Eurogamer got an early look at Star Wars: Zero Company, and the takeaway was blunt: it plays like XCOM in a Republic uniform. That description alone sent players hunting for something to fill the wait, and the good news is that the turn-based tactics shelf on PC is deeper than most people remember. Below are seven games we come back to whenever the itch hits, chosen for how their combat holds up years after release rather than their launch reviews.
What to look for in a turn-based tactics game
Grid or free movement, both work, but they force different habits. Grid games (XCOM 2, Xenonauts 2) reward clean angles and cover math. Free-move games (Jagged Alliance 3, Wasteland 3) push you to think in ranges and terrain height.
The other things that matter across the genre: how forgiving the campaign layer is when you lose a favourite soldier, whether the tactical AI is scripted or reactive, how much modding the community has built, and whether the game runs on Mac or Linux without a workaround.
Quick comparison
| Game | Best for | Platforms | Price | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| XCOM 2 | The classic pick | Win, Mac, Linux | Paid, often deeply discounted | War of the Chosen expansion |
| Wasteland 3 | Story-heavy tactics | Win, Mac, Linux | Paid | Two-squad co-op campaign |
| Jagged Alliance 3 | Real characters, real dialogue | Win | Paid | Mercenaries with personality |
| Battle Brothers | Roguelike overworld | Win, Mac, Linux | Paid | Permadeath company management |
| Xenonauts 2 | Old-school X-COM feel | Win, Mac, Linux | Paid, in Early Access | Time units and geoscape |
| Marvel’s Midnight Suns | Card-driven combat | Win | Paid | Cards on top of tactics |
| Phoenix Point | Adaptive enemies | Win, Mac | Paid | Aiming per body part |
The games
1. XCOM 2, best for anyone new to the genre
XCOM 2 is the reference point every other game on this list gets compared to. The base campaign is tight, but the reason it stays installed is War of the Chosen, which layers hero enemies, resistance factions, and new soldier classes on top. The Long War 2 mod turns the same content into a 200-hour campaign that most standalone releases can’t touch.
Where it falls short: Random hit chances still catch new players off guard, and load times on older HDDs are painful. Steam Workshop mods are Windows-first, with rougher support on Mac and Linux.
Pricing:
- Free: no
- Paid: base game is inexpensive on sale, War of the Chosen adds the depth
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Download: Steam
Bottom line: Start here if you have never played a turn-based tactics game, or restart here if it has been a few years.
2. Wasteland 3, best for players who want a story on top
Wasteland 3 grafts a full-fat CRPG onto squad tactics. Companion dialogue reacts to your choices, the Colorado setting is bleak and funny, and the two-squad system lets you split forces to hit objectives from different angles. Local and online co-op works across the entire campaign, which is rare in this genre.
Where it falls short: Enemy variety thins out in the mid-game, and some quest paths lock you out of others with little warning. Save often.
Pricing:
- Free: no
- Paid: base game plus two story DLCs
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Download: Steam
Bottom line: Pick this if you want tactics with a script that remembers what you did last chapter.
3. Jagged Alliance 3, best for personality-driven squads
Jagged Alliance 3 finally cracked the reboot problem that killed earlier attempts. Mercenaries argue in the field, refuse contracts if you underpay them, and get injuries that force you to bench them mid-campaign. The tactical layer is a real-time-with-pause hybrid that turns into strict turn-based the moment combat starts.
Where it falls short: The overworld sector map is thin compared to the original Jagged Alliance 2. The UI is functional at best, especially on ultrawide monitors.
Pricing:
- Free: no
- Paid, occasionally bundled with the earlier games
Platforms: Windows
Download: Steam
Bottom line: The one to buy if the merc quips in the original are half the reason you loved the series.
4. Battle Brothers, best for the roguelike campaign
Battle Brothers puts you in charge of a mercenary company travelling a procedurally generated overworld. Every hire has different traits, every fight can end your run, and there is no soft save-scumming, deaths are permanent. The combat is stripped down (movement, action, that is basically it), which sharpens the decisions.
Where it falls short: The learning curve is steep in the first two in-game months, and losing a veteran to a lucky crit can end a 20-hour run.
Pricing:
- Free: no
- Paid, with three expansions that add creatures and starting scenarios
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Download: Steam
Bottom line: Perfect if you liked FTL’s “one bad decision away from over” tension applied to a fantasy army.
