strategy games

Thinking person's pastime

Strategy games are games—video, board, or tabletop—that emphasize planning, resource management, and tactical decision-making over reflexes or chance.

Players typically build armies, manage economies, or outmaneuver opponents: I spent the weekend playing strategy games like Civilization.

The genre divides into real-time strategy (RTS), where action unfolds continuously, and turn-based strategy, where players alternate moves.

Related

minimax · risk assessment · calculated risk · game theory · gambit · planning · turn-based · competition · opening moves · fog of war · map control · spatial reasoning · risks · long-term planning · tactics · opponent · decision-making · moves

Categories
Opposites
cognitive demand type

strategy gamesfighting games

Competitive combat video games

button mashers · first-person shooters · arcade games · rhythm games · platformers

skill vs. chance

strategy gamesgames of chance

Contests determined by randomness

slot machines · roulette · dice games · bingo · scratch cards

tempo and pacing

strategy gamescasual games

Simple, accessible interactive entertainment

speed runs · party games · idle games · clicker games · mobile games

Family

games, strategy, strategic, strategies, strategist, strategists, strategize, strategically, strategic planning

Familiarity
Top 200,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Positive · Everyday, not technical · Rated G