20 Best Sci-Fi Strategy Games of All Time

Sci fi strategy games let you command fleets, manage empires, and outthink aliens with a mix of tactics and planning that never gets old. Whether you like turn based encounters on tight maps or sprawling real time space wars, the genre has a little of everything. Many of these games also support mods and long tail expansions that keep them fresh for years. Here are twenty standouts that cover tactical squads, grand strategy, and classic base building across the stars.

Stellaris

Paradox’s grand strategy epic puts you in charge of a custom spacefaring civilization with ethics, government types, and species traits that shape every decision. The galaxy is procedurally generated, so exploration, anomalies, and crisis events feel new in each playthrough. You manage research across three fields, build starbases to secure chokepoints, and negotiate or wage war with AI empires and federations. Regular updates and story packs add new origins, civics, and endgame threats that deepen long term campaigns.

XCOM 2

This tactical sequel focuses on guerrilla warfare where a mobile base and time sensitive missions keep pressure high. Soldiers level up into specialized classes, and procedural maps with concealment encourage flanking and ambushes. The strategic layer covers research, resistance contacts, and managing the Avatar Project timer. Mod support through the Steam Workshop and expansions like War of the Chosen add enemies, hero classes, and systems that reward careful planning.

StarCraft II

Blizzard’s RTS features three asymmetrical factions with distinct unit mechanics and tech trees. The single player campaigns deliver mission variety with optional objectives and persistent upgrades. Competitive multiplayer offers ranked ladders, robust matchmaking, and custom games with Arcade creations. Strong unit readability and crisp controls make macro and micro management accessible while leaving room for high skill play.

Homeworld Remastered Collection

This collection refreshes the first two space RTS classics with improved visuals and modern systems. Fully three dimensional movement lets you position fleets above or below enemies while formations and strike groups shape engagements. Missions carry your surviving ships forward, so preserving experienced vessels matters between battles. The cinematic presentation and radio chatter give each operation a strong sense of place in the wider campaign.

Sins of a Solar Empire Rebellion

This real time 4X hybrid blends empire building with tactical fleet battles across multi star systems. Players expand through planetary development, research economic and military tech, and deploy capital ships with upgradable abilities. Rebellion adds new victory conditions, faction subtypes, and titans that anchor late game fleets. Multiplayer supports large matches with resource sharing and coordinated assaults.

Supreme Commander Forged Alliance

Forged Alliance emphasizes large scale warfare with strategic zoom, letting you manage skirmishes and logistics across massive maps. Four tech tiers unlock experimental units and structures that can swing battles if protected. Economic management centers on mass and energy flow, encouraging efficient production lines and adjacency bonuses. The community supports ranked play and map packs that keep the meta active.

Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri

This classic turn based 4X sends seven ideological factions to a hostile planet where social engineering defines your strengths. Terrain terraforming, native lifeforms, and weather systems influence expansion and combat. A deep technology web unlocks facilities, secret projects, and unit workshop customization. Planetary council politics and narrative pop ups create a cohesive science fiction setting around your strategic choices.

Endless Space 2

Amplitude’s 4X presents distinctive factions such as population harvesting Vodyani and time bending Riftborn. Population management matters through traits and political ideologies that determine your laws and bonuses. Space battles resolve with ship designs and selected tactics while exploration drives quests and minor faction diplomacy. A clean interface and tooltips make complex systems approachable without losing depth.

BattleTech

Set in the MechWarrior universe, this turn based tactics game revolves around lance composition and mech loadouts. Heat, stability damage, and called shots on exposed components add layers to positioning and target priority. The campaign mixes story missions with contracts that fund repairs and mechbay upgrades. Career mode lets you manage pilots, salvage, and reputation across multiple factions.

Age of Wonders Planetfall

This entry shifts the series to a science fiction setting with races like the Vanguard and the insectoid Kir’Ko. Empire building features sector based exploitation while tactical battles use cover, flanking, and stagger mechanics. Doctrines and operations provide strategic perks and battlefield support powers. A structured campaign and random maps offer replayability for both single player and multiplayer.

Dune Spice Wars

This real time 4X focuses on control of Arrakis through spice harvesting, territorial expansion, and political maneuvering. Factions like Atreides, Harkonnen, Fremen, and smugglers play differently through unique councils and agent systems. Sandworms, storms, and supply mechanics make desert travel and combat risky without proper planning. The Landsraad and CHOAM layers add economic and diplomatic pressure to military choices.

Phoenix Point

Designed by the creator of XCOM, this tactics game features free aim shooting and locational damage. Enemies mutate based on your weapons and tactics, shifting the threat profile over time. The geoscape layer has multiple human factions whose tech you can ally with or raid. Researching alien specimens and managing havens creates a dynamic strategic puzzle between missions.

Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War II

This RTS emphasizes small squad tactics and cover rather than traditional base building. Heroes and squads gain wargear and abilities that change their roles across the campaign. Cooperative play allows two players to coordinate advances and revive each other during tough encounters. The Last Stand mode adds wave based survival with persistent progression.

Terra Invicta

This grand strategy game tasks you with guiding a shadowy organization during a first contact crisis. Earthside politics involve influencing nations, controlling funding, and managing space programs. Once in orbit and beyond, you build stations and ships, then engage in realistic orbital mechanics combat. Multiple factions pursue different victory paths, creating a long form campaign with emergent rivalries.

Master of Orion II Battle at Antares

This classic 4X offers deep customization through racial picks and a strategic focus on colonies and ship design. Turn based tactical battles let you control weapon arcs, specials, and boarding actions. Random events, espionage, and leaders add texture to empire management. Its straightforward economy and clear tech progression remain approachable for newcomers to older strategy titles.

Halo Wars 2

This console friendly RTS refines controls while offering a full campaign set in the Halo universe. Leaders provide unique powers and unit synergies that shift tactics in Skirmish and multiplayer. Base building follows a node system that keeps economies readable and action focused. The Blitz mode combines deck building with fast matches for quick sessions.

Into the Breach

Subset Games delivers tight tactical encounters on small grids where perfect information rewards planning. Each mech squad plays differently, from time shifting pilots to artillery focused builds. Objectives often prioritize civilian protection and infrastructure over kills, encouraging creative control techniques. The run based structure and unlockable squads support short but replayable sessions.

Planetary Annihilation Titans

This large scale RTS supports spherical planets and multi world warfare with orbital layers. Economy centers on continuous production, so efficient factory scaling and expansion are vital. Titans introduce super units that can redefine late game battles when supported. The map generator and skirmish options make for varied scenarios against AI or online opponents.

Homeworld Deserts of Kharak

A ground based prequel to the space series, this RTS features elevation, sensors, and line of sight as key mechanics. The central carrier acts as a mobile base that anchors production and upgrades. Resource convoys and escort gameplay drive mission pacing across a hostile desert. The campaign blends tactical engagements with a strong narrative that leads into the original saga.

Civilization Beyond Earth

This 4X sends human factions to alien worlds with an affinity system that changes units and diplomacy. Quests and planetary hazards guide early decisions while orbital units provide support and satellite coverage. The tech web allows flexible paths rather than a single linear tree. Victory conditions reflect different visions for humanity’s future through Purity, Harmony, and Supremacy.

Share your favorite sci fi strategy picks in the comments and tell us which ones we should add next.