Summary

  • Turn-based combat allows players to focus on strategy, not reflexes.
  • Cadence of Hyrule and Transistor offer unique spins on turn-based gameplay.
  • Games like Divinity: Original Sin 2 offer freedom and creativity in battles.

Turn-based combat has been around since the early days of RPG and strategy games. This style of gameplay allows players to focus on carefully assessing a situation and choosing what actions they'll take, allowing players to rely less on split-second reaction times as they would with physical challenges.

Related

10 Best Modern Turn-Based RPGs

Turn-based RPGs are still being made, and they're still great!

Posts 2 By  Ryan Taffe

In this list, we will take a look at some of the best games with turn-based combat that you should try out if you're looking for some of the greatest hits in role-playing and strategy games.

Updated December 8th, 2024 by Hilton Webster: Games ebb and flow, genres rise and fall, but turn-based games have never quite left the cultural zeitgeist. Being given that control, having to take the time to plan your attacks, it feels so empowering. We've given this list a tidying to make it more enjoyable, and added a few new games to test your tactical prowess.

18 Cadence Of Hyrule

Cadence of Hyrule

Action Rhythm Released June 13, 2019 Developer(s) Brace Yourself Games Publisher(s) Nintendo Platform(s) Switch Genre(s) Action, Rhythm Powered by Expand Collapse

aNintendo is rare to let other developers touch their games, and allowing an indie developer to make such a drastic departure from their typical style is almost unthinkable. And yet that is exactly what Cadence of Hyrule is. And while not strictly turn-based, it elicits a similar feeling.

In Cadence of Hyrule, like the Crypt of the Necrodancer that serves as its foundations, you must move in time with the beat to perform actions, and are punished if you fail. It's fast-paced, yet still requires you think fast between each beat. It will keep you on your toes at all times.

17 Transistor

Transistor

Action RPG Strategy Released May 20, 2014 Developer(s) Supergiant Games Publisher(s) Supergiant Games Platform(s) PS4, Switch, PC, iOS Genre(s) Action RPG, Strategy Powered by Expand Collapse

Supergiant Games have have bit an almost unprecedented popularity with Hades, it had been making incredible games before that too, and Transistor is one of them. Set in a dystopian future with a singer without a voice, you just need to live in a world that actively denies your existence.

Related

Every Game Made By Supergiant Games, Ranked

Which Supergiant game is the biggest?

Posts By  Rachel G

It's combat system is a fascinating blend of real-time and turn-based. While you can play fully in real-time, you can also freeze the game at any time and plan out a series of actions, moving faster than enemies can react to unleash a chain reaction of attacks that combo into each other. It's a very unique system you should experience for yourself.

16 Unicorn Overlord

Unicorn Overlord

Tactical RPG Released March 8, 2024 Developer(s) Vanillaware Publisher(s) Sega, Atlus Platform(s) PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Switch Genre(s) Tactical, RPG Powered by Expand Collapse

Unicorn Overlord pulls heavily from the Gambit system of Final Fantasy 12, though it's actual combat system couldn't be more different. What makes it so unique is that once a battle actually begins, control is taken away from you entirely. You have to rely on the plan you put together beforehand.

As you explore the world of Unicorn Overlord, gathering new units and reclaiming your home, you'll have to build tactics for your team. These tactics play out in combat, reacting to the enemies they battle. Your job is to set up tactics that can counter any situation, and hope they don't get slaughtered.

15 Phantom Doctrine

This white-knuckle spy thriller drops players into the height of the Cold War. Starting as an agent of either the CIA or the KGB, you'll unravel a worldwide conspiracy that threatens to upend the global order. The game adds a stealth element to grid-based tactical gameplay as your agents use disguises, lockpicks, and silencers to get in and out of secure areas. When things go sour, you'll need to use your wits and your weapons to hold off until your team can be extracted... or cut your losses and strand your agents, risking their capture or worse.

Inspired by real events and (hopefully) fictional top-secret projects, Phantom Doctrine allows players to capture enemy agents on certain turns, interrogating them for intel before making them disappear. Alternately, you can send them home with a trigger phrase and strike your enemies from within. If you want high-stakes espionage with plenty of emergent narrative and tough calls, Phantom Doctrine is .

14 Dragon Quest 11: Echoes Of An Elusive Age - Definitive Edition

Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age

JRPG Released September 4, 2018 Developer(s) Square Enix Publisher(s) Square Enix Platform(s) PS4, PC, Xbox One, 3DS, Stadia Genre(s) JRPG Powered by Expand Collapse

As with other entries in the series, you don't need to play any of the previous games to jump right in with Dragon Quest 11. Here, you play as the Luminary, fated to save the world along with a strong and irreverent cast of fellow travelers. The battle system in Dragon Quest 11 is finely tuned, allowing easy entry for newcomers and seasoned RPG players alike.

