2022 could be an excellent gaming year if you count strategy among your favourite genres. Not only will there be many titles released, but also very promising ones.
2021 was, all in all, a fairly – let’s say acceptable strategy year. It was certainly not a masterful year filled to bursting with top-class titles. But there were at least a few highlights. For example, Civilization got competition from the successful global strategy games Old World and Humankind. And of course the long-awaited real-time strategy game Age of Empires 4 was released, which was really worth the wait. And Shadow Tactics also celebrated its return thanks to the fabulous DLC Aiko’s Choice.
But the year could have been even more glorious if highlights like Total War: Warhammer 3 hadn’t been postponed. In compensation, 2022 could shine all the brighter. Because Warhammer 3 is only one of many strategy games that will enter the field in the coming twelve months.
In our top list you can get to know the most exciting representatives of the strategy genre that await us in 2022. Among them are building games, real-time strategy, turn-based strategy and everything in between.
Table of Contents
King Arthur: Knight’s Tale
(Genre: Turn-based tactics – Developer: Neocore Games – Platforms: PC – Release: Feb 15, 2022)
What’s it all about? Everyone knows the Knights of the Round Table. A line of daring knights loyal to the legendary King Arthur. Real shining men! But not so in King Arthur: Knight’s Tale. Here Arthur and his knights are part of a cruel and very dark version of the Middle Ages. Full of horrible monsters and even more horrible people. It doesn’t matter that our main character is not Arthur, but his devious adversary Mordred.
Suitable for whom? The King Arthur series used to rival Total War – but those days are gone. Knight’s Tale becomes classic turn-based tactics and thus now competes with XCOM. As Mordred, we hire heroes, train them and should one bite the dust, he remains lost forever.
When is coming? Theoretically, King Arthur is already playable now. The tactics game already went into Early Access in 2021. The full release is currently scheduled for 15 February 2022.
Total War: Warhammer 3
(Genre: Strategy – Developer: Creative Assembly – Platforms: PC – Release: February 17, 2022)
What’s it about? Total War: Warhammer 3 is something fans have been anticipating for a while. Who can blame them, they only had to wait about a year for the second part. Warhammer 3 took much longer. But the third part will also be the grand finale. This is where the decisive battle takes place, because at last chaos is revealed in its full extent. While in the predecessors only generic hordes of chaos were on the move, here the hosts of the four chaos gods appear individually. So be prepared for renewed mass battles, full of brave soldiers, demons, magic work and huge monsters.
Suitable for whom? The Total War concept has stood the test of time. It combines turn-based strategy and real-time strategy. You can expand your fantasy empire turn by turn on a campaign map and also fight every battle personally in real time. No other strategy game manages to depict such epochal mass battles. Especially in the Warhammer spin-offs, because here not only historical strategies come into play, but monsters, magic and flying units require very special approaches.
When is it coming? Warhammer 3 was announced in 2021 and caused a big surprise when it was supposed to be released in the same year. In the end, however, it was postponed and is now scheduled for early 2022. On 17 February, the time has come. Warhammer 3 will be released on the Epic Store and even on Game Pass in addition to Steam.
Total War: Warhammer 3 – A lot is already known about the campaign
Marvel’s Midnight Suns
(Genre: Round Tactics – Developer: Firaxis Games – Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X – Release: 3rd Quarter 2022)
What’s it about? There are quite a few superhero teams in the Marvel universe, the X-Men and the Avengers being just the most popular tip of the skyscraper. Marvel’s Midnight Suns focuses on a rather unknown grouping or was inspired by the Midnight Sons, an assembly of more mythological heroes like Dr. Strange or Ghost Rider. Midnight Suns, however, adds numerous other superheroes to the line-up and doesn’t leave out any favourites. Captain America, Iron Man and Wolverine are among them, for example.
