My colleague Marcello just dropped his big, official, very respectable Top 20 Most Anticipated Games of 2026 list, right after I casually suggested I might do my own Top 10. And here’s where things went off the rails: we only share two games. Two. Out of twenty.
Which means one of three things is true: either we have radically different tastes, the strategy gods are playing a cruel prank on me, or Marcello has been marinating in too much Tuscany red, Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, maybe even a Super Tuscan he wasn’t emotionally prepared for.
So instead of backing down, I did what any rational turn-based addict would do: I escalated. This isn’t just a countdown from “yeah, looks fine” to “cancel my week and hide my phone.” This is my personal ranking from least anticipated to “number one has already moved into my brain and refuses to pay rent,” and because anticipation should hurt a little, I’m also telling you exactly what I’d be willing to do, sacrifice comfort, dignity, hygiene, and basic life balance, if these games dropped today.
This list isn’t about balance or objectivity. It’s about obsession, bad decisions, and turn-based strategy ruining my life in the most satisfying way possible.
#10 – Commander: Europe at War
At this stage in my life, my fingers want a nap, my brain wants a map, and real-time strategy games like Company of Heroes can go scream at someone else.
Commander: Europe at War is pure old-school World War II strategy with the training wheels ripped off, and a fresh coat of modern polish slapped on top. This is hex-based, turn-by-turn continental warfare where you’re not babysitting individual soldiers, you’re moving entire armies, fleets, and air forces across Europe while history waits to see if you’re smarter than the generals who screwed it up the first time.
You choose Axis or Allies and fight across massive campaigns where supply lines, research, production, and timing matter more than flashy animations or heroic nonsense. Every decision has weight: push too fast and overextend, turtle too long and get crushed, mismanage tech and watch your tanks bounce off better-prepared enemies.
Diplomacy, resources, and long-term planning sit front and center, making this a thinking person’s war game that rewards patience, foresight, and a mild obsession with maps. It’s clean, deliberate, and unforgiving, the kind of strategy experience that doesn’t care if you’re tired, distracted, or emotionally fragile, because Europe is on fire and it’s your mess to clean up.
What would I do for this game to be released today?
I’d skip my Nutella sandwich for one full day, and complain about it nonstop like I just made a historically significant sacrifice for a hex grid.
#9 – Liegecraft
The moment I saw the trailer, my brain went “hold on”, this looks like Endless Legend got drunk with Crusader Kings and decided to ruin my free time with medieval drama.
Liegecraft is the medieval strategy game that looks at clean, predictable empire builders and says “no”, this is about ruling people, not icons on a map, and people are idiots. You’re not just expanding territory; you’re managing a feudal soap opera where every noble has an ego, a memory, and a talent for ruining your reign at the worst possible moment.
You hand out land, titles, and favors, knowing full well that today’s loyal vassal is tomorrow’s knife-in-the-back artist with a legal claim. War, diplomacy, feasts, hunts, duels, and petty court drama all feed into a living sandbox where decisions echo for years and mistakes don’t politely reset.
It blends Civ-style long-term planning with Crusader Kings-level character chaos, turning every campaign into a personalized medieval disaster story. There are no clean victories here, only reigns that last just long enough for you to believe you’re in control before everything collapses. It’s strategic, cruel, endlessly replayable, and dangerously good at making you emotionally invested in people you’ll eventually have executed.
What would I do for Liegecraft to release today?
I’d help an elderly person carry groceries to their car, wait patiently while they tell me their life story, and refuse the tip—true medieval chivalry, but let’s not pretend I’m bleeding for this one.
#8 – Wild Tactics
I wishlisted this one purely on instinct, because when everyone else is doing grim soldiers and muted color palettes, this thing shows up with animals, cartoons, and tactical crime drama and my brain goes, “yeah…I need to see how this crashes.”
Wild Tactics is the utterly absurd, animal-powered turn-based tactical RPG where the squad you pick isn’t just about guns and cover, it’s about personality, drama, and whether the ram you recruit actually likes the fox next to him.
Set in the grimy, noir-tinged city of the Wilderness, you lead a ragtag team of anthropomorphic ex-soldiers, cops, and criminals through XCOM-inspired tactical battles that demand cover, positioning, and smarter thinking than just spraying bullets and hoping for the best.
The world bleeds narrative everywhere, relationships between characters give real buffs and debuffs, meaning friendship and hate literally change the flow of combat. With 12 unique animal heroes, each with their own weird backstories and abilities, you’ll juggle squad chemistry, base building, weapon upgrades, and gritty missions that range from covert ops to full-on gang warfare.
It’s got dark humor, mature themes, and story beats that make every fight feel like the culmination of actual character arcs, no procedural faceless grunts here. Wild Tactics is in development for PC with wishlist and early playtest access already up, promising an experience that’s equal parts tactical strategy and animal-filled crime saga.
What would I do for this to release today?
I’d skip showering for a day and call it “research,” because I’ve been burned too many times by bold new turn-based concepts that looked great and played like wet cardboard.
