Published on January 15th, 2019 | by Sunit Nandi

Great Online Strategy Games for 2019

Over the last two decades, we’ve seen an explosion in the online video game market, and everyone has their favorite “go-to” genre. But rather than shooting zombies, playing a superhero or embarking on a quest, for many of us nothing is better than a challenging, brain-wracking strategy game. Here are some of our best recommendations for online strategy games you should consider playing in the new year.

Every installation of the Total War series involves epic strategic battles.

Photo by Instacodez / Public Domain

Warhammer II and Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia

The Total War series probably boasts the greatest and most well-known strategy games of all time, striking a balance between real-time and turn-based gameplay. Depending on how often you play, a Total War game can take you days, weeks or even months to complete a grand campaign. But the game still gives you the option of having large-scale, real-time battles that can take up to an hour to reach finality.

What makes the game most intriguing is that it requires the player to find a balance between economic management and war tactics to maximize campaign results. You will coordinate massive campaigns, including several strategic battles throughout each. The strategy games included in the wide-ranging Total War series depict various historical moments in America, Europe and Japan. The latest series title is Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia, which takes you through some of the darkest times in British history. If you love historical games, we recommend that you play Thrones of Britannia, Shogun 2 and Rome II. Additionally, those of you who are obsessed with the fantasy gaming genre should try Warhammer I or II.

This is the Police

Your city is currently suffering from a corrupt mayor and gang infestations of the Freeburg streets. You play the role of police chief Jack Boyd, and you’re only 180 days away from retirement (which will score you a $500,000 nest egg — if you get there). It’s a dark strategy game about solving crimes, juggling the labor pool and resources of the police department, and getting tangled up in the dealings of the city’s criminal element. This is the Police is available on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Linux and Macintosh operating systems. At a minimum, you should either play this game on a large smartphone (we recommend the iPhone XR or even better, the iPhone XS Max) or an iPad since players often complain about the size of the UI buttons.

Online Poker

We can’t help but recommend poker as a quintessential strategy game because it has been a highly-popular pastime for almost two centuries. That’s mostly because its strategy comes from three basic pillars: play tight, play aggressively and play in position. Playing tight means preparing to fold most hands and being selective with the hands that you choose to bet. Playing aggressively refers to the notion that betting and raising can often be preferable to checking and calling. And playing in position posits that the fewer players who make moves after you do, the better your advantage must be.

Poker offers several additional benefits to a player who wants to improve his or her strategic prowess. Playing poker helps to improve concentration and develop logic skills by forcing the player to avoid mixed signals and muddle through a series of puzzles, which includes familiarizing oneself with the probability theory. To become a decent poker player, you must also learn patience (in other words, temper your impulses), learn how to plan, focus on long-term strategy, adeptly adjust to changing situations and figure out how to get into people’s heads. Poker also teaches you the benefits of acting last — after gathering as much information as possible (giving up as little as you can) while evaluating all the variables — and how to conduct a risk-reward analysis. Whether you prefer Texas Hold ‘em or variants like Omaha Hi-Lo, Five-Card Draw or Seven-Card Stud, you can find an online version that suits your fancy for sure.

Stellaris allows you to create a civilization among the stars.

Photo by BagoGames / CC BY 2.0

Stellaris

Think you’re ready to lead a civilization in space? Then Stellaris is for you. It’s a real-time grand strategy game that allows you to build, grow and manage a civilization in the cosmos. The game takes place in the year 2200, so humans have already successfully colonized space. Players can select among various premade empires or create a custom species with unique traits. This game requires you to manage several factors and processes to keep your space colonies safe. That includes the management of construction projects, military tasks, spaceships and scientific developments.

As with every strategy game, you will need to battle enemies to survive. Combat can take place either on the ground or in the stratosphere, depending on the planets you manage. The game also includes diplomatic and trade mechanics that let you collaborate with other factions or trade resources.

Tags: 2019, online, strategy games

About the Author

Sunit Nandi I'm the leader of Techno FAQ. Also an engineering college student with immense interest in science and technology. Other interests include literature, coin collecting, gardening and photography. Always wish to live life like there's no tomorrow.