Top 10 Turn Based Strategy Games For Mac
Mac isn’t a gamer’s go-to platform, due to obvious reasons. But, thanks to some awesome developers and publishing platforms like Steam, Mac users have a decent selection. So, even if you cannot enjoy GTA V on your brand-new MacBook Pro, there are some cool strategy games in Mac.
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- Top 10 Turn Based Strategy Games For Mac Free
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In this article, we have listed some of the best strategy games for Mac. While some of them are heavy with graphics, some work on low-end devices. We have also mentioned system requirements along with each of the titles.
Most of the games are available via Steam. However, if you are interested, you can find standalone versions as well. Shall we check out the list, then?
Browse the newest, top selling and discounted Strategy products on Steam. Feb 15, 2020 Best Turn-Based Strategy Games in 2020. Civilization VI. One of the best turn-based strategy PC games. Age of Wonders III. Total War: Empire. Sep 05, 2016 Armello is a healthy mix of table-top style strategy, turn-based games, and RPGs, and is one of the better recent games to come out for PC in the genre. Armello features rival animal clans fighting for a crown. Keep in mind that like other table-top style games, dice and playing cards factor heavily into Armello's.
Read: 20 Best Simulation Games for Android (2018)
Best Strategy Games for Mac
- Jan 20, 2020 Best Strategy Games 2020: All the top picks for veterans and newcomers alike Trusted Reviews has compiled a definitive selection of the best strategy games including the likes of Stellaris, XCOM 2.
- Best 15 Turn Based Strategy Games for PCs and Consoles in 2020 If you love turn-based strategy games and you’re itching for something new to try, check out these fifteen games. We’ve divided them up according to turn-based 4X strategy games like the Civilization series and turn-based Squad Strategy games like XCOM.
- Jan 20, 2020 Best Strategy Games 2020: All the top picks for veterans and newcomers alike Trusted Reviews has compiled a definitive selection of the best strategy games including the likes of.
- We round up the 125 best Mac games available in March 2020, from real-time strategy and RPGs to racing, shooting games and puzzles, together with links to buy at the best price.
#1 0 A D
Let’s start with something completely free. 0 A D is an open-source strategy game for Mac. When you start the game, you’re a leader who is up for the challenge. Using the resources around, you have to set up your civilizations and beat down enemies ahead. Quite interestingly, the game brings a battle between 2 different civilizations — one from 500AD and another one from 500BC. It’s still under development and there may be a few bugs. Still, 0 A D is a must-check out.
Price: Free, Open Source
System Requirement: You should have an Intel-based Mac released after 2006
#2 Democracy 3
Democracy 3 is a wonderful political strategy game for Mac. It’s available via Steam and it has lots of extra downloadable content too. One of the popular simulation games too, Democracy 3 wants you to be a leader. The story is set in a western industrialized nation and you have to address all sorts of issues, from crime to climate change. It has a wonderful User Interface that enhances the strategy gaming experience. In this game of politics, each of your decisions matters.
Price: Democracy 3 is priced at $24.99
System Requirement: 2Ghz Processor, 1GB RAM, 256MB Graphics and 500MB Storage space
#3 XCOM: Enemy Unknown
If you are looking for a strategy game with tactical gameplay, make sure you play XCOM: Enemy Unknown. As the head of a paramilitary organization, you have to protect the world from a potential alien invasion. A graphic-intensive game, you have to take part in on-ground combat, action and strategy. There are also some Role-Playing elements in the game, in case you are interested. The game features a huge number of missions you can keep playing.
Price: XCOM: Enemy Unknown is priced at $29.99
System Requirement: 2GHz Processor, 4GB RAM, 20GB Storage, 256MB Video Memory
#4 Civilization V
Civilization V is where you become the ruler of a civilization that travels from old ages to the current one. As you guide the people, you will discover more people and technologies. You have to use your strategies when it comes to building your space as well as combat. It comes with an impressive UI that lets you manage your world easily. You can keep downloading new maps to explore so that you never get bored with Civilization V.