#7 – Kriegsfront Tactics
I’ll be honest, I’ve never been a hardcore mech guy, but this one crept up on me, tapped me on the shoulder, and whispered, “yeah, but what if it’s actually brutal and smart?”
Kriegsfront Tactics is a grimy, jungle-drenched turn-based mech war where Front Mission nostalgia collides with XCOM-level decision anxiety and a PS1-era aesthetic that somehow makes everything feel meaner.
You command a squad of customizable walking death machines in an alternate 1970s Southeast Asian conflict where nothing is clean, not the terrain, not the politics, and definitely not your survival odds.
Combat is classic grid-based tactics with subsystem targeting, meaning you don’t just blow things up, you cripple legs, shred armor, disable weapons, and watch enemy mechs limp, burn, and fail in real time. Between missions, you tinker like a deranged engineer, swapping parts, loadouts, paint jobs, and pilots, each with their own strengths and baggage.
The jungle itself is a tactical nightmare, with tight sightlines, ambushes, and limited visibility, and every fight feels like a slow, methodical grind toward either victory or mechanical bankruptcy. It’s bleak, stylish, unapologetically tactical, and absolutely designed for people who enjoy suffering, as long as it’s turn-based and beautifully animated.
What would I do for Kriegsfront Tactics to release today?
I’d skip a meal and label it “tactical fasting”—enough to show respect, but not enough to pretend I’m a martyr.
#6 – Mars Tactics
Now we’re officially entering the danger zone, the part of the list where my skepticism starts melting and genuine excitement kicks in.
Mars Tactics is the hot-blooded turn-based war sandbox that throws XCOM-style tactical grit into a sci-fi class war on the Red Planet, where you choose to either crush the workers for the corporate Capital army or lead the scrappy Labor revolutionaries fighting for every damn supply crate.
The strategic layer lets you wage a planetary conflict, building bases, managing scientists and engineers, moving troops, and juggling supply lines, before dropping into brutal tactical battles with infantry, artillery, vehicles, drones, and fully destructible environments you can literally blast to pieces to create new lines of fire or ease your squad’s advance.
Units grow and evolve from battle experience, developing personalities, traits, and bespoke abilities that reflect how they’ve survived the bloodshed, while explosives can dig trenches or collapse whole walls to reshape the battlefield on the fly. Cover never stays safe, terrain is your co-conspirator, and tech customization plus unique faction mechanics give every campaign its own flavor.
It’s set to launch in May 2026 in Early Access on PC, where the dust storms, air strikes, and corporate greed all mix into a hardcore strategy feast that’s as much about smart choices as it is about blowing up every damn rock between you and victory.
What would I do for Mars Tactics to release today?
I’d walk through fire—slowly, carefully, maybe with protective boots—but yes, flames are officially part of the negotiation.
#5 – Shadow of the Road
The second that trailer started rolling, I knew this wasn’t just another tactics game, it was one of those rare “shut up and take my attention” moments where visuals, tone, and ambition all line up.
Shadow of the Road is what happens when feudal Japan hits an existential crisis, straps a steam engine to its back, and drags turn-based tactics straight through honor, betrayal, and supernatural insanity.
Set during the Boshin War, this is a grim, choice-driven tactical RPG where samurai, ronin, and mystics clash alongside industrial war machines and yokai spirits that absolutely do not care about your moral compass.
Combat sticks to classic grid-based tactics but layers it with brutal ability synergy, positioning, and consequences that spill far beyond the battlefield, because every decision, who you trust, who you betray, who you keep alive, reshapes the story and your squad.
Characters aren’t just units; they’re volatile personalities with loyalties that fracture, bonds that evolve, and arcs that can end badly if you play politics like an idiot. The world oozes atmosphere, mixing tradition versus progress, steel versus spirit, and power versus principle, all wrapped in a narrative that refuses to give you clean victories.
It’s thoughtful, heavy, stylish, and quietly ruthless, the kind of tactics game that punishes lazy thinking and rewards players who enjoy watching history crack under pressure.
What would I do for Shadow of the Road to release today?
I’d swear off sex for a full month—no loopholes—because between steam-powered madness and feudal betrayal, I’d be too busy dismantling Japan to notice.
#4 – Critical Shift
The only reason this one isn’t higher is pure uncertainty, because judging by the trailer alone, this thing could have easily muscled its way into the top three and started a fistfight.
Critical Shift is what happens when turn-based tactics wanders into Antarctica, locks the door behind you, and starts whispering “you shouldn’t have come here.” You lead an elite squad into a buried research facility where everything has gone catastrophically wrong: mutants, rogue AI, hive-mind horrors, and secrets so bad they make nuclear meltdowns look like clerical errors.
Combat is brutally deliberate: tight spaces, scarce resources, no RNG babysitting, and positioning that actually decides whether someone lives or becomes a frozen smear on the floor.
Every encounter feels like a lethal puzzle where one bad move doesn’t just cost a unit, it snowballs into disaster. The tone leans hard into sci-fi horror and conspiracy, with a story that drip-feeds dread while daring you to keep pushing deeper into the ice.
