The Most Complex Tactics Games – Investment Policy

Tactics games, whether they unfold in turns or in real-time, are a bit different from most games, and don’t appeal to everyone. Unlike fast-paced action games that require quick reactions, tactics games focus on careful planning and strategic thinking.

Tactics games became popular on computers in the 1980s, building on the gameplay of role-playing and strategy games. These games added elements like managing resources, carefully positioning units, and using the environment to your advantage. Because they often require a lot of strategic thinking and planning, the genre quickly became known for being challenging and complex.

We’ll mainly focus on games with intricate mechanics, but we’ll also include a few that are complex in different ways.

Honorable Mentions:

Since we couldn’t include every game, here are a couple of strategy games that were close contenders – they might be a bit more challenging than the ones we’ve already recommended. Keep in mind that how difficult a game is can vary from person to person.

Wargroove
Xenonauts (and Xenonauts 2)
Divinity: Original Sin 2 (and Baldur’s Gate 3, to a lesser extent)
BattleTech
Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark
Solasta: Crown of the Magister
Into the Breach
Phoenix Point
Pathfinder games – Only left out as they are more CRPGs than traditional tactics, but Kingmaker (especially) could fit depending on your definition of tactics. Anyway, they are complex.

8. Final Fantasy Tactics

The Series’ First Foray Into The Tactics Genre

Final Fantasy Tactics marked a shift for the popular Final Fantasy series, moving away from traditional turn-based RPGs to focus more on strategic gameplay. The game is set in the Kingdom of Ivalice, a land struggling with unrest after a long war and facing the threat of new conflict. As with other Final Fantasy titles, it features a complex story, memorable characters, and rich world-building.

The game’s new battle system should feel familiar to existing fans, but newcomers might find it challenging. Managing a team of up to five characters, combined with over 20 classes and hundreds of skills, can be overwhelming. While you have a lot of freedom in creating unique characters, this classic role-playing game requires thoughtful strategy throughout its 30+ hour story.

7. The Banner Saga 3

The Finale For This Epic Viking-Themed Trilogy

The Banner Saga 3 concludes the epic Viking saga, continuing the story and deepening the characters established in the first two games. It offers the same accessible yet challenging turn-based combat as its predecessors, but with added layers of complexity, especially due to limited resources. This third installment brings the trilogy’s storyline to a satisfying close.

The depth of The Banner Saga 3 isn’t found in how it plays, but in its intricate story and the many choices players make. The game heavily emphasizes how your actions and conversations shape the narrative, with decisions often carrying significant moral consequences. Once you become invested in the characters and story, these choices can be truly challenging.

Unlike most of the other games discussed, The Banner Saga 3 stands out for its unique kind of depth. However, when it comes to the sheer number of rules and systems, games such as Xenauts and BattleTech are actually more complicated.

6. Shadow Tactics: Blades Of The Shogun

Stealth-Focused Tactics Meet Edo-Era Japan

Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun is famous for its challenging, real-time combat that emphasizes stealth, setting it apart from typical turn-based strategy games. Players control a team of five characters in detailed, expansive levels based on Edo-period Japan. Each character has special abilities, like using ranged weapons or setting traps, and coordinating their skills is key to success.

The game is challenging because it happens in real-time, requiring players to carefully time their characters’ actions during combat. It also emphasizes stealth, so you need to balance staying hidden with quick reactions, sometimes even using a bit of strategy to overcome obstacles. Blades of Shogun can be tricky to learn, but once you understand how to position your units based on the situation and their abilities, it becomes a difficult but satisfying game.

5. Disgaea

The Hardest Entry In A Tactical JRPG Series That Loves To Have All The Mechanics

If you enjoy strategy-focused Japanese role-playing games, you’ve probably heard of Disgaea. It’s consistently one of the best franchises in the genre. The games are known for being challenging and for offering a huge number of ideas and gameplay mechanics. While the core turn-based combat isn’t groundbreaking, the series truly stands out thanks to how all these elements come together, creating a unique and demanding experience.

The first Disgaea game is likely the most challenging, though the difficulty really depends on which game you play first. It can be really overwhelming for new players, and you’ll probably spend the beginning trying to understand how to level up your large cast of characters and master unique gameplay mechanics like stacking. Unlike later games in the series, the original Disgaea doesn’t ease you in – it’s tough right from the start.

4. Fire Emblem: Thracia 776

A Lesser-Known Yet Unique Entry For The Popular Series

Though not as famous as some other titles, Fire Emblem: Thracia 776 is known among fans for being a particularly challenging and complex game. This fifth Fire Emblem installment offered a deeper level of strategy than previous entries, especially for newcomers to tactical RPGs. Beyond simply controlling a large group of characters, players also need to monitor their fatigue levels during and between battles. Limited resources make the beginning of the game especially difficult.

The game’s maps are often quite difficult, featuring tough terrain and strong enemies, forcing players to manage many things at once. On top of that, like in most Fire Emblem games, characters can be permanently lost if they fall in battle, adding another layer of challenge.

3. Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together

Ogre Battle Goes Tactical

Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together is known for being a challenging game with deep and intricate gameplay. It features a story that changes based on your choices, and requires careful strategy. Battles aren’t just about unit stats – where you move and stand on the map matters, and you have to manage your limited resources like money and magical items effectively.

Losing a character meant they were gone forever, adding a real sense of risk to the game. The story changes based on your decisions, making it quite complex, but also very satisfying for players who enjoy strategic thinking.

2. Jagged Alliance 2

Complex For 1999, And Extremely Complex For The 2020s

You’ve probably noticed that the most challenging strategy games largely come from the 1990s or early 2000s. Modern games aren’t necessarily easy, but they usually do a better job of teaching new players the ropes. They also often simplify things a bit, cutting out confusing elements that don’t actually add to the strategic depth.

Jagged Alliance 2 is considered one of the best and most challenging tactical games ever made. Its difficulty stems largely from the detailed control it demands from players. In battles, every action matters, and even minor things like crouching consume valuable resources. The game aims for realism, meaning you won’t find easy solutions like bullets penetrating multiple obstacles. Beyond just winning fights, you also need to manage a diverse team and consider numerous strategic elements.

1. X-COM: UFO Defense

An Early Masterclass In Tactics-Based Gameplay

Originally released a long time ago, X-COM: UFO Defense is the most complicated game on this list, and it can be tough for new players to enjoy unless they remember it fondly from the past. However, UFO Defense launched the incredibly popular X-COM series, which has consistently delivered high-quality strategy games.

In UFO Defense, you take command of soldiers defending Earth from aliens, constructing buildings, and developing new technologies. What makes the game special is its mix of strategic turn-based combat and real-time base management. You’ll be simultaneously building and researching in real-time, while carefully planning each turn during battles, creating a challenging but satisfying tactical experience.

2025-12-04 18:12