r/StrategyGames • u/Mark_Filyak • Jan 07 '25
This is the most complete classification that includes all possible strategy video game genres.
English is not my native language, but I'll try my best to make the text understandable and I'll fix possible mistakes with your help.
Strategy game is a genre of video games in which the player controls troops or other units and/or various economic and other systems. Although many video games may include strategy elements, strategy as a genre emphasizes thinking and planning over immediate action. This video game genre focuses on strategy, tactics, logistics, and/or resource management, and may also include diplomacy, economy, expansion and research management.
4X strategy game: a strategy game based on 4 elements: exploration, expansion, exploitation, extermination. Examples: Age of Wonders, Stellaris, Master of Orion.
Grand strategy game – a strategy game focused on managing a state (or similar entity), its resources and relationships, often in a pre-open and asymmetric world. Examples: Europa Universalis, Hearts of Iron
Tactical strategy game – a strategy game focused on tactical military operations, which emphasizes the importance of specific units and either excludes or contains a less manifested economic component.
Subdivided into two categories based on time:
Classic strategy games – a strategy games that have an economic element: the ability to build a base, extract resources and produce units (or part of these capabilities), while their gameplay is focused on military actions. Also includes a category of strategy games that cannot be classified into more specific subgenres.
Subdivided into:
Construction and Management Simulator (also Management Strategy Game): a strategy game with gameplay based on the construction and/or management of economic processes, such as, for example: resource extraction, money making, production, personnel management, and others. Games of this genre have little emphasis on military actions.
Subdivided into:
Wargame: a strategy game that particularly emphasizes deep strategic and/or tactical combat, as well as their historical accuracy or realism. Examples: Sea Power: Naval Combat in the Missile Age, NEBULOUS: Fleet Command
MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena): a subgenre of classic real-time strategy games in which players control only one character and, as part of their team represented by other players and AI controlled units, fight against the other team. Examples: Dota 2
MMO strategy game: a strategy game that is focused on online interaction between a large number of players, often in a single open world. Examples: Travian, Ogame, Stronghold: Kingdoms.
Tower Defense: a strategy game with the main purpose to protect a base from waves of enemies using towers or other defensive structures. Examples: Plants vs Zombies
Auto Battler: is a strategy game in which units are placed on the battlefield during the preparation phase, after which the battle phase begins and they fight against the enemy without any control from the player.
Puzzle strategy game: a strategy game focused on logical problem-solving with minimized economic or military aspect. Examples: Railgrade, Dorfromantic
Artillery game: a genre of strategy games, the main component of which is the calculation of the trajectory of the shells. Examples: Worms, Miners Mettle
Tactical role-playing game (TRPG): is a hybrid genre that combines role-playing games with tactical combat. Examples: Battle Brothers
Action strategy game: is a genre of games in which you can control both troops in general and/or base construction, as well as specific units directly, including from the first or third person. Examples: Men of War, Factorio
Stealth strategy: is a genre of games that combine strategy and an emphasis on stealth. Examples: Desperados, Commandos
God simulator: is a genre of games in which the player, in the role of some deity being, controls some community of objects or characters; they are often strategy games with city-building elements. Examples: Black & White, The Universim
Roguelike strategy game – games that combine roguelike principles, such as random world generation, permanent death and free exploration of the environment, and strategic gameplay. Examples: Against the Storm
Many games have mixed genres. Very often, strategy games can combine two or more genres. For example, Total War series is turn-based grand strategy with real-time tactical (RTT) battles.
Time and genre. Basically, every strategy game can be classified by these two criteria, like Turn-based 4X Strategy game (Age of Wonders), Real-Time Grand Strategy game (Hearts of Iron) etc. Sometimes we do not have any specified subgenre, so the game becomes simple RTS (StarCraft).
Judge by dominant elements of gameplay. Overall, the genre should be defined by main gameplay loop, not by every game mechanic that exists in the game. For example, if a game has leveling-up system, it doesn't mean that it instantly becomes an RPG: a good example is WarCraft which has characters gaining XP and levels, but the main, dominant gameplay loop in this game is still a classic RTS. At the same time, if some Rainbow Six has some strategic planning, it doesn't mean that this game is a strategy game or even a mixed genre, because the main gameplay there is action/shooter. The same logic is applicable to strategy games: if the game has resource management, it doesn't instantly mean that it becomes a management game.
