All Strategy Games with Pre-Orders (2023)

Ancestors Legacy is a historical RTS from Destructive Creations, a Polish company which previously released Hatred (2015) and IS Defense (2016). The upcoming game is said to be their biggest project yet.

Set during 10th-12th century Middle Ages, it features real historical events in the single-player missions. There is also multiplayer for players to test their mettle against each other. The game offers four playable factions (Viking, Anglo-Saxon, German, and Slav), tactical combat with elements like morale and the use of terrain, and streamlined resource management that doesn’t take away from the battles, which are the focus of the game.

Ancestors Legacy Pre-Order Bonuses →

BattleTech is a tactical turn-based mech combat game developed by Harebrained Schemes and published by Paradox Interactive for Windows, Mac, and Linux. It takes place in year 3025, amid a centuries-long war between great noble houses fought using huge military vehicles called BattleMechs.

After successfully reaching its funding goals on Kickstarter, BattleTech will launch featuring multiple game modes including skirmishes, single-story campaign, and multiplayer PvP with rated matchmaking. Over 30 different Mechs are in the game, and each can be customized and upgraded in the player’s MechLab.

BattleTech Pre-Order Bonuses →

Railway Empire is a train tycooon sim developed by Gaming Minds Studios and published by Kalypso Media. Set in mid-19th century United States, it tasks the player with establishing the dominant rail empire in all of North America. In order to do this, it will be necessary to create an elaborate rail network, maintain and upgrade trains, and outmaneuver the competition.

According to the officially published information, the game features over 40 historically-accurate locomotives and more than 30 different wagons. There are over 300 technologies to invest in during five different eras, and the player has to compete with three rival companies using whatever means necessary – including spying and sabotage.

Railway Empire Pre-Order Bonuses →

Dungeons 3 is a dungeon management game developed by Realmforge Studios and published by Kalypso Media. Unlike in the previous installment, you play as a new character, dark elf priestess Thalya, who was enticed by the Dungeon Lord to become his chief lieutenant.

The game involves creating a dungeon, filling it with deadly traps and monsters, and fighting off the invading do-gooders. There is also an RTS mode – a revamped version of the one seen in Dungeons 2 – where the player leads their terrifying armies out of the dungeon and against the heroes in the overworld.

Dungeons 3 Pre-Order Bonuses →

Culdcept Revolt is a multi-layered strategy title that combines a turn-based board game with fantasy-themed card battles. Developed by Japanese studio Omiya Soft and localized by NIS America, it features over 400 unique cards, online and solo gameplay, and a Free Play Mode to test your customized deck.

The single-player Story Mode follows a young man named Allen, who awakens in a sealed-off city ruled by the tyrannical Count Kraniss without his memories. Regaining his powers as a Cepter – one who can control the cards of Culdcept – he joins the Free Bats rebel group to fight against the count.

Culdcept Revolt Pre-Order Bonuses →

Total War: Warhammer II is a fantasy-themed strategy game which combines turn-based resource management and army deployment with real-time battles. It is developed by Creative Assembly and published by Sega, and is the second installment in the planned trilogy.

According to the publisher, the game’s campaign offers hundreds of hours of gameplay. The overarching storyline focuses on the struggle between the High Elves, the Dark Elves, the Lizardmen, and the Skaven to control the weakening Great Vortex over Ulthuan, and use it to their ends.

Total War: Warhammer II Pre-Order Bonuses →

Blackguards 2 is a turn-based tactical RPG developed by German company Daedalic Entertainment and published by Kalypso Media. It takes place years after the events in the first game, and follows Cassia, a young noblewoman, on her quest to rally the Vanquishers of the Nine Hordes and claim the Shark Throne for herself. The player can choose spells and talents freely, developing a unique combat style, and recruit mercenaries, controlling up to 20 characters on the hex battlefield.

As Blackguards 2 is already out on Steam since 2015, this article is concerned specifically with the upcoming console versions of the game.

Blackguards 2 Pre-Order Bonuses →

The Escapists 2 is a sandbox prison break simulator in which the player assumes the role of an inmate intent on escaping. In order to achieve that goal, the player can level up their character through various activities like working out or reading, do favors for the other inmates to acquire money, and steal or barter for items to be crafted into improvised weapons and tools.

Compared to its predecessor, the biggest addition in The Escapists 2 is multiplayer, which includes both online and split-screen as well as co-op and versus modes. It also brings new prisons (including ones set in Wild West, a moving train, and even outer space), more ways to escape, an improved combat system, and extensive character customization.

The Escapists 2 Pre-Order Bonuses →

Sudden Strike 4 is an RTS developed by KITE Games (described as “an elite squad of veteran developers”) and published by Kalypso Media. The game omits tedious base building and resource gathering, focusing on the tactical aspects instead. Set during World War II, it allows the players to command companies of British and American, German, or Soviet troops, leading over a hundred authentic units into battle. Among them are the infamous German bomber Heinkel He111, the Russian tank T-34, the British Hawker Typhoon fighter, and the notorious German Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger.

Sudden Strike 4 features over 20 single-player scenarions, as well as skirmish and competitive multiplayer modes. Built-in rewards system will unlock exclusive content such as historical film footage as you complete the missions.

Sudden Strike 4 Pre-Order Bonuses →

Gaming giant Blizzard is releasing a remastered version of the cult-classic strategy game, StarCraft, as well as its expansion Brood War. It features improved graphics and audio, while retaining that classic real-time strategy gameplay that made it an eSports staple worldwide.