Price: Civilization V is priced at $29.99
System Requirements: Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM, 8GB Storage Space, 256MB Video Memory
#5 StarCraft II
If you want to extend your game to an interstellar scenario, StarCraft II is one of the best strategy games you can get for Mac. Once you have constructed your base, you can start building the army. After that, you have to lead the army to beat the opponents and conquer the galaxy. There are three different races in the game, who play in different modes. It does not matter which one you choose, you need the right strategy to lead your team and win.
Price: StarCraft II is free to play
System Requirements: Intel Core 2 Duo, GeForce GT330M or ATI Radeon HD4670 or better, 4GB RAM, 30GB Storage space
#6 This War of Mine
This War of Mine is an awesome Mac game that wants both strategy and survival tactics. Instead of being a super-soldier with weapons, you are made a civilian. Making your way through radars and aimed snipers, it is your duty to protect you and others. The decisions are important here, because you have to keep everyone on the hooks. It comes with impressive graphics and one of the intriguing gameplay experiences. There is additional downloadable content too.
Price: This War of Mine is priced at $19.99
System Requirements: Intel Core 2 Duo or later, 2GB RAM, 512MB Graphics
#7 Total War: Rome II – Emperor Edition
Total War: Rome II – Emperor Edition is definitely one of the best strategy games for Mac. It’s set during the early civilization of Rome, where you take up the role of the emperor. From political decisions to action-rich battles, you have to take decisions based on strategy. Versatility is one thing that gamers love about Total War series, and Total War: Rome II – Emperor Edition offers better. Every decision matters, depending on what you build at the end of the day.
Price: Total War: Rome II – Emperor Edition is priced at $59.95
Top 10 Turn Based Strategy Games For Mac Free
System Requirements: 1.7GHz Core i5 or better, 4GB RAM, 25GB Storage Space, 512MB Video Memory
#8 Sproggiwood
Even if you’re not an expert in Finnish mythology, you would love Sproggiwood. It has been packed with an awesome design and storyline. You start off as a farmer but you come across a spirit and a rivalling group of civilization. What happens next depends on your actions and decisions. Sproggiwood lets you nurture various classes and prepare them for battle. It’s a roguelike game and you have the standard features like looting as well as building options.
Price: Sproggiwood is priced at $14.99
System Requirements: 1GHz or faster, 512MB RAM, 350MB Storage Space, Any Graphics Card after 2004
#9 Mount & Blade: Warband
Are you ready to travel towards the throne of Calradia? To do that, you have to prepare your team for never-ending battles and combat. Mount & Blade: Warband is one of the most graphics-rich games for Mac, and it brings 64-player online gaming battles as well. Being a king, you have to take both personal and political decisions, even your marriage. In short, it has some impressive RPG elements too. You should consider this title if you are into high-end gameplays.
Price: Mount & Blade: Warband is priced at $19.99
System Requirements: 1GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 8600M / ATI Radeon 2400 or better, 1GB Storage space
#10 Robothorium: Rogue-Like RPG
Robothorium: Rogue-Like RPG is the perfect combination of strategy and role-playing gaming. Just in case you wanted to be a savior for humanity, sorry. Robothorium: Rogue-Like RPG wants you to be the leader of a revolution against humanity. You have to build a robot-based attack team and conquer the silly beings on the earth. Of course, you need to have a proper strategy; otherwise, you fail. The game comes with turn-by-turn tactics, online multiplayer and more.
Price: Robothorium: Rogue-Like RPG is priced at $13.49
System Requirements: 1.3GHz Processor, 2GB RAM and 1.2GB Storage Space
#11 Europa Universalis IV
Europa Universalis IV is a strategy game that takes you through a long period of time. You have to build your civilization and see how it survives the test of time. Compared to other strategy games, Europa Universalis IV offers more freedom for your decisions. As you progress through the large-enough map, you can get used to different systems like trading and commerce. It also offers cross-platform multiplayer games where your strategy and combat are important alike.
