heroes and unlock new buildable units as you progress through the single player campaign.6 Playable RacesChoose from six multiplayer races, each with their own unique super heavy units.
Leveraging the lore of theWarhammer 40,000tabletop role-playing game,Dawn of War 2is a fantastic real-time strategy game with a twist. Instead of building large armies to throw at the enemy, players are forced totrain troops and build vehicles that support specific hero units in achieving a specific goal.
What makesWarhammer 40,000: Dawn Of War 2fantastic value is that there are6 playable factions, and each is different from the others in abilities, troop types, and combat tactics. In effect, this is 6 games in one. Unlike some RTS games, it is well worth playing through every faction inWarhammer 40,000: Dawn Of War 2.
Over 100 Hours To Complete
Endless Space 2
Endless Space 2 is a Strategic Space Opera set in a mysterious universe.Your story unfolds in a galaxy that was first colonized by God-like beings known as the “ENDLESS," who rose and fell eons ago. All that remains of them are mystical ruins, powerful artifacts, and a strange, near-magical substance known as Dust.ES2 takes the classic “one more turn” formula to new heights. You will explore mysterious star systems, discover the secrets of ancient races, build colonies on distant planets, exploit trade routes, develop advanced technologies of unthinkable power; and, of course encounter new life forms to understand, to court or to conquer.As a leader, you have to manage your populations like never before as they react dynamically to your decisions and to their environment, expressing their will through political parties, dictating the laws that your Senate can pass. Will you be a beloved natural leader or will you manipulate your populations to your benefit?Epic Space BattlesWatch your fighters fly past huge cruisers while lasers rip their hulls apart in epic real-time space battles. Detailed after action reports will help you adapt your strategy for the next confrontations.Design your ships, assemble your fleets and carefully adapt your battle plans to overcome your enemies. Once you think you’ve done it all, take it online against seven other players.Lead one of eight civilizations, each with a unique playstyle affinity and story quest, and build great stellar empires capable of imposing your vision on the Galaxy!Find out more about the Academy and its powerful cast of Heroes, that you can recruit and train to become fleet admirals, system governors or influential senators.Press ‘Space’ anytime to activate the Amplified Reality view and reveal in-depth contextual information about your systems, trade routes, diplomatic stances and even your ship stats during battle!
As4X strategy gamesgo,Endless Space 2is somewhat unique in the way it plays. Firstly, this is anentirely turn-based game, with nothing automated for the player. Within each turn, the player has to visit every planet, sector, and fleet to set up their next move. The player also has tomanage the resource productionof every colony and the local research trees, meaning this is a game that is heavy on micromanagement.
Because of the complexity of the game, a100% playthrough will take more than 100 hours. And, of course, there is plenty of scope for replays by changing the starting parameters for the map or creating a unique faction. Overall,Endless Space 2is a great value.
XCOM 2combines a strategic layer via the world map and tacticalturn-basedcombat during missions. Players are tasked with overthrowing an occupying alien force bybuilding and operating a resistance network across the globe.
A single playthrough inXCOM 2takes around 30 hours. However, there is a good reason whyXCOM 2gets a place on this list, even though a playthrough is quite short. The game offers anincreasing difficulty for players to overcome. From easy, with save and reload enabled, to Ironman mode, with save and reload disabled. Completing the game in the hardest setting with Ironman enabled is very difficult indeed, and it will likely take hundreds of hours due to many failed attempts.
Manor Lordscombines strategy with crafting andsettlement-buildingmechanics. A visually stunning game, that has surprisinglydeep gameplay. It is hard to describe whatManor Lordsis. An attempt would be to say that it is a strategy game that allows the player to switch to a first-person perspective and explore the fruits of their efforts.
Because of this spectator-like feature,Manor Lordsoffers great value. Players can spend many hours simply watching the population of villages, farms, and settlements going about their daily business.
Combining grand strategy on a galactic scale with real-time fleet combat,Stellarisisrenowned as a game that helped define the genre. With a strikingly simple UI, the game makes managing a complex empire across a large map very simple.
Stellarisis infinitely replayable. Players can choose from a long list of unique empires to play or create a custom one. The map options are deep, allowing for almost every scenario to be set up for a new game. For example, players can choose how many A.I.operated empires they wish to play against and how strong they should be. Some players have thousands of hours recorded playing the base game alone, and when theabundance of DLCis added, the replayability is further extended.
As 4X games go, few are as complex and offer such deep gameplay asCrusader Kings 3. This is one of themost well-thought-out strategy games of all time. The gameplay revolves around the standard strategy game trope of sustaining and expanding an empire. But whereCrusader Kings 3stands out is in the sheer number ofdifferent gameplay mechanicsthat can be used to reach different goals.
The main story playthrough will take around 40 hours on its own, and then there are all the extra campaign options and scenarios to complete as well. The game is almost infinitely replayable, as the player can choose to create custom empires and specific starting scenarios. Overall,Crusader Kings 3offers outstanding value for strategy game fans.
1OpenRA
There Is No Better Value Than Free
First place on this list goes to a free game because what can be better valued than free?OpenRAis a community project that aims to recreate the originalCommand & Conquer: Red Alertgame. One of the most widely acclaimed RTS of all time.
The gameplay has been recreated accurately, with both campaigns playable. For some years, it was impossible to buy the originalRed Alertgame, andOpenRAwas the only way to experience this cult classic. In 2020, a remastered version of the game was released, but by this stage,OpenRAwas complete and could be downloaded for free.
