Strategy games are a time-tested classic of the PC video game sphere. While games likeFire Emblem: Three HousesandFinal Fantasy Tacticsare fantastic, they are locked to consoles, and PC players don’t get to experience them.
However, all hope is not lost, as there are plenty of amazing SRPG’s to sink your teeth into on PC, with a wide variety of settings, RPG mechanics, and combat styles. Whether they be PC original, or ports of classics, these are eight of the best SRPGs you can play right now on PC.
8Banner Saga Series
The Banner Saga series stands out with its unique and beautiful art style, almost looking like it comes from an old Disney cartoon. The series is set in a snowy land of Vikings and Giants, and there are three Banner Saga games to play through, with the story continuing onward from each game using your save data.
Banner Saga uses this setting and art style to tell a captivating story, as well as engaging tactical battles. All of the games in the trilogy are great, but if you can score all three of them on a sale, you are in for a wonderful time.
Developed by Firaxis Games, the legendary team behind theXCOMseries,Marvel’s Midnight Sunsis an underrated gem. Combining tactical card-based gameplay with a varied cast of Marvel characters, you get a unique experience, both as a Marvel fan and an SRPG fan.
While not in a mission, you will chat with your fellow Midnight Suns, build relationships, hang out, and train, as the story progresses. Then, you enter missions with a group of three characters and use cards to determine which abilities you will use on your enemies (or the environment), ranging from damage, to healing, to buffs and debuffs. Even if you are not the biggest Marvel or Tactical fan, this game is worth giving a try.
Persona 5 Tacticais thePersonaseries' first foray into the strategy genre, and it was certainly a success. In this spin-off game, the Phantom Thieves are transported into a strange world, whose citizens are under tyrannical oppression; which, fortunately, is right up their alley.
Combining the series' signature stylish aesthetic and Persona summons with a more tactical viewpoint of the battlefield, fans of both Persona and SRPGs will feel right at home. The game may feel a bit easy for veteran SRPG players but is perfect for those wanting to test the waters of the genre.
Valkyria Chronicles 4 may not appear very flashy, but don’t let the simplistic outside appearance fool you. This game uses a simple, almost water-color art style, and has a hand-drawn appeal with onomatopoeia on attacks. Instead of a traditionally flashy art style, the game stands out with its unique “BLiTZ” battle system, which combines top-down strategic combat, RPG elements, and third-person shooting, to create an experience like no other.
Although the game is the fourth in the series, it takes place near the time of the original, so it is also a perfect place to jump into the series. The game also features a brilliant soundtrack, and a simple but engaging coming-of-age story with your protagonist, Claude. If you haven’t tried this underrated series, give it a shot.
4Disgaea 5
The Disgaea series is a long-running series of SRPGs from Japan, and Disgaea 5 is just one game in the series. Realistically, you could play all of the games in the series, and can play one through four before jumping into five, but Disgaea 5 Complete is a perfect place to jump in if you’re looking to experience what the series has to offer, as you get the full game plus bonus content to play through and a fresh story.
Featuring a cute anime chibi art style, a colorful cast of characters, an engaging and comedic story, and hours upon hours of rich SRPG action, Disgaea 5 Complete is a great one to jump into if you’re a fan of JRPGs and have hundreds of hours to kill.
Tactics Ogre: Reborn is a spectacular remake of the original Tactics: Ogre, which was already an amazing SRPG. The game features a nation erupting in civil war, and it is your job, as main character Denam, to navigate this conflict and make choices that will determine the fate of the nation.
The game also features in-depth tactical combat, set on a 3D grid and making use of a wide variety of classes, skills, spells, units, and equipment. For fans of the original game, or fans of games like Fire Emblem, Tactics Ogre: Reborn is a dream come true.
Triangle Strategy takes the gorgeous visual style of the Octopath Traveler series and applies it to an SRPG, to fantastic results. But the visuals aren’t the only positive of this game. It also features tactical combat with an emphasis on gaining the advantage over your opponents with careful positioning and flanking.
On the non-combat front, you will make use of the Conviction system, which will change based on the choices you make, and decide which allies will rally to your cause. This offers a unique experience that incentivises multiple playthroughs, and combined with the visual feast that the game offers with its art style, this will be something you take advantage of.
Even if you are not a longtime fan of strategy games, there is a very high chance you’ve heard of the XCOM series. This series puts players in the role of the Commander, who leads soldiers on the front lines of an alien invasion.
XCOM 2 has it all. Engaging combat making use of various classes under your control, as well as a variety of enemies to deal with. A crisp, effective art style, with distinct maps and a clear story. Finally, the customization is off the charts, allowing you to completely customize each soldier’s appearance, background, and country of origin, and even write custom biographies. XCOM 2 is a game that, if you haven’t at least tried once, you are sorely missing out.
