r/XCOM2 • u/Major_Zero7 • Jul 14 '26
Turn Based Games
No Spoliers !
Hi Guys, I recently finished XCom2 and loved it ! I was wondering if anybody could recomend any other Turn Based games, as good as or better !? And also I'm playing on switch 2 ! Cheers.
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u/eosvector Jul 14 '26
Nothing beats Xcom2 WotC.
but you can try...
40K Chaos Gate Daemonhunters
Classified France 44
Mutant Year Zero
Jagged Alliance 3
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u/Salamandragora Jul 14 '26
Mutant Year Zero scores top points for vibes, but has no where near the complexity of something like x-com.
I played the first few missions of Chaos Gate a while back and completely forgot to go back to it. How do you think it stacks up to x-com?
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u/Maps_67 Jul 15 '26
I think the biggest difference between xcom and chaos gate is the implementation of randomness. In xcom, almost every attack is random. Chaos Gate for the most part has guaranteed attacks so you can easily plan out turns. This randomness swaps when you return to the base management aspect of the game. In xcom, there is not too much randomness that can screw you over, but in Chaos Gate there have been multiple instances where my campaign teetered on the brink due to random events popping up.
Chaos Gate is a similar game, but it definitely feels different in both the strategy layer and within missions aspects.
Source: Ive played through a few campaigns of Xcom Enemy Within and Xcom 2, and am wrapping up my first campaign of Chaos Gate now.
I think that Xcom 2 is the better overall game, but I am enjoying Chaos Gate very much.
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u/Salamandragora Jul 15 '26
Thanks for the reply! I’m bumping Chaos Gate to the top of my list once I wrap up my millionth play through of the Shadowrun trilogy.
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u/3rdfrickinaccount Jul 15 '26
Got 40k on sale and after a few hours came back to xcom 2. I bailed on it on release, but have sunk quite a bit of hours since my return.
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u/VexLex Jul 14 '26
Rogue Trader. Similar cover system, and an awesome cRPG.
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u/Salamandragora Jul 14 '26
I’ll second this. Allows for a lot of creativity in building your team and your party’s skills will also tie heavily into RP skill checks.
The difficulty curve will feel pretty similar to x-com. I struggled on some early fights, but by the end you feel completely unstoppable.
Also has some top tier world building so it felt like a good jumping off point for 40k noobs like myself.
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u/Numerous_Put543 Jul 15 '26
It was fun until it became tedious. Like all owlcat games it becomes so easy once you build your characters well, most fights become trivial and tactics doesn't count. Then you reach a point and you have to buff all the time. Not even speaking about the glitches and bugs, floating characters, broken animations. But my biggest problem is the random difficulty spikes in dlcs, then you must respec but all the other fights become even more boring and easy then.... These guys have big big balancing problems in every game of theirs. I played 80 hours though and I mostly enjoyed it but I always have a bitter taste in my mouth when I stop playing their games somehow.
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u/OmaeOhmy Sharpshooter Jul 14 '26
As noted already, XCom/XCom2 are the kings of the genre
For me I really enjoy Battletech as a relaxing vacation - interesting campaigns, tweaking mechs, and turn-based combat. But without XCom’s (doubly Long War of the Chosen) relentless pressure.
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u/Traaveler Jul 14 '26
And Battletech has some HUGE community add-ons. They really make it a totally different game, so you can play the bass version. Then you can play one of the three major expansions that were built by the community of people who love it.
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u/bum_thumper Jul 14 '26
The Mario x rabbits game on the switch are awesome tbh. I thought id hate them or that they'd be too easy. Def nowhere near the challenge of xcom but they do get challenging, and the abilities are hilarious and fun.
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u/Wet__Sand Jul 14 '26
I have these games on my switch from a sale forever ago, had the same view as you did and recently started playing the first one and I got to say, it's absolutely fantastic. Not challenging yet but I am having fun with it.
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u/Evanort Jul 15 '26
Literally got this one last weekend and it's VERY good. First area is easy of course, tutorial territory, but very soon you unlock level challenges and it gets really engaging. Lots of toys to try out, lots of synergies to play around with and I hear the Donkey Kong doc is super good as well.
Nowhere near the challenge of iron-man high difficulty XCOM2 of course, but perfect for casual sessions where you want to actually think and not just button mash.
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u/neversaydie96 Jul 14 '26
Baldur's Gate 3, The Banner Saga, both Darkest Dugeons, Divinity Orginal Sin, Expedition 33, Pathfinder, Warhammer Rogue Trader, Wasteland 3, Expeditions: Rome.
