Top 10 Must-Play Strategy Games for Board Game Fans!

Summary

Strategy video games and board games share common elements like turn-based gameplay and resource management.
Games like Armello and For The King 2 offer tabletop-inspired experiences in a digital format.
Strategy video games like Slipways and Civilization VII balance complexity and accessibility, appealing to board game fans.

Board games and strategy video games have a strong link as they both require strategic thinking, decision-making, and long-term planning. The similarities extend to their mechanics, such as turn-based play, resource management, and board positioning, which often intersect. This relationship is so organic that numerous classic tabletop games have been transformed into video game versions, and the reverse is also true. What particularly attracts board game enthusiasts to strategy video games is the genre’s talent for striking a balance between complexity and user-friendliness, offering multiple layers of depth without overwhelming players.

If you’re someone who enjoys classic tabletop games with thoughtful progression or deck-battling experiences filled with excitement and competition, there’s a digital version that offers the same strategic satisfaction. Ranging from turn-based combat to resource management campaigns, these strategy games provide board game enthusiasts with the same engaging, strategic experience you’d find during a game night with friends.

8. Slay The Spire

Craft A Deck For The Perfect Strategy

If you’re looking for a digital game that closely resembles the excitement of tabletop deck-building games, then Slay the Spire stands out as the best in its class. This game offers an engaging roguelike experience, focusing on gathering cards and engaging in combat. The objective is to climb a peculiar tower, defeating adversaries along the way while adapting to the unforeseen circumstances that arise. As players collect cards, they can fine-tune and create powerful synergies within their decks.

Each game in Slay the Spire offers a fresh experience, introducing novel difficulties and necessitating tactical adaptations at every juncture, whether it’s choosing your cards or directing combat actions. Furthermore, the presence of four distinct characters, each with their own unique mechanics and deck options, means an endless array of strategic choices await you in Slay the Spire.

7. For The King 2

A Tabletop-Inspired RPG To Share With Friends

Incorporating both sequential battles like in strategy games and role-playing game mechanics found on physical tables, For The King 2 takes you on a fanciful journey to rescue a kingdom from certain destruction. You manage a group of four heroes, guiding them through a map divided into hexagons to complete the main narrative. During your travels, you’ll tackle various side missions, fight enemies, encounter events, and explore dungeons – all elements typical of a captivating fantasy RPG experience.

Gathering around for an exciting board game night is what For the King 2 aims to replicate. It encourages teamwork among up to four players, making it a great fit for cooperative play. The gameplay, in many ways, echoes the essence of a more compact version of the classic role-playing game, Dungeons and Dragons. For the King 2 boasts rich RPG mechanics and an engaging game loop that keeps players coming back for more. Sharing these immersive adventures with friends promises a fun-filled gaming experience.

6. Slipways

A Straightforward Puzzle-Like Take On 4X Strategy

Platform(s): PC
Released: 2021
Developer(s): Beetlewing
Genres: Strategy, Puzzle

Slipways streamlines the intricacies of the 4X strategy genre, turning it into a challenging yet enjoyable path of cosmic expansion akin to solving a puzzle. Instead of dealing with intricate micromanagement or managing numerous tasks that are common in many other space-faring civilization games, this game concentrates on a more straight-forward concept: setting up trade routes among planets. This straightforward task involves meeting the resource requirements of new planets to incorporate them into an expanding trade network. The objective is to optimize the galaxy’s economy and boost prosperity, ultimately leading to a final score based on overall performance at the end of the game.

Board game aficionados will find Slipways irresistible due to its close resemblance to numerous optimization challenges typical in many board games. In these challenges, victory is attained by establishing the most effective and interconnected networks. What’s more, it provides a hassle-free gaming experience as matches typically conclude within a couple of hours. Its allure lies not only in its simplicity but also in the numerous intriguing strategies it offers, making repeated playthroughs highly enjoyable.

