Top 10 PC Strategies of 2020 (Topic)

Looking back decades, it is difficult to argue that the best strategies came out in the last decade, and in general, it was the “noughties” that can be called the golden era of RTS heyday. Since then, the industry has changed a lot and strategy games have almost completely gone underground, which is why some gamers have even rushed to bury the genre. After all, who today, in the age of action games and RPGs, is interested in strategies? It turned out that many are interesting, the story is cyclical and the genre is returning to the mainstream again, so we suggest you familiarize yourself with the ten most anticipated and potentially best strategies of 2020 on PC.

1. Age of Empires IV

Release date: 2020

Let's start the top games with the continuation of the cult series Age of Empires, the gameplay of which was first shown at the X019 event. The familiar concept hasn't changed:

• We are still developing the state in several historical eras
• Fighting for natural resources
• We are arranging bloody battles with neighboring and extremely hostile nations with the participation of several hundred fighters

According to the first signs, we have a "safe" sequel to the old game, no revolutions, but the devil, as you know, is in the details.

Replacing the fathers of the series from Ensemble, game development studio Relic is striving for realism in many aspects, which is especially evident in the example of the fortress system. As in the Stronghold series, fortress walls are important in protecting cities and can be built on rocks, rivers, wherever they please, in order to leave the adversaries as few loopholes in the defense as possible. Another interesting fact is that Age of Empires IV strategy is being developed in close cooperation with the gaming community, and therefore we expect at least a good game that veterans of the genre will appreciate.

2. Iron Harvest

Release date: September 2020

Before us is perhaps the most interesting strategy of 2020, and if not in terms of gameplay, then exactly in visual terms. What will happen if you combine the aesthetics of the fields and forests of Eastern Europe native to USA gamers with weapons from the First World War and add straight walking robots, as if descended from the pages of the Warhammer 40,000 universe? The correct answer is Iron Harvest, the concept of which was so liked by gamers that they without the slightest delay funded the game on Kickstarter, raising more than one and a half million dollars.

But the extraordinary setting is not the only reason to download Iron Harvest, no one has forgotten about the gameplay either. The strategy focuses on tactical gameplay reminiscent of the Company of Heroes dilogy and the USA series of Behind Enemy Lines. The emphasis has shifted from base building to the careful management of small squads, using terrain and discreet flanking as the main way to achieve victory. Of course, we should expect a realistic zone system of damage to vehicles and, we hope, worthy of the AI of opponents in the game.

3. Stronghold: Warlords

Release date: 2020

One of the most memorable moments of E3 2019 is the announcement of the continuation of the series, the first parts of which invariably lead in all sorts of tops of the best strategies on PC - Stronghold: Warlords. Should we expect a game as revolutionary for the genre as the original dilogy? Most likely not, but there is hardly any cause for concern for fans of the series. The developers of the game promise to develop the mechanics that made the original real-time strategy a real cult among gamers, to leave the emphasis on realistic sieges of strongholds, but also to bring a number of modern innovations to the gameplay.

At this stage, Firefly Studious is in no hurry to review all the innovations in the Stronghold: Warlords game, so we will share the known information:

• The setting will be transported to the Eastern Middle Ages, where Mongols, Chinese and other Asian peoples act as playable nations
• The range of weapons in the game will be supplemented with pyrotechnics and flamethrowers
• You can hire artificial intelligence-controlled units, or more precisely, generals, created in the image of real-life personalities from history

4. A Total War Saga: Troy

Release date: 2020

The level of efficiency and creativity of the game developers from Creative Assembly can only be envied: for over two decades they have been releasing the best games in the strategy genre, complementing and improving the concept of the Total War series in every possible way. The new part of the franchise called A Total War Saga: Troy takes as a basis the legendary epic "Iliad" and tells in a playful way about the conquest of Troy. This promises both a meticulous adherence to the life and weapons of ancient Greece, and the fantasy component of the Iliad.

For example, the mechanics of religions will be supplemented by Greek gods. And even if they do not take part in the battle, having devoted yourself to following a certain deity, you can count on a number of useful bonuses. Another interesting innovation is the ability to use mythical creatures such as centaurs or minotaurs in battle. The mechanics of hero duels also look unusual, when generals can converge in a one-on-one duel, encouraged by the cries of thousands of fighters. Of course, according to tradition, we are once again promised a wiser computer AI in the game.

5. The First Men

Release date: 2020

Continuing the top of the best strategies of 2020 on PC, we cannot ignore The First Men. We recommend not to be fooled by the simple and deliberately colorful stylistics, because an extremely ambitious strategy is hidden behind the unimpressive graphics.

Here are some of the coolest features of The First Men:

• A strategy with the construction and micromanagement of heroes, where each game unit is a unique character with character, traits and daily routine
• A real-time combat system with the ability to pause and tactically set a strategy for the behavior of heroes in battle
• An unusual fantasy world that promises to impress with a dozen unusual civilizations, creatures, a huge variety of buildings and a diverse system of crafting items

As a nice bonus, in addition to single-player games, The First Men promises online support over the network, regular and most importantly - free updates and support from the modder community.