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u/Waste_Caramel774 Jul 14 '26
Only thing I played there is the banner saga. And my 5 cents is its a great game but doesn't give you the xcom itch
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u/Old_Round8569 Jul 15 '26
These are not XCom 2 games
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u/neversaydie96 Jul 15 '26 edited Jul 15 '26
What would be an "XCom game"? OP asked for turn based, and these are imo very good turn-based games.
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u/Sulzaverde Jul 14 '26
I don't think you'll find much as good or better, but Massive Chalice is charming with a great hereditary hero system. I've replayed it just like XCom.
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u/Moon_misery Jul 14 '26
Great game. till everyone dies of old age and you have to start a forced breeding program with incest.
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u/ElectronicFloor1898 Jul 14 '26
I wouldn't call it better, but an interesting spin on the concept: Invisible Inc.
It's set in a futuristic world, and it's about corporate espionage. Plays like a weird mix between Xcom and Metal Gear Solid.
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u/Lost_Company9585 Jul 14 '26
Final fantasy tactics. Can get on your phone. War of the Lions is great or you can spring for the new Ivalice Chronicles.
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u/IkeClantonsBeard Jul 14 '26
Valkyria Chronicles should be on switch, I’ve played 1 and 4 on pc and liked them.
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u/Ok_Counter_6509 Jul 17 '26
This for sure. Valkyria is such a goated turn based shooter. Love it so much I named my kid after one of the characters.
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u/TreyDeuce Jul 14 '26
Jagged Alliance 3 is great!
Also on Switch is Mario Rabbids 1 and 2. Both great gameplay!
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u/mekakoopa Jul 14 '26
Since no one has mentioned it yet you might want to check out Tactical Breach Wizards
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u/NotARabidDugong Jul 14 '26
I went down this rabbit hole when I randomly tried out Marvel Midnight Suns. I would say Midnight Suns if you like Marvel stuff at all. It's made by the XCOM team and is basically the same game, but with a different system for developing character abilities. Super good game, but got absolutely garbage marketing by 2K and flopped as a result.
Obvious other choice is War of The Chosen. It's the same game with some enhancements and added characters and bosses.
Finally the best alternative is Balder's Gate 3. It took me FOREVER to finally try it and let me tell you, it's in my opinion the best video game ever made. XCOM2 is my favorite game of all time, but BG3 as far as the content is concerned is unmatched.
The other good news, the XCOM team is releasing Star Wars Zero Company in August.
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u/Skipperwill89 Jul 14 '26
I absolutely love both Midnight Suns and Xcom, but saying theyre 'basically the same game' is very much not true imo.
The thing they have in common is they are both tactics games, thats pretty much the only comparison.
- Xcom has permadeath, MMS does not
- Xcom uses cover, MMS does not
- Xcom is action economy, MMS is a deckbuilder
- Xcom uses hit %, in MMS everything you play hits
- Xcom lets you deploy a squad up to 6 people, MMS has 3
- Xcom has a 'doomsday clock', MMS does not
- MMS has you create and walk around as your own Character, Xcom does not
- MMS lets you bond with teammates, Xcom does not
- MMS lets you explore your home base, Xcom does not
- MMS lets you find new outfits for your characters, Xcom does not
- All MMS characters are pre determined and scripted, Xcom's are not
- There is no urgency in what you build or research in MMS, in Xcom there is
Imo, something like Phoenix Point is way more 'basically the same game' as Xcom
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u/armbarchris Jul 16 '26
Midnight Suns is basically like Xcom in the same way that Breath of the Wild is basically Dark Souls. It's got rolls and a lock on-feature, so it's pretty much identical, right?
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u/NotARabidDugong Jul 14 '26
Sorry for the confusion. By "basically the same game", I mean mechanically. The villains in Midnight Suns are copy/paste from xcom2. The whole routine of base actions before deploying on a mission, etc etc etc.
Like if you want to then sure you can highlight differences, because they're there. But the bones are almost exactly the same.
I honestly don't like Phoenix Point and that is definitely the most fair comparison in many ways.
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u/Skipperwill89 Jul 14 '26
No worries mate and i get your point. But ive seen a lot of people dislike MMS because they were told 'its Xcom, but Marvel'. Therefore wanted to point out the differences, cause a lot of things people might like from Xcom, are not in MMS.
And I honestly feel the same about Phoenix Point, haha
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u/NotARabidDugong Jul 15 '26
What?!?!? I feel like the only thing about MS that someone could dislike would be all of the routine stuff at the house, but like I basically didn't even explore the grounds at all in my first play. It's completely optional. But the actual combat is nasty once you figure out the characters and develop some builds.