Blizzard has also added quality-of-life improvements such as cloud saves, new matchmaking systems, and leaderboards. Players who prefer the old look will be able to switch between the classic and the new 4K-quality graphics at a press of a button.

StarCraft: Remastered Pre-Order Bonuses →

Aven Colony is a sci-fi themed city building game developed by indie studio Mothership Entertainment. While the game’s beta version was already made available via itch.io, the full launch is handled by publisher Team 17, which will be releasing the title on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam.

The game tasks players with building a settlement on an extrasolar planet, Aven Prime, and providing the arriving human colonists with adequate living quarters, food, oxygen, and other resources. The new-built city also has to cope with threats such as extreme weather and alien lifeforms.

Aven Colony Pre-Order Bonuses →

Dawn of War III is an upcoming real-time strategy title developed by Relic Entertainment and Sega, and set in the WH40k universe from Games Workshop. The playable factions available in the game are Space Marines of the Blood Ravens Chapter, who will be familiar to anyone who played the previous Dawn of War installments, as well as the Eldar and the Orks. The three will battle over the legendary Spear of Khaine recently discovered on the lost planet of Acheron.

The game also offers a multiplayer mode, which is said to borrow heavily from the MOBA genre. Common elements include three-lane maps, an emphasis on Elite units, and destroying enemy’s turrets before taking down their core, as reported by Eurogamer.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III Pre-Order Bonuses →

Halo Wars 2 is an upcoming RTS developed by 343 Industries and Creative Assembly, and published by Microsoft. The game is a part of the publisher’s Xbox Play Anywhere program, meaning owners of a digital copy of Halo Wars 2 can play it both on their console and Windows 10 PC.

Much like its predecessor, the game features two playable factions. In addition to the returning UNSC, there is a new alien faction called the Banished, which replaces the Covenant from the previous game. Halo Wars 2 includes a single-player campaign with 13 missions, co-op, and competitive multiplayer with several modes (Deathmatch, Stronghold, and Domination) for up to 3v3 players.

Halo Wars 2 Pre-Order Bonuses Pre-Order Bonuses →

Sid Meier’s Civilization VI is an upcoming installment in Firaxis’ highly popular turn-based strategy game series. It uses the same hexagonal grid as its predecessor and brings back many mechanics introduced in Civ 5’s two expansions such as religion, trade routes, archaeology, and tourism.

The numerous changes brought by Civ 6 include multiple-tile cities with districts in which improvements are built, the ability to group certain units together (such as a warrior with a settler), active technology research that rewards exploration, and more. Some of these improvements should make the game less tedious: for example, workers are replaced by builders, which create improvements instantly, but have a limited number of charges and disband upon finishing their tasks.

Sid Meier’s Civilization VI Pre-Order Bonuses Pre-Order Bonuses →

Hearts of Iron IV is war strategy game made by Paradox Development Studio, well known for their grand strategy franchises like Europa Universalis and Crusader Kings. Like its predecessors, the upcoming game is set in World War II and allows the player to lead any nation during the conflict.

The intricate gameplay involves elements like waging war, managing production, espionage, and negotiation. Compared to the previous installments, Hearts of Iron IV is also said to be more accessible, have better AI, and feature a less rigid, sandbox-style gameplay.

Hearts of Iron IV Pre-Order Bonuses Pre-Order Bonuses →

Total War: Warhammer is a strategy game developed by Creative Assembly and published by Sega for Windows, Linux, and OS X. Much like the previous games in the series, it combines turn-based strategy and resource management with real-time battles. However, it is also the first Total War title to feature a fantasy setting instead of a historical one. Like the name suggests, the game is based on the Warhammer universe, and is the first one in what is going to become a Total War: Warhammer trilogy in the future.

Total War: Warhammer is to include four playable factions at launch (the Empire, the Greenskins, the Dwarfs, and the Vampire Counts), each with its own unique units and campaign mechanics. An additional faction is available through pre-order.

Total War: Warhammer Pre-Order Bonuses Pre-Order Bonuses →

Total War: Rome 2 is an upcoming title from the popular strategy series by The Creative Assembly. The game boasts a new graphics engine, a larger campaign map with new territories, new gameplay mechanics, and other improvements over its predecessors. Among them are more intelligent diplomacy AI, more factions (117 in total) with unique playstyles, and the addition of defensive, aggressive, and ambush stances for armies.

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Company of Heroes 2 is an upcoming RTS title developed by Relic Entertainment and published by Sega for Windows platform. The first game was well-received by gamers and critics, and included American and German sides. CoH 2 focuses on the Eastern Front instead, and adds a new faction: the Soviets and their Red Army.

New game features include more realistic unit line of sight, harsh weather conditions which affect infantry, and environmental destruction. This is possible thanks to Relic’s new proprietary Essence Engine 3.0, which utilizes DirectX 11.

Company of Heroes 2 Pre-Order Bonuses →

Firefly Studios seems to be going back to the roots of the franchise with Stronghold 3, taking more inspiration from the first game than from the not-so-successful Stronghold 2. Sure, there are major improvements in the graphics and physics departments, as well as in enemy AI. However, the game should play more like Stronghold 1 – meaning less micromanagement, and more castle-building (and attacking) fun. Even the single-player campaign is a sequel to the original, featuring a return of the Wolf.

The game does offer a number of new features and improvements. For example, the building system will give you a lot more control than before, and the map editor should be powerful enough to create detailed replicas of real castles. The online aspect of Stronghold 3 (which uses Steamworks platform) will include a global, as well as local, ranking system. Finally, for some medieval fun, you will be able to chuck a wider variety of diseased animals at your enemies – including the fan-voted badgers.

Stