Civilization VI (PS4)
Epic is an overused word, but Civilization VI is one of the few games genuinely worthy of it. You take a handful of settlers in 4000 BC, build a small city, and then attempt to grow it into a continent-spanning empire over the course of half a dozen millennia. From discovering the wheel to building the Sistine Chapel to witnessing the birth of Beethoven, Civilization VI is about growing the greatest nation on Earth from the humblest of beginnings, and no list of PS4's best strategy games could be complete without it.
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Nobunaga's Ambition: Sphere of Influence (PS4)
Nobunaga's Amibition rewinds time to the Warring States period of Japanese history, and challenges you to take over the world. If you've played the franchise before, this one introduces a clan system, a whole new battle system, and a new Historical Episode mode. Big and undeniably complex, it's not a tactical title for everyone, but once you're in, it's incredibly hard to tear yourself away.
SteamWorld Heist (PS4)
SteamWorld Heist is a turn-based strategy title in which you direct a team of steam-powered pirates throughout a variety of epic shootouts. The big feature here is that you can manually aim the gun, ricocheting bullets off walls to pull off some crazy shots. You can fully customise your recruits too, with a variety of abilities, weapons, and hats.
Two Point Hospital (PS4)
The spiritual successor to Theme Hospital is as addictive as its PSone predecessor, bringing a whole host of wacky viruses to the vibrant setting of Two Point County. While it lacks the headache-inducing depth of some titles on this list, Two Point Hospital retains its accessibility without losing any challenge, bringing a host of problems for budding medical tycoons to overcome.
Wargroove (PS4)
Chucklefish's spin on Advance Wars has finally made it to PS4, and it's a great turn-based strategy game. Its charming retro art style hides a deceptively deep tactical experience that's all about positioning and resource management. With a lengthy campaign, arcade and puzzle modes, plus couch and online multiplayer, it's a jam-packed little package, too. A good choice for beginner tacticians.
The Banner Saga 2 (PS4)
The Banner Saga 2 cranks the epic up a notch with new characters, including a new race, improved combat, and strategic options. Other than that, this is the strategy RPG franchise as you know and love it. More player choice, more varied battles, and more characters. Just about everything that you could want from a sequel.
Prison Architect (PS4)
Think you can build a prison that's nigh on impossible to escape from? Prison Architect is the game for you. As the name suggests, you can create a prison of your choosing. You can take good care of your prisoners and encourage rehabilitation, or be a cruel prison warden, treating your prisoners very poorly. The choice is yours.
Grand Kingdom (PS4)
Grand Kingdom is a tactical RPG in which you recruit a bunch of different units, assign them a formation, and coordinate them in battle. You can try and save the world from war in a single player campaign, or take the conflict online. It's got a nice art style, and a decent amount of action is woven into the combat system as you hit buttons to pull off various attacks.
Slay the Spire (PS4)
Slay the Spire quietly released on PS4 in 2019, and it combines deck building and rogue-like elements to great effect. You must climb a randomly generated spire, engaging in tactical turn-based fights using cards and potions, and strategically building the ultimate deck along the way. Endlessly replayable with countless possible card combinations, this is an accessible but deep strategy title that may surprise you.
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun (PS4)
Shadow Tactics is a hardcore stealth game set in Edo period Japan in which you take control of a team of sneaky specialists in order to infiltrate a variety of unique environments. Your team members all have different personalities, which makes getting them to work together tricky at first, but over the course of time their relationships will develop and they'll improve. Devilishly difficult at points, but excellently executed.
Comments (61)
XCOM2 fully deserves top spot and the different the War of the Chosen DLC makes is amazing; it's more like XCOM2.5 after playing it.
I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Tropico though. I've played it through twice with some of the DLC as well but I don't think it's actually that good a game. I do like that it's more mission based than games like City Skylines though.
I'm currently playing Surviving Mars though which probably warrants a place on this list. I'm just terrible at it.
I've owned the first XCOM remake for, like, five years and have still never touched it. I need to change that.
Well, anyway, Valkyria Chronicles would top this list for me, even with its relatively simple and slightly wonky mechanics. It has a ton of heart. I'm expecting great things from VC4!
Disgaea 5 for me. It's unrivalled imo.
I do own Xcom 2. Should probably get to that.