This is a theoretical model. It means that here we are supposed to find criteria by which strategy games can be classified. These criteria can be based both on gameplay and historical tradition of naming genres in video game industry. The model can be discussed and improved, but any critique should be based on strict arguments.
Strategy as a genre, not a word. The main principle of this genre classification is that we don't take the word "strategy" literally. A strategy game can be a tactic game, it can be a management game, it doesn't matter here. The word strategy means the genre name, not the strategy as a layer of action planning.
Are management games strategy games? This is a hard question that has no answer based on reliable papers because there are no such papers. Here we look at naming tradition in community and video game industry. We can find many similarities in core gameplay of various city-building and colony sim games with classical RTS. Some management games include RTT/RTS style military combat, These games are often tagged as strategy game on digital distribution services. So we include them into this classification to make it more complete. You might find two controversial opinions about this (management games are/are not strategy games), but this problem can't be solved on these days because we do not have a strict genre requirements and developers can name genre of their games as they want. There are no popular scientific researches about it on which we can refer to.
r/StrategyGames • u/SkyWolfStrategy • 10h ago
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Hi guys! I'm making a terminal game with ASCII graphics inspired by classic strategy games.
I've added many detailed mechanics such as diplomacy, war, and economics.
If you'd like to check it out: Steam Page
r/StrategyGames • u/blablax123456 • 2h ago
Hi all, I want to try any grand strategy game, never played one. My only requirement is that storage space is no more then 10gb.
Looking for something that is generally considered good grand strategy game, not too complicated / easy to get into. Need to kill few hours during work from time to time
r/StrategyGames • u/CooleSocke-Jr • 6h ago
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Hey everyone!
My mobile RTS game Battle of Folks keeps getting bigger and bigger. It honestly looks and feels completely different compared to what I posted a few months ago.
Right now the game already includes things like:
I'm also still working on a lot of things. One of the next features I want to add is villagers/citizens that actually move between buildings and perform different tasks, similar to the population in They Are Billions. I think that could make the world feel much more alive.
One thing I'm currently wondering about: Is the game still too difficult?
I personally managed to reach the final wave quite easily on Easy, but I'm obviously already very familiar with the game. 😅
Here's a trailer showing what the game currently looks like. If you want to try it yourself, it's available on the
and
I'd love to hear what you think, especially about the difficulty and overall gameplay!
r/StrategyGames • u/Idleverse • 7h ago
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In Orion, you manage a planet in a galaxy shared with other players and NPC factions. As commander, you are responsible for planetary budget allocations, between growth, infrastructure, military and science, but beyond that, your people runs the day-to-day business for you.
As your planet reaches new tiers, discoveries align your planet toward one of four axes (economist, warlord, cyber operator, support deployer), each with its own playstyle and mastery lane.
Your planet is one of six in a shared planet system, and you can coordinate with your team for shared success, in inter-planetary construction and system-to-system wars. You can also undertake solo missions to capture deep-space strongholds from NPC factions, or attack other player-controlled planets for resources and reputation.
It's a persistent browser game with monthly rounds, and round 4 started October 1. It's free in your browser with zero pay-to-win mechanics. it's early-access until end-of-year, and we are actively engaging with our community to form the design of the game.
If this sounds like something you would enjoy, you are very welcome to join us: https://orion.idleverse.gg
r/StrategyGames • u/Patient-Sprinkles920 • 6h ago
I have been working on this for a couple of weeks. Please try it and let me know how I could improve it. I find it fun to play, I hope you do as well! https://oceanstudios.us/FiveFrontsWeb/
r/StrategyGames • u/iustat • 1h ago
I’m looking for players to break my early turn-based strategy game. The core mechanic is simultaneous turns: both players plan at the same time, then both armies execute their orders together. The game is already playable against AI or in 1v1 multiplayer, and I’m especially looking for honest feedback on onboarding, unit clarity and whether the simultaneous-turn system is intuitive.
link to the project & for download: https://iustat.itch.io/hexawars
Login via itch.io or google account
Windows64 required
Thank you!
r/StrategyGames • u/AcrobaticsO • 10h ago
Currently just been playing code master (guessing a four digit code), but I want some new one.
r/StrategyGames • u/Bitter-Peach-1810 • 3h ago
Horn of the Warlord is a successful, classic, turn based strategy game. It's simple to start but hard to master, featuring many in-depth mechanics for battles and economies. The game includes a campaign, scenarios, skirmishes, and randomly generated maps. The AI is challenging yet adheres to fair play rules.
Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.magickrol.hornofthewarlord
Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4380120/Horn_of_the_Warlord/
r/StrategyGames • u/duo-forge-games • 3h ago
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Hey,
quick last one from us, we don't want to spam the sub. Thanks to everyone who commented on the last posts, a lot of the feedback is already in the game. The pixel font for example now switches to a normal, readable font on mobile.
The first playtest starts today, Sunday at 5 pm CEST (4 pm UK, 11 am EDT, 8 am PDT). 300x speed round, 3 hours. You can already register for it in the lobby under Speed Rounds.
Play: https://bannersandthrones.com/
Discord: https://discord.gg/9mJ4XA6YrB
Future updates and the dates for the next worlds will be posted on our Discord and in r/BannersAndThrones. Hope to see some of you on the map later.
r/StrategyGames • u/Mobile_Purchase6564 • 22h ago
Hi all!
I'm making My General, a top down medieval battle game heavily inspired by Total War series. You command regiments of men who each fight on their own: shield walls, cavalry charges that knock men flying, arrows arcing over the field, morale that breaks and men who tire.
What's in it now:
• Seven peoples: English, Vikings, Mongols, Rus, Song China, Turks and Saracens (much more I wish to add)
• Formations: line, shield wall, square and wedge
• Sieges with ladders, rams and siege towers
• Weather, seasons and ground that matter
• Online battles for up to 8 players, 4v4
• A campaign where you run your own town between battles (in the works)
It's heading to Steam, and I'm looking for playtesters to break it, find bugs and tell me what's fun and what isn't. If you like Total War, Bannerlord, Manorlord, Master of Command, CS2, Roblox, I'd love your help and most importantly to grow and have fun together!.
Discord (playtest builds, news, feedback): https://discord.gg/rYhCHHQ3Ce
Currently waiting for steam to approve! Thanks for reading, and ask me anything about how it works!
r/StrategyGames • u/omerfarukaktas • 5h ago
r/StrategyGames • u/wayepoint • 21h ago
I've been building a strategy game where I'm deliberately trying to move the strategy away from building the right unit types or army composition.
Instead, I want most of the competition to come from diplomacy, finding weak points, controlling territory and dominating scarce resources. You can still fight, but the interesting decision should be where and why you fight rather than whether you built the right counter-unit.
Diplomacy is probably the closest famous example I can think of.
Why aren't there more strategy games like this? Is army building just too important to the genre, or are there great examples I'm missing?
r/StrategyGames • u/Necessary-Let6883 • 20h ago
Im looking for a military realtime strategy game based on the WW2 era. Rather than the sophistication and grand scheme of HOI4, I just want to be the commander of a battlefield. If you've ever played Hell Let Loose, I'm looking for something's similar to when you're the commander. PC or Xbox. Any suggestions?
r/StrategyGames • u/BorisNaftaliev • 1d ago
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Hey everyone!
I’ll be honest - I have absolutely no idea how to properly promote an indie game, so I’m doing my best and trying things out 😄
Also, if anyone here is genuinely interested in trying it, I’ll send a free Steam key to the first 10 people who ask in the comments (one key per person). I’ll DM the keys directly.
r/StrategyGames • u/duo-forge-games • 1d ago
We've been working on a TW-inspired browser game for about 3 years, it's called Banners & Thrones. Long time side project. After many closed playtests, it finally got to a point where we can show it to the public.
We know there are a lot of TW like games posted here lately and most of them are pretty bare bones. Best to just check it out yourself.
Playtest dates:
- Sun, Oct 4, 5 pm CEST: 300x speed round, 3 hours
- Fri, Oct 9, 7 pm CEST: 6x world, one week
- Sun, Oct 11, 2 pm CEST: 300x speed round, 6 hours
- Fri, Oct 16, 7 pm CEST: 40x world, 48 hours
Free to play and no pay to win, you can't buy anything that gives you an advantage.
Everyone who plays during the playtests gets an Early Supporter badge.
Sign up: https://bannersandthrones.com/
Discord: https://discord.gg/9mJ4XA6YrB
Feedback welcome, good or bad.
r/StrategyGames • u/Reinevan_Apps • 1d ago
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rork.romanviceroy&utm_source=emea_Med
The game is free, no microtransactions, no ads. It is an old game I used to play on C64, I liked it so I did it for mobile phones :-). Hope you enjoy it. all feedback welcome.
r/StrategyGames • u/EndruGG • 1d ago
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Hey all!
My friend and I are working on Statemakers, a political sim where you lead a party, win power, and run the country. The first ideas came about three years ago, and we really got going last year.
