Summary
Although the popularity of strategy games has waned sinceits peak in the 90sand early 2000s, particularly inthe RTS genre, strategy games have been seeing a resurgence in recent years. This isespecially so in the indie game scene, with games such asAgainst The Storm,RimWorld, andThronefallall performing well on the Steam storefront.
As a result, now is a great time to jump into strategy games, both new and old. These are just a few examples of strategy games with high replay values, all of which fit their own niches in the strategy game genre.
Like its predecessors,XCOM 2delivers on unforgiving turn-based tactics, all while ensuring the game is accessible to newcomers. InXCOM, each battle can play out in a wildly different manner every time, thanks to a dizzying array of variables, includingenemy types, random chance, and the environment itself. This ensures that each playthrough ofXCOMwill never quite pan out the same way twice.
The long-runningXCOMseriesis known for its unforgiving gameplay and tactical, strategic combat in which every decision matters. The occasional injections of random chance, permanent death mechanics, and the sheer fact that players can lose the game and be forced to start over, makeXCOMadelightfully replayable experience.
TheCivilizationseriesis known for itsaccessible 4X strategygameplay, as well as its massive replay value. This replay value is facilitated throughdense gameplay mechanicsthat encourage multiple strategies, and the unpredictability of online multiplayer ensures that each game plays out differently.
Civilization 6, like its predecessors, features a variety of notable leaders that players can take advantage of. This in and of itself adds adash of replay value to the game, but it’sCivilization’swell-crafted gameplay loop that rewards players for repeat plays. The randomly generated elements of the game also help to prevent it from becoming stale, allowing players to play the game multiple times and still be surprised. AlthoughCivilizationcan be played in single-player, it’s arguably better - and more replayable - when played online in a large group.
Real-time strategy games likeStarCraft 2are notorious for their complex mechanics and steep learning curves, especially in online multiplayer. For this reason, playing match after match is necessary to learn the game, and these games are built for replaying as a result.Age Of Empires 2, however, is replayable even without its multiplayer features. This is thanks to thevariety of ways players can enjoy the game.
Age Of Empires 2can be played in a variety of ways; the game features aplethora of single-player campaignsalong with a skirmish mode that can be played both in single-player and with other players online. Furthermore, the game features anabundance of unique civilizations for players to control, each with their own unique strengths and weaknesses.
For the most part, each of the games intheTotal Warfranchisefeatures a high replay value, thanks to a focus onstrategic gameplay and tactical battlesthat encourage players to take a different approach each time they play the game.
The turn-based, large-scale strategy combined with massive real-time battles make for a satisfying loop that rarely gets stale, and the tide of a battle can change dramatically from just a handful of decisions. These dynamic battles make up much of the fun inTotal War, giving players a reason to come back again and again.
As with manyTotal Wargames,Total War: Medieval 2features a campaign that tasks players withtaking over a certain number of territories. In a campaign, players can take on the role of one of several factions, and the game’s large scale and deep systems ensure each campaign plays differently from the last.
Hearts Of Iron 4is a historical simulation game thattakes place during WW2and tasks players with leading a nation of their choice, making strategic and diplomatic choices at every turn. Due to its nature as an inaccessible, massively complex grand strategy title,Hearts Of Iron 4is an inherently replayable strategy game. In fact, newcomers to the genre are unlikely to even see everything thatHearts Of Iron 4has to offer until they’ve played it for a fair few hours.
Even after players have spent hours learningHearts Of Iron 4, the game can take infinitely longer to master, and the abundance of decisions that players must make in any one playthrough ensures that thegame plays out differently every time.
Releasing all the way back in 2010,StarCraft 2is arguably one of thegreatest video game sequels. Although its competitive scene isn’t what it used to be,StarCraft 2is still very much an active game with a solid, albeit experienced player base.
StarCraft 2’scompetitive ladder, along with its three wildly different asymmetric factions, is what gives it such high replay value. Thanks to the hundreds of decisions that players are forced to make throughout a match ofStarCraft 2, every game can be played completely differently from the one before. This, along with the game’s various single-player campaigns, gives players plenty to do. Furthermore, thegame was made free-to-play in 2017.
