Top 25 Best Turn Based Tactics Games of All Time | 2023 Edition

[@JoelRPG]

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[@Prozeon]

I feel like you missed one of the best story-based tactics series in existence. The Banner Saga really needs to be included in this type of list. It's storytelling mechanics are top notch and the combat is a little simple but more unique than most games in the genre.

[@gniwevoli]

Jagged Alliance 3 is a title worth mentioning too~ I enjoy the game very much and highly recommend it to any tactics game lover!

[@r.davidsen]

You totally missed The Banner Saga. With that said, not many games have been able to keep me as entertained as XCOM 2 with the Long War mod. The only other games I've played in recent years that kept me playing was Darkest Dungeon (do not get the sequel, it is horrible), Total War: Three Kingdoms and Lost Eidolons. Gears of War Tactics was ok, but too short, and it could be better. Then there's also Invisible Inc, which is great, but also too short. Wish they would make XCOM 3 already, but it will probably never happen. So, the only logical thing is to make my own tactical, turn-based strategy game I guess.

[@Boone_Faustus]

A couple more recent ones that are great are Fell Seal Arbiter's Mark and Dark Deity. Some classics are Shining Force 2, Disgaia, and Suikoden.

[@Charles.Wright]

I almost bought Shining Force 2 on Steam the other day. My brother and I played that a ton on the Game Gear iirc

[@AzzRushman]

Every year I find myself playing Battle Brothers for at least a few weeks. It really is quite an unique game, be it for its combat mechanics, its open ended endgame, or just trading goods around the continent.

[@Frankie32111]

King Arthur Knight's Tale is a fantastic tactics game. Great tactical combat.

[@arkane5260]

Agree, excellent game with cool characters and atmosphere.

[@TheEx21]

I would love to see Berwick Saga get mentioned in one of these types of videos for once. Seems nobody ever notices this gem

[@BrunoF.B]

You forgot Phoenix point!! and Triangle Strategy fabulous too..

[@goenjoe]

What about Othercide and The Banner Saga. 1st boss fight in Othercide legit gave me goosebump, something that i rarely get with today's games.

[@JoelRPG]

The Banner Saga 3 ruin the game for me quite a bit. And for the othercide, it's good but not enough content to be my top 25. Altho i have to admit i'm somewhat biased to warhammer franchise :)

[@samoylovsergeymsu]

What I love about Battle Brothers, is the fact that formation really matters. So does it in real life, just watch Historical Medieval Battle competitions. This is a thing I have never experienced in any other title.

[@NeillBS]

Dynasty Tactics 1 and 2, vanguard bandits, lord of the rings tactics

[@Figuinot]

Fae Tactics and Wasteland 3 definitely deserve a spot on the list.

[@yendayo]

I glad you add Troubleshooter. I think this game has gone under the radar for most people. The story is a bit niche but the gameplay is top tier.

[@Retax7]

It does get a little repetitive though. However, when you make a build and it works it's so satisfactory. No other tactic game other than FF tactics allows you to build map wiping monster of characters.

[@DavidBrendan7799]

XCOM 2 is one of my favorite games!

[@chrismyco7950]

great list. played almost all of these games. agree with your list pretty much. abandoned children is so great for an indie title, it's crazy. Jagged alliance 3 probably belongs somewhere on the list. the developer did a really good job with that game, especially with the character personalities.

[@tacioob2337]

This channel so good fr bless you ❤

[@Basedard]

might want to give Shining Force 2, Devil Survivor, disgaea, Growlancer Generation, and arc the lad 3 a shot. Normally I wouldn't recommend such old games but I saw Jeanne d'arc made it on there so maybe you would enjoy these classics.

[@Herbicide420]

Did we all forget that Fallout wasn't always a FPS?

[@ericgrimes341]

I played it. I think it could use a remake. Give it the xcom treatment and it would be all world.

[@joaoclira]

Really happy Jeanne D'Arc dropped in PS5 this week. I loved that game back in the day.

[@Brubarov]

The Expeditions series too is great! Great video thanks

[@JoelRPG]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@anthonyju6392]

1000+ hours with XCOM 2 and counting.

[@hundun5604]

'UFO: Aftershock' is in my top 10 TBS.

[@jmac79ers]

Man, I wish front mission 5 had had an english release. Was introduced to the series when I picked up front mission 3 on sale, loved it

[@UTube2K6]

glad to see titles like symphony of wars or chaos gate in the list !