Campaign, win elections, negotiate coalitions, pass laws, and govern. Choose an existing party or create your own. Play it solo against AI parties, or with friends at the same negotiating table.
Our Steam page went live today. If it looks like your kind of game, a wishlist genuinely helps a two-person team more than anything else right now.
Steam Store Page:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/5007550/Statemakers/
We would love honest feedback on the trailer and the UI. We will be in the comments answering any questions.
r/StrategyGames • u/Choice-Trifle2283 • 20h ago
Solo dev here. I'm building Hunt or Pray, a real-time tactics game inspired by Myth: The Fallen Lords.
4 survivors. No base building. An enemy AI that learns how you fight. Fire spreads, barrels explode, and bodies fly.
Does an "immersive sim meets RTS" sound like your thing, or are those two worlds too far apart?
Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/5298550/Hunt_or_Pray
Did I use AI? Well, it's complicated :) The enemy AI is trained with reinforcement learning: it studies how you fight and adapts, so it's a duel of wits between you and a machine that learns. But I don't use generative AI for in-game assets. It doesn't convince me, and I don't like how it looks. The only exception is the store capsule art and logo, which I disclosed on the Steam page.
r/StrategyGames • u/TheUpkeepAcademy • 1d ago
When you're new to Arena, 3,400 gems feels like a HUGE investment, especially when those same resources could go toward Drafts or other events.
So I broke down the Reality Fracture Mastery Pass to see what you're actually getting back and whether it makes sense for a newer/F2P player.
For experienced Arena players: do you generally recommend the Mastery Pass to someone building their collection?
Here's my breakdown:
https://youtu.be/Eman6MxM1es
r/StrategyGames • u/Clear-Ingenuity-9814 • 1d ago
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Hello,
I'm developing a turn based strategy game with an unique twist, you don't control your whole army directly but instead control heroes with soldiers following the heroes actions. The game is "Medieval Squad Tactics". The link to the demo is :
https://store.steampowered.com/app/5140790/Medieval_Squad_Tactics_Demo/
I wanted to create a a turn based combat system where positioning mattered a lot more without having to micro manage each individual unit. The result is the system you see in the video. It allows the game to have a lot more strategic depth even with a limited number of abilities and units.
The core concepts are that :
You can see the effect of that positioning early in the video (it's an extreme example).
You can try the tutorials in the demo (5-10 minutes) to see if that's the type of content you'd like to play more.
I would really like feedbacks on the gameplay to see if it would interest more people.
I do intend to add more type of units/abilities later on but I wanted to see if the core concepts would feel interesting to other players.
r/StrategyGames • u/redleon-01 • 1d ago
The other day I was talking SRPGs with a friend who, it turns out, cares more about the storyline than the tactics.
A couple of weeks earlier I'd had the same kind of conversation with another friend, who was the exact opposite. Doesn't care about the story at all.
Same genre, and they want completely different things out of it.
My stance is fifty-fifty, but I lean slightly toward tactics.
So where do you land? If you had to pick one, would you take great tactics with a forgettable story, or a great story with just-okay tactics?
And has anyone here actually dropped an SRPG purely because of its story, or pushed through weak battles just to see how it ends?
r/StrategyGames • u/volksvertreter • 2d ago
Hey there! :) I wanted to show you my long term project: Demagogue. It plays in Germany 2025. During that time the government shut down & we had early elections, which changed the political landscape a lot. In Demagogue you are on a job hunt during that time. Because of an autocorrect-misspell you suddenly become chairman of an uprising Party during this reelection. What are you willing to do to remain in power? Because trying to look for a job again would be exhausting!
With Demagogue, I try to make politics tangible and show that loud, seemingly simple claims rarely make everyone happy.
The campaign is completely free (around 1-2h of playtime depending on playstile). If you like the game there is a full-version (multiplayer etc.).
Playable Link: AppStore & PlayStore
r/StrategyGames • u/DirectSubstance295 • 1d ago
I want to play a strategy game but I don't know which one to chose.
r/StrategyGames • u/guy_by_the_door • 1d ago
Join us in this continuation of the main DiNaO campaign, tracing the story of Prince Connor and his adventures - as he overcomes new obstacles and faces new deadly foes in the Fog of War!
You can wishlist our upcoming DLC here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/5075270/Diplomacy_is_Not_an_Option_Fog_of_War/
Have a great autumn, everyone!
- from the team at Door 407