Suitable for whom? Midnight Suns comes from Firaxis, who have earned a reputation as probably the greatest turn-based strategy experts with games like Civilization and XCOM. Yet their new project is more reminiscent of XCOM, because here too we help an elite squad to victory against numerically superior enemies in turn-based tactical battles. Only in this case, we command heroes instead of soldiers and can even create our own superhero.
When is it coming? There is no concrete date for Midnights Suns yet. The plan is the 3rd quarter of 2022, so late summer or autumn.
XCOM with Marvel heroes is really coming: This is what awaits us in Midnight Suns
Company of Heroes 3
(Genre: Real-time strategy – Developer: Relic Entertainment – Platforms: PC – Release: 4th quarter 2022)
What’s it about? Company of Heroes 3 remains true to its roots and continues to use the Second World War as its scenario in its third attempt. But while the second part paid special attention to the Eastern Front, this time the focus is on the Mediterranean front. It is thus about the invasion of Italy by Allied troops, and at the same time the war in North Africa is to be illuminated.
Suitable for whom? Relic is one of the last studios to put its heart and soul into real-time strategy. Having already shown with Age of Empires 4 in 2021 that this genre still has fire, the studio is set to continue next year with CoH 3. However, they are moving away a little from the classic RTS campaign. Instead, CoH 3 will have a turn-based campaign map and thus become a kind of Total War in World War II. Relic has even enlisted the help of their colleagues from Creative Assembly for the implementation. If you don’t care about single player, you can also let off steam in competitive multiplayer in CoH 3.
Company of Heroes 3: All known info on release, pre-alpha, campaign and new features
Homeworld 3
(Genre: Real-time strategy – Developer: Blackbird Interactive – Platforms: PC – Release: 4th quarter 2022)
What’s it about? Speaking of Relic and real-time strategy. One of this studio’s first works was Homeworld, an RTS in three-dimensional space. Homeworld 3 continues the series after 19 years and has some of the former developers on board. However, the game is no longer being developed by Relic itself, but by Blackbird Interactive (Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak). Very little is known about the story, but it is supposed to continue the story of the two predecessors, which were about the search for a new home.
Who is suitable for? Legend has it that whenever anyone anywhere in the world says Homeworld, you can hear Michael Graf sighing softly in the distance. If you too have a soft spot for strategic space battles, then there’s no way around Homeworld. Especially since the series is famous for taking no shortcuts in depicting such battles thanks to its three-dimensional environment. However, Homeworld is equally famous for its moving story and the third part is said to have a stirring storyline once again.
When is it coming? It will still take some time until the release of Homeworld 3. The earliest release is planned for the end of the year in the fourth quarter. But it is possible that at least more information will reach us in the next few months than in the time after the announcement.
The Settlers
(Genre: Building Strategy – Developer: Ubisoft Düsseldorf – Platforms: PC – Release: 2022?
What’s it about? The basic concept of The Settlers remains as obvious as it is indestructible. Of course, it’s about settling a previously uninhabited stretch of land. As usual, the building game focuses on a more cheerful version of the earthly Middle Ages, without drifting entirely into fantasy. This colourful character also sets Settlers apart from competitors such as Anno 1800.
Who is it suitable for? The Settlers have made a few missteps. When Settlers 8 became the mediocre RPG mix Champions of Anteria, it looked for a long time as if the series was buried. But then Settlers returned in 2018 – with original creator Volker Wertich at the helm! So it comes as no surprise that the reboot returns to classic series virtues. It will not be a real-time strategy game, has no RPG leanings, but is simply pure building strategy again. We raise villages, lay roads and plan goods cycles for a perfectly optimised economy.
