Choosing the best strategy game is not easy. This is a difficult question, since the genre appeared more than 20 years ago and has more than a thousand different episodes. In addition, it is divided into many subtypes and directions. Therefore, disputes about the best versions are still relevant. However, there are undeniable leaders whose stories have been passed by millions of users around the world.
In terms of classification, this list contains games in which strategy is the primary concern. In other words, elements from other categories may occur in a particular project. As Sid Meyer (a well-known developer and designer of computer applications) would say, these games are a series of interesting choices that can lead to victory or defeat in the battle with the enemy. It is noteworthy that many applications affect historical events.
This list also contains cool strategies that can still be played. They are of interest to many users in the world much more than modern digital publications, which are only trying to comply with current trends. The list includes games from different time periods. Their stories also differ in events and directions. However, they all share a common genre.
Starcraft ii
Minimum requirements to run:
- CPU - 2 cores of 2 GHz each.
- Random access memory - from 2 GB.
- Hard drive - 5 GB.
- Video card - 512 MB.
A list of cool strategies opens the space sequel Blizzard. Its two additions ultimately cause controversy among fans of the original. Mods showcase some of the most interesting story and entertaining, creatively designed missions in the universe. You can travel from planet to planet and explore the area with the help of reconnaissance drones. The game contains many different units and equipment. When settling the planet, it is necessary to create a base and go to the extraction of fossil resources.
The multiplayer focuses on the technique of battle. She makes the game StarCraft special and memorable. But do not forget about economic issues. Without the extraction of resources and the development of bases, the player will not be able to lead his army to victory. The plot is still relevant and dynamic.
This is not the best team battle. Today, the emphasis is on sports cyber discipline, where teams fight for titles and valuable cash prizes. Esports is gaining momentum outside of South Korea thanks in large part to Wings of Liberty, Heart of the Swarm and Legacy of the Void and this game.
Cities: Skylines
System requirements:
- RAM - 1 GB.
- CPU - frequency 2.1 GHz.
- Video adapter - 2 GB.
- Hard drive - 10 GB.
SimCity is one of the original cool strategies, and Skylines is the best embodiment of the main idea that programmers have made large-scale. The developers have created almost a simulator of a city architect, who also has to implement social and political projects.
One of the coolest strategies offers many tools to optimize the transportation network, underground, railway line or sewer system. Brushes for decoration, zoning and marking free form give excellent control over the appearance and functions of each quarter of the city. Like any truly large-scale construction project, it is presented in the form of a dynamically developing city, which requires attention around the clock, excluding holidays and weekends.
Ultimate General: Gettysburg
Parameters to run:
- CPU - 1 core 1 GHz.
- RAM - 512 MB
- HDD - 500 MB.
- Video - 218 MB.
Ultimate General is a convenient, easy-to-manage tactical genre of Civil War one of the coolest strategies that takes into account the terrain, line of sight and the state of units in such a way that you can delve into the game process without complicating the work with it. Users can spend hours exploring the area and discover new locations.
In multiplayer, a cool PC strategy is a lot of fun, but the campaign is especially impressive. The damage done to the regiments is transferred from one part of the script to another, and the battle story is seen as a constant adventure. You can choose different lines of development and sides. As you progress through the campaign, new units and buildings open. The user must pay attention to each task. There is a need, with the passage of the plot, to constantly develop and improve existing settlements. As the users themselves note, the storyline is large and will help to pass the time well.
Stardew valley
Key features for the game:
- CPU - 1 GHz.
- RAM - 256 MB.
- Video - 32 MB.
- Hard disk space - 150 MB.
It's hard to fit this cool PC strategy into one genre, but ConcernedApe farming simulator has a strong tactical side, which requires players to plan changing conditions for different seasons, decide which crops to plant, where and when to maximize profits. This is quite interesting from the side of the economy. Users learn how to properly allocate resources.
In this cool strategy game, you can manage the resources received. Time is differentiated between different activities. The application also has a dating simulator, dungeon bypass and some RPG elements. But even if you look at the game only in terms of strategy, it deserves a place on this list. At any time, you can run it, and in order to pass the time, go through several missions.
FTL: Faster Than Light
Minimum device requirements:
- Processor - 1 GHz.
- Video card - 64 MB.
- HDD - 200 MB.
- RAM - 64 MB.
