It’s no secret that turn-based strategy games are, at the moment, my favorite sub-genre of strategy. For a busy adult like myself, they offer a perfect middle ground that’s hard to find elsewhere: These games offer the complexity of mechanics and systems, while paired with the fundamental ability to take my time when pondering and deciding my moves.
To write this article, I put together a list of my favorite turn-based strategy games I have played recently and came to a very interesting conclusion: most of them are sci-fi. And since sci-fi strategy games are among the most popular titles on the website, I decided to put together an article featuring my favorite turn-based strategy games with sci-fi settings. Remember that this is my opinion, based on the games I have played, so if you have any other favorites, I would love to learn about them, because I’m always looking for new games to play.
I also wanted to publish this list before the release of Star Wars Zero Company, because I’ll be reviewing this one after I play it, and I want to see how these games all stack up versus one later down the line: Will Star Wars be able to earn its place on this list? Or will it be forgotten? We’ll see in a couple of months, but for now, let’s jump right into the best 10 turn-based strategy games in 2026 every sci-fi fan should play!
10 – Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters
Let’s start this list with one of the best Warhammer 40,000 strategy games that has ever been put to code, in Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters. I think the fairest way to describe it would be to call it Space Marines and the minions of Nurgle meet with XCOM and have a baby. Players take on the challenge of leading the mythical Grey Knights against the Plague Lord, and what ensues is exactly what you would expect if you’re already used to playing XCOM (If you’re not, I have an amazing article for those who want to start playing now!). This means turn-based battles, going back to your base and working on upgrading it as well as equipping your soldiers, and going back again to smack some pague minions and cultists, all with a very well-made Warhammer 40,000 skin on top. Yes, it plays safe, but when you’re taking ideas from the best, sometimes that’s the right move.
The game also has some new mechanics, including the ability to target specific body parts to inflict status effects. A great addition that adds a new layer of interaction and complexity. The game also stands out due to its amazing graphics: its graphics are lively and colorful, every armor piece and weapon is built with exquisite detail, and the environments look absolutely top-notch, oozing with Warhammer’s industrial and religious grandeur.
9 – Gears Tactics
Right after speaking of industrial art styles, it’s only fair to feature Gears Tactics! Out in 2020 by the hands of Splash Damage and The Coalition, the game took the third-person shooter franchise into a bold and unexpected new direction by… creating a spin-off that’s a turn-based strategy game. While this might sound a bit crazy (still not as crazy as Mario + Rabbids), the Gears of War franchise built an identity around cover, taking potshots, flanking, grenade chucking, creating the best fields of fire, and spraying and praying. These are also all the hallmarks of a great turn-based strategy. When I reviewed Gears Tactics, I didn’t consider that it lived up to expectations, but I grew to love it as an amazing 7 out of 10 game that does a lot of new things, even if they’re not all great.
The game had some great ideas. It liberated the players from the grid-based map to allow for a greater degree of movement freedom. Going with three action points instead of just two paved the way for a more aggressive playstyle, and the action-point refresh on melee kills reinforced this way of playing even further. The addition of bosses was a welcome one, even if they went for a bit too long and became a bit too repetitive. As a massive fan of the Gears franchise, I can forgive its boss battles, linear campaign, and lack of meaningful squad progression; if you can, too, the available turn-based strategy battles are absolutely fantastic and well worth going over.
8 – BATTLETECH
Let’s talk a bit about BATTLETECH, shall we? Developed by Harebrained Schemes (the same company responsible for the Shadowrun trilogy and The Lamplighters League), and published by Paradox Interactive, this 2018 adaptation of the tabletop game is the best depiction of the complexity of mech combat ever to grace our screens (it’s the reason why it’s here, instead of Phantom Brigade). Players take on the command of a mercenary outfit of battlemechs and the mechwarriors that command them, and will go on to create their very own outfit to survive the brutal ongoing civil war by taking on contracts, going on raids, and just trying to scrape by while exploring the lore of the franchise. The main attraction of the game is the mech creation aspect of it, and as far as my knowledge is concerned, it’s the most detailed one to date out of any other similar game I have come across in my ten years of writing articles for this website.