When is it coming? Yes, if we only knew. Actually, The Settlers should have seen the light of day in 2019. But then the game was postponed to 2020. Now we’re talking about 2022 and the new The Settlers is still not out. Strictly speaking, there is not even a confirmation for 2022. But at least the developer studio has broken the radio silence after more than a year:
The Settlers: After almost two years of radio silence, finally a new sign of life
Knights of Honor 2: Sovereign
(Genre: Strategy – Developer: Black Sea Games – Platforms: PC – Release: 2022)
What’s it about? In Knights of Honor 2, you live the dream of an endless medieval age. Yeah. I get it. The Middle Ages were a tough time. But mostly only for those at the bottom of the pyramid of fief. But we are the king of our country! But that doesn’t mean we are alone. In Knights of Honor 2, we choose the members of our council, with whose help we rule and expand our empire.
Suitable for whom? The first Knights of Honor was a cult hit among strategists, but the announcement of a sequel 15 years later came as a surprise. What’s special about Knights of Honor is that it mixes real-time strategy on a huge Paradox-brand world map with RTS battles on custom battle maps. These are located somewhere between Age of Empires 2 and Total War. Knights of Honor 2 also wants to inspire with this recipe. It should be more accessible than the Paradox games and not quite as complex, but still offer enough depth for professional strategists.
When is coming? The strategy game does not yet have a fixed release date. However, the developers give regular status updates on Steam. After 2021 was once considered, 2022 now seems quite realistic.
Manor Lords
(Genre: Building Strategy – Developer: Slavic Magic – Platforms: PC – Release: 2022 (Early Access)
What’s it about? Manor Lords could be one of the most realistic medieval building games in ages. As a proud landowner, we build smaller villages on a large game map. Each village specialises in the production of a particular resource and we have to trade goods back and forth. But we are not alone and not every dispute with the AI can be resolved peacefully.
Suitable for whom? We have not yet been able to play Manor Lords ourselves and have to rely on the statements of the (single) developer. But according to this, Manor Lords will be a highly exciting mix of Banished, Anno and Total War. We establish chains of goods, produce goods, but also have to watch out that our population doesn’t starve. When it comes to battle, Manor Lords stages the battles on a grand scale.
When’s it coming? Don’t necessarily expect a full release of Manor Lords in 2022. The developer wants to work on its game for a few more years or so before releasing it into the wild. But an Early Access is planned for 2022. Here we will then see whether Manor Lords could live up to the high expectations.
Starship Troopers – Terran Command
(Genre: Real-time Strategy – Developer: The Aristocrats – Platforms: PC – Release: 2022)
What’s it about? In 1997, director Paul Verhoeven released a curious sci-fi flick. Starship Troopers depicts the brutal war between humans and an arachnid alien species called Bugs. The film now enjoys cult status, but caused many questions when it was released. Some viewers were simply confused as to whether it was a largely dull action film or a pointed critique of fascism and militarism. Whether the play will have the same problems remains unclear. Primarily, the RTS is about taking on numerically superior bugs with an outnumbered force of space soldiers.
Suitable for whom? Especially since the film is now considered a cult, the game will naturally attract many of its fans. From a purely gameplay point of view, it’s all aimed at fans of massive real-time battles. You are in command of the Mobile Infantry and must keep your soldiers alive with clever strategy and technical superiority. Or knowingly send them to their deaths to stand up for the greater good. Throughout the campaign, you’ll have to decide whether to follow or defy the orders of the command staff.
When will it happen? Unclear. Actually, a release in 2020 was once planned. But that was probably much too early. Since then, there is no concrete release date, but at least there is a demo. We are cautiously expecting a release in 2022.
Blood Bowl 3
(Genre: Turn-based Strategy – Developer: Cyanide Studios – Platforms: PC – Release: 2022)
What’s it about? You’ve probably heard the term “Fantasy Football”. Usually it’s about managing your own football team. But the term fits much better to the Blood Bowl series. Here, the fantasy universe of Warhammer is combined with American contact sports. The result: surprisingly, a turn-based strategy game. But it is also a game in which the action is pretty intense. Referees have little to say and if your orc in body armour wants to kill the opponents’ quarterback, he might even succeed.