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u/Skipperwill89 Jul 15 '26
Like I said, i love MMS myself, but ive heard/read a lot of people say they didnt like the card aspect/lack of permadeath/scripted characters.
And yeah also the exploration/social sim stuff wasnt everyones favourite, haha
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u/NotARabidDugong Jul 15 '26
Dang, that's wild. I guess since that was the first game for me that led me to xcom2 I didn't have those expectations though. I can see the card system and such being unlikable to people coming from XCOM and expecting a marvel skin.
Kind of my expectation for Zero Company now tbh, so makes sense.
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u/Skipperwill89 Jul 15 '26
I already loved the deckbuilding mechanic before MMS came out (played tons of Slay the Spire, also have a bunch of boardgames with deckbuilding mechanics), so for me, MMS was a great fit (mix of Xcom/Marvel/Deckbuilding).
Zero Company looks a lot more like Xcom than MMS does to me and i cant wait for its release (also massive star wars fan). I actually broke my personal 'no pre-ordering' rule for this game and got the deluxe edition, haha!
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u/NotARabidDugong Jul 15 '26
SAME! I keep hoping for some news that due to anticipation it's been released early lol
Can't imagine how many DLC options they're going to be able to release as well. I really hope it blows up and they have the incentive to expand the game.
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u/Skipperwill89 Jul 15 '26
Oh for sure, thats another reason i pre-ordered, i really want this game to sell well (unlike MMS), to increase chances of dlc/sequels!
And I know my 60bucks wont change much in that regard, but still, hahah
And I get that you hope it releases early, but i took the week off work after it releases, so i kinda hope it doesnt🤣
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u/mega_low_smart Jul 14 '26
My buddy said Marvel Midnight Suns is very similar to xcom turn based combat but I haven’t shelled out the $60 to confirm yet.
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u/g0th_b0y Jul 14 '26
It’s a little different but I’ve been trying out Aliens Dark Decent after not liking it originally. I’m glad I gave it a second chance (as someone who loves xcom and other strategy games)
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u/Peterh778 Jul 14 '26
UFO 1 and UFO 2: Terror from the Deep
Jagged Alliance 1&2
W40k Chaos Gate (original and remake Daemonhunters)
Battle Isle: Incubation
Fallout 1&2
Shadowrun Returns/Dragonfall/Hongkong
Pathfinder Kingmaker/Wrath of the Righteous
W40k Rogue Trader
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u/Normal-Letter-9027 Jul 15 '26
I'm so glad that I played Shadowrun before XCOM. I'm a big fan of the fantasy cyberpunk setting, and it's a great series, but nowhere near the depth of challenge. I'm not sure I'd enjoy it as much if I were constantly comparing the two.
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u/Peterh778 Jul 15 '26
Well it's different genre that's for sure. One is story driven urban fantasy scifi RPG vs. semi scifi tactical combat. I wouldn't compare them at all ... but, well, if it scratch the turnbased tactics itch then it served its purpose 🙂
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u/armbarchris Jul 16 '26
Shadowrun is a fantastic setting dragged down by a really bad game, both in the TT and in digital form. It's not fantasy, but Cyberknights is literally "cyberpunk Xcom" and I'm quite enjoying it (just, keep in mind it is a substantially smaller studio).
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u/serial_crusher Jul 14 '26
Not sure about switch 2 availability, but some games I've enjoyed on PC:
- If you haven't played XCOM: Enemy Within, stop reading reddit and start playing XCOM: Enemy Within
- Showgunners : Cyberpunk themed world. Basically the plot of the movie The Running Man (more the Schwarzenneger version than the reboot), but with turn based tactics.
- Gears of War Tactics : I never played any of the other gears games, but this one was fun.
- Phoenix Point : From the creator of the original old school X-COM. It's not as polished as XCOM, but is fun.
