Best Strategy Game of 2024 - Article

by Mark Nielsen , posted on 08 January 2025 / 6,111 Views

Games can challenge you in many ways, from your reflexes, to your precision, or your ability to remember random information, but Strategy games are all about just that: planning and strategic thinking. That comes in many forms, from turn-based to real-time, and 2D to 3D, and it's probably the genre that blurs those lines the most. This year's nominees reflect that: classic RTS' are represented by Age of Mythology: Retold; the tactical RPG genre by Unicorn Overlord; turn-based, city-builder survival games by Frostpunk 2; and then age old card games are represented with a twist by surprise hit Balatro.

The Shortlist:

Unicorn Overlord

Balatro

Age of Mythology: Retold

Frostpunk 2

The Runner-Up:

Unicorn Overlord

Strategy and tactics go hand-in-hand, and fans of tactical RPGs have been eating well in recent years. Unicorn Overlord is the most recent example of that, boasting a unique gameplay system that incorporates real-time and which quite literally has battles within battles. It's no surprise then that the game offers a lot of strategic depth and, with Vanillaware at the wheel, also enough polish to make it one of 2024's finest.

The Winner:

Balatro

Poker is already a strategic game by itself, but Balatro manages to multiply that even further by combining it with roguelike and deckbuilding elements - and a whole lot of jokers - to make for an even more addictive experience. Luck certainly also plays a hand whenever cards are concerned, but never blind luck, as it requires a mathematical mind-set and thoughtful combinations to fully succeed and beat the house. Well, either that or you can always keep an ace up your sleeve.