Summary

Old-school PC Gaming featured many notable genres that dominated the library available to people playing on the device. One of the types of games that has been a fixture is tactic games, where it is up to players to make decisions that will best position themselves to keep progressing.

Even as games on PC have evolved over the years to encompass almost anything and everything in the gaming industry, tactics games are still very popular among fans. And there are plenty of turn-based tactics games available right now on the platform for people to play. In addition, some of these games are exclusive to PC and can’t be found anywhere else.

A top down view of a military camp with fire cooking food and people standing around different parts of the camp in Expeditions: Rome

7Expeditions: Rome

A callback to classic CRPGs,Expeditions: Romeis a top-down strategy game that challenges the player to build up an army that is strong enough to gain respect and strike fear in the hearts of many in the region. Players take on the role of a legatus, who leads Rome in a story of the player’s choosing.

After the murder of their father, the military officerescapes from Rometo start building up defenses. There are five companions that can be part of the player’s party, each with their own unique set of skills that will affect how battles play out. The playable character can also be customized depending on how the player decides to approach the game.

A kingdom that is built into a square with many buildings collecting resources in Songs of Conquest

6Songs Of Conquest

A game that takes the excitement of tactical turn-based combat and combines that with chill kingdom management,Songs of Conquestis attempting to keep alive thestrategy adventure genrein ways that celebrate the past but also bring systems forward to the future.

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Alina inflicting Exploit Weakness in a turn-based battle in a grid arena in Alina of the Arena

Taking control of a group of magicians known as the Wielders, the goal of the experience is to explore a wide range of regions that will feature different types of loot to find new difficult forces that will need to be dealt with. On top of that, players can build a kingdom to their liking that best fits their skill set and what they want to achieve.

5Alina Of The Arena

While there are many tactics games that call back to old-school strategy games, there are many ways where the genre is moving forward. A great example of this isAlina of the Arena, adeckbuilding roguelikewhere tactical battles take place on a grid.

Inspired by other classic card-based video games and turn-based strategy experiences, players take on the role of the gladiator Alina as she fights for the entertainment of a ruckus crowd. As players battle through a run, they will pick up cards that can help them tailor their deck to how they want to play.

A mech shooting four green lasers into the distance with two mechs looking on.

4Battletech

The idea of fighting with mechs can be incredibly cool no matter the setting. And while there are a lot of people who may prefer real-time combat when piloting a mech, there is something incredibly satisfying about strategically placing mechs down and seeing them take down opponents in turn-based combat.

RELATED:Best RPGs That Let You Pilot Mechs

This is the basis ofBattletech. With over 30 mechs at the player’s disposal, it is up to them to perfectly place them around an area to perfectly target enemies. Each mechcan be customizedto the player’s liking, cycling through weapons after each one is damaged in battle. There is also multiplayer available for those who want to test their skills further.

3Troubleshooter: Abandoned Children

It is an added bonus when a strategy RPG has a deep story to go along with it. That perfectly describesTroubleshooter: Abandoned Children, which is the first season of a series ofvisual novelstories that will take place in a world where normal people are allowed to arrest criminals. Players take control of these individuals, which are known as Troubleshooters, to investigate cases.

Each character in the game has their own class that can be used to showcase unique skills in the over 100 missions in the game. There are even specific activities that are unlocked when using specific characters, such as being able to create drones when an engineer is on the team.

Irene sitting and looking down from a balcony in Troubleshooter: Abandoned Children

2Your Only Move Is Hustle

Indie games can come up with some innovative ways to change up the tactical genre, andYour Only Move Is Hustleis a wild attempt ata 2D Fighting gamethat is a turn-based strategy experience. Every fighter in the game has a plethora of abilities, but players will need to figure out how to plan out each move while expecting their opponent’s next move.

There are numerous menus that allow players to decide how they want to approach a battle and what they want to do in any given situation. The result can be a complete spectacle of amazing combat feats. If players are worried about jumping into multiplayer right away, there is a sandbox single-player mode to get accustomed to the systems.

A purple stick figure flying through the air with a sword while a red stick figure falls limp in the air in Your Only Move Is Hustle

1Jagged Alliance 3

Nearly five years after its last entry, Jagged Alliance got a solid new entry in 2023 with the release ofJagged Alliance 3. This release comes over two decades since the release ofJagged Alliance 2, butthe first title in the franchise developed by Haemimont Games.

The classicturn-based tacticsexperience, the third numbered entry takes place in Grand Chien, a fictional nation whose president has just gone missing as a force called “The Legion” takes over.

A building beginning to explode while members of the party point guns at it in Jagged Alliance 3

Players will have agency of where the story goes while taking on missions and recruiting new people to the team.

MORE:Turn-Based Tactics Games That Are Perfect For Newcomers To The Genre