16 Games Like Advance Wars
Our assorted list of games like Advance Wars features other turn based tactical games where strategy and careful planning are vital to victory over the enemy.
Advance Wars is a long running Nintendo franchise born in 2001 on the Game Boy Advance that has since grown to several games across various portable devices. Centred around leading the Orange Star Army against various enemies the franchise explores a number of simple but enjoyable storylines of overcoming military challenges.
Gameplay in Advance Wars is split into individual scenarios where objectives range from capturing cities, defeating all enemy units or claiming an opponent’s headquarters for yourself. In order to do this players will move their various units across grid based maps to engage in battle, capture map points, leverage the environment or produce new units. These game mechanics have stayed consistent throughout the franchise with minor tweaks and enhancements with each new title to grow the available strategies that players can utilise.
The games like Advance Wars found here offer similar tactical gameplay where you’ll move your units on grid based maps to achieve various level objectives on a number of platforms (PC, iOS and Android included).
Fire Emblem Heroes
Bringing the popular franchise to mobile Fire Emblem Heroes is a free to play variant of the highly acclaimed strategy and tactical franchise. Drawing characters from the entire lore of the Fire Emblem series it’s a nostalgic adventure for fans but friendly enough for newcomers to thoroughly enjoy the mobile experience too. The setting of Fire Emblem Heroes focuses in on the war between the Askr (Askran) and Embla (Emblian) nations with players stepping into the war as a powerful summoner ...[Read Review]
The Banner Saga
Enter the world of the Vikings in The Banner Saga an experience filled with deep story and tactical role playing elements as you lead your own caravan through a range of trials in order to survive the harsh environment and a harsher enemy. With vital decisions falling to you as the leader players have the ability to guide the direction of their caravan as they cross the unforgiving lands. The story in this Viking fantasy follows the adventures of your caravan as you try to survive attacks from t...[Read Review]
Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions
Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions is the updated version of the acclaimed tactical role playing game originally released in 1997. Available on the PlayStation Portable and eventually brought onto iOS and Android this release is the best way to get your hands on this much loved historical Final Fantasy tactical experience. The bare bones of the original are still there but the updated version comes with dramatic improvements that you would expect to see in a modernised version. This inc...[Read Review]
Shining Force
Shining Force launched in 1992 as one of the original fantasy themed tactical role playing games and continues its adventure today decades later with a Steam game release and forming part of a mobile classic bundle under the name Shining Force: The Legacy of Great Intention (free to play and ad supported). With the modern releases of the Shining Force franchise there is a breath of new life which makes the cult classic experience accessible to a whole new generation of gamers. Set in the Kingdom...[Read Review]
Shattered Union
Shattered Union is a turn based game available for Windows and Xbox (Xbox 360 with backwards compatibility) that focuses on the combat side of strategy games with a war themed tactical experience. Primarily a turn based strategy adventure Shattered Union is a challenging title set in the modern day era where you’ll use familiar units across the United States backdrop. Set within an alternate timeline of the real world Shattered Union explores a fractured United States with players able to ...[Read Review]
Fire Emblem Awakening
Ideal for long time fans and new faces to the Fire Emblem franchise is Fire Emblem Awakening another addition to the tactical role playing franchise. While it might be the unlucky 13th game in the main franchise this does not effect the game at all as the game achieves new heights, an impressive feat given the level of polish the franchise is known for. This story will carry players across the continents of Archanea and Valm through a group of soldiers that call the kingdom of Ylisse home. Your ...[Read Review]
Valkyria Chronicles
Valkyria Chronicles is a unique role playing game that blends shooting and strategy together into a single tactical role playing title. Serving as the first game in this tactical franchise Valkyria Chronicles has also expanded into the world of anime and magna with varying success. The stage for your Valkyria Chronicles experience is the fictional region of Europa which takes clear inspiration from a real world Europe during World War II as two powerful factions of equivalent strength battle aga...[Read Review]
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor belongs to the highly popular series of actions games and opts to mix several genres together to create a tactical role playing experience for the Nintendo DS. With multiple endings and paths to take throughout the story combining with so many different team setups it’s a game with high replay value as players can opt to take alternative paths or change their team composition between playthroughs for a different adventure. Set in modern day Tokyo the game explo...[Read Review]
Fantasy War Tactics
Fantasy War Tactics brings the popular turn based tactical genre to the mobile scene with Nexon’s mobile creation that builds on their impressive list of mobile and PC MMO titles. With a more single player focused offering although there is sstill plenty of community interact Fantasy War Tactics challenges players to collect a team of your favourite heroes as you advance through a PvE campaign and claim the PvP titles should you wish to venture into the player vs player arena. Your objective in ...[Read Review]
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars brings modern war based tactical strategy to the 3DS with a lengthy campaign that attempts to make good use of the 3D functionality of the console hardware. While there isn’t a huge amount of innovation from other tactical titles the way the game caters towards both new players and master tacticians while also bringing plenty of story to the table means its a favourable option on the 3DS. The story of Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars w...[Read Review]
Great Big War Game
Great Big War Game is a 3D turn based adventure originally designed for mobile devices and brought across to Windows through Steam. Designed to take hours to complete the core story spans over 50 campaign missions where you’ll utilise tactics, unlock new troops and win the war one turn at a time. Along the way Great Big War Game takes players across countless environments with their own strategic considerations which also carries over to the skirmish and multiplayer options with a vast arr...[Read Review]
Radiant Historia
Radiant Historia is a RPG experience for your Nintendo DS with time travel elements making up the core of the experience. The game was developed by Atlus who worked on many other popular games in the genre including the highly received Nocturne and Persona 3. Radiant Historia is set on Vanqueur, which was the site for a once powerful empire that destroyed itself by using a powerful energy within the game world known as Flux. The current game world which players will have a chance to explore feat...[Read Review]
Skulls of the Shogun
Skulls of the Shogun is a casual take on the turn based tactic genre that brings players into feudal Japan to battle against their former lieutenant that has stolen their place in the afterlife. With simple core mechanics but plenty of strategic variety to explore you’ll find adequate strategy amongst single player and multiplayer modes. Originally launched as an Xbox Live Arcade and Windows title in 2012 Skulls of the Shogun slowly expanded across a number of other platforms, expanding it...[Read Review]
Jeanne d’Arc
Drawing from history but adding countless fantasy elements is Jeanne d’Arc a game for the PSP in the tactical role playing genre. Choosing to focus on smaller combat engagements there is all the depth you need to stay invested from start to end in this 2006 (2007 in North America) released title. The heart of the story line is the 5 magical armlets that were created in the past by powerful heroes to help them in the great war that was fought against the demon army. Fast forward hundreds of years...[Read Review]
AtWar
If you love the Risk board game and wanted a browser based game like Risk then AtWar has come to the rescue with it’s take on the strategy game. Allowing you to play against others on a wide range of maps be prepared to put your strategic mind to the test as you compete within the community for tactical war prestige. The strengths of the AtWar formula start before even making a strategic decision with accessibility and the control over the settings of each game providing the foundation for...[Read Review]
Battle Worlds: Kronos
Battle Worlds: Kronos is an impressive turn based development that grew from a successful Kickstarter campaign into a full release video game with a large amount of single player content. Delivering a strategy experience with a huge amount of units, campaign gameplay and customisation opportunity it aims to be a shining star in a genre that doesn’t receive the same amount of love as the gaming eras of yesteryear. Battle Worlds: Kronos throws players into a militaristic setting as you complete ea...[Read Review]