Suitable for whom? This curious mixture of football and Warhammer sounds like an action-packed arcade simulation on paper. In reality, however, Blood Bowl 3 plays more like a board game. You have to carry the ball into the end zone of your opponents and give orders to your players every turn. The teams are extremely different. For example, elves rely more on their nimble feet, while orcs prefer to break a lot of bones. This works best if you are lucky with the dice. Blood Bowl is always very much dependent on chance, so be prepared for a few moments of frustration.
When is it coming? The new Blood Bowl was announced back in May 2019. At the time, the release frame was early 2021, but it has since been delayed several times. We are still waiting to find out an exact month or preferably the right date.
Jagged Alliance 3
(Genre: Turn-based Strategy – Developer: Haemimont Games – Platforms: PC – Release: 2022)
What’s it about? 2022 could be the year of the long-awaited sequels. Jagged Alliance 3 also continues a series that has been in a slump for over 20 years. Ok, honestly it doesn’t. But the spin-offs since Part 2 many fans would just like to forget. Let’s see if former Tropic developers can do better this time – at least they don’t dare to experiment wildly. In Jagged Alliance 3, we once again take command of a squad of mercenaries who are to fight their way through the fictional nation of Grand Chien and free the country from its oppressors.
Suitable for whom? Jagged Alliance can be described with a clear conscience as XCOM with mercenaries. Here, too, the firefights are fought turn by turn and, above all, it can happen that one of your mercenaries goes to the eternal hunting grounds forever. What sets Jagged Alliance apart, however, are the exploration tours through the levels. We can explore them freely and in real time with the mercenary squad.
When is it coming? The game was announced in 2021, but without a concrete time frame. At least there was already some gameplay to see at that time, so it’s no longer at the very beginning. A release in 2022 seems possible, but is not completely set in stone.
Pharaoh: A New Era
(Genre: Construction Strategy – Developer: Triskell Interactive – Platforms: PC – Release: 2022)
What’s it about? The venerable Pharaoh is also set to be brought back from its tomb in 2022. However, Pharaoh: A New Era is not a full-fledged successor, but a graphical remake of the original from 1999, which belonged to the ranks of historical construction games by Impressions Games and is considered one of the best construction games of all time. Unsurprisingly, hardly any people have built such impressive and enduring wonders as the ancient Egyptians.
Suitable for whom? If you played the original and loved it like fellow Géraldine, then you’ll surely want to return after all this time. If not, you should catch up on this milestone with the release of the remake at the latest. Pharaoh offers a total of 53 construction missions that take us through different periods of the pharaohs of Egypt. In the beginning you build simple mud houses and take care of the water supply, later you are responsible for the construction of monumental buildings like the pyramids. Incidentally, little is supposed to change in terms of gameplay.
When is it coming? There is no date for this remake yet. 2022 seems like a realistic date, especially since the revisions are also limited.
Park Beyond
(Genre: Construction Strategy – Developer: Limbic Entertainment – Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S – Release: 2022)
What’s it all about? It’s actually absurd. You have the medium of video games, where almost anything is possible, and most park simulators merely try to copy reality. Well, if you put a lot of effort into it, you can create insane attractions with Planet Coaster’s editor. But Park Beyond pins this madness proudly to its chest. Absurd rides are the order of the day here.
Suitable for whom? Park Beyond will be a park simulation, with everything that goes with it. So you’ll be taking care of both filling your park with imaginative rides and making sure your plans are profitable in the first place. Because just because flying cars or juggling octopuses are possible in this game, they are not automatically cost-effective. Park Beyond is supposed to give us creative freedom without overtaxing us. But it should also offer a management component that really deserves the name. Should both succeed, then this would be one of the most comprehensive park simulations of all time.
When is coming? We don’t know anything concrete, but the developers talked about sometime in 2022. However, since the announcement was only made in the summer of 2021, Park Beyond shouldn’t be expected before the autumn.
Which strategy game are you most looking forward to? And are there any that don’t appear on this list at all? Let us know in the comments!
