Looking for great turn-based tactics games like XCOM? Look no further than this list, with games like Into the Breach, Fallout Tactics, and more.
The XCOM franchise is pretty synonymous with turn-based tactics games. It’s a beloved franchise for good reason, and has spawned many, many imitators. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, XCOM is an almost overwhelmingly flattered series.
Here are our staff’s favorite XCOM-likes and where to play them. Some were directly inspired by XCOM; some weren’t. Some are also sci-fi humans-versus-aliens games, while others take the structure and move it to a fantasy realm or an established IP setting. All of them are fun, tactical times, and we hope you find one you’ll dig.Invisible, Inc.
Where to play: iOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows PC
Invisible, Inc. is a gloriously crisp 2015 tactical stealth game from Klei Entertainment, the Canadian indie studio behind Don’t Starve. It’s a dashing, cartoony cyberpunk heist caper in which a team of augmented agents fly around the globe, stealing things from the high-security facilities of sinister corporations with the support of a powerful hacking AI. Procedurally generated levels and an exquisitely designed network of interconnected rules work together to create dynamic sneaking scenarios that seem to exist on a permanent knife edge of tension; unlike many games in the tactics genre, Invisible, Inc. is impossible to overpower or be overpowered by, and rewards playing with just the right amount of heart-in-mouth risk. In this game, using a gun is a last resort, and remembering to close a door behind you can mean the difference between success and failure. A near-perfect hidden gem of a tactics game. —Oli WelshInto the Breach
Where to play: Android, iOS, Mac, Nintendo Switch, Windows PC
Into the Breach is basically Lo-Fi Beats to Tactics To. Whereas games like XCOM go large with expensive production values, Into the Breach is refreshingly minimalist. Your team of just three mechs is tasked with fighting back kaiju-sized insects. You can see the entire battlefield, in all its pixel-art glory, from an isometric view. Every level is randomized, too — a little bit roguelike — so you never fully know what you’re getting into, but you’ll still need to lean on strategic expertise and understanding of your team. Into the Breach is pure tactical bliss distilled to its essence. —Ari NotisXenonauts
Where to play: Mac, Windows PC
While XCOM: Enemy Unknown and its sequel are certainly fitting successors to the original 1994 X-COM: UFO Defense, they sacrificed a certain level of complexity for the sake of accessibility. Xenonauts and its sequel (currently in early access) carry the spirit of the original X-COM into the modern era, complete with dense tactical systems and brutal difficulty.
Xenonauts reads like X-COM 1994 with a fresh coat of paint and will feel immediately familiar to fans of the original. While many of the systems from the strategic and tactical layers have been untouched, Xenonauts does introduce some small improvements and quality-of-life features, like a more robust air combat system and a more complex funding system. —Alice JovanéeFights in Tight Spaces
Where to play: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X
Whereas many XCOM-style games focus on military operations across big battlefields, Fights in Tight Spaces focuses entirely on small-scale encounters. Fights in Tight Spaces pits the player against goons, prisoners, brawlers, and assassins in small environments. I take up the role of Agent 11, and I have to kick ass through a series of bars, mess halls, and other contained spaces. I play cards to duck, dodge, and brawl my way out of each fight, and with each victory, I earn new cards. This turn-based deck-building game excels at making these small situations stressful, and it takes a tactical mind to play your cards right and John Wick your way out of each scuffle.