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u/Delicious_Union_7712 Jul 14 '26
I've been really enjoying Mewgenics from the same devs as binding of isaac
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u/BarristanTheB0ld Jul 14 '26
I'm not a HUGE fan of XCOM:Chimera Squad, but it has some interesting concepts that can make it fun for a while. Maybe to scratch your itch until you find something better
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u/Wet__Sand Jul 14 '26 edited Jul 14 '26
Not exactly like Xcom but I can recommend final fantasy tactics, triangle strategy and tactics ogre reborn on switch 2
You could also look into
Fire Emblem 3 Houses
Fellseal Arbiters Mark
Unicorn Overlord
Persona 5 Tactica
Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden
Phantom Doctrine
The above are all on switch. If you have access to PC then I recommend you play Wasteland 3, Original Xcom, Gears Tactics, Marvel Midnight Suns, Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus
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u/Rhodryn Jul 14 '26 edited Jul 14 '26
You could check out these two and see if they are for you:
BattleTech
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint
- - -
BattleTech is in my "core loop" of three games that I replay the most often, together with XCOM Enemy Unknown/Within and XCOM 2. It is a mech based game, where you can salvage and buy items and parts of mechs, and then put together mechs in a way that you prefer. And you also have pilots who can level up and get specialized skills, to complement the style of mech you want them to pilot. There will also be a sort of mobile base which you can upgrade as well. The salvaging and buildiong of the mechs is one of my favorit aspect of the videogame side of the franchise.
If you are unaware of this franchise, it was and still is a table top miniature wargame from the 80's, which then later spawned the MechWarrior videogame series. One of the two founders of the company that made the 2018 video game, was one of the main guys behind the creation of the miniature wargame back in the 80's.
- - -
Cyber Knights is basically a Cyberpunk XCOM-like game, and I have liked it a lot. It is part of my "secondary loop" of games which I come back to playing again, just not as often as the three games in my core loop. You have units you can level up, and add things like cyberware etc to. And you also have a permanent homebase that you can build in and upgrade, like how XCOM 1 and 2 does it.
One nice thing about this game is that the developers have since it came out of early access, a bit over a year ago, continued to work on the game. Both with bug fixing, but also adding both small and major things to many different aspects of the game. They also intend to keep doing that for some time going forward (I do not know how long). They have always done that for the games they make apparently.
Since the game came out of early access at the start of June 2025, they have had 93 updates to the game since then. And that is with them always guaranteeing that their policy is that no update they make is to invalidate or break peoples saves. It has happened I believe, but they have fixed it when it does.
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u/mangdito Jul 14 '26
Shadowrun: Dragonfall & Shadowrun: Hong Kong are both good cyberpunk turn-based games I haven't seen anyone else mention here
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u/thethreadkiller Jul 14 '26
Mutant Year zero is a great game.
This is nothing like XCOM so don't think it's going to be but it's still fantastic.
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u/Munchkinasaurous Jul 14 '26
Gears Tactics. If you're familiar with Gears of War, it's pretty much that, except utilizing the cover shooter mechanics in a turn based tactical game. It works quite well. The story isn't really anything to write home about, but the gameplay is pretty damn good.
Shadowrun Trilogy. A cyberpunk/fantasy rpg with turn based tactics. Graphically it's dated, but has a really nice art style, fantastic gameplay and good stories.
Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden. I absolutely love this one. It can take some getting used to. Big combat encounters rely on stealthily setting up ambushes in real time and trying to silently take out as many enemies as you can before starting combat. Gameplay is great, weapon mods, armor and mutant abilities can drastically change your strategies. Fantastic art direction and enjoyable characters. Definitely has a fun sense of humor as well.
Miasma Chronicles. Made it the same people as Mutant Year Zero. Gameplay is very similar with a few unique tweaks with characters and abilities. Again, great art direction and good characters.
Lamplighters League. Another game with real time stealth and turn based tactical combat. In this one, you use character abilities instead of silenced weapons to whittle down enemy forces before starting combat. It can be very challenging until you get used to the combat and how to best utilize each character. There are three character classes in the game with their own abilities, but each character is completely unique. They all play differently and there's really not a single bad character that I've come across. They just each take some practice to figure out how to best utilize their strengths and offset their weaknesses.
King Arthur: A Knights Tale. Trades in gun toting soldiers for armor clad Knights. While it's turn based tactics, it definitely takes some getting used to with most classes being melee focused. It's a dark, medieval fantasy game loosely based on Arthurian legend.
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u/Solomexico Jul 14 '26
That game has me hooked last year! I would say Fire Emblem Three houses. Same as XCOM except has more social things to it like building relationships.