Cool strategy game of the hybrid type RTS / roguelike. FTL constantly creates tense situations in the plot, especially when users order their team to find a shield generator, repair hull holes and reflect landing. The dynamics and volume of the platform make it possible to run the application on mobile devices.
Each passage can be very different tactics and tone and depends on the type of ship that they choose, and the types of aliens that need to be accompanied. In addition to calculations during the attack, battles between ships, the players in this cool strategy on Android constantly have to spend time simultaneously searching for new galaxies, creating buildings and improvements, getting resources and finding units. At the same time, in the process of activity, enemies constantly attack the fleet.
Warcraft III
Minimum requirements to run:
- CPU - 2 GHz.
- Random access memory - 512 MB.
- Hard disk - 3 GB.
- Video card - 256 MB.
So far, not a single cool strategy has spoken about such a fast-paced, exciting epic fantasy story as The Kingdom of Chaos and its extension The Frozen Throne. Today you can compete in it on mobile platforms. Previously, battles were only on the PC. Recently, developers have announced that they are preparing an update to the legendary version, which should completely reload the storyline.
The cool strategy for Android and PC WarCraft really came to life and developed beyond the ongoing conflict between the orcs, people and their allies. Despite the fact that the game was never considered competitive because of the heroes, the application also had one of the most striking and inventive scenes thanks to its fully functional mode and the easy use of all the details. Among the available cards was a small experiment called “Defense of the Ancients”, which gave birth to one of the largest megahits of the genre in modern games, namely Dota 2.
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II
System requirements:
- RAM - 512 MB.
- CPU - 2.2 GHz.
- Video adapter - 256 MB.
- Hard disk - 3 GB.
There is a constant confrontation between Dawn of War II with its denser and team-oriented gameplay and the original Dawn of War, which looked a bit more like a traditional RTS. Users enjoyed the second part of the cool turn-based strategy a bit more. If you focus the campaign on a small group of elite space paratroopers and their personal squads, everything looks like a futuristic version of a war film, where each hero has an unforgettable personality and excellent fighting qualities.
The game should make the most of the opportunities offered and solve the complex tasks of each level regarding enemy fences, shelters and unique turns. This has become an indicator of the games of this genre. The multiplayer side of Dawn of War II was not as good as the original, which prevented the game from gaining a foothold among users.
Age of mythology
Parameters required to run:
- CPU - 1 GHz.
- RAM - 256 MB.
- HDD - 120 MB.
- Video - 32 MB.
Age of Empires is considered a cool strategy for weak PCs, and at the same time is a veteran. Over the long term, the application has become known worldwide. The era of mythology began a new branch of the storyline. The inspiring, exciting series, which encompassed Greek, Egyptian and Scandinavian mythology, really turned into an excellent project with a well-developed core and significantly different civilizations for the game. Cities in the story can turn to deities for help. Access to them opens only if the player sufficiently develops the plot and passes the necessary missions related to the construction of the main temple.
She also had a unique feature. At the time of the release of this series, it was considered a strategy with cool graphics. RTS rarely mix themed and mechanical elements of fractions. However, in this application it is necessary in order to receive mythological power. The fabulous units for each faction looked great and gave a lot of pleasure, and a series of attacks of the mortal monster hero allowed changing the course of the battle and creating new forms of attack.
Master of orion ii
Key Features PC for the game:
- CPU - 1.1 GHz.
- RAM - 512 MB.
- Video - 32 MB.
- Hard disk space - 100 MB.
In recent years, Space 4X has become a somewhat oversaturated genre for cool old strategies. However, the developers made the game better than Master of Orion II, including a recent reboot as part of the same franchise. In addition to introducing elements such as creating your own alien race based on a list of selectable traits and participating in climatic space battles, including superweapons and actions on board, it touched on much of what still makes these types of games so attractive.
By today's standards, this may not be the most attractive strategy, but playing it is still much more interesting and enjoyable than competing applications of the same direction. Master of Orion is often imitated and duplicated, but even after 10 years it remains a relevant game. In addition, there are a large number of amateur supplements. They allow you to open the story in a new way and go through additional companies.
Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance
Minimum device requirements:
- The processor is 2.3 GHz.
- Video card - 64 MB.
- HDD - 1 GB.
- RAM - 128 MB.
Many of the other games on this list can be called tactical (rather than strategic) when compared with the exciting plot of Supreme Commander. He revived the RTS type, which has a high level of awareness, focused on resource control and production, and also needs to know how many troops will be needed in this place in five to ten minutes to catch the enemy by surprise and defeat the battle.
