My Top 10 Tactical Games (X-com-likes) on PC

Welcome to yet another top ten list! This time we are leaving the RPG genre behind and going straight for intense tactical combat in the form of X-com-likes, with the X-com games included. Specifically, this means: The games on this list must have some kind of base/camp management, where the player will upgrade, equip and recruit units for the campaign. The game must also involve tactical combat, with an overlaying strategic map where decisions are made like where to attack. And finally, the most important requirement: It must be sandbox-orientated—even if it has a story, where the deaths of soldiers, agents, or mercenaries don’t result in an instant game over.

The X-com genre is one of my absolute favorites. The gameplay is dynamic, has natural high tension thanks to permanent deaths, cool sense of progression, and sweet tactical action when tasks must be accomplished. But it’s not exactly a well-defined genre on its own. However, I will try to keep it in line with the original that started it all. With that said, let’s start the list with the most obvious entry:

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1) UFO: Enemy Unknown (X-COM: UFO Defense)
The granddaddy of them all, and the game that created the genre: UFO: Enemy Unknown. Even now, many years since its creation (1994), it’s still undefeated in design, gameplay, and atmosphere. And that’s even before mentioning the excellent open-source version of the game: OpenXcom. It allows for all kinds of modifications, and makes it easier to run on modern systems.

However, with OpenXcom, it has certainly become bigger, and transformed the game to something much more. Many mods released for it rival even stand-alone games in the genre due to the massive amount of content they contain. My favorite being the Final Mod Pack, as it takes the normal campaign, and expands it in several ways with new weapons, aliens and maps. I have even made my own mods for it, which you can find in my article: The Ultimate X-com Experience.

The original X-com is a total gaming experience – one I truly believe will never be surpassed.

2) Jagged Alliance 2
Mercenaries world over unite, because in second place Jagged Alliance 2 comes in blazing, putting bullet holes all over the list. Jagged Alliance 2, just like X-com, is a legendary franchise with multiple game releases over the decades—some good, others abysmal, with the sequel to the original being the best of the bunch.

Jagged Alliance 2 is the mercenary simulator, with you, the laptop-guy, in full control of your hired guns. From equipment, training, and how they spend their free-time when not shooting banana republic soldiers across the chest.

While you don’t have a base in the literal sense, the management is still deep enough to qualify. The strategic map is filled with dynamic opportunities, while still offering strong scripted story segments – that are both well written and often hilarious, thanks to its 90s action setting.

The community patch 1.3 patch that enhances the game is fabled in its own regard, but on top of that there exists numerous cool mods to download. It’s the game to play if you ever want to channel your inner Dolph Lundgren to spread freedom in some unknown despot country!

3) Battle Brothers
From surviving in the dense and hot jungles of Arulco, to the deep dark medieval forests of Germany where one wrong move can mean you fall into a pit of murderous spiders. Not how you want to spend your final days in Battle Brothers!

Just like Jagged Alliance 2, Battle Brothers is another mercenary simulator, but instead of the comfy 90s, you are sent back to the dark ages of Germany when life was harsh and without mercy. Especially, in this specific fantasy setting, where regular bandits are the least of your problems. How about animated skeleton warriors that would love to cut you up for their master, or perhaps hungry beasts that stalk the dusky forests, waiting for the random mushroom picker to wander off the beaten path? The only thing missing in Battle Brothers is having a set base for your mercenary needs.

However, this doesn’t mean that the management isn’t deep, because it is, as you have your camp and men of arms to contend with. Yet, my hope for the game has always been a DLC that lets you build and manage your own fortress. Because at one point you reach a certain level with your mercenary company when sleeping under the clear sky isn’t dignified enough anymore. Alas, just a dream, but what we get despite my wishful thinking is an awesome game that is pure sandbox to the end. 

4) Darkest Dungeon
Let’s remain in the fantasy world for a while longer with the number four title: Darkest Dungeon. What this game got in common with Battle Brothers, beyond the setting of having to fight monsters with swords and spears, is that it’s just as brutally unforgiving. This means never to get overly familiar with any hero, as the next mission can be his or her last by making one wrong move.

What makes Darkest Dungeon unique is the awesome Lovecraftian background, with its narrative interwoven into the mechanics. And there are a lot of mechanics to learn, loot to acquire and unredeemable evil creatures to decapitate.

A fabulous game with a lot of DLCs that all add to the experience. There is also a sequel, Darkest Dungeon II, but I haven’t played it yet. My reason for my hesitation is the change in gameplay, which does not look or feel half as cool as the original. But yes, the first Darkest Dungeon is a title that must be played if you like X-com-like tactical gameplay spliced with cosmic horror. 

5) Silent Storm
Time to go back to the modern age again with the game Silent Storm—where nearly everything can be destroyed depending on explosives and caliber! Silent Storm takes place during the second world war, and you can pick to play either as the allies or the axis, with a different set of missions based on who you chose.

However, the ultimate goal remains the same: to destroy the sinister third and secret faction, Thor’s Hammer. You will still be gunning down Tommies as the Axis, and vice versa, since peace between the nations is still a distant thing in 1943.

What sets Silent Storm apart from other similar WW2 themed tactical games is the pulpy sci-fi setting, and the incredible engine it runs on—where you, as mentioned, can destroy almost everything. Is the enemy giving you a hard time on the other side of the wall? Why not blow it up—or better yet, take down the entire building just to be sure! The combat is dynamic thanks to this, creating a visual feast with shot-up battlegrounds as far as the eye can see.

