Other years, it's a quiet period for Strategy and Simulation games, making it difficult to even put together a selection of the best games from the genre. Thankfully, that's not the case with 2025, as there were some excellent strategy and simulation games released this year.
Some of those releases even came from the most popular franchises in the strategy and simulation gaming genre. With that said, here are our picks for the Best Strategy and Simulation Games in 2025. Also, make sure to vote for your pick at the end of the article.
Other Best Games of 2025 per Category: Fighting Games, Sports & Racing Games, Role-Playing Games, Horror Games, Platformers, Indie Games, Action, DLC/Expansion, Shooter Games, Adventure Games, Multiplayer Games, Best Games
Two Point Museum (10/10)
The Two Point series of simulation and management games has always been about creating fun and engaging environments for players to enjoy. It's not about testing your management skills to the brink or making you stress over how your colony (or in this case, museum) is operating. It's about leaning into chaos and comedic moments that make these games enjoyable.
Two Point Museum is a masterclass of a Two Point game, as it strikes all of those points perfectly without missing a beat. It is a bright, accessible management game that will keep you engaged all through its campaign and even further beyond that with its sandbox mode. It's a wonderful accomplishment and easily one of the year's best strategy and simulation games.
As Wccftech's review puts it, "There were no frame issues, the game was incredibly accessible and easy to dive into, and didn't have that overwhelming factor that a lot of new sandbox games do. It brings in moments of comedy to break up tense moments, and the campaign helps ease you in to the mechanics little by little."
Final Fantasy Tactics - The Ivalice Chronicles (9.5/10)
Final Fantasy Tactics - The Ivalice Chronicles is a return of a classic strategy game that fans have been dying for, and it absolutely did not disappoint when it arrived this past September. With the original Final Fantasy Tactics being known as one of the best Final Fantasy games in the series, and one of the best strategic role-playing games ever made, there was a lot of nostalgic weight on its shoulders when it was finally announced.
It kept the story that players loved and gave it a boost with the Enhanced version, adding some solid voice acting with only a few minor changes to the script, though if it's not to your liking, you can always jump back to Classic mode to play nearly the exact same game you would have played back in 1998. Of course, you miss out on the quality of life improvements made in the Enhanced version, but it's the fact that you have the option for both that really matters when it comes to a game so beloved as this.
The Ivalice Chronicles doesn't try to fix what isn't broken with the game's already excellent gameplay and Job system, and on the Enhanced version, lets you dive even deeper than was previously possible, with a bit of added difficulty, while still staying true to a core feature of the original: you can still break the game wide open if you can figure out how.
As Wccftech's Francesco De Meo put it in his review, "Decades after its original release, FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles remains the golden standard for tactical role-playing games. Refined with excellent quality-of-life improvements that enhance its already deep gameplay and superb voice acting, the War of the Lions’ story and battles have never felt more engaging. While the modest visual overhaul and missing War of the Lions content may disappoint those seeking a true definitive edition, they are minor issues in an otherwise excellent reimagining."
Sid Meier's Civilization VII (8/10)
Like Final Fantasy Tactics - The Ivalice Chronicles, the arrival of Civilization VII has been a long time coming. Not as long, of course, seeing as how the last Civilization game arrived in 2016, but nearly a decade between releases is still a long time to wait, especially if you weren't enamoured with the DLCs that came after the full release.
Which is what made the arrival of Civilization VII such an event, and such a divisive one at that. Not everyone has loved the changes made in the latest entry in what is arguably the most popular (or at least well-known) 4X strategy game in the industry. At the time of this writing, it still has a "Mixed" rating for user reviews on Steam. That said, it doesn't fall so far that it's not a good Civilization game, and to still be a good game in a series of filled with excellent games means Civilization is an easy entry in our best strategy and simulation games of the year.
As Wccftech's Chris Wray put it in his review, "Civilization VII is a great game, that's the simple answer. With an improved city-building system, terrain features, and diplomacy, there is much to like in the new release of the three-and-a-half decade old franchise. However, long-time fans of the series will find some of the omissions, such as the ability to turn off victory conditions other than domination, limiting. This, and the rapid nature of the ages, will also leave some feeling that the epic nature of some longer games is altogether missing. Still, even with the games feeling a little rushed, the one-more-turn that makes Civilization one of the best series ever remains there."
Tempest Rising
Tempest Rising might just be Command & Conquer with a bit of different paint, but that's not really something worth complaining about when Command & Conquer is nowhere to be seen. Developer Slipgate Ironworks saw a gap in the RTS world, and while it didn't fill it entirely with everything Tempest Rising does, it went far enough to scratch the itch for C&C fans that hasn't been scratched for a long time.
Though its multiplayer didn't launch with a lot of fanfare, and its story mode isn't able to reach some of the C&C iconic highs of the series, Tempest Rising doesn't try to fix a system that isn't broken and still delivers the fast-paced RTS gameplay that kept C&C fans engaged for over three decades.
It's more than a good time for RTS fans and a can-not-miss game for anyone still waiting for a new C&C.
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord - War Sails
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord had already established itself as one of the premier cinematic options for medieval gameplay and warfare simulation and strategy, with a solid campaign and a wonderfully built world since its 1.0 release in 2022. Now, five years after its initial release, TaleWorlds Entertainment has expanded on the game with its largest and most significant update yet, a naval expansion.
It's not an exaggeration to say that the addition of War Sails changed the game for Mount & Blade II. On top of changes to the map and to the layout of Caladria, adding a new battlefield that also adds new trade routes and ways for players to expand their empire has made an already strong game an even more complete offering.
As I said in my impressions of the expansion and the game when it arrived, "War Sails is a more than solid expansion for Mount and Blade, laying an excellent foundation for future evolutions that I feel is particularly strong because of how welcoming it is to strategy-game newcomers."
Honorable Mentions
Of course, we can't include everything, which is why these games make our honorable mentions list.
- Anno 117: Pax Romana
- Commandos: Origins
- Cataclismo
- Broken Arrow
About the author: David has been writing about videogames, technology, and culture since 2020, with a focus on reporting daily news across multiple publications, including GameDaily.Biz, GameSkinny, and PlayStation Universe before joining Wccftech in 2025. David started contributing as Canada/US reporter for Wccftech's gaming section in 2025. Besides being up-to-date on the industry's movements, he loves interviewing developers, reviewing games, and writing intricate essays about the symbolism and layered meanings to be found in rich narratives as he's done for publications like GamesIndustry.Biz, LostInCult, and others. Outside of games he loves movies, music, theatre, his hometown, and his family, though not necessarily in that order.
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