1 x com 2. Valkyria chronicles.3disgaea.4.grand kingdom.5.shadow tactics.word up son
So glad to see Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun at #2. One of my fave games of last year. Such an incredible strategy/stealth experience.
Also XCOM 2 definitely deserves the top spot, although it was only the War of the Chosen expansion that really turned that game into something special, in my opinion. It has a lot of technical issues on PS4 too, but they don't detract from how good it is.
Finally, Tooth and Tail gets mentioned on Push. Sheesh.
I would like to add Aven Colony. Amazing game that plays like it was made for PS4.
There are a lot of titles on this list that I have yet to play. It’s great that strategy games find their way to home consoles and work well without mouse and keyboard.
I HATE strategy games. But I love XCOM so much...
Interesting list. A few there I have never heard of and will investigate further.
Thumbs up for Invisible Inc.- probably my most played PS+ game.
Where is Darkest Dungeon? Darkest Dungeon is easily in the top 5.
Valkyria 4 is a gem just like the original, I love XCOM but the style and the characters or Valkyria just make it a home run. The combat systems of the two games are strangely kinda similar - in a way.
@Feena true, valkyria chronicles is probably the only strategy game that makes me care about what's going on, even if it's a bit cheesy and full of anime tropes.
No Natural Doctrine? Some of these barely qualify as strategy games. ND on the other hand is a deep, complex and challenging PS exclusive.
I would have updated the list to include: Railway Empire, Blood Bowl 2, Jurassic World Evolution, Aven Colony, Grand Ages: Medieval, 8-Bit Armies, Dungeons 3, Mutant Year Zero, Nobunaga's Ambition: Taishi, and Surviving Mars.
Blades of the shogun is such a great game but speed runs on ps4 don't work I cheesed it and because I cheesed it I was denied the platinum but it just was not meant to speed run on the ps4 due to the more hands on control of the characters
I have put about 30 hours into Railway Empire recently without even noticing, its really cheap at the moment too (£10), also, Aven Colony was well worth the tenner spent on it, enjoyable platinum...also really want to try Jurassic world...
How did I not know about Steamworld Heist until this list? I read some reviews, and it seems like a game that is right in my wheelhouse. Thanks Pushsquare!
Updated, now with added Wargroove
@Quintumply
Great, now go and make another update because You can't play Orcs Must Die: Unchained anymore. The servers are switched off.
BTW. I've just registered, wonderful site in general and such small mistakes won't have any impact
@Prime_Objective Whoops! Removed the game from the list. Thanks for that
And thank you for joining us!
If only it was really true that there are 29 better strategy games on PS4 than Darkest Dungeon....
@Milky_Bandit But it's not a strategy game, though. It's a dungeon crawler RPG. Sure it has some strategy to it, but no more than many RPGs. Having some strategy elements doesn't make it a strategy game; nearly every game has elements of strategy, from Street Fighter to Battlefield to FIFA. The devs themselves don't even describe it as a strategy game.
It does look good, though. I like anything with that Lovecraftian feel to it.
I always mistake the cover for Tropico 5 as a Chaz & Dave poster!
Not tried an RTS for years, have any of these been on PS Plus recently I could check out?
@Ralizah If you enjoyed Valkyria Chronicles you really should, I'm a big fan of both games. X-Com is different but has it's own heart and story (plus a great soundtrack). I need to check out VC4 and get the war of the chosen addon for XCom2 but what I really want is a good quality fantasy strategy RPG. Something with a storyline and gameplay outside of battles. Shining Force was my first strategy RPG so Firaxis and Camelot teaming up for Shining Force 4 would fit the bill nicely.
@Welkin I actually played the first XCOM (the remake, I mean, not the old one) since posting that.
...wasn't a fan. Way too many battles without any sort of real narrative context.
I hear XCOM 2 is an improvement, though.
Updated.
I thought the Banner Sage trilogy was terrific, one of my games of this generation for sure. Excellent writing and a proper 'grown up' game. XCOM2 was great too, but the excruciating loading times were preventing me from finishing it. I'm looking forward to playing it on my PS5 with zero loading times (hopefully).
I’m playing Valkyria Chronicles 4 and it is a great game. This is a genre I’ve not spent much time with so I should check out more of these on the list.
@Miiamoto I sold i didnt understand anything about that game. 😭
.... And Civ 6 is coming....