5. Crying Suns

A Sci-Fi Roguelike With Tactical Fleet Management

Platform(s): PC, Nintendo Switch, Mobile
Released: 2019
Developer(s): Alt Shift
Genre: Strategy, Roguelike

In simpler terms, “Crying Suns” is a strategy game set in space that feels like a board game with a storyline. You take control of a spaceship and voyage through a dying galaxy, hopping between sectors. During your journey, you’ll experience random events and participate in tactical space battles on a hexagonal grid. The combat system is one of the game’s highlights, taking place in real-time but with the option to pause for strategic planning. You’ll need to focus on arranging your fleet effectively and managing your squadrons to attack enemies.

This game offers a gameplay reminiscent of FTL, featuring sequential battles and unpredictable occurrences. However, it stands out with its darker visual style and in-depth storyline that offers a compelling exploration of world-building, along with an immersive strategic journey. Sci-fi board game enthusiasts might find Crying Suns particularly captivating.

4. Civilization 7

Turn-Based Strategy On The Grandest Of Scales

Civilization 7 translates the intricate landscape of advanced strategy board games onto the digital platform. In this game, players assume the role of a supreme leader, embarking on an epic journey to construct an empire that persists for centuries. By offering multiple ways to achieve victory, each gameplay experience is distinct. It retains classic board game aspects like resource gathering, diplomacy, and combat, while requiring players to juggle long-term strategies with immediate tactical choices.

This particular installment in the series, known as “Civilization 7,” might not be the easiest to jump into due to its complexity and lengthy gameplay. It demands a broad perspective and strategic acumen that may take multiple attempts for beginners to fully grasp. However, experienced board game aficionados will relish this intricate challenge. The game’s captivating visuals, coupled with its hard-to-resist “just one more turn” appeal, make it an ideal choice for repeated play.

3. Inscryption

Strategy Meets Psychological Horror In A Deckbuilder Like No Other

Inscryption offers a unique blend of horror, card games, and roguelike challenges. Players find themselves at a creepy, dimly-lit table facing an enigma, who invites them to play an unconventional game of cards. At first glance, it appears as a simple deck-building game with the standard mechanics of cost, attack, and health. But delve deeper, and you’ll discover a captivating maze of intriguing gameplay layers that unfold as you progress.

The card-battling mechanism in this game is simple to understand yet hard to fully master since it consistently introduces unexpected turns that can derail your strategies. However, the allure of giving it another try lies in its charm, providing a tactical layer that grows over time, which board game aficionados will find appealing. Additionally, its captivating narrative and eerie ambiance make Inscryption a standout indie gem, even for those not usually drawn to the deck-building genre.

2. Armello

Dice Rolls And Card Play In A Board Game-Inspired Strategy

Armello seems to be the game on this list that is most like a traditional board game, as it essentially functions as one. Set in a tabletop environment on a hexagonal board, players navigate a mystical kingdom as charming, sometimes madcap animal characters, participating in conflicts and advancing, while using different strategies to secure victory. The game uses turn-based mechanics for movement, decision-making, and combat. Combat involves a blend of card battles and dice rolls, where the stats are influenced by collected cards, equipment, and special abilities, which are then converted into dice for attacking and defending.

Armello essentially embodies an engaging strategy game that combines skill, luck, and tactics to provide an enjoyable gaming experience. Leveraging its digital format, it removes the necessity for keeping track of damage figures or dealing with the tedious setup commonly associated with physical board games. Moreover, the game presents opportunities for both competitive and private matches involving up to three friends, transforming a conventional tabletop game night into a smooth, digitized gathering.

1. Into the Breach

Small-Scale Combat, Massive Strategic Depth

The strategy game Into the Breach offers a sci-fi twist on turn-based tactics with a focus on puzzle-like combat that emphasizes brains over brawn. It streamlines its mechanics to their most strategic essence, much like an intricately designed board game. In this game, there’s no luck in the core battle system; each action has a definite result. Winning depends on strategic planning and precise execution, making it reminiscent of a digital adaptation of a meticulously crafted tabletop tactics game or even chess, where positioning and decision-making play crucial roles.

Enhancing its charm, the game Into the Breach focuses on brief, repeatable gaming sessions, offering thrilling, unexpected events that make every campaign distinct. It’s a captivating experience for strategy connoisseurs who appreciate tactical play and logical challenges, making it an ideal pick for board game enthusiasts.

2025-03-15 07:55