[@smitecungsonthai1212]

Brigandine…Runersia looks good, the only thing I want more is the old fighting scene changing of the Forsenia

[@CarlosGonzalez-re5uz]

This genre was kind of difficult for me. Once you start to get it it gets really adictive and enjoyable, one of my favourites today.

[@anab0lic]

Triangle strategy is the biggest one missing here, that game on hard mode is honestly peak tactical combat, your every move matters, you have to play very smart and the characters and what each can do are so unique. Also. I have yet to play it yet, but I'm hearing good things about Jagged Alliance 3.

[@krisnabadruwijaya2768]

I've played and finished triangle strategy at switch before. Honestly, Unlike other tactic game, this game lack a lot of end game content. Even the way to grind the character is very bland . The in game content just full of story like 80% talking and 20% in game battle content. It suck that the battle element not that good.

[@anab0lic]

@@krisnabadruwijaya2768 if you think the battle element is not good you didn't pay it on hard mode, on that mode its better than mostly everything on this list.

[@krisnabadruwijaya2768]

@@anab0lic what I mean not good is the lack of customization. I've finished the game so I know how the game going even in hard mode. In hard mode nothing change except u just abuse a lot of broken stuff and it will ez pz. Like the TP or item battery, trap, and even the broken time mage one. My main point still stand, the battle suck ass cause ur hero lack on customization. I wont write in detail because it will take too long. Simply just look at character upgrade page, and u see how simple the customization is, heck it not even customization, u just upgrade ur character and done, it is as straight as my ding dong. The rest u just choose which character u want to abuse. And it is done. No customization at all.

[@cazimim3375]

Whats a good customization game ? @@krisnabadruwijaya2768

[@madnight1553]

yeah i agree triangle strategy is absolutely top 3 modern rpg tactics for me.

[@silverfox97480]

I would add Vandal Heart to this list!

[@kylehalat9414]

A man of exceptional tastes. I liked vandal hearts 2 because they moved two characters at the same time

[@legendmir1]

gears of war tactics anyone?

[@Retro_simone]

100% was fantastic.

[@invaderzim2215]

Hell yeah brother \m/

[@perochialjoe]

Nah. There was zero depth to it

[@noshow]

Good list, many games I've never heard of to add to my wishlist.

[@JoelRPG]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@DJMJ4]

Jeane D arc didn't age well graphic wise but BOY is it gold!!!

[@fri8601]

Silent storm is criminally underrated. The interface and controls take a few missions to get used to. The graphics are dated, the voice acting is hilariously bad. But once you get about 2-3 missions in you start to see how good the gameplay is. Very very good. Disgaea should also definitely be on this list near the top. And the old jagged alliance gold although very dated was outstanding.

[@elbrollo]

Great list, i would definitely add some old games i played as a child like shining force 1, 2, and 3 Mystaria for the sega saturn, also a newer indie game that i really liked was Fell seal, arbiters mark. there are probaly more but these where the ones i remembered.

[@elbrollo]

forgot Vanguard bandits for the ps1, a classic :)

[@ego_drakonis]

Really want to see Vanguard Bandits in this list but hyped for Jeanne'd Arc either!

[@zoltankecskemeti1653]

Heroes of Might and Magic 3

[@feeamerie5011]

Gotta say I love Tactics V - it’s a beautiful isometric pixel art SRPG xx

[@mbarker_lng]

I know you have the rebooted XCom on the list twice, but the original 90's XCom should be here (as at least an 'honorable mention') since we are talking "all time games" as it birthed the "Xcom game" genre. This lead to Xenonauts, the reboots, Pheonix Point and many others. As an aside, I worked for MPS during XCom 2 "Terror from the Deep" but was on other projects.

[@Corolalumii]

Very interesting, thank you!

[@Fleshlight_Reviewer]

jeanne'd arc was a banger. i remember strengthening the thief and he was one shotting enemy units and getting double turns back to back

[@m3anmug]

I love that game so much. Feeding that frog gems to make better ones was so fun. 😂

[@DarkLordVolrath]

I definitely believe multiple Disgaea games 1 & 5 at the least as well as the first Vandal Hearts game Ragnarok as well as least one of the Arc the Lad's

[@voodooopaque6357]

Wargroove is one of my favorites

[@moz7491]

What about Suikoden 1 & 2?

[@strikespheare8412]

Battle for Wesnoth deserved a spot...

