Do you crave the ability to command armies, rule empires or send soldiers to do battle? If so, there are so many options out there that it can get intimidating. Finding which ones deliver the best strategy can be tough. Today we have compiled the definitive list of the best sci-fi strategy games you can play right now to help you found your new empire!
10. Star Wars Empire at War - Gold Pack
Star Wars: Empire at War gameplay
Command the legions of stormtroopers, rebel soldiers, or the criminal element found in the Star Wars universe. Fight on the ground or in space to secure key planets and positions from the other factions. Each faction has its own full single-player campaign that still tells an exciting story worth experiencing.
Once you complete that, download dozens of mods, now made easy by the Steam Workshop. Mods include new factions, ships, and assets from other franchise (like Stargate), all to help keep this game fresh and exciting today.
You may need more troopers.
Command dozens of Star Destroyers to crush the rebellion once and for all.
9. AI War: Fleet Command
AI War: Fleet Command gameplay.
800 years in the future, humanity has lost. Sentient AIs have taken over the galaxy and moved on from destroying humans to other threats. This is the chance humanity needs for its small resistance fleet to strike back and destroy the AI.
In this real-time-strategy game moving slowly and carefully is key. The AI always outnumbers the humans. But through smart planning, humanity can take planets and resources without being noticed. All of this creates a tense system to manage the threat level humanity represents versus the need for resources in this desperate game of rebellion.
Battles can have tens of thousands of ships at once.
Massive Ships will help win the day, if they don't get noticed.
8. Starcraft 2
Starcraft 2 gameplay.
The world-renowned real-time strategy game is now free-play. In the base game, command the Terrans through a campaign of love and betrayal. Fight the Zerg threat and ally with some powerful Protoss before looking for the expansions for the other two races.
But where the game really shines is the multiplayer. Try to go up the ladder in ranked mode or enjoy the causal co-op mode for some fun. Overall, the game offers countless hours of strategy for a now very attractive entry price.
Defend your base from land and air assaults.
Engage an entire army in the field of battle with dozens of unit types.
7. Stellaris
Stellaris gameplay.
Craft a new empire right from the start and lead it into a golden age of prosperity. This 4x-inspired game offers complete control of nearly every system that ruling an empire can come with. Control the government type, policies, resource budget, and building programs.
But the game’s greatest strength is the narrative opportunities it creates. Events and choices will pop up allowing for a lot of variety to alter the course of the game. Engage in high stakes diplomacy or go into all-out war with everyone in this deep strategy game.
Engage adversaries with a massive fleet of your own design for supremacy.
Conquer an entire galaxy's worth of stars.
6. Endless Space 2
Endless Space 2 gameplay.
The next game in Amplitude’s ongoing Endless series of 4x strategy games. Endless Space 2 has several unique races, each with their own mechanics and advantages. Meaning every game feels different and has unique strategies that go with it.
Included in each race is also a story mode that requires different objects that play to the races strengths. With every faction being so different mastering each can be tricky. This allows for endless hours of play to master each race’s strengths and weaknesses.
Select from varied and fantastic races.
Design the ships for your empire.
5. Battletech
Battletech gameplay.
Set in the world of the popular table-top strategy game of the same name. Part of the game has you managing your own mercenary company. Choose your own jobs, fight for pay, and deal with the finances.
During missions, take control of a team of mechs in turn-based combat. They can target specific parts of other mechs to destroy, like weapons or legs. This creates deep tactical gameplay that allows a lot of control on the field.
Survey the field of battle to come up with new ways to destroy the enemy.
Target critical systems on the enemy to maximize an advantage.
4. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 2
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 2 gameplay.
This tactical strategy game mixes RPG elements to form a very specific type of strategy game. Command various units with skills and abilities that can be leveled through the campaign. This includes ability trees and equipment that are acquired from completing missions.
The combat is real-time with an emphasis on cover and specialized units. The gameplay encourages tactical plays, with flanks and clever use of abilities to overcome strategic challenges.
Use cover to your advantage to secure key locations on the map.
Equip weapons and armor to your units to diversify them on the battlefield.
3. Planetary Annihilation: TITANS
Planetary Annihilation: TITANS gameplay.
Command legions of soldiers as you wage battles across a solar system. From the surface of planets to the reaches of space, massive units will do battle for the resources of each world.
The most interesting thing about this game is the TITAN units and the planet destroyers. The TITAN’s are massive machines that can destroy whole armies alone as they march over planets. But the planet destroys beat even that, with the ability to destroy whole planets completely. Combine both to create a destructive and memorable experience as you crush your enemies.
Use your massive TITANs to crush the enemy on the other side of the planet.
Or build a cannon that can destroy your enemies home world on the other side of the solar system.
2. Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance
Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance gameplay.
This real-time strategy game allows the players to create their own units as they progress through the game. With hundreds of unit types, each with their own role, the game encourages experimentation.
The game comes with an easy tech and building tree, that allows the players to alter the specifics of the units on the fly. Players also have the option to parse out the resource payments for units over time. Add all of this together to create a fast paced strategy game that always keeps you engaged.
Units range from tanks and ships to giant mechs.
Build huge dreadnoughts to rain death down on your enemies.
1. Sins of Solar Empire: Rebellion
Sins of Solar Empire: Rebellion gameplay.
Combining the best parts of real-time strategy and 4x genres into a fast, exploration-based game. With each of the three races split between loyalist and rebels, this game has tons of variety. It allows players to either crush rebellions or leads them in their own space opera.
The game encourages exploration of planets in a solar system to mine for resources while fending off attackers. This creates frantic gameplay that will test the limits of any strategy, creating tense bursts of action over the course of the game.
Taking planets can be easy if your legion of ships is bigger than theirs.
Use the system map to create choke points to defend your territory.
What is your favorite sci-fi strategy game? Did you find your next obsession here? Sound off in the comments below.
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