2021 was a big year for all genres of gaming, and this new year looks like it will be just as exciting. For strategy fans, 2022 looks like it will have lots of new games to check out. From turn-based to real-time strategy (RTS), from city builders to 4x grand strategy, here are the top 10 strategy games to keep an eye on in 2022!
Marvel’s Midnight Suns
Developed by XCOM creators Firaxis and published by Take-Two Interactive and 2k Games, Marvel’s Midnight Suns is a turn-based strategy game focusing on a group of superheroes and their quest to save the world. One of GameTyrant’s most anticipated games of 2022, this Hero vs. Baddies smackdown will feature many of Marvel’s greatest heroes, including X-Men, Avengers, and other superpowered characters facing off against one of the greatest threats that the people of Earth have ever seen. Customize your own hero, the Hunter, and team up with the likes of Wolverine, Iron Man, and Captain Marvel as you develop relationships and explore your base of operations, between going on missions to stop the forces of darkness. Coming late 2022 for PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam and Epic Games.
Homeworld 3
A return to an old IP by Blackbird Interactive and published by Gearbox Software, the space strategy series has the first new installment in a decade with the upcoming release of Homeworld 3. Command fleets of ships across a massive and gorgeous 3D space, across a campaign and into online 1v1’s, free-for-alls, and even a co-op mode. Bring those fleets with you through your battles, watching them gain battle scars and level up their officers. Feel the crushing loss of even a single ship with battle chatter by captains, commanders, and even simple fighter pilots. Heroes will rise and space will no longer be the same. Homeworld 3 is slated for release in Q4 2022 for PC via Steam and Epic Games.
Manor Lords
An exciting newcomer into the strategy scene, Manor Lords is an upcoming real-time strategy title developed by solo developer and publisher Slavic Magic. Currently not even released to early access on Steam, this historical strategy game based in medieval times has the potential for greatness. Aiming to feature large-scale battles, city management, and resource production, this game is truly ambitious for one person to be making. From what videos and screenshots have been released, however, this will be a gorgeous game to play and is definitely a game to keep an eye on as it hopefully comes to at least early access in 2022.
Men of War 2
Following the success of Men of War: Assault Squad 2, publisher 1C Entertainment is returning with Men of War 2. Developed by the creators of the first Men of War, Best Way, this upcoming realistic strategy game brings us back to the frontlines of World War 2, commanding vehicles and soldiers in battlefield clashes in a single-player campaign, with skirmishes and competitive online game modes. Featuring a newly updated effects engine, the sounds and views of these battles will be much crisper than the last installment, with more vehicles, units, and destruction all gloriously showcased. Expected to release late 2022 for PC via Steam.
Falling Frontier
Another game on this list that might not have been noticed by mainstream gamers, Falling Frontier is an exciting new space strategy being published by Hooded Horse and developed by Stutter Fox Studios; another solo developer! Falling Frontier picks up as humanity figures out its place in the galaxy, fighting amongst different factions from the Sol system to lay claim to resources and planets. Featuring a deep economy, player input on ship construction and base building, as well as an intriguing physics and destruction engine, this game is one to watch out for. Currently slated to release on Steam in Q2 2022.
Company of Heroes 3
By now most of the world has seen a little bit of Company of Heroes 3, the latest game in the series from developer Relic Entertainment and publisher SEGA. This new installment takes the action down to the Mediterranean, with gorgeous views of mountains and colorful idyllic villages, just to blow everything to bits. Company of Heroes 3 differentiates itself from the other games in the series with a whole new destruction system, eye-popping visuals, and a dynamic campaign through Italy that is sure to encourage replayability. Company of Heroes 3 is expected in late 2022 on PC via Steam.
Terminator: Dark Fate - Defiance
When Arnold Schwarzenegger can’t come from the future to save you, you’ll have to save yourself. Terminator: Dark Fate - Defiance is an upcoming RTS that lands the player as the commander in charge of the human resistance trying to save the world from Legion, a.k.a. lots of killer robots. Developed by Cats Who Play and published by Slitherine Ltd., Terminator: Dark Fate - Defiance looks to be an exciting addition to 2022’s strategy game lineup. With almost a strategy-roguelike set of features, the game will have you carrying an army from battle to battle, scrounging resources, and, hopefully, some new friends and recruits to replace losses and create new units. A hefty physics system is also in place to encourage different tactics and allow battlefield changes to affect the player’s placement and strategies, as blowing up a building will destroy cover, but also destroy the robot tank that is sitting on the roof. Modular vehicles mean that having things damaged in battle are more likely to have them destroyed in the next one unless you can scavenge some way to repair them. While there have only been a few trailers posted and not a lot of news thus far, Terminator: Dark Fate - Defiance is definitely a game to watch in 2022, with a hopeful release on PC via Steam before the end of the year.
Victoria 3
A follow-up to Victoria 2, Victoria 3 is a 4X grand-strategy game in development by Paradox Interactive. Victoria 3 is a historical strategy game that sees you taking charge of the world’s mightiest and not-so-mighty nations from 1836-1936, some of the most transformative time frames in human history. You can lead these nations in war or develop them in times of peace. Different play styles will allow many different kinds of games and hours of play to find out what best suits each player. With the previous games being touted by Paradox as “society-simulators,” this game is sure to be an in-depth grand strategy simulator with a lot of interesting features under the hood. Keep an eye out for more news coming as Victoria 3 is expected to arrive on PC via Steam late 2022 into 2023.
Frostpunk 2
Building on the award-winning formula from Frostpunk, 11 Bit Studio has announced that Frostpunk 2 will be arriving in 2022 on PC via Steam and Epic Games. A survival strategy series, the Frostpunk games place you as leader of a town after an unspecified apocalypse that has thrown the world into disarray. Survive and thrive as you take in survivors, manage the town, and prepare for whatever this changed world will throw at you. Nature, bandits, and even your own population are all struggles you must face in your quest to rebuild society from the ground up. Frostpunk 2 will have you facing even more dangerous threats than before and more options on your leadership style to face them. Industrial Revolution? Communist Cult? Many paths stand before you and if you aren’t careful your city will soon find itself a ghost town, covered in snow and silent as death. Frostpunk 2 currently has no release scheduled, but we can expect to hear more as the year goes on.
Total War: Warhammer 3
Developer Creative Assembly is at it again, returning to the fantasy world of Warhammer for the “cataclysmic conclusion” of their Warhammer Trilogy. With SEGA publishing another Total War, we can expect Total War: Warhammer 3 to be the most fleshed-out and well-polished game in the trilogy. Field armies of daemons, humans, and other fantastical species to either conquer the land or burn it all down. Featuring a turn-based campaign map to manage your empire and an RTS battle system, Warhammer 3 is not planning on flipping the already award-winning Total War script. It does, however, make vast improvements to the siege system and other quality of life updates from the previous game. With this installment being focused on the Chaos Gods and their various motives, we can expect another thrilling addition to the Total War lineup. Having 7 different factions to play as in the main campaign will be exciting, but if you have the previous titles you will also be able to play with all the factions you have in those games, once Creative Assembly drops an update like it did for Warhammer 2. Definitely prepare yourself for this one and be ready to unleash your daemons when Total War: Warhammer 3 drops on February 17th, 2022 for PC via Steam and Epic Games.
Whether you're planning to fight some demons, create an empire, or just like watching spaceships shoot lasers, 2022 will definitely have plenty of content for you. Keep an eye right here on GameTyrant, as we keep you updated on all the biggest games this year. Let us know below, which strategy game are you most excited about this year?