Then we have the expansion, Sentinels, and the spin-off game Hammer & Sickle that further expands on the experience. So, there is a lot for anyone that finds enjoyment in the solid Silent Storm turn-based combat!

6) Xenonauts
Xenonauts is the most X-com-like, of all the X-com-likes on this list, since it’s basically a re-imagining of UFO: Enemy Unknown, but in a 1970s Cold War setting. So, why ever play this over the original? Because of the background, which has a completely separate atmosphere and feel over the original 1990s backdrop. It oozes Cold War, even if one could wish more was done with it.

However, as it is, it’s a great remake that retains most mechanics, and expands on other things, which in total makes it a different experience. Just like the original, it’s as punishing, leaving corpses of veterans for every mistake made on the battlefield. Nothing is more heartbreaking than to lose your number one to a blunder that could have been easily avoided. Yet it’s what makes this genre what it is. The tension of creeping through downed UFOs, with the feeling of joy for a mission success, to the mournfulness of a whole insertion team wiped out in a nightmarish ambush.

The sequel Xenonauts 2 is currently in Early Access, but is expected to be released this year!

7) Dead State: Reanimated
The zombie apocalypse is once again upon us. Dead State has already made an appearance in my top ten list series, specifically in the: My Top 10 RPGs with Fixed Parties on PC (landing a second place). As qualifiers go, it’s also a match for tactical X-com-likes, since it has terrifying tense-filled tactical combat with permanent death as an outcome—if you fail, that is.

Beyond being an engaging RPG, it also has damn good turn-based combat, as evident from existing on this list too. The only problem is that the fighting can feel slow at times, because of the number of actors on certain bigger maps. It can take a long time to plow through the zombies, but considering how good the game is otherwise, it’s worth the trade-off.

Dead State is my go-to when it comes to surviving the zombie wasteland. It mixes the melancholy vibes of the end of the world with brutal tactical combat, and RPG goodness that has excellent and engaging writing. Not a game you want to miss out on!

8) X-COM: Apocalypse
X-COM: Apocalypse is Gollop’s final and most ambitious entry in the X-com series that he and his team created. However, his vision was not fully realized, as the game was in developer hell, seeing many of the more advanced mechanics being scaled back, or outright removed. Nonetheless, it’s a unique gameplay experience, with a splendid retro-futuristic look, that I still think to this day looks awesome, and remains unmatched.

One of the fantastic parts of the game is the setting. While humans won against the aliens in X-COM: Terror from the Deep, the environmental changes due to the war were too disastrous for humanity. This forced the remaining population into huge mega metropolises, which means that you don’t police the whole world against aliens now, just one big city.

Feedback from the government and the city’s various corporations is much more direct: for example, a stray missile hitting the HQ of an enterprise can quickly sour relations. This can eventually lead to outright war, which does not help the struggle against the invaders. Very cool stuff, but it’s somewhat bittersweet when you think about what could have been. I prefer to play this monster in real-time, as I find it exciting in this specific game, which is somewhat of an oddity for me.

Just like OpenXcom, X-COM: Apocalypse got its own version, called: OpenApoc. However, progress is slow, but from what I understand, a playable version made for modern computers exists, but limited. 

9) XCOM 2: War of the Chosen
We have finally reached the modern versions of the official X-com brand on the list. The reason I picked the sequel over the original nuXcom game, XCOM: Enemy Unknown—is that I find it much more exciting and captivating overall. Especially with the massive expansion War of the Chosen, which has become the definitive way to play the game.

The one thing XCOM: Enemy Unknown got over XCOM 2: War of the Chosen is that it has more in common with the original from 1994, as it has a similar theme to its mechanics. However, XCOM 2 has the cool feeling of scrappiness, set in a doomed dystopian world, orchestrated by the menacing alien invaders.

The story is fun, in a sci-fi b-movie sense, that doesn’t take itself too seriously, but never at the expense of the integrity of the plot. The turn-based combat is also great and snappy, even if it uses the somewhat limiting move and shoot mechanic established by the first game.

Another huge reason why this title is awesome, is the mod Long War of the Chosen that turns the campaign to an epic journey, which I highly recommend!

10) Wartales
Wartales is another take on the merciless mercenary life during medieval times, and much like Battle Brothers, you build your company up from scratch to something even army commanders will fear. The main differences between the two games are that Wartales does not have the same freedom in its sandbox nature, as quests will always be the same.

However, you can still pick and choose what to do, in any order you want, which gives the campaign a sandbox nature in a sense. The second deviation is that while combat is turn-based, it ditches the percentage rolls for a deterministic system where attacks always hit. Mitigation of damage is key here. I prefer my virtual dice rolls, but I admit that Wartales does its system justice and is very entertaining, especially with permanent death always hanging over your decisions.

Wartales has also seen many DLCs that expand on the game in various ways—from new locations, to running an inn of your own. However, I have not played any of them, so I can’t say if they are any good, but usually, more content is always good! If you like Battle Brothers, you will enjoy this!

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That concludes my tactical list. I remind you to direct the hate mail to the government of your choosing. Jokes aside, I wanted to include a lot more games, but some like Stirring Abyss just didn’t fit the criteria, even though I very much enjoyed this title. Other honorable mentions are:

Templar: Battleforce, UFO: Aftermath, Last Train Home, Fallout: Tactics, Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate, Jagged Alliance 3, X-COM: Terror from the Deep and Phoenix Point.

For whatever reason, they just didn’t cut it, but as you can see, there was a pretty big pool to pick from – and that’s without those games that fell away early. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the list. See you in the next one!

Thanks for reading.

– Thomas