Strategy games have a weird relationship with the Steam Deck. On the one hand, those games tend to be lightweight, and they don't require too much computational power or a high-resolution screen. On the other hand, many are built specifically for a mouse and keyboard configuration, which most Steam Deck owners would rather avoid.

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Some strategy genres have always had problems landing on consoles, including portable consoles like the Steam Deck. Real-time strategy, in particular, has pretty much held a monopoly on PC gaming, since it relies so much on fast mouse movement and plenty of hotkeys. Other genres have had more luck, especially turn-based tactics like Fire Emblem and slow-moving 4X games like Civilization, and are far more viable for handheld consoles like the Steam Deck.

7 The Battle Of Polytopia

Metacritic Score: 72

• Platform(s): PC, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS, Apple Arcade
• Released: 2016-02-09
• Developer(s): Midjiwan AB
• Genre(s): Strategy, 4X

The Battle of Polytopia is a fairly popular take on the 4X strategy formula. It most closely resembles a very stripped-down version of the Civilization series, which makes it a great fit for the Steam Deck. Short sessions and low complexity with plenty of replayability have already made The Battle of Polytopia a popular strategy game on mobile platforms, and it will probably do the same on Steam Deck.

The Battle of Polytopia has everything that 4X players expect. Factions develop their technology, expand their territory, and capture resources. Eventually, war will take over the world map, and each faction will have to fend for itself. Everything ends in just an hour or two, a merciful time when compared to the average Civilization 6 campaign.

6 Dorfromantik

Metacritic Score: 84

Dorfromantik is a tile-placing game, a subgenre that is probably more popular among board game fans than strategy game enthusiasts. Perhaps due to the inherently slow pace of the genre, at least when compared to most action games, strategy video games are almost always a violent or adventurous affair. That's not the case with Dorfromantik.

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In this peaceful, relaxing game, players place tiles to grow a small town into a moderately-sized village. Even if the settlement starts approaching the size of a city, the difficulty doesn't grow with it. The point of Dorfromantik isn't to manage a larger and larger settlement but to relax and enjoy the pretty biomes, merged into one another as the city grows and grows. This is the perfect game to fire up on the Steam Deck and curl up on the couch.

5 Marvel's Midnight Suns

Metacritic Score: 83

Marvel's Midnight Suns is a turn-based tactics game about a team of superheroes, the titular Midnight Suns. Together with Marvel Snap and Insomniac's Spider-Man series, this is Marvel's most successful attempt yet to break into the video game market. It certainly helps that Midnight Suns was developed by Firaxis Games, turn-based strategy legends that created the XCOM reboot series.

That isn't to say that Marvel's Midnight Suns is a game for established fans alone. Anyone who loves turn-based tactics can play and enjoy this game. Having an extensive lineup of iconic and lesser-known characters to compose one's team ultimately means more choices for the player. It's one of the more graphically-detailed strategy games available for the Steam Deck.

4 Plague Inc: Evolved

Metacritic Score: 80

Plague Inc: Evolved is an improved version of the original Plague Inc. in which players control and evolve a deadly virus with the objective of annihilating humanity. Compared to the original, the Evolved version is much more expansive, adding plenty of content and options. Most noticeably, it adds co-op and competitive multiplayer, as well as a solid custom scenario creator.

Plague Inc: Evolved has received a DLC called The Cure, in which the roles are reversed. Instead of rooting for the virus, players try to eradicate it before everyone is infected. It's no wonder that this game is great on the Steam Deck, as the original Plague Inc. was a mobile game. There are also plenty of creative mods for Plague Inc: Evolved available through the Steam Workshop.

3 Democracy 4

Very Positive On Steam

Democracy is one of those unique strategy series that is actually a mix of simulation and large-scale roleplaying. While this definition might sound like it encapsulates most strategy games, there is a difference between pretending to be a medieval general in the Age of Empires series and taking on the role of prime minister in Democracy 4.

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Democracy 4 sells itself on the premise of being an accurate political simulation. As explained on the game's Steam Store page, the developers tried to make sure that the game has "no implied bias whatsoever." Alas, a bias-less political simulation doesn't exist, and as such, not everyone will be able to appreciate what Democracy 4 offers. However, for hardcore strategy game enthusiasts looking for a deep-dive game while on the go, this is a perfect fit.

2 Total War: Warhammer 3

Metacritic Score: 83

Total War: Warhammer 3 is the latest title in the Total War: Warhammer series. While it has taken a while for developer Creative Assembly to bring the game to par with the previous entries in the series, fans mostly agree that the third installment is now the most complete Warhammer real-time strategy title on the market.

But Total War: Warhammer 3 is more than an RTS. Like the best games in the Total War series, this game mixes turn-based strategy with real-time battles. The battles are a unique blend of semi-realistic tactics, where positioning and unit formation are really important, with the classic paper-rock-scissor system of advantages and disadvantages between different unit types. Playing any Total War game on a portable system was the stuff of sci-fi 15 years ago, but this entry in particular is worth checking out.

1 Tactics Ogre: Reborn

Metacritic Score: 84

Tactics Ogre: Reborn is the remake of the original Tactics Ogre strategy game released on the Super Nintendo in 1995. While this is arguably a tactics RPG, the heart of the game is in its turn-based strategic battles, but unlike most pure strategy games, Tactics Ogre: Reborn has dialogue choices and battle results that can lead to multiple endings.

The original 1995 release and the 2022 remake are very similar, but that's just a testament to how good the original Tactics Ogre is. The Reborn version adds quality-of-life features like an auto save function and a better UI, as well as improved enemy AI. The original chiptune soundtrack has been turned into a full orchestra, and every piece of dialogue features voice acting. Tactics Ogre was already an all-time great strategy game, and taking the remake on the go with a Steam Deck is a nostalgic dream.

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