[@sunekoo]

Yggdra Union needs to be on this list

[@johnrussell-bk7lv]

I have never played a single one of these before, but I've been thinking about it. I don't have the time to devote to big 100+ hour RPGs and things anymore and my interest in gaming in general has kind of waned to the point that I only really play things that I can jump on for an hour and then go do something else, so lots of arcade-style stuff or roguelikes (doing a run in one of those is usually about the exact amount of time that they can hold my attention so they're perfect). To me these kinds of things games seem like they can work like that too - like you can play a "match" or whatever and then just log off. Is that accurate? And what would be a good jumping off point if I wanted to try it out? I know some of them have a reputation for being pretty tough and also complicated.

[@JoelRPG]

Yes you're right, that is also one of the reason why i love tactical rpgs. For a starter i'd suggest valkyria chronicles series, it's not too hard and the game have a good difficulty progression to teach players to learn and master the mechanics.

[@johnrussell-bk7lv]

@@JoelRPG Thanks! I've heard of those games. I'll check them out.

[@DrGameTazo]

Into the breach

[@johnord684]

Should stick Vandall hearts 2 on the list and Front Mission 3

[@maxnun]

Triangle strategy?

[@TheRubsi]

Fell Seal Arbiter's Mark is missing imo 🙂. But great list regardless.

[@kylehalat9414]

No vandal hearts on PS1? That is quite a shame.

[@alainponzi2396]

Vandal Hearts 2 anyone?

[@johnray527]

Really glad to see Path of Radiance on here. I discovered that one many years later, and it is incredible.

[@VictorGarcia-jx1ul]

Battle for wesnoth. Just try It and love It.

[@n3.00]

Battle Brothers y Wartales son increibleas. Quizas el mas duro y realista de todos es el BB, en cuanto a lesiones, daño, aleatoriedad,...

[@gurugurukuma]

langrisser is not included?

[@slong7493]

Gladius for the original xbox is an awesome turn based tactic game

[@endisbegun27]

tactics ogre reborn is a SEVERELY dumbed down version of let us cling together. i highly recomend the PSP version, with the one vision mod. it it 10000x better

[@FCKDAHUAYKWANGCOPS]

Fair list. Well played. Too many Fire Emblems though.

[@DavidJoyTap]

Nice video.

[@CaptainBlueKaiser]

Disgaea series 1 to 7, especially Disgaea 5 the "peak" of the series, according to popular opinion. its the G of RPGS, you LVL up, your skills LVL up, your weapons and armor level up, you class level up and when you start to feel OP you get humbled by the postgame boss Baal. Also every character's max lvl is 9999 and getting there is not even the hard part, once you are lvl 9999 you reincarnate your character to get a permanent stat bonus and get back to lvl 1 and then you grind again to lvl 9999, but now you are now a stronger lvl 9999 unit than before, rinse and repeat after being humbled again by the post game boss. oh and you do this for every party member soooo about 10 to 20 units worth of grinding.... sweet delicious grinding.

[@kleec495]

Totally agree, Disgaea is so much fun

[@braindamage730]

miasma chronicles?

[@fauzisihombing]

no phoenix point?

[@RznGrnd]

No Shining Force for Sega?

[@mahendrayulia2704]

Missing Disgaea series, Final Fantasy Tactic series, Super Robot Wars series, SD Gundam G Generations series, and Front Mission 3

[@JoelRPG]

The list will be top 50 if i were to put all of that haha. Good games tho :)

[@MrShiki1134]

i liked final fantasy tactics 2 aslwell it was good... im replaying xcom 2 now..... front mission 5 was so good you forgot that you also recruit from npc on the base to be on your squad... and the arena battles was not controlled by you they auto battle...

[@MrPhoxy]

Love battletech... but troubleshoter so underated..

[@predatorbabo9926]

Into the breach , one for all.

[@shallendor]

Crimson Tactics the Rise of the White Banner is a pretty good game with some Final Fantasy Tactics vibes, but is in early access now.

[@gmscrecruiting]

its an unfinished game bro..see comments in steam

[@madnight1553]

it's finished product but unfinished games. one should never recommend incomplete game with incomplete stories as a complete game.

[@Papayap0drida]

Still waiting for a FF Tactics port for Nintendo Switch 😢

[@JoelRPG]

True!

[@unservant]

Surprised didn’t include Phoenix Point or fell arbiter

[@amaurymm1433]

Fell arbitrer so mutch underrated!!! Nobody talk about it but it s such a good game!!

