Unearth Tactical Treasures at the Turn-Based Thursday Steam Fest
Well, this one came out of nowhere for me! A Turn-Based Strategy Steam Fest is pretty damn awesome. Some great games are on sale, and it’s just the right time to stock up on some of the best turn-based strategy games you can before the summer break kicks in! This festival is a prime opportunity to dive into a diverse collection of some of the best turn-based strategy games available, all on sale. From challenging roguelikes that test your adaptability to grand historical epics and innovative RPGs that redefine genre boundaries, there’s a tactical gem for every player. For fans of strategic depth and methodical combat- or just those of you who are too old to play real-time strategy (RTS) games, the Turn-Based Thursday Steam Fest, running until June 9th, 2025, is an unmissable event.
15 – Fights In Tight Spaces
I loved my time playing Fights In Tight Spaces when I did so for a review. It offers a unique blend of turn-based tactics and deck-building. These immersing players in stylish, action-movie-inspired combat scenarios seem like something straight out of John Wick (C’mon, the aesthetic is undeniable! And that’s fine, it looks amazing). As an agent for Section Eleven, your mission involves strategic maneuvering in a cramped, grid-based scenario and fighting multiple enemies at once, in brutal hand-to-hand combat, fortunately, you can use them against each other, trow the off the map, and do mind-bending combos. It’s a tactical turn-based strategy roguelike that challenges players to master positioning, and to build a deck that synergies well into the late game, when it becomes truly challenging, with all kinds of different enemies, with a lot of action happening at once. The roguelike loop of planning and improvisation is amazing, and the meta-level aspect of unlocking more cards is a pretty great incentive to keep on trying.
14 – Iratus Lord of the Dead
You could call Iratus: Lord of the Dead heavily inspired by Darkest Dungeon, and you wouldn’t be far from the truth. However, instead of placing you in the boots of heroes, it places players in the shoes of the titular necromancer, Iratus, recently freed from his ancient prison. This dark fantasy turn-based tactical roguelike challenges you to command an army of the undead, crafting minions from the body parts of your fallen enemies. As you can imagine, this leads to all kinds of tomfoolery and unending (or undying?) opportunities. But its combat system is very similar to the game that inspired it, so if you loved Darkest Dungeon and are looking for something similar with a twist, then for the price of a coffee, you can buy Iratus: Lord of the Dead.
13 – DORFROMANTIK
I have to be honest with you, I have no idea how to play Dorfromantik, even though I have nearly 20 hours on it, but the fact that it manages to offer a serene blend of strategy and puzzle gameplay, inviting players to build idyllic, ever-expanding village landscapes by placing hexagonal tiles, is enough to keep my monkey brain happy because it sees numbers go up and new tiles being unlocked. Its main draw, for someone like me, and maybe you, is the fact that it provides a wonderfully relaxing experience, perfect for unwinding as you connect forests, rivers, villages, and train lines trying to make it make sense with the limited options you have. It’s a charming game, that will give you unlimited worlds of procedural generation and a massive stockpile of new biomes and tiles to unlock, ensuring a fresh and satisfying experience with every new session.
12 – Hard West 2
Unlike DORFROMANTIK, Hard West 2 is not a beautifully relaxing game. It’s quite the opposite. It’s a game that plunges players into a supernatural version of the Wild West (which is an amazing setting, by the way), blending tactical turn-based combat with a dark, compelling narrative, as players must lead a gang of outlaws, each with unique, often supernatural, abilities, as they chase down a demonic ghost train and reclaim their souls. Similar to other games in the genre, there’s always a new twist, and in Hard West 2 case it’s the inclusion of its “Bravado” system, rewarding aggressive plays by fully replenishing action points upon a kill, allowing for thrilling and satisfying chain reactions of demonic and ghostly destruction. In that sense, it reminds me a little of the Gears Tactics system. If you love the idea of Hard West 2 and would like to give the first game a try as well, I can fully recommend it, having finished it multiple times. Ricochetting bullets to hit enemies in cover never gets old.
11 – Marvel’s Midnight Suns
Despite my considering Marvel’s Midnight Suns to be my perfect turn-based strategy game, a lot of players were put off by its premise, and the fact that it wasn’t XCOM 3, which is understandable. I was too But upon playing it, and seeing how well it blended the card-based tactical element with the Sims-like base stuff, where players get to know their heroes and evolve their relationships with them, I was absolutely enthralled. I never 100% games and Marvel’s Midnight Suns was the first, and quite possibly the last where I did so. It delivers a fresh take on tactical turn-based RPGs, immersing players in the darker, supernatural side of the Marvel Universe. Unlike traditional grid-based tactics games, it innovates with a dynamic card-based combat system where players assemble a deck of abilities for iconic heroes like Iron Man, Wolverine, and Doctor Strange. This blend of strategic combat, robust deck-building, and engaging character interactions creates a unique and compelling experience for fans of both Marvel lore and deep tactical gameplay, offering significant replayability in a campaign that can go on for 30 to 40 hours.