The Forged Alliance extension has improved the core gameplay and fixed some of the problems with the original, providing players with what remains one of the best multi-player RTSs that you can download to test your tactical thinking against your opponents. Joint battles open the series in a new way and offer more interesting locations for warfare.
Ise of nations
Minimum requirements to run:
- CPU - 1.8 HZ.
- Random access memory - 512 MB.
- Hard disk - 3 GB.
- Video card - 256 MB.
This large-scale cool strategy on Android and PC managed to completely surpass Age of Empires in development throughout the entire history of RTS. The innovative and interesting mechanics of the territory added a new dimension to the usual battle, creating new roles for fortifications, new risks and opportunities for attack tactics, as well as a general approach to full control of the map.
Players are provided with a location that needs to be developed. At the same time, it is necessary to improve society and discover new technologies. Updates for the series have been released for 15 years.
Company of Heroes 2: Ardennes Assault
System requirements:
- RAM - 1 GB,
- CPU - 3 HZ.
- Video adapter - 1 GB.
- Hard drive - 5 GB.
Relic Studios managed to bring to life the hidden and human side of World War II and transfer it to a cool strategy on the phone and computer. Players face several campaigns to choose from on the side of enemies and allies. Additionally, you can find new units and generals. The game is noteworthy in that the user becomes a real general.
Its main mission is to perform the necessary tasks set by the leadership in order to achieve the desired result. Technically, the application looks decent. Spectacular special effects have been created and the plot has been carefully worked out.
Mount & Blade: Warband
Parameters to run:
- CPU - 1.2 Hz.
- RAM - 512 MB
- HDD - 2 GB.
- Video - 256 MB.
This is a strategy game built on several difficulty levels. All the details have been worked out, from the choice of troops to how the user commands them from the saddle in battle and makes their way through the political groups of Calradia with the help of vassals, marriage, conquest and betrayal.
This is a brilliant and carefully crafted feudal game. However, not all battles in it are spectacular and large-scale. To get the desired army, you need to perform arcade tasks, achieve a position in medieval society and get the coveted title.
Total War: Warhammer II
Basic PC requirements for the game:
- CPU - 4 cores of 3 GHz each.
- RAM - from 4 GB.
- Video - 2 GB.
- Hard disk space - 25 GB.
The types of situations in which the user may find himself in the process of playing Total War: Warhammer II are right from the wildest dreams of a fantasy-obsessed director. Dragons attack from heaven and release a stream of fire to send a horde of scattered orcs.
Knights in shining armor first crash into the winding wall of leper zombies. Demonic abominations fell into a snowy grove inhabited by secretive forest elves. The variety of units and armies is simply amazing, and the giant Mortal Empires map, combining all the races from Warhammer and Warhammer II into one grand campaign, is one of the seven wonders of the strategy game.
Sid Meier's Civilization V
Minimum device requirements:
- The processor - from 2 cores of 2.2 GHz.
- Video card - from 1 GB.
- HDD - 10 GB.
- RAM - 2 GB.
The ability to place only one unit on one cell of the field is one of the best changes ever made to the legendary Civilization series. This is evidenced by thousands of positive comments from players. After the revision of the unit and equipment management system, the application has significantly changed. Now the series is considered the coolest strategy for android and personal computer.
But, despite conflicting changes in the military side, Civ V represents the pinnacle of the series and the most complete version thanks to two wonderful additions: Gods & Kings and Brave New World. The list of game civilizations is huge. It includes some of the smartest and most strategically unique factions ever represented, such as Venice, which can only establish one city.
Xcom 2
The minimum requirements for a personal computer to run:
- CPU - 4 cores of 2.5 GHz each.
- RAM - from 4 GB.
- Hard drive - 30 GB.
- Video card - 2 GB.
This is one of the coolest strategy games developed by the Firaxis XCOM series. It shows one of the greatest success stories among all the many reboots that users have seen in the world of this genre over the past few years. The battle is intense and dynamic. It rewards both for caution and for the ability to calmly respond to the changing, sometimes catastrophic consequences of a tactical situation.
The graphics themselves in the base game are slightly behind. But the Long War mod series has greatly improved this. Additionally, new changes were developed and the influence of each of the system fractions was expanded. XCOM 2 introduced new interesting and specialized types of soldiers, many funny and serious enemies, and a more desperate, complicated campaign scenario compared to its direct predecessor.
