Best Strategy Games On Game Pass

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.

If someone is looking to channel their inner armchair general, then Xbox Game Pass has several titles that are right up their alley. Whether directing the nuanced machinations of a galaxy-spanning empire is their bag, or they’d prefer just telling wacky invertebrates when to sling bombs at one another, Game Pass has got a strategy game for them.

Although technically belonging to a different genre, tactical games will be considered since they share similarities with strategy games.

Updated September 18, 2025 by Mark Sammut: Today, a massive Game Pass strategy game debuted for console users, as Frostpunk 2 is now available on the Xbox Series X/S. Besides that, several other great titles are available on the subscription service.

Frostpunk 2

A Survival Strategy City-Building Epic

11 Bit Studios created something special with Frostpunk, a survival city-builder strategy hybrid that somehow shines in all three genres. A sequel was only a matter of time, and there was a slight worry that the next project would lack its predecessor’s freshness. Fortunately, Frostpunk 2 shines entirely on its own, offering a fantastic evolution that is different enough at its core to not render the first game obsolete. In fact, Frostpunk is still on Game Pass and well worth a playthrough, regardless of its successor’s existence.

Once again, players find themselves leading a city, New London, during a hellish era defined by harsh weather, and they will need to constantly make choices that have notable benefits and consequences, both for themselves and especially for their citizens. Frostpunk 2 is a deep city-builder that uses a grid system to allow Stewards to stitch together districts, carving a “utopia” that is efficient enough to survive, even if not necessarily prosper. This time around, players will be venturing away from their city’s walls, heading out on expeditions in search of resources and new locations. The sequel emphasizes its faction system as well, which means there will always be groups with different goals pushing their agendas on the player. Keeping everybody happy is nearly impossible, so tough decisions need to be made.

Newcomers and veterans should start with Frostpunk 2‘s story since it works well as a tutorial, along with just being pretty fun. After that, Utopia Builder will be the next step, and it provides plenty of replay value.

Frostpunk 2 came to consoles (and Xbox Game Pass) on September 18, 2025. I haven’t had a chance to test the console version, so the above is primarily based on the PC release.

Balatro

One Of 2024’s Best Strategy Games

One of the most surprising success stories of 2024, Balatro is a card-based roguelike executed to near perfection. Its presentation might suggest an adherence to Poker, but LocalThunk did a great job of distilling a few of its tenets into crafting an accessible game that can be enjoyed by players who have never even contemplated picking up real-life cards. The best strategy roguelikes typically blend simple core mechanics with depth in choice and consequence, and Balatro serves as a prime example of how to balance this execution.

Players must try to achieve a high enough score to complete a blind, allowing them to move on to a big blind and eventually a boss blind. Within a limited number of turns, players must discard and pull cards that allow them to build a hand that can pass the score threshold. In between matches, players can open booster packs containing different types of cards (which come in many forms, types, and Jokers) as they try to build the ultimate deck that can pave the way to glory in harder antes.

Monster Train 2

An Addictive Roguelite Deckbuilder

Xbox Game Pass has both Monster Train games, and while I would recommend both of them to an extent, newcomers might as well start with the sequel. Monster Train 2 is a deckbuilder with a roguelite structure, kind of similar to Slay the Spire, and you will be searching for card synergies to try and take on the various battles in the campaign. As always, you will regularly have to make choices that impact your deck, most of which only impact the current run.

Monster Train 2 is not easy by any stretch of the imagination, and it incorporates quite a bit of randomness (as with all roguelikes); however, it does a great job of ensuring that your decisions matter. Ultimately, this is a proper turn-based strategy game that will reward you for putting together synergies that complement each other.

Anno 1800

Ubisoft’s Ever-Reliable City Builder Franchise

Ubisoft is one of the most divisive publishers on the market, but its Anno franchise has been nothing short of consistently great. Only 2019’s Anno 1800 is available on Game Pass, and it serves as a great entry point. If you are unsure whether 2025’s Anno 117: Pax Romana is something you might want to purchase, then definitely check out its predecessor, as it should give you a clear picture of what this city builder series is all about.

Put in charge of running a city in the middle of the Industrial Age, Anno 1800 is a fairly traditional city-builder, albeit one that executes its core components incredibly well. There is a campaign for those who want a bit more structure or would like to learn the fundamentals, but the sandbox mode is definitely the highlight.

Kingdom Two Crowns

A Great Co-Op Strategy Game Option

The successor to Kingdom: New Lands, Kingdom Two Crowns both expands and streamlines its predecessor, offering a unique 2D management experience that is quite unlike any other Game Pass strategy game. Two Crowns keeps things simple, and it is all the better for it. Cast as a decaying kingdom’s ruler, players travel the land with a finite pool of gold, which they need to use to hire citizens and set up towns capable of keeping monsters at bay during the long nights.

