Strategy games were once practically non-existent in the console market, save for notable exceptions and ill-fated attempts (such as Starcraft’s remarkably awkward landing on the Nintendo 64). However, over the years, several titles have emerged to deliver their micro-management goodness to living room accessible formats — particularly when it comes to the Xbox line of consoles.
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If you’re looking to channel your inner armchair general, then Game Pass has several titles that are right up your alley. Whether directing the nuanced machinations of a galaxy-spanning empire is your bag, or you’d prefer just telling wacky invertebrates when to sling bombs at one another, Game Pass has got a strategy game for you.
7 Halo Wars
- Approximate Game Length: 10 Hours
- Genre: Real-Time Strategy
- Developer: Ensemble Studios
- X|S Enhanced: No
- File Size: 9 GB (July 2021)
Though many associate the Halo name with the mainline entries that are straightforward FPS titles, Halo Wars takes the series in a new direction in terms of genre. Players are treated to grand-scale skirmishes involving factions from the Halo universe in a highly approachable RTS title. Since the game was made specifically for the Xbox 360, it features one of the most comfortable controller configurations for an RTS seen on console. The story takes place before the events of the first Halo game, detailing what happened to the UNSC crew of the Spirit of Fire.
6 Stellaris
- Approximate Game Length: 30 Hours (Per Game)
- Genre: Grand Strategy
- Developer: Paradox Interactive
- X|S Enhanced: No
- File Size: 9 GB (July 2021)
If strategy games are a rare sight on consoles, then grand strategy games are something of a mythological creature. However, Stellaris adapts to the platform in fine fashion.
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Featuring nuanced layers of resource management, diplomacy, and even interstellar warfare, players will have all sorts of empire-management to contend with as they guide their species through the stars — speaking of species, there’s a wide variety to choose from. From religiously fanatical frog people to democratic felines, players can truly design the spacefaring civilization of their dreams (or nightmares).
5 The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics
- Approximate Game Length: 20 Hours
- Genre: Tactical RPG
- Developer: Bonus XP, Inc
- X|S Enhanced: No
- File Size: 5 GB (July 2021)
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Netflix series brought Jim Henson’s darkly fantastical film back to life. Age of Resistance Tactics seeks to capitalize on this nostalgia by treading the same ground covered in the show. However, the story beats are spread out over tactical combat encounters. So while there is less time spent on character development, there is more time spent immersing yourself in measured gameplay. Seeing Gelfling and Skeksis duel it out on a limited battlefield is especially enjoyable if you hold any degree of fondness for either the original movie or the new show.
4 Gears Tactics
- Approximate Game Length: 25 Hours
- Genre: Turn-Based Strategy
- Developer: Splash Damage, The Coalition
- X|S Enhanced: Yes
- File Size: 28 GB (July 2021)
Despite its reputation for being a gritty third-person, cover-based shooter, the Gears of War series is set in an engrossing world, and the games usually feature gripping narratives. So even though Gears Tactics took the turn-based-strategy route, it is a thoroughly entertaining title thanks to the universe it is set in and the lore it provides.
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Gears Tactics is a prequel to the first Gears of War game, but it also connects to plot points seen in later titles in the series, such as Gears of War 4 and Gears 5. The top-down perspective suits the narrative well, as COG soldiers are deployed across a map, eliminating Locust enemies and clearing out objectives.
3 Empire Of Sin
- Approximate Game Length: 10 Hours
- Genre: Turn-Based Strategy, RPG
- Developer: Romero Games
- X|S Enhanced: No
- File Size: 9 GB (July 2021)
A crime management simulator may not have been what gamers expected out of a studio helmed by original DOOM alumnus John Romero, but that’s precisely what they’re getting with Empire of Sin. Set in prohibition-era Chicago, players will engage in bouts of tactical combat and “business” management as they establish the supremacy of their own criminal empire.
2 Totally Accurate Battle Simulator
- Approximate Game Length: 13 Hours
- Genre: Simulation/Strategy
- Developer: Landfall Games
- X|S Enhanced: No
- File Size: 3 GB (July 2021)
At first glance, Totally Accurate Battle Simulator seems more like a parody of a strategy game than an actual strategy game. But beneath its goofy exterior lies an enjoyable experience that requires more tactical thinking than you might expect. Players are placed in control of various units that range from Mages to Bards to Headbutters to Tanks. All units look absolutely ridiculous, and after players arrange them on their side of the map, they must face off against a variation of opposing units on the other side. What ensues is nothing short of hilarious. However, be prepared to rework your strategy if your array of Vikings cannot handle those Snake Archers. Totally Accurate Battle Simulator is a delight that is both stimulating and relaxing for strategy fans.
1 Worms W.M. D.
- Approximate Game Length: 16 Hours
- Genre: Artillery/Strategy
- Developer: Team17
- X|S Enhanced: No
- File Size: 6 GB (July 2021)
Developer Team17 has a long and storied legacy with the Worms franchise, a series of turn-based tactical games generally revolving around… well, literal earthworms blowing one another to bits with a variety of explosive weaponry. Needless to say, Worms W.M.D keeps up this proud tradition. Commanding their squad of brave, warbound invertebrates from a 2D perspective, players will blast their way through the opposition in single and multiplayer modes utilizing a multitude of implements ranging from the excessively conventional to the absolutely bizarre.