Price: Europa Universalis IV is priced at $39.99
System Requirements: Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM, ATI Radeon HD 6750 / NVIDIA GeForce 320 / NVIDIA GeForce 9600 or higher, 2GB Storage space
#12 Total War: SHOWGUN 2
Another title from the Total War series, Total War: SHOWGUN 2 is set at a period when Japan is struggling through its hard time. You have to be the clan leaders and bring solace, through your political decisions and more. The clan will conquer places and extend the empire to other places, while you have to take the right decisions. Thanks to the larger community, you can play online multiplayer missions as well. This title has an impressive set of graphics and gameplay to offer.
Price: Total War: SHOWGUN 2 is priced at $29.99
System Requirements: 1.8GHz Processor, 4GB RAM, 256MB Graphics, 25GB Storage Space
#13 The Banner Saga 2
The Banner Saga 2 is primarily RPG in nature. However, without the right strategy and tactics, you can’t win this game. It’s based on an epic story and each character has something behind the trail. As you move along the timeline, you have to engage in battle and take some worthy decisions. While making sure that Viking clans are completely safe, The Banner Saga 2 wants you to explore sub-plots as well. It’s actually about the story than the gameplay, you know.
Price: The Banner Saga 2 is priced at $19.99
System Requirements: 2GB RAM and 4GB available space
#14 RimWorld
RimWorld is still available as an early-access title on Steam. However, this does not mean that you have to compromise features or performance. When RimWorld starts, you have three characters — survivors — who are struck in an unknown world. Each of these three survivors have different stories to play, you know. That is the best part about RimWorld: it lets you change the story depending on the slight details. If you love a lot of stories that involve strategical playing, RimWorld would never bore you.
Price: RimWorld is priced at $29.99
System Requirements: Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, Intel HD Graphics 3000 with 384 MB of RAM, 500MB Space
#15 Medieval II: Total War
We’d like to conclude this list with another title from the Total War series. Medieval II: Total War is set in a time when bloodthirsty battles were common. When it comes to gameplay, the graphics and choreography get better and better. You can also engage in multiplayer matches via Internet or LAN. One of the best things about this strategy game is its reach itself. You have a huge community of gamers to play with. And, nothing beats a strategy game with a large user-base, you know.
Price: Medieval II: Total War is priced at $19.99
System Requirements: 1.8GHz Processor, 4GB RAM, 256MB Graphics, 32GB Storage space
The Bottom Line
Most of these strategy games can work on the current Macs, subject to storage space and performance. So, you can focus on getting a game of your taste instead of worrying about compatibility. Also, if you think you know some other great strategy games for Mac, do let us know via comments.
Read: 20 Best Online Games for Android
Wargame developers love the American Civil War, with its romantic notions of 'brother against brother' and the development of warfare from line battles to quasi-trench warfare slugfests. It probably also helps that a lot of war game designers are American. There are plenty to choose from over the years, so here’s some of Wargamer’s favorite American Civil War digital strategy games to make your choice easier.
What are the best American Civil War Games?
- Ultimate General: Civil War
- Gettysburg: The Tide Turns
- Civil War: 1863
- Civil War II
- Scourge of War: Chancellorsville
- Brother against Brother
- The Operational Art of War 4 (Specific Scenarios)
- War of Rights (Early Access)
Ultimate General: Civil War
Developer: Game-Labs LLC
Tags: Real-Time, Tactical, Brigade/Division/Corps/Army, American Civil War, 3D
Available from:Steam
Ultimate General: Civil War is a wonderful follow-up to Game-Labs LLC’s already wonderful Ultimate General: Gettysburg. Civil War puts the player in command of either Confederate or Union armies throughout the entirety of the war, allowing the player to build their army composition, from unit size to weaponry of individual units. The title brings Total War-style tactics (the lead on this game did make several mods for Total War games) to the well-known battlefields of Antietam and Gettysburg, as well as battles with less coverage in games, such as Gaines’ Mill and Chickamauga.
