Summary
- Strategy games are diverse; some are relaxing, while others are stress-inducing and challenging.
- Civilization 6, They Are Billions, and Command & Conquer are some of the toughest strategy games on the market.
- From managing a post-apocalyptic town in Frostpunk 2 to surviving in dungeons in Darkest Dungeon, these games push players to their limits.
Strategy is one of the widest genres in gaming. On the one hand, you have chilled-out management simulators and fun city-building games. On the other, you have strategy games that are stress-inducing, difficult, and take a lot of critical thinking.
Related10 Best Strategy Games Of All Time
Strategy games have been popular for a while now, but which titles are the best of the genre?
Posts By Cameron MillerIf you’re the kind of gamer who likes a foreboding challenge and beating terrible odds, then you’re definitely in the market for the next strategic Everest for you to tame. Push your brain to its limits with the ten hardest strategy games, building up to the most difficult one.
Updated December 6, 2024, by Zackary Wiggs: Strategy games are far from the newest genre out there, but they hold a top spot for their ability to push people to the mental limit. But, even in this often-difficult genre, some games crank it up another notch (or two). Whether there's a severe number of enemies to deal with at once, dozens of facets of a country to run, or just trying to keep your group of anti-alien resistance fighters alive; here are some of the most difficult strategy games out there on the market.
What is considered hard is highly subjective. However, many casual and pro players agree that strategy is one of the more challenging genres and these games have come up frequently in the community.
16 Sid Meier’s Civilization 6
Warfare Is Not Always The Swiftest Route To Victory
Sid Meier's Civilization 6
Strategy Released October 21, 2016 Developer(s) Firaxis Games Publisher(s) 2K Games Platform(s) PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC, Android, iOS Genre(s) Strategy Powered by Expand CollapseHave you ever started up a game of Civ 6 and thought, 'This time I’m going to go for a culture victory,' only to get stomped in by an angry warlord after eight hours of play? It isn’t just the AI programming and online community competitiveness that makes Civilization 6 so hard; it’s the length of the game and its abundant features.
Civ 6 gives you more restrictions than previous games, making you spend more time on development and research to sacrifice your power in other areas. Science victory? Not if Teddy Roosevelt’s cannons have anything to say about it.
15 60 Seconds! Reatomized
Balance Risk And Resources
Sometimes the simplest-looking games are the most deceptive. The first entry in the 60 Seconds! series proves this by having a very comical appearance depicting one of the absolute worst things that could happen. The game follows a family of four as they retreat to their bomb shelter to escape an incoming atomic attack.
Before the attack begins, you have only 60 seconds to grab as much as you can before crowding into the shelter. That's only one minute to decide what is most important to your survival, among food, water, tools, and even your family members.
You then need to survive an unknown number of days rationing what little you have, sending family members up to the irradiated surface, and making decisions about how to deal with external forces like other survivors and pests in your shelter.
14 They Are Billions
That's A Lot Of Zombies
They Are Billions
Real-Time Strategy Survival Management Released June 18, 2019 Platform(s) PC, PS4, Xbox One Developer Numantian Games Publisher Numantian Games, BlitWorks Genre(s) Real-Time Strategy, Survival, Management Powered by Expand CollapseZombies may not be the go-to enemy for strategy games, but They Are Billions will make you wonder why more games haven't done it more often. Part steampunk, part far-future adventure, it's a strategy game that doesn't pull much.
It's a mix of games like Civ and other tower defense games, with plenty of bloodthirsty zombies thrown in for good measure. The game does well teaching you to understand the pace, but the sheer number of zombies on screen never makes it a leisurely playthrough.
13 Command & Conquer
Warfighting Gone Strategic
Command & Conquer Remastered
Real-Time Strategy Tactical Released June 5, 2020 Publisher(s) Electronic Arts Platform(s) PC Developer Petroglyph Genre(s) Real-Time Strategy, Tactical Powered by Expand CollapseThe Command & Conquer games are an old-school strategy - one of the first RTS series ever created. As such, they have a sharp learning curve and punishing gameplay.
Command & Conquer and its follow-up, Red Alert, are available on Steam in 4K remastered form for you to revisit the humiliating defeat from your childhood in high definition. No matter how many hours you sink into this game, there’s a dad from the '80s out there who can still wipe the entire battlefield with your face.