6. The Settlers

Release date: 2020

During the heyday of the strategic genre, Ubisoft also decided to try their hand and next year they are preparing the revival of another series - The Settlers. If the name of the strategy does not tell you a lot, then The Settlers can be described as another city-planning strategy in the Middle Ages, where we create a powerful kingdom from a small village. The new part boasts updated graphics in a cartoon style and a number of important gameplay changes.

The main innovation is three models of government: "Faith", "Battle" and "Glory", which influence the future of the state. As you might guess, the choice of the model affects the attitude of citizens towards the king, their moods and type of thinking. Nobody bothers, for example, to create a religious state, supporting the discipline of the people with lines from Holy Scripture. Another unusual innovation for the series: both single-player and cooperative online mode over the network, which allows you to go through the company with a friend and engage in the construction of a new state.

7. Broken Lines

Release date: Q1 2020

Continuing our top best PC strategy games in 2020, an unusual announcement from the Danish studio PortaPlay - Broken Lines. Inspired by the XCOM series and the World War II setting, the developers decided to try their hand at the not-so-popular niche of tactical turn-based strategies, combining it with a non-linear story.

Let's briefly summarize the main features of the game:

• The emphasis is not on building a base, but on developing characters with individual strengths, weaknesses and a unique personality
• A non-linear company with moral choices, where the outcome of the story depends only on your actions
• Variable turn-based combat system with dynamically destructible environments
• A colorful picture using the latest graphics technology

At the moment it is difficult to say how exciting the plot will be and how well the developers will cope with the demonstration of the "horrors of war". However, due to its unique concept, the game may well rank among the best turn-based strategies of the next year.

8. Knights of Honor II: Sovereign

Release date: 2020

For fans of turn-based strategy and RTS hybrids ala Total War, an excellent gift is expected next year: the continuation of the Knights of Honor game, which recently turned 15 years old and has successfully entered the top 100 best strategies. As it should be in the genre, the new game will offer you to feel all the hardships of a medieval ruler: to develop a state, through diplomacy to hammer alliances with hostile nations, or, on the contrary, incline them under your own banner through a bloody war. And the main thing is to try to sit on the throne without getting a knife in the back from disgruntled subjects.

Knights of Honor: Sovereign is most striking in scale. The developers have already promised not only military battles with the participation of thousands of fighters (this will surprise no one anyway), but also more than 100 playable nations forced to go through three historical eras, with new technologies both in military affairs and in the methods of government.

9. Industries of Titan

Release date: 2020

Developers of many modern urban planning strategies are united by the idea of transferring players to unusual settings in order to clearly prove that humanity can successfully develop in almost any conditions. A great example is the game Industries of Titan, which, like last year's Surviving Mars, offers to organize a colony of people far from Earth. In our case, on Titan, the moon of Saturn.

Of course, an unusual setting alone is not enough to get into the top 10 best strategy games of 2020 on PC. In addition to the already mentioned fantastic decorations Industries of Titan, here is a list of the main features of the game:

• Emphasis on the balance between industrial mining and the needs of residents
• The ability to personalize the design of spaceships by personally customizing the location of weapons, controls and protective shields
• Several ways to achieve success: from large-scale military hegemony and the capture of neighboring colonies to peaceful diplomacy
• Spectacular and tactical real-time battles with the option to pause

10. Warcraft 3: Reforged

Release date: 2019-2020

In our rating, we deliberately focused only on new games, ignoring all kinds of re-releases of popular strategies. But at the same time, we could not avoid the temptation to recall a remake of the cult Warcraft III, which took first place in the list of the best PC strategy games of all time. A remake of a classic is always a gamble, especially in the case of a powerful esports discipline like Warcraft 3, where even tiny changes in mechanics can make a big difference to the gameplay.

But fortunately for us, after the beta of the game Warcraft 3: Redorged, we can say with full responsibility: Blizzard did not engage in tyranny and carefully transferred all the game mechanics to the new graphical shell. But there are a number of complaints about the strategy graphics: while maintaining the recognizable style, some characters lost recognizable proportions, which is why they are sometimes difficult to find among the units.

Another complaint about the new USA localization of the strategy: the voice acting of the numerous heroes of the game clearly lacks expressiveness. But the big question is, when will the release date for Warcraft 3: Reforged happen? Blizzard is pushing for 2019, but judging by the not-so-positive beta reviews, we wouldn't expect the game to be released in the coming months.

This concludes our talk about the best strategy games of 2020. A potentially pivotal year for the genre will revive RTS fashion and cool turn-based strategy games with even greater force.

See Also: Top 100 Best Games of All Time, Part 3.

The Topic of Article: Top 10 PC Strategies of 2020.
Author: Jake Pinkman