My wallet is ready. Best time sinker ever made
Planetfall and Stellaris are also 2 great 4x games that 4x lovers should play.
A vote from me to also include Mutant: Year Zero. It is a simple, addictive, and well crafted turn based strat in a realized world.
@Flaming_Kaiser It's certainly not very intuitive 😂
@Miiamoto I just gave up. Im the kind of guy that wants too play without much effort. 😆
@ShaiHulud I could agree more! I had to stop.. The loading time just killed for me. I reload a bunch time.. Maybe that why.. Don't want my team to die..
@Quintumply
Stellaris?
And is Civ VI out yet? It’s on my Day 1 list, but it was still “Coming Soon” when I bought the Kingdom Hearts bundle yesterday.
Bravo!
Totally with you about the new #1
@Gatatog Commandos was the best strategy/stealth game I ever played, if this is in any way similar I'm sure I'll enjoy it.
It's a shame no one bought Shadow Tactics, it's really good
@MonkeyDLuffy19 It's doable just very difficult. I've done the first seven or eight missions then had to give it a rest for a while. I'll come back to it.
Great game though. Can't wait for desperados 3, made by the same company
How is Ancestors Legacy not even on this list??! I’d put it at number one myself but to exclude it entirely is absurd. Pushsquare even featured the game last year when it came out. Come on!
Darkest Dungeon, Stellaris, Age of Wonders Planetfall all deserve mention here... Darkest Dungeon is arguably more tactical, but then so's X-COM, which is marred by a very buggy War of the Chosen port. The vanilla version plays well however...
Glad Banner Saga has some spotlight.
Shame it had a really dissapointing ending Banner Saga 3.
But, the journey itself,gameplay challenge and hair-pulling choices was suprisingly good since it's a first delve into this kind of genre from the former Infinity Ward devs.
Also that art-style...man, i wish more Turn-based/strategy games were like this.
Steamworld Heist is amazing - hoping for a sequel!
the banner Saga can just be bought as a trilogy now, probably my favourite game from the PS4 generation, not ground breaking in anyway and not even perfect in it's presentation, just a great game, really enjoyed the journey it took me on
I almost feel guilty I bought Shadow Tactics when it was on sale for 5€, it’s a pretty damn good game and worth full retail
Don t forget Stellaris and Planetfall. Two great scifi XXXX games
Invisible Inc. is an astoundingly well designed game. I think we need to separate tactics from strategy, although I'm aware the strategy genre traditionally covers both and they often go hand in hand.
Ancestors Legacy should really be on that list.
@Dougthead
Yup, I don't see how Darkest Dungeon isn't at the top of this list, utterly stellar title.
I rarely fully play through strategy games because I use them to scratch an itch. But I played through XCOM. That game is so damn good.
Great list. There were several interesting games I had not even heard of before. Looking forward to trying them out. Thank you.
I'm really looking forward to see how strategy games for the 9th gen can make use the DualSense controller's features. It can lead to something fairly groundbreaking.
I’m really surprised that slay the spire featured so low. I echo the opinions regarding darkest dungeon, but the accessibility of slay the spire really makes what can be an intimidating type of game a daily go to for a quick run...or 5! I find it so addictive and even after more than 100 hours cannot get my head around the builds some people put together. An unachievable platinum for me but nevertheless so enjoyable.
Are valkyria games that good? Might have to try them at some point
XCom 2 is a masterpiece of a game, but I'm not sure I could in all good conscience recommend playing it on console when there's such a great modding scene on Steam, and you can play it on any reasonably recent laptop. The vanilla campaign gave me hundreds of hours replaying at different difficulty levels and going through the achievements, but modded campaigns gave me another thousand.
Love me a bit of XCOM 2.
Really looking forward to Phoenix Point tomorrow.
Nobunagas ambition took over my life for a week last month. Also shout out to Stellaris.
@Quintumply I was notified today that Phoenix Point is now available on PlayStation; any chance of a review or an impression of whether it belongs on this list? I hear there have been a lot of changes since its PC launch which make me hesitant to base my decision to purchase or not on these much earlier reviews.
Lots of good stuff on that list. Recently completed Shadow Tactics and it was great.
PC generally has a lot more of these games though. Can't believe Into the Breach still isn't on Playstation ...or at least to my knowledge it isn't?
Valkyria Chronicles hands down the best tactical games on any system really. The Xcoms are great as well.
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