The Best Indie Strategy Games (2024)

The triple-A strategy game market seems to be dominated by three main competitors: Total War, Crusader Kings, and Civilization. Of course, there are plenty more fish in that proverbial sea to play, but for the most part, these games are the ones that receive all the hype.

However, regardless of how deserved that praise is, they tend to overshadow their indie game cousins. From tactics games to entire VR masterpieces, the indie strategy genre encompasses so many different experiences. So, whether it's a fantasy epic or rewriting historical events, these indie strategy games are absolutely worth your time.

Updated on June 6, 2024, by Mohamed El Ouardighi: Indie games are constantly being released every year. While we don't always get a lot of standout indie titles, there are still quite a few gems to explore!

10 Empires Apart

Empires Apart is a free medieval real-time strategy game that embodies the essence of classic Age of Empires games. You have different civilizations to choose from and various ages to upgrade through, with each age providing new buildings and improved skills to help you be the last one standing.

While the game is free, it only allows you to play with one civilization. To enjoy all the others, you need to purchase DLCs, which can be a bit of a bummer and this is the only reason why it is in the bottom of this list! However, if you don't mind spending a few extra bucks, it's really fun and worth the investment!

9 Death Crown

Death Crown is a truly unique strategy game experience. It boils down the basics of what makes games in the same genre so special and makes an accessible yet never overly simplistic game.

You take on the role of Death herself as she punishes mankind by destroying everything they own. It’s an unbelievably satisfying and engrossing game to play, as each round is condensed into a breezy few minutes. All of this is contextualized by the gorgeous 1-bit art style that helps shape this truly terrific indie strategy extravaganza.

8 Rising Lords

Rising Lords can often feel like the Total War series. It features a large map in which you construct various buildings, send out soldiers to battle invaders, and attempt to triumph over all. You’ll switch from a campaign map to a more detailed battle map during combat, and even have skill trees to enhance your chances of victory.

However, what makes Rising Lords such a brilliant indie strategy game is the intimacy of its campaigns. While the maps are large, they don’t span the world. Instead, they allow you to create your own adventures and stories within a condensed space so as to not overwhelm you. Whereas in Total War you play as an omniscient figure, in Rising Lords you are your own character and that feels far more immersive and exciting.

7 Ultimate General Civil War

Ultimate General Civil War is an extremely complex strategy game that isn’t for the faint of heart. You’ll be able to command either the Union or the Confederates and take part in historical battles throughout the American Civil War. What makes Ultimate General Civil War so special is its innovative AI and its focus on battle progression.

The AI is ruthlessly smart and will defeat you with ease if you don’t pay attention - seriously, this thing is going to take over the world if we’re not careful. Additionally, each battle is segmented, taking part over the course of a day or several days. Whatever soldiers you have left at the end of one part will carry over into the next, making battles feel far more realistic and the consequences of your actions all the more serious.

When compared to the other games in this list, The Banner Saga Trilogy may not seem like a traditional strategy game. With an enormous focus on narrative and the emotional journey of its characters - we’re not crying, you are - you may be forgiven for questioning how it can be considered a strategy game.

Well, outside the turn-based tactics combat that you’ll engage in on multiple occasions, The Banner Saga Trilogy has a lot of resource management, party management, and critical thinking that all require a staggering level of strategy and forethought. Should you poorly mismanage your resources or make a string of terrible decisions, important characters can be killed, leaving you with fewer soldiers to tackle bigger hordes later down the line. To say that The Banner Saga Trilogy is the best medieval fantasy strategy game is a huge understatement.

5 Field Of Glory 2

Field of Glory 2 is likely the closest you’ll ever get to recreating huge historical tabletop battles in video game format. In this engrossing indie strategy game, you’ll have to plan out each strategy as carefully as possible in order to overcome the odds in combat. Each unit you control functions completely differently and where you place your soldiers could mean the difference between victory and crushing defeat. It’s serious stuff.

Field of Glory 2 isn’t overly complex, however. It’s riddled with intricate systems, interesting mechanics, and a lot of factions and units for you to play around with. However, it’s still plenty accessible, especially as it has a helpful tutorial. With various DLC expanding upon the base game and introducing new time periods, this is easily an indie strategy game you can sink many, many hours into.

4 Vedelem: The Golden Horde

Vedelem: The Golden Horde is a student project that gained a lot of traction when it launched for free on Steam. There’s a good reason for that as it is surprisingly quite fun. Pitting you against the Mongolian hordes in the 13th century, you must manage your troops and economy while dealing with an onslaught of enemies.

There’s a lot to love here, including two unique game modes and having thousands of soldiers on-screen at once. It’s a clear love letter to the strategy games of old like Cossacks and Age of Empires, and that’s not a bad thing at all. For a free game and a student project, Vedelem: The Golden Horde is an amazing accomplishment and a pretty fantastic indie strategy game.

3 Oriental Empires

Have you ever wondered what the baby of Total War and Civilization would look like? Well, if you said a game centered around ancient China then you’d have been absolutely correct. Oriental Empires takes the best bits of both games and forms what can only be described as an intricately interesting grand strategy adventure.

The sheer size and scale of this game can lead to some truly impressive battles that far surpass what some of its contemporaries are doing. You’ll command enormous armies that are represented by huge amounts of detailed units on the world map and construct your empire as you dominate your enemies. It’s an ambitious experience that may not always work as intended but offers a seriously engrossing experience across the board.

2 Northgard

Northgard is set in a world inspired by Norse mythology, where you lead a clan of Vikings, managing resources, expanding territories, and navigating harsh winters and mythical threats as Viking clans battle for control of a new continent. Each clan has unique abilities, offering diverse strategies for conquering this mysterious land.

While the base game provides a rich experience, the developers have continually added new content and clans through expansions, significantly increasing gameplay time. If you enjoy strategy games with a mythological twist, Northgard is definitely worth checking out.

1 Bad North

Bad North is a beautiful indie strategy game with a tremendous art style. While its gameplay is phenomenal, its visuals are truly the stand-out feature - sorry, we’re superficial like that. The stunning character portraits, abstract islands, and adorable miniature soldiers coalesce to create a surprisingly soothing experience at times.

Of course, Bad North is a brilliant game outside its visuals. This is a simple strategy game that would be perfect for beginners. You don’t have to manage thousands of soldiers or remember endlessly complex mechanics. Instead, you merely have to control a handful of troops and defend small islands from waves of defenders. However, don’t mistake its simplicity for a lack of fun. Bad North manages to be consistently engaging across its entire runtime, making it the perfect pick-up and play indie strategy game.