Europa Universalis IV
System requirements:
- RAM - 2 GB.
- CPU - 3 HZ.
- Video adapter - 1 GB
- Hard drive - 6 GB.
The additions of the “Epoch of Discoveries” and “Early New World” created by Paradox are the most interesting and ambitious expansions. Users note the high quality graphics and well-crafted plot. Therefore, the game is on the list of the coolest strategies on the PC. Although it was released almost 10 years ago, it is still supported by the developer and makes the necessary additions. Therefore, calling it a cool but forgotten strategy is premature.
The readable, responsive interface uses very complex base systems and makes them intuitive and relatively easy to interact with. A magnificent world map, a mass of dynamic events based on real history, and an innovative trading system really make the user feel that he is leading his nation through the centuries into which the modern world began to take shape.
Free and paid content from the moment of launch highlighted regions of the world that were usually ignored by strategic applications about this era, ensuring that the game in the role of Khan Kara Del or the Sultan of Oman is also fully functional. This attracted the attention of millions of history buffs.
Total War: Attila
Parameters to run:
- CPU - 4 cores of 2.1 GHz each.
- RAM - 4 GB.
- HDD - From 15 GB.
- Video - 2GB.
In cool PC strategy games, they rarely use historical scenes that were in real life. Series Total Wars spanned many eras and presented a lot of applicants for first place. The Attila version is in the lead mainly due to a review of an extremely interesting and little studied era of history, namely the turbulent time between the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the rise of medieval Europe. The campaign mechanics used for this are full of beautiful graphics and present a lot of fascinating scenarios and win-win solutions, really giving a sense of survival in the conditions of the apocalypse and wars of that time.
Climate change is pushing barbarians from the northern reaches, forcing them to quarrel over territory while the Empire collapses. Each tribe must face a key question: where and when to place their nomadic detachment in order to form a territorial kingdom, which, they hope, will last forever.
All this time, the Huns come from the East, as the forerunners of the biblical armageddon, creating unlikely alliances and collecting tribute. This is the most dynamic and exciting campaign that Total War has ever offered, skillfully modeling the real historical reasons inherent in an era often depicted as a simplified narrative of bloodthirsty barbarians reveling on the corpse of Western civilization.
StarCraft: Brood War
Key features for the game:
- CPU - 2.2 GHz.
- RAM - 1 GB.
- Video - 512 MB.
- Hard disk space - 4 GB.
Top cool strategies include an earlier version of StarCraft. As a leader, no traditional RTS has ever surpassed this sci-fi classic from Blizzard. The masterfully tuned balance between his three different fractions is a major element, but this is far from the only reason to love the Brood War series.
Interestingly, some technical limitations in the game at the time of its release led to the fact that later high-level users began to develop and find new skills for characters and units that still amaze the game.
The game is included in the disciplines of e-sports. Watching a Brood War championship match can be as interesting as watching a match in a stadium or sports arena where world-class stars are present. It also proved to the world that eSports is in demand, becoming a massive pillar of South Korean popular culture and paving the way for many of the competing games that came after.
This is not often discussed, but StarCraft and its extension are also some of the best in any Blizzard game. While StarCraft 2 was heavily criticized for being too redundant and careless in the storyline, the developers corrected themselves by presenting users with add-ons such as Terran, Zerg, and Protoss. They opened up new possibilities and corrected old shortcomings.
Crusader kings ii
Minimum device requirements:
- Processor - 3.3 GHz,
- Video card - 512 MB.
- HDD - 5 GB.
- RAM - 2 GB.
The feudal simulator has very little in common with StarCraft and is the coolest strategy in the world today according to user estimates. This is a great, fun and truly special strategy game of all time. The plot, focused on individual characters with their likes, dislikes, quirks, virtues and desires as an engine of progress that governs everything, really creates a story.
The drama arises naturally from the most seemingly harmless places. Each generation presents new worthy novels, that is, stories about enmity, passion and ambition. The plot involves something large-scale, for example, the geopolitics of the Middle Ages. Careful study of it makes the game accessible and understandable to everyone.
Finally
The presented games demonstrate how popular, popular and diverse this genre is. It is noteworthy that many versions of these games can be played on mobile platforms and on personal computers. Users all over the world meet in the evenings in the online battles in the evenings to compete who is the best tactician or strategist. Therefore, we can soon expect that most of the games described above will have a decent continuation. And we will hope that each subsequent version of an already beloved strategy will be better than the previous one.