[@spreadthevegemite8064]

Have you played Final Fantasy Tactics on the PS1?

[@Trogdor_Strongbraid]

WotL is better. And it's actually number 1.

[@MrMackmonster]

Whats wotl? ​@@Trogdor_Strongbraid

[@ikarussuraki5091]

Good List, not agreeing with everything, but everyone has their own, but i like most of the titles. i wouldn't rate X-Com (Remakes) as high, and for me the original X-Com Series is missing (Terror from the deep was my shit :))

[@alessandrodelpierojuventus8156]

No Wasteland 3 ???

[@Rhodner1]

I really think at least one Shining Force Game should make the cut

[@NotDuckRBLX]

3:58 PHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHHAHAHAHHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHHAHHAHAHAH

[@balt0cl]

naaa, you need play the first xcom 94 release.

[@caelestigladii]

I was wondering if there's a high fantasy-based game like this but also has modern/futuristic weapons.

[@YourAverageNiche]

No INTO THE BREACH? That game is top10 easy, how come not even here? :o

[@madnight1553]

i have high hopes for new brigandine but runersia is disappointing. FE 3 house is personally the best modern tactics for me. honorable mention to SOW nephilim, for rpgmaker indie games i never thought i have so much fun with it

[@dadaden-dengaming5288]

Disgaea games? Sparks of hope? marvel midnight suns? Gears Tactics?

[@Theguywithephonyname]

definitely recommend Wartales, although the game is still developing, and theres still no solid storyline, the gameplay, survival and troop/squad management mechanics makes this turn based game all the more engaging.

[@WhatEvaYsay]

Brigandine TLOR have rousy AI, even on Hardest difficulty.

[@13Sunkenrock]

I have never heard about Advance Wars.

[@peger]

Xenonauts was good. I really missed ability to control fighters in 1st Xcom. Ther is also Super Robot Wars and SD Gundam series. Must play for all robots and gundam fans. Also Disgaea series. It may be controversial but Final Fantasy Tactics A 1 and 2 from GBA/NDS are also preaty good. valkyria chronicles Wasteland 3 Ther will be a remaster of Front mission 3

[@kleec495]

As silly as it is, at least one of Disgaea series should be in the list.

[@АндрейБ-ч7ж]

Where silent storm?

[@hamkaka21]

Nothing from total war series ? Strange bro

[@automatescellulaires8543]

Phoenix point is okay. I think i prefer it to xcom 2.

[@miroruniverse5622]

No super robot wars ?

[@NotDuckRBLX]

xcom chimera squad isnt on the list, im not sure if i like that or dont

[@ignaciolabella1385]

I miss silent storm.

[@jdsal7894]

Joel, up to no good as usual I see my man

[@amaurymm1433]

Where are Fire emblems 3DS games ??? 😮

[@JoelRPG]

They are good, but not really my top 5 fire emblems :)

[@amaurymm1433]

@@JoelRPG for me awakening IS the best!!! Three housses IS good but the monastery IS Boring!!!!

[@amaurymm1433]

@@Rafael-fn1bi not awakening !! It's the franchise saviour!?!

[@cosmiceyes]

Triangle Strategies. For me is wayy better the Final Fantasy Tactics, I know thats a lot to say but I felt in love.

[@kh.6534]

Xcom is so good , but so fkn hard bro.. it annoys me , so I can never finish the game lol

[@tenslein8977]

Poor Phoenix Point didn't even make the list. Tbh I didn't like it. It felt unpolished and clunky compared to Xcom2 (my favorite).

[@wahahabuh]

Phoenix Point on release is actually a lot more polished than XCOM2. However their issue is that they went halfway between disposable nameless soldiers and quirky soldiers with personality so they get the worst of both. With nameless soldiers you don't care if they die so you feel like a general. With soldiers that feels like they have a personality aka XCOM 2 you remember individual soldiers, their names, their achievements etc. I still remember my top 10 favourite soldiers from XCOM 2. I don't remember any of my soldiers from multiple Phoenix Point playthroughs

[@MrNomamez]

Dude, lu orang indo yah? Wkwk Englishnya impeccable tapi kayaknya gw masih denger logat Indo. Keren videonya.

[@JoelRPG]

wkwk thank you bro

[@EdmundAlynJones]

Banner Saga

[@thegameace87]

talking about tactic games with out talking about gladius by lucas arts???!!!?!?!?!?!?