This isn’t heroic sci-fi; it’s clinical, oppressive, and mean, the kind of tactics game that rewards calm thinking under pressure and punishes panic instantly. If XCOM is a war movie, Critical Shift is a locked-room nightmare where strategy is the only thing keeping the lights on.
What would I do for Critical Shift to release today?
I’d volunteer to babysit someone else’s kids for a full month, no screens, no shortcuts, because prolonged psychological endurance feels extremely on-theme.
#3 – Project Haven
This one has been living rent-free in my head for years, which is both a compliment and a warning sign, because long development cycles turn hype into a psychological endurance test.
Project Haven is the kind of turn-based tactical game that looks at XCOM, laughs, and says “hold my ammo clip.” Set in the rotten underbelly of Haven City, the last urban corpse shambling on Earth, you run a merc crew called the Steel Dragons through brutal, no-nonsense missions where positioning, timing, and smart violence actually matter.
Combat ditches rigid grids for fluid movement and adds a glorious free-aim ballistics system, meaning shots aren’t percentages pulled out of a spreadsheet but real, simulated bullets that can cripple limbs, punch through cover, or end arguments with a clean headshot.
Every merc feels distinct, with RPG-style progression, gear, and personalities, while weapons demand respect through ammo management, reload timing, and tactical restraint.
Add hacking, stealth, breaching, destructible environments, and co-op play on top of a grim, cyber-noir narrative, and you get a game that doesn’t want to babysit you, it wants to test whether you actually understand turn-based tactics or have just been coasting on save-scumming for 20 years.
What would I do for Project Haven to release today?
I’d fast for 30 straight days, monk-style, no food, pure discipline, because after waiting since 2021, starvation feels like a fair ritual sacrifice.
#2 – MENACE
I’ve already played the demo, which is both reassuring and dangerous, because demos are liars, Early Access is a gamble, and none of that matters when a game crawls this deep into your brain.
MENACE is Overhype Studios taking everything they learned from Battle Brothers, injecting it with steroids, lasers, tanks, and orbital trauma, then dropping it into a brutal sci-fi sandbox that doesn’t care about your feelings.
You command a stranded military task force in a hostile star system where every mission is a calculated risk, every squad member is expendable, and every bad decision snowballs into long-term consequences. Combat is pure turn-based tactics: positioning, cover, suppression, combined arms, with infantry, vehicles, and heavy hardware all feeding into the same lethal chess match.
Between missions, you’re managing squads, equipment, deployments, and strategic choices that shape the entire campaign, not just the next firefight. Procedural missions, evolving threats, and Overhype’s trademark “you will lose people and live with it” philosophy give MENACE that dangerous, emergent narrative feel where stories aren’t written, they happen because you screwed up under pressure.
This isn’t heroic power fantasy sci-fi; it’s grim, methodical, consequence-driven warfare for people who think XCOM sometimes pulls its punches.
What would I do for MENACE to release today?
I’d sell every piece of furniture I own and sit on the floor like a caveman, comfort is optional, tactics are not.
#1 – Star Wars Zero Company
This is it. Nirvana. The promised land. The moment where my brain shuts up and my inner XCOM addict starts levitating six inches off the ground.
Star Wars Zero Company is the moment Star Wars finally stopped pretending real strategy fans don’t exist and handed the keys to people who actually know how turn-based tactics work. Built by Bit Reactor, staffed with ex-XCOM brain surgeons, this is gritty, boots-on-the-ground Clone Wars warfare where you command a ragtag merc unit instead of shiny hero figurines.
You play a customizable former Republic officer running Zero Company through high-risk missions where positioning, squad synergy, and smart ability use matter more than waving a lightsaber and praying to the Force.
Combat is classic, with cover, flanks, brutal abilities, and yes, real consequences, including permadeath if you screw up like a tourist.
You manage your base, recruit clones, droids, specialists, and rare Force-sensitives, and build relationships that actually affect combat instead of just unlocking cute dialogue. The tone is closer to Rogue One than Saturday-morning cartoons, dirty, political, and desperate, finally treating the Star Wars universe like a war zone instead of a theme park.
This isn’t Star Wars for casuals; it’s Star Wars for people who pause, think, and accept responsibility when someone dies because they made a bad move.
What would I do for Star Wars Zero Company to release today?
Nothing specific on record, for legal, moral, and future-me reasons, but society would briefly have to fend for itself while I saved the galaxy one perfectly calculated turn at a time.
Final Words
At the end of the day, this list says more about me than it does about 2026. I don’t want faster games, shinier explosions, or reflex tests disguised as strategy. I want games that let me think, plan, screw up, reload, and live with my mistakes.
Turn-based strategy isn’t just a genre, it’s a lifestyle choice and a polite way of admitting that XCOM permanently rewired my brain. Some of these games will disappoint me, a few will surprise me, and one might completely destroy my sleep schedule and personal hygiene, and honestly, that’s the dream.
If even one of these titles makes me pause, zoom in, and whisper “okay…don’t screw this up,” then 2026 will already be a damn good year.