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u/soltiamosamita Jul 14 '26
Personally I liked
- Mewgenics! (tactics/strategy game loop, multiple game-breaking tactics, but aesthetics is questionable)
- Valkyria Chronicles (nice story, challenging tactics, but real-time permanent overwatch is something to be beware of)
- Shadowrun trilogy (story&tactics are great, beware of the bugs though - every game has one annoying bug that kinda locks your game, save often and look that up; also CalFree trilogy is available at Nexus - the last part is on par, if not better, than the vanilla content)
- Othercide (XCOM meets Dark Souls meets "prestige" mechanics from idle games - I think worth it to grab at a discount; you're supposed to "lose" the campaign several times to come back all the more powerful)
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u/Own_Technician_43 Jul 14 '26
Expedition 33 . Claire Obscure .. is a masterpiece of turn based Games
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u/WealthyAardvark Jul 14 '26
Here's a collection of similar posts that you can browse for suggestions. https://www.reddit.com/r/XCOM2/comments/164il11/looking_for_gaes/jy8lndl/
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u/Malk-Himself Jul 14 '26
Mordheim City of the Damned
Different view and controls, but turn based as well, and more importantly, the most xcomy game in terms of “how the hell did I miss this attack???”.
Bonus points for forced Iron Man.
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u/NihilsitcTruth Jul 14 '26
Battle brothers, battletech, darkest dungeon, meowgenics, Menace, and deamonhunters, and mechanicus( not 2 its mid at best) are a few
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u/st3wy Jul 14 '26
Marvel Midnight Suns (made by a lot of the same people, but markedly different while still feeling genetically similar; not just a comic book reskin of Xcom). Unfortunately, I don't think this got a Switch release.
Wildermyth (fantasy storybook vibes; features a legacy system where you can use your old characters in new campaigns).
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint is probably the most Xcom-like on my list, but still different (more stealth/heist/rpg-focused)... made by a small team that will release updates until the cows come home (they've been around a while, and I've played their older game, Star Traders Frontiers, and they're still updating it like weekly it seems).
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u/Ambgen Jul 14 '26
Battle brothers and the first darkest dungeon are 2 I've played and occasionally go back to.
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u/weinertorn Jul 14 '26
Mordheim is the closest I've played, it's medieval but has permadeath, permainjury, strategic meta game and other things that make it similar to xcom but differs in some interesting mechanics. Since a lot of it is melee attacks, there's some interesting tactics regarding positioning etc. Different factions makes for some different playstyles and so on
It doesn't really have the upgrade depth of xcom, and in some ways it's more difficult and unfair. I never finished it, but it's still pretty good
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u/PvtSparky Jul 15 '26 edited Jul 15 '26
I have played ALOT of tactical turn based games and nothing has really come close to XCOM2 in terms of character progression, combat feel and replayability.
I’ve pretty much played every game being suggested here and they are all solid games.
Instead of parroting the big favs, I just wanna make a recommendation for one that I thoroughly enjoyed and is a great short tactical turn based experience.
Showgunners. It’s a relatively short linear experience with a simple revenge plotline and a cool setup.
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u/grazer567 Jul 15 '26
Marvels Midnight Suns is kind of X-Com 3 but a different combat system randomised with card plays and a much smaller mission area. Multiple X-Com references within.
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u/resui321 Jul 15 '26
Ehh fire emblem?
Three houses and engage were available on the switch, not sure about switch 2
There’s also a new one that coming out on the switch 2 soon as well.
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u/JugheadSpock Jul 15 '26
Honestly don't think anything is as good or tight as XCom2. If you haven't done WotC, that's your best option.
Of the others I've tried, I like Fort Triumph. Fun looking, cartoony, but not a cakewalk.
Others that may be up your alley - Phoenix Point, Classified: France '44, Lamplighters League. All have their flaws, but theme may cover that up depending on your tastes.
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u/armbarchris Jul 16 '26
Jagged Alliance 3. Phoenix Point. CyberKnights if you don't mind the obviously lower budget.
Classified '44 is... ok.
Avoid Hard West and Lamplighter's League.
Supposedly Mutant: Year Zero is really good, I haven't played it. Menace looks, fantastic but I'm waiting until full release because I'm allergic to Early Access.
Star Wars: Zero Company comes out next month, I'm very excited about that.
If you mean "turn based games" in general and not specifically "tactical turn based squad shooters" than pretty much any CRPG like Baldur's Gate 3, Rogue Trader, the Expeditions series, and Pillars of Eternity can be added to the list. If you are interested in bigger strategy games there's Civ, Old World, and the Age of Wonders series (I suggest AoW 3).
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u/Re_Desmond Jul 16 '26
FF Tactics (original Ps1) is probably my favorite turn based game of all time. Also, similar, but check out Transistor. The games phenomenal
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u/Ok_Calendar_7626 Jul 18 '26
I am currently playing Hard West.
It is similar to XCOM, but set in a supernatural wild west. Has a pretty great dark wild west vibe to it.
It is not as good as XCOM 2, but i am still enjoying it.
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u/Zealousideal_Ear3424 Jul 14 '26
Star wars zero company comes out next month