Money pretty much makes this world go round, and players’ actions and survival are specifically tied to their resources. Permadeath is part of the equation, too, so if a ruler ends up without their gold and crown, they will be put to rest. After that, a successor steps up to the plate. While a fantastic single-player experience, Kingdom Two Crowns‘ most exciting aspect is co-op support, which makes sense considering the title. Two players are cast as different rulers, and they are mostly allowed to do their own thing rather than be tied to each other.

Aliens: Dark Descent

A Stressful Tactics Game That Is Perfect For Fans Of The Source Material

Alien is no stranger to video games, most of which tend to go down the FPS or horror route. While real-time tactics might not seem like the most obvious direction, Aliens: Dark Descent does a surprisingly good job of capturing the classic movies’ tension, particularly the 1986 sequel. Taking inspiration from XCOM, Tindalos put together a project that streamlines RTS mechanics while incorporating some horror elements like the use of a stress meter that gradually causes the colonial marines to develop psychological trauma during missions. Like XCOM, permadeath is part of the equation, so there is always a risk that a mission will go wrong and result in the death of valuable squad members.

Dark Descent does not necessarily explore too many novel concepts, but it blends a myriad of well-worn ideas to create an enjoyable whole that should hit the mark with RTS fans who do not care about Aliens or Aliens fans who are not familiar with the tactics genre. While quite punishing, the gameplay is somewhat simplified as players control the full squad rather than individual marines, removing some of the more minute control that tends to be a pretty big part of the genre’s releases.

Age Of Empires 4: Anniversary Edition

A Safe But Solid Evolution Of A Strategy Standard

After spending more than a year as a PC exclusive, Age of Empires 4 made its way to Xbox consoles in August 2023. Relic and World’s Edge’s project garnered a primarily positive reception upon launch, with many regarding it as a safe but polished continuation of arguably the most beloved and popular RTS franchise of all time. Launching with four campaigns and eight civilizations (although two more were added later on), AoE 4 offers a great deal of content for solo players, along with containing an active and robust multiplayer scene.

Xbox owners have two Age of Empires at their disposal, while PC Game Pass subscribers can play through the entire series thanks to the inclusion of the original trilogy’s definitive edition. All four games are fantastic by most metrics, and an argument could certainly be made that AoE 2 is the best RTS game of all time. However, newcomers should start with AoE 4, especially if they plan to try their hand at multiplayer.

Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition is also on Xbox Game Pass.

Age of Mythology: Retold

Now, For A Mythological Twist

An Age of Empires spin-off, Age of Mythology takes the core gameplay loop of the main series and adds gods to the mix, blending staple RTS realism with devastating enemy-destroying attacks. Although a relative footnote in AoE‘s legacy, the 2002 original is considered a cult classic in its own right, and the lack of a sequel was always disappointing. Fortunately, in 2024, Age of Mythology received a much-needed facelift in the form of Retold, an update that walks the line between remaster and remake.

AoM: Retold allows players to pick from four pantheons, along with an array of deities associated with each. They can then work their way through a fairly long single-player campaign that highlights the many differences of each civilization, all of which come with unique units and specializations. Retold does an admirable job of preserving the original version’s charm while incorporating enough modern touches to ensure the gameplay does not feel too archaic.

While Age of Empires 2 and 4 are arguably better-rounded games, Age of Mythology: Retold is a charming side quest that has enough fresh ideas to feel like its own entity rather than just a reskin.

Halo Wars

Strategy Game Made For Consoles

Though many people 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 on a 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.

Halo Wars 2 is also available on Xbox Game Pass and serves as a fine continuation of its predecessor. In some ways, the sequel is superior to the first game, although it is certainly designed with non-RTS fans in mind. Therefore, people who want to spend more time in this universe but are reluctant to jump into a genre they are not familiar with can rest easy in knowing that Halo Wars 2 is for them.

Against The Storm

Satisfy The Queen

Although not garnering as much attention as a few other late-2023 releases, Against the Storm was among the year’s best projects across a plethora of genres and subgenres. If someone is into city builders, strategy, or even roguelites, they must try this game as it might scratch a hard-to-reach itch. Set in a fantasy world that looks pretty but is extremely dangerous due to storms that periodically destroy everything outside the main city, players are tasked by their queen to gradually explore the unknown and find a solution.

This process involves establishing settlements that can dig deeper into the woods, and each mini-village has an expiry date; consequently, players have to make regular smart decisions if they want to progress and satisfy their ruler. By randomizing quite a few key elements, Against the Storm makes unpredictability one of its cornerstones, ensuring players cannot simply rely on a winning formula to get them through each situation. As with most city-builders, players are in charge of workers who need to be kept happy, something that is easier said than done.