Summary
- Games like Total War: Shogun 2, Warhammer 3, and XCOM 2 offer fast-paced, immediate battles.
- Fast-paced tactics games like Age of Wonders 4 and Marvel's Midnight Suns start with quick, action-packed gameplay.
- Indie titles like Thronefall and Mechabellum provide swift, lethal battles that require immediate strategic thinking.
Tactics games are often known for being slow, deliberately paced endeavors, where the point is to make sure every move counts and every possibility is accounted for. Games like Hearts of Iron 4 show the kind of precise management and administration that goes into effectively running a good war campaign—which is what a large number of tactics games (though certainly not all) cover in similar levels of depth.
However, sometimes, players don't want to sit down and simmer for seven hours over whether the 22nd Battalion should be deployed to the north-western front or the north-north-western front. Some games manage to retain the depth and strategy of many celebrated tactics game s while also ensuring that actions on the battlefield or map screen happen fast. These tactics games all maintain a fast pace, but are ranked by how quickly the first bouts of action can occur, as well as how fast it is to set up a game and grasp its core components.
8 Total War: Shogun 2
Brisk, Immediate Battles On A Large Scale
Total War: Shogun 2
- Released
- March 15, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Teen // Language, Sexual Themes, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Strategy, Tactical
Total War: Shogun 2 features incredibly immersive 3D battles that showcase the ferocity of the soldiers fighting for dominance in feudal Japan. Combat and the 'meat' of the game—vying for territory—begin as soon as the first handful of opening turns are done, meaning players get into the action straight away.
While a myriad of differe nt settings will carry the future of the Total War series, Total War: Shogun 2 is a strategic tactics game like no other. Even years after its release, it remains an incredible title for fans of the series and the tactics genre.
7 Total War: Warhammer 3
A Fantastic Spin On The Total War Formula
Total War: Warhammer 3
- Released
- February 17, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- t
- Genre(s)
- Strategy, Tactical
A divergence from standard Total War fare in more ways than one, Total War: Warhammer 3 has become one of the most popular installments in this franchise, in no small part due to how faithfully this title brings about many classic Warhammer factions into the digital world. Players will already begin with large armies fielded and the path to their opponents in view, so there really is very little time ambling about before the meat of the game begins.
The intensity of immediate battles is compounded by the fact that this isn't the simplest game to pick up, and fans coming into Total War: Warhammer 3 without much experience in either Total War or Warhammer may find themselves overwhelmed early on.
6 XCOM 2
A Classic Tactics Game
XCOM 2
- Released
- February 5, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Blood, Use of Tobacco, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Strategy, RPG
It doesn't get much more iconic than XCOM 2, easily one of the tactics genre's biggest games. Negotiating small-scale battles with a tight squad of talented but all-too-mortal soldiers, players must try to make every hit and movement count in order to best some truly terrifying extraterrestrial foes.
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Plenty of creative thinking goes into making sure the player's squad is efficient and effective, but once a round starts, players must begin thinking fast immediately. The game is a bit notorious for its high difficulty and addictive nature, especially once players have gotten the hang of its most basic mechanics.
5 Age Of Wonders 4
Excellent Tactical Gameplay Straight Away
Age Of Wonders 4
- Released
- May 2, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- t
- Genre(s)
- Turn-Based Strategy
A great game for both veterans and beginners to the 4X genre, Age of Wonders 4 is an excellent strategy game that becomes tactical on the combat front, with players positioning small squads of units against one another in a sprawling, immersive game of fantasy chess. It's a game that takes the macro and the micro both in stride, and is an excellent choice for any fans of strategy or tactics games looking for a new time sink.
The gameplay really starts at full throttle from turn one. There will be guarded resource nodes nearby ready for procuring if the player's first army can take them, and most factions already have a scout unit produced that can begin scouring the map for potential friends and foes. Battles themselves are also often fast-paced, with elemental weaknesses and advantages based on unit types stacking up quickly.
4 Marvel's Midnight Suns
An XCOM Foundation With A Marvel Spin
Marvel's Midnight Suns
- Released
- December 2, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Language, Mild Blood, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Tactical, RPG
So many superhero movies with great concepts dedicate two-thirds of their film to origin story fluff, and then cram all the action, narrative stakes, and tension into that remaining chunk. For superhero aficionados who haven't given Marvel's Midnight Suns a try, worry not; the action in this title starts right away. Players are quickly drawn into the stakes of the game, and combat starts almost immediately, with battles that rarely drag on.
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Even working through the ranks of heroes' skills and affection levels is a fast process. Although there are many levels until maximum affection is reached, players will find themselves constantly pushing through them with brief cutscenes showing how the protagonist is bonding with, say, Eddie Brock or Tony Stark.
3 Thronefall
An Indie Title That Rapidly Moves Through Phases
Thronefall
- Released
- October 11, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ // Fantasy Violence
- Genre(s)
- Strategy, City Builder
Day and night shift quickly in Thronefall. Take the day to prepare, then hunker down for battles at night. It's a simple but effective loop that has made this game very prominent despite its relatively short time on the shelves.
Players can strategize and plot for as long as they need to during the day, but nighttime battles are often lethally swift and to the point, with the player discovering very quickly if the plan they set in place was successful or not.
2 Into The Breach
Another Classic From Veteran Developers
Into the Breach
- Released
- February 27, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- e
- Genre(s)
- Turn-Based Strategy
From the masters behind one of the best indie roguelikes, FTL, comes Into the Breach. Anyone who's ever wanted to play as huge mecha smashing in the face of kaiju on tight, blocky chess boards got their wish granted when this game came out seven years ago.
With gameplay as speedy as it is difficult, players have to navigate not just beating down huge monsters in a never-ending time loop but also doing it in a way that minimizes collateral damage.
1 Mechabellum
Fast Rounds Of Devastating Robot Combat
Mechabellum
- Released
- September 26, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Strategy, Action, Simulation
Games of Mechabellum are often fast and lethal; the player has a plan, and the opponent has a plan. One of those plans will fail spectacularly; then the round ends, and both players strategize and change up their tactics for the next round.
There is an intense level of depth and strategy to the combat in Mechabellum, and the robot-based battles often conclude in a flash. Trying to figure out the advantages and disadvantages of every unit type is the longest part of this super-fast title.
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