The ability to follow individual brigades and their officers throughout the war is one I learned to miss after playing this game. Seeing a unit you created during the first year of the war get utterly dissolved by enemy canister rounds is heartbreaking, but following an officer’s career path from lowly Captain to Major General brings pride I rarely get from playing games. It’s easy to connect with your army on a personal level, as you can name each unit in addition to being able to manage their training and outfitting.
Gettysburg: The Tide Turns
Developer: Shenandoah
Tags: Turn-Based, Tactical, Strategy, 2D, IGOUGO, Brigade/Division
Available from:Direct, Steam
Speaking of Gettysburg, it’s impossible to list off the best American Civil War games without mentioning a game about Gettysburg at least once. Gettysburg marked the high-water mark of the Confederacy during the war, and The Tide Turns is a beautiful display of… well, how the tide turned. The map is wonderful, drawing inspiration from old Engineer Corps maps, with unit markers distinctly popping out against the backdrop.
What makes The Tide Turns such an interesting game is the turn system. Units have their turn order decided by the random drawing of “lots” from the total amount of units on the field. This leads to an uncertainty of combat that is not present in IGOUGO or WEGO type games, but is certainly more representative of the chaos of Gettysburg.
Civil War: 1863
Developer: HexWar
Tags: Turn-based, Tactical, Hex, Brigade/Division/Corps, American Civil War, IGOUGO
Available from:Steam, Direct
HexWar’s charming Civil War: 186x series made the jump to PC from Android and iOS, bringing what our reviewer Jeff Renaud called a “quick hit” wargame. It’s easy to jump into a scenario pulled from the many different battles of 1863 (or any of the other years of the war, there are companion games featuring all of them!), with combat frequently beginning on the first turn. A single scenario can take less than an hour, but the brevity of the games can’t be mistaken for easiness. The AI can be downright painful to play against on the higher difficulties, which is a refreshing change of pace from other “quick hit” wargames. Read our review for more.
Civil War II
Developer: AGEOD
Tags: Turn-based, Operational, Strategy, Division/Corps/Army, American Civil War, WEGO
Available from:Steam, Direct
Turn Based Strategy Games Civil War
Ageod’s Civil War II (note: not about an upcoming second civil war) pulls back from the close, action-oriented look of many other American Civil War titles. The player is instead put into the boots of president / commander-in-chief of the operational aspects of the war. The WEGO style of play makes running into the enemy challenging and frequently surprising, forcing you to plan well in advance for future offensives.
The chain-of-command in armies can be customized by the player, allowing obsessive micromanagers to truly fine-tune their army. Decisions don’t stop with merely military matters; determining how much money should be printed or placing embargos also fall into the rhythm of gameplay. Wargamers with a taste for grand strategy could comfortably find themselves at home with Civil War II.
Scourge of War: Chancellorsville
Developer: NorbSoftDev
Tags: Real-Time, Tactical, American Civil War, Brigade/Division/Corps, Strategy
Available from:Direct
The Scourge of War series feature some of the most realistic depictions of generalship of the 19th century, and Chancellorsville is no exception. The player can take command of different units within either the Union or Confederate forces; from commanding a lone Brigade to commanding the entire army. Orders given and received are a nice touch, as virtual couriers will arrive with and send out letters you can pen yourself. Units can be directed to form into specific formations and have several different movement options, including instructions to travel via road and to form into a certain formation type upon arrival. These options are necessary to success, as the AI may have read ahead in the history book, and will prove to be a fierce opponent.
Epic games installer. Chancellorsville was an important prelude to Gettysburg, but is not as frequently covered as the latter. However, if you are looking to get your fix of Chamberlains and Picketts, you may also be interested in Scourge of War: Gettysburg.
