Whether it be turn-based or real-time, tactics games are a rather unique genre that can be niche to many gamers. These games swap the fast-paced movement and quick reflexes that are often required in many action games for a slower, more methodical approach to gameplay.
8 Hardest Tactical RPGs, Ranked
Ready for a challenge? These tactical RPGs demand strategy, precision, and a bit of luck to survive their punishing gameplay and tough battles.
Tactics-based games emerged mostly in the 1980s on the PC platform, adding a new layer to the mechanics of traditional turn-based RPGs and strategy games. Factoring in aspects like resource management, unit positioning, and terrain-based effects, just to name a few; tactics games have a lot to offer players who are up to the challenge. Due to the often heavy focus on strategy and planning, it's obvious to see why the genre has had a reputation for its complexity ever since.
While we are going to prioritize mechanical layers, a few games that have different styles of complexity will also be included.
Honorable Mentions:
As we cannot include everything, here are a couple of tactics games that almost made the grade, and you might find them harder than some of the current picks. Ultimately, "complexity" is somewhat subjective.
- Wargroove
- Xenonauts (and Xenonauts 2)
- Divinity: Original Sin 2 (and Baldur's Gate 3, to a lesser extent)
- BattleTech
- Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark
- Solasta: Crown of the Magister
- Into the Breach
- Phoenix Point
- Pathfinder games – Only left out as they are more CRPGs than traditional tactics, but Kingmaker (especially) could fit depending on your definition of tactics. Anyway, they are complex.
8 Final Fantasy Tactics
The Series' First Foray Into The Tactics Genre
Final Fantasy Tactics
- Released
- June 20, 1997
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Mild Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Square
- Franchise
- Final Fantasy
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation (Original)
- Genre(s)
- Tactical, RPG
Final Fantasy Tactics was the first game in Square Enix's ever-popular series to bring more tactics-focused gameplay instead of its turn-based RPG formula fans were used to. Set in the now unstable Kingdom of Ivalice following the Fifty Years' War, and on the brink of yet another conflict, the game brings the usual deep storylines, characters, and lore the franchise is known for.
While its new tactics-based gameplay may be easier for long-time fans to pick up, it may be a different story for those unfamiliar with the series. Having to manage up to five party members in battle can be daunting for new players, not to mention having over 20 different classes and hundreds of abilities to mix and match. With the limitless possibilities for different character builds, this classic TRPG can require some careful planning across its 30+ hour main story.
7 The Banner Saga 3
The Finale For This Epic Viking-Themed Trilogy
The Banner Saga 3
- Released
- July 26, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
The Banner Saga 3 is the final installment of Stoic Studio’s trilogy, taking place in the same Viking-themed universe as the previous releases, but bringing in more detail to its plot and characters, ultimately wrapping up the storyline of the trilogy. Following the same turn-based tactics gameplay featured in the previous two installments, which are well-crafted and aim to be easy to grasp, the game still provides a good challenge, especially with the game’s scarcity of resources.
Best Tactical RPGs That Require Deep Thinking
Players best not rush their decisions in these tactical RPGs, because every move counts and should be carefully considered.
The Banner Saga 3’s complexity doesn’t come much from its gameplay, but rather its plot and the many different options to pick from. Its story focuses quite a bit on the various player-made choices throughout the game, whether it be through actions or dialogue. Both can have a large influence on what happens next, and the choices aren’t always easy either, often having a pretty heavy moral weight to them, making some decisions very difficult to make once invested in the story and characters.
The Banner Saga 3 has been included to highlight a different type of complexity from pretty much every other game in this article. That said, if we are talking solely about mechanics, games like Xenauts and BattleTech are more complex.
6 Shadow Tactics: Blades Of The Shogun
Stealth-Focused Tactics Meet Edo-Era Japan
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun
- Released
- December 6, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Mimimi Games
- Platform(s)
- Xbox One, PC, Linux, Microsoft Windows, macOS, Amazon Luna, PlayStation 4
- Genre(s)
- Real-Time Strategy, Tactical, Action, Adventure, Indie Games
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun is perhaps most well-known for its complex, stealth-focused, real-time combat; making it stand out from the usual turn-based tactics battle systems. Players must navigate the intricate and sprawling environments of Edo-period Japan, coordinating a party of five characters, each having their own unique skill sets, such as proficiency in ranged attacks or traps.
The game’s complexity stems from its real-time nature, where effective combat is based on timing various character actions simultaneously. Especially as it mixes in a focus on stealth, the player also needs to prioritize staying hidden while also being quick on their feet, which factors in a bit of skill in problem-solving at times. Blades of Shogun can be confusing at first, but once players get used to planning unit positions based on situation and abilities, it can generally be a challenging but rewarding experience.