Related

Dragon Quest: 8 Best Classes

No Dragon Quest party is complete without these classes.

Posts By  Harry Fritsch

The eleventh main entry is a completely standalone experience that features new characters, a beautifully detailed world, and an immersive story that will keep you on your toes the entire journey. But perhaps most beloved of all is its fine-tuning of a decades-long series, bringing more bells and whistles to every battle without sacrificing its role as an icon among turn-based combat games.

13 XCOM 2

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 Collapse

If you ever wanted a strategy RPG in which you control an organization dedicated to protecting the earth from an alien invasion, yet your trained soldiers miss the aliens' heads at point-blank range, then XCOM 2 is the game for you.

All jokes aside, this is a fantastic sci-fi tactical game where you must think strategically both in and outside of combat. Each character gets their own individual turns, during which they can move, use skills, or attack. XCOM 2 builds on the original and gets you thinking more strategically since you have to make sure the right moves are executed with each of your soldiers during combat and without getting them picked off one by one.

12 Darkest Dungeon

Darkest Dungeon

RPG Released January 19, 2016 Developer(s) Red Hook Studios Publisher(s) Red Hook Studios Platform(s) PS4, PS Vita, Xbox One, Switch, PC, iOS Genre(s) RPG Powered by Expand Collapse

While it's one of the best turn-based combat games out there, Darkest Dungeon is not for the faint of heart. This is a game that will grind up your heroes and spit them back out with physical and emotional scars, permanent death always hanging over you. The player hires deeply-flawed adventurers to explore the ruins surrounding their vast estate. These ruins are filled with nihilistic cultists, slavering undead, and cosmic horrors from beyond time and space.

The turn-based combat itself introduces a strategic positioning element; each hero and enemy fights in a single-file line, and most attacks can only be used from the correct position. Enemies can only be targeted if they're standing in the right spot, and dead foes leave corpses that need to be cleared away in order to make room to maneuver. The result is a deep and deadly game of strategy where every choice matters and every turn could be a hero's last.

11 Final Fantasy 10

Final Fantasy 10

JRPG Released December 17, 2001 Developer(s) Square Enix Publisher(s) Square Enix Platform(s) PS2 Genre(s) JRPG Powered by Expand Collapse

If you haven't played a Final Fantasy game, Final Fantasy 10 is a good entry point into the series. The game is centered around Tidus, a star blitzball player from Zanarkand, and Yuna, a summoner on a pilgrimage to defeat the ominous and mysterious Sin, which brings pain and suffering to the people of Spira.

Related

The 12 Best Final Fantasy Games On PS5

Most mainline Final Fantasy titles are playable on PlayStation 5, but we're daring to separate the best from the rest.

Posts By  Quinton O'Connor

As a party of up to three, you'll enter random-encounter battles, fighting small and large foes in classic turn-based combat. With a gripping story, and an interesting sequel for those wishing to extend their journey, the world of Final Fantasy 10 is a great place to start for newcomers.

10 Into the Breach

Into the Breach

Turn-Based Strategy Released February 27, 2018 Platform(s) Android, iOS, PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch, macOS, Stadia Developer Subset Games Publisher Subset Games Genre(s) Turn-Based Strategy Powered by Expand Collapse

Into the Breach is a turn-based combat strategy game by the developers behind FTL: Faster Than Light. In this game, you are responsible for protecting civilian structures that support power grids. You protect said structures against aliens called the Vek by commanding mechs equipped with weapons.

While protecting the buildings is typically the main objective, there are often bonus objectives as well. Successfully achieving these bonuses often means thinking several turns ahead. It is an intense game, as the difficulty stays relatively high throughout the game, testing your strategic thinking constantly. We recommend Into the Breach if you're looking for more chess and less checkers in terms of difficulty.

9 Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Strategy RPG Released July 26, 2019 Developer(s) Intelligent Systems Publisher(s) Nintendo Platform(s) Nintendo Switch Genre(s) Strategy, RPG Powered by Expand Collapse

In Fire Emblem: Three Houses, impending war is imminent, regardless of the path you choose. As a professor at the Officer's Academy, you will oversee one of the eponymous three houses: Blue Lions, Black Eagles, or Golden Deer. Throughout the game, and depending on the path chosen, you'll lead your students in turn-based combat in various scenarios across the deeply troubled land of Fódlan.

Despite being called 'Three Houses', there are even more routes than that to explore, and a hefty DLC that adds even more to the base game. Regardless of what wya you play through the game, you're sure to have plenty of content and variety to keep you satisfied for a long time.