Brother against Brother
Developer: Western Civilization Software
Tags: Turn-Based, Tactical, Hex, Company/Brigade, IGOUGO
Available from:Direct
Brother against Brother has a great nostalgic feel to it. The sprites and the maps are reminiscent of wargames a generation or two ago, but the game packs several unique features that make it worth mentioning. The first is the inclusion of Wilson’s Creek, a battle in the Western Theatre of the war. Any battle not on the east coast is normally glossed over, so kudos to Western Civilization Software for broadening our collective horizons.
The title also packs an “active ability” feature that generals can use on their units to encourage them to fight harder, à la the more recent Total War offerings. This coupled with a novel movement system, where units can sometimes refuse to move in a representation of orders being jumbled and lost, brings a refreshing yet familiar take on some less covered battles of the war.
Top 10 Turn Based Strategy Games For Mac Free
The Operational Art of War 4
Developer: Talonsoft
Tags: Turn-Based, Operational, Strategy, IGOUGO, Hex, American Civil War
Available from:Steam, Direct
Best Mac Strategy Games Free
Before you all storm to the comments to yell at us for TOAW4 not being an American Civil War game, we know the whole game is not about the American Civil War. However, there are several great scenarios to choose from that take place during the war, using TOAW4’s excellent systems to simulate battles such as Antietam, as well as whole campaigning seasons, particularly highlighting the Chancellorsville/ Gettysburg campaign.
Should you not be in the mood for the several scenarios TOAW4 has to offer, there are community scenarios available for download, as well as a scenario editor, so you can finally simulate a brawl at Appomattox Court House. Read our review of TOAW4 for an idea of how the game as whole plays.
Reinforcements! Promising Games in Development:
Grand Tactician: The Civil War 1861 - 1865
Developer: Oliver Keppelmüller
Tags: RTS, Strategic layer, Tactical Battles, Logistics
Available from:Steam
Top 10 Turn Based Strategy Games For Mac Computers
This game gets more of a token mention because it's not available to play or buy like, unlike War of Rights below which is at least in Early Access. Grand Tactician is a real-time strategy game that primarily focuses on the strategic side of the war, but allows for tactical control over engagements due to the nature of how you move your units around the map. We're reminded of one of our favourite ancients war games, Hegemony III, if you're looking for a quick comparison. Current release date is simply listed as 'Late 2019'.
War of Rights
Developer: Campfire Games
Tags: First-Person Shooter, American Civil War
Available from:Steam
War of Rights is an Early Access FPS that looks quite impressive so far. 150 players can duke it out on the battlefield, which so far includes Antietam and Harper’s Ferry. The gameplay looks and feels solid, like a cross of Mount & Blade and Holdfast’s combat style, while bringing a more realistic visual fidelity to the fight. A chain-of-command system is currently under development, so far with higher ranking officers passing down orders to their subordinates, who can in turn order their men to follow their lead. The game is primarily multiplayer, so the experience does depend on other players, but players do tend to actually work together. War of Rights has a development roadmap laid out, and it looks to have a promising future ahead.
More American Civil War Game Reccomendations
John Tiller Software did a series called Civil War Battles, which cover specific battles and campaigns during the American Civil War. They're old-school hex-and-counter affairs, but they're currently being remastered by Wargame Design Studio with new graphics and engines updates. We're looking into these now and as we evaluate them, we'll add them to the main list. We've put this here though so that you're aware they also exist, and are considered pretty good ACW war games for what they are.
As was pointed out below, we'd also be remiss not to mention Sid Meier'sGettysburg! & Antietam! games from the late 90's. Gettysburg! especially was considered one of the best strategy/war games of the time, and is a bench mark for many ACW and Gettysburg-themed games that have come out in the decades since. We haven't listed it below, mainly because they are fairly old now and there's no official support for them although you can find a digital copy via Abandonware websites. If you're interested in exploring one of the gold standards of digital ACW wargames, you'll want to check it out.
What are your favourite ACW games? Let us know in the comments!