5 Disgaea
The Hardest Entry In A Tactical JRPG Series That Loves To Have All The Mechanics
Disgaea: Hour of Darkness
- Released
- August 27, 2003
WHERE TO PLAY
If you are remotely into tactical JRPGs, you should be familiar with Disgaea, which is arguably the most consistently great franchise in the genre. Now, the games in the series are all fairly difficult, and they tend to go down the "more is more" route by throwing a billion ideas and mechanics at the player. The actual grid-based combat is not unusual by any stretch of the imagination, but it is how everything comes together that really makes this series shine (and challenging).
The original Disgaea is probably the hardest, but your answer might come down to which game is your first. Disgaea straight-up overwhelms newcomers, and your first few hours with the franchise will generally be spent trying to figure out how to effectively progress and strengthen your many, many characters, while coming to grips with franchise-exclusive concepts like stacking. Unlike its successors, the first game opts to be punishing from the start, rather than gradually ramping things up.
4 Fire Emblem: Thracia 776
A Lesser-Known Yet Unique Entry For The Popular Series
Fire Emblem: Thracia 776
- Released
- September 1, 1999
- Developer(s)
- Intelligent Systems
While Fire Emblem: Thracia 776 isn’t the most well-known of the Fire Emblem series, it certainly is regarded among fans as one of its more difficult and complex entries. This fifth installment in the Fire Emblem franchise was a bit more intricate than the previous games, especially for those new to the tactics genre. Past just managing the basics of an often large party of characters, players also have to manage the group's fatigue values both in and out of combat. Due to the scarcity of resources, the early parts of the game are very punishing.
Add in the fact that the map designs can be pretty unforgiving at times, with challenging terrain and hard-hitting enemies; the player has to constantly juggle a fair amount of different things while playing. This is all without even mentioning the permadeath mechanic that is common in the Fire Emblem series, just to add a bit more difficulty into the mix.
3 Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
Ogre Battle Goes Tactical
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
- Released
- October 6, 1995
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Quest Corporation
- Platform(s)
- SNES, Sega Saturn, PlayStation (Original)
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Tactical
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together is renowned in the series for its complex gameplay and systems, with branching storylines and overall difficulty. Its combat system factored terrain and positioning of units into its gameplay, along with limited available resources, such as money and spell items, demanding careful and precise planning.
Permadeath raised the stakes even more, as losing a character meant they were gone permanently. The game's intricate narrative, which is shaped by player choices, creates a hefty dose of extra complexity, which makes the game both challenging and rewarding for strategy enthusiasts.
2 Jagged Alliance 2
Complex For 1999, And Extremely Complex For The 2020s
Jagged Alliance 2
- Released
- April 19, 1999
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Sir-Tech Canada
- Platform(s)
- PC
- Genre(s)
- Strategy, Tactical, Isometric
At this point, you might be noticing a pattern...the most complex tactics games are almost exclusively from the '90s or early 2000s. That does not mean modern games are easy or struggle to provide a challenge, but they tend to have superior onboarding phases to ease beginners into the flow of things. They might also remove a layer or two that adds confusion rather than genuine complexity.
Jagged Alliance 2 is not only one of the greatest tactics games of all time, but it still holds up as one of the hardest in the genre's history. The latter comes courtesy of quite a few things, but as a whole, it mainly comes down to just how much micromanagement the game expects from players. On the battlefield, you need to achieve peak efficiency and not waste a single action, as even simple things like crouching use up points. A fairly grounded war sim, Jagged Alliance 2 does a great job of replicating reality, so you are not going to get any magic bullets that can shoot through multiple walls to reach their target. Then, you have all the ways playable characters differ from each other, and the many operations you need to consider beyond just defeating your enemies in a straightforward battle.
1 X-COM: UFO Defense
An Early Masterclass In Tactics-Based Gameplay
X-Com: UFO Defense
- Released
- 1994
WHERE TO PLAY
Mostly due to its age, X-COM: UFO Defense is easily the most complex on this list, and it is also a cult classic that can be difficult to get into if you don't have nostalgia for it. UFO Defense also marked the start of the beloved X-COM franchise, which has produced almost nothing but excellence in the genre.
UFO Defense tasks the player with commanding individual troops to defend Earth from an alien invasion, as well as building defenses and researching further developments. Its complexity comes from the game's unique blending of turn-based tactics with real-time simulation and management. The player would have to manage both building and research tasks in real time, while methodically planning out turns in combat, making the journey through this classic tactics title both rewarding and challenging.
8 Most Fun Tactics Games, Ranked
These engaging tactics games deliver some of the most fun in the strategy genre, providing plenty of tools for genre newbies and veterans alike.