5. Xenonauts 2, best for old-school X-COM fans
Xenonauts 2 is the modern re-do of the original 1994 X-COM formula that fans have been asking for since Firaxis pivoted to a percentage-hit model. Time units, real bullet ballistics, night missions, a geoscape with airfights, everything is here. It has been in Early Access, but the content is deep enough to sink a hundred hours into as-is.
Where it falls short: UI is placeholder in a few screens and content updates still land every few months. Some balancing swings between patches.
Pricing:
- Free: no
- Paid, Early Access
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Download: Steam
Bottom line: Buy it if percentage-to-hit misses ruined XCOM for you.
6. Marvel’s Midnight Suns, best for players who like a twist
Marvel’s Midnight Suns was mis-sold at launch as a Marvel action game, but the loop underneath is turn-based tactics with a card layer. You draft a hand each turn from your heroes’ abilities, throw enemies through environmental objects, and hunt for combos across three-hero teams. Between missions it plays like a Persona-style social hub.
Where it falls short: The between-mission wandering divides opinion, and the mid-campaign difficulty dip lasts too long. Ignore the pre-order DLC pricing.
Pricing:
- Free: no
- Paid, often heavily discounted since launch
Platforms: Windows
Download: Steam
Bottom line: Try this if XCOM’s dice rolls burned you out and you want more agency per turn.
7. Phoenix Point, best for adaptive enemies
Phoenix Point was designed by Julian Gollop, the original X-COM lead. The signature idea is aiming per body part, you target a Chiron’s torso to shut down its rocket launcher instead of blasting the whole unit. Enemies evolve mutations over the course of a campaign in response to what you use most, which pushes you off single-strategy playthroughs.
Where it falls short: The launch year was rough (Epic exclusive, missing content), and the diplomacy layer between factions still feels underbaked.
Pricing:
- Free: no
- Paid, Behemoth Edition bundles the DLC
Platforms: Windows, macOS
Download: Steam
Bottom line: Get it for the aiming system, stay for the panic when the mutations start hitting you back.
8. BattleTech, best for the mech-piloting fantasy
BattleTech trades soldiers for 40-tonne walking tanks. Heat management drives every fight, you can overheat your own mech and shut it down mid-turn. The Mercenaries expansion adds a career mode that runs for a hundred hours without repeating itself.
Where it falls short: Turn resolution is slow in the base game, though a UI Speed mod cuts it in half. Contract variety plateaus after the mid-game.
Pricing:
- Free: no
- Paid, with three expansions
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Download: Steam
Bottom line: For anyone who ever wanted an XCOM run where every squad member weighs as much as a truck.
How to pick the right one
- If you have never played tactics before: start with XCOM 2 and War of the Chosen.
- If you want a story that reacts to you: Wasteland 3.
- If squad chemistry matters more than balance: Jagged Alliance 3.
- If you want a roguelike where every run tells its own story: Battle Brothers.
- If percentage-to-hit misses were the dealbreaker: Xenonauts 2 or Phoenix Point.
- If you burned out on classic dice-roll combat: Marvel’s Midnight Suns.
- If mechs, not people: BattleTech.
Skip Star Wars: Zero Company for now, wait for release notes and reviews, and pick from the list above in the meantime.
FAQ
What is the best XCOM alternative on PC?
Wasteland 3 and Jagged Alliance 3 are the two most direct alternatives. Wasteland 3 leans on writing and companions, Jagged Alliance 3 leans on merc personalities. Both share the tactical core.
Is Xenonauts 2 finished?
As of 2026 it is still labelled Early Access on Steam, but the current build has campaign content, geoscape, and airfights. Regular content updates land every few months.
Are any of these good on the Steam Deck?
XCOM 2, Battle Brothers, and BattleTech are the most Deck-friendly. Marvel’s Midnight Suns is Windows-only and needs Proton, but the community-verified fixes work.
Can I play any of these in co-op?
Wasteland 3 supports full campaign co-op both local and online. The others are single-player.
Which one is the hardest?
Battle Brothers on Expert with Ironman is punishing. Phoenix Point ranks second because of adaptive enemies. XCOM 2 with Long War 2 on Legendary is a longer slog than either.