12 Age Of Empires 2
Almost As Harsh And Brutal As Actual History
Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition
Real-Time Strategy Released November 14, 2019 Publisher(s) Xbox Game Studios Platform(s) PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S Developer Forgotten Empires, Tantalus, Wicked Witch Genre(s) Real-Time Strategy Powered by Expand CollapseAge of Empires 2 is a 1999 RTS game that was given a remake for its 20th anniversary in 2019. Age of Empires 2 isn’t a difficult game to get into and start playing, but if you want to master the game and start winning against other players, it’s harder than you’d think.
Related6 Best Multiplayer Strategy Games
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Posts By Gabrielle HustonIn true '90s RTS fashion, all the ins and outs of the game are a bit tricky to learn. The hard AI is also nearly impossible to beat without rushing in with everything you’ve got and spending resources as fast as you get them.
11 Frostpunk 2
Better Bring A Coat
Frostpunk 2
Strategy Survival City Builder 4.5/5 Released September 20, 2024 Developer(s) 11 Bit Studios Publisher(s) 11 Bit Studios Platform(s) PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S Genre(s) Strategy, Survival, City Builder Powered by Expand CollapseSo many strategy games charge you with leading a community or civilization, but none do it quite like the Frostpunk series, and Frostpunk 2 builds well on its predecessor's successes. It's a fun reimagining of the genre with a post-apocalytpic twist.
One way the game does it is by sheer stakes - a frigid world where energy and food are scarce means you have to fight for your town daily. It compounds that by the various curveballs it throws at you, many of which mean tough choices in your future.
10 XCOM 2
Fight Back Against The Invaders
XCOM 2
Strategy RPG Released February 5, 2016 Developer(s) Firaxis Games Publisher(s) 2K Games Platform(s) Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One Genre(s) Strategy, RPG Powered by Expand CollapseThere are plenty of turn-based tactical games now, but the XCOM series is still at the top after all this time. XCOM 2 is a sequel to the 2012 relaunch of the series, and it’s just as headache-inducing difficult as the originals were.
It's quite a task beating the game on the easiest difficulty, and even those who have gone for the harder difficulties have had trouble completing the game. In a game that already takes nearly 80 hours to complete, most of them will be spent watching yourself fail spectacularly.
9 The Banner Saga
Fight, Travel, Lead
The Banner Saga
RPG Strategy Released January 14, 2014 Publisher(s) Stoic Studio Platform(s) Mobile, PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One Genre(s) RPG, Strategy Powered by Expand CollapseThere are a lot of games based on Norse mythology out there, but The Banner Saga uses it as a basis to tell an original story. In a freezing and harsh environment, the gods are dead, a race of giants is going extinct, and a vicious predatory race is sweeping across the land.
The game is divided into two main phases: the traveling and the battling. While traveling, you'll need to make decisions about what routes to take and how to respond to certain obstacles, which can result in the loss of troops or even main characters. Every move you make drains your strength, which is reflected in your fights.
The combat has an unfamiliar turn-based combat system involving armor and health connecting to the strength of attacks. Healing is never guaranteed, so you need to make every move count, since enemies are tough and numerous. The final fight is likely to force you to change the difficulty to Easy.
8 Crusader Kings 2
Heavy Is The Head
Crusader Kings 2
RPG Strategy Released February 14, 2012 Developer(s) Paradox Development Studio Publisher(s) Paradox Interactive Platform(s) PC Genre(s) RPG, Strategy Powered by Expand CollapseAll the Crusader Kings games are hard to learn, harder to master, and almost impossible to win. If there was ever a game based on a regular Joe running a kingdom and botching it, it's Crusader Kings. Crusader Kings 2 is notably the hardest entry in the series, with its sequel right behind it.
Related7 Best Open-World Strategy Games
Here are some of the best open-world strategy sandbox games to play around in.
Posts By Jacob WhalingThis feudal sandbox game is full of wacky scenarios and hilarious dialogue, as long as you haven’t managed to burn your kingdom to the ground within the first few rounds.
7 Victoria 3
Times Are Changing
Victoria 3
Strategy 4.0/5 Released October 25, 2022 Developer(s) Paradox Development Studio Publisher(s) Paradox Interactive Platform(s) PC Genre(s) Strategy Powered by Expand CollapseSome strategy games are inherently hard just because of the sheer amount of variables that the game throws at you. Victoria 3 is just one of those games, but not in a way that comes off as cheesy or overwhelming.
It can definitely be difficult to lead your chosen country through an industrial revolution, but no one said running a country was ever easy. Balance economy, happiness, military strength, and plenty of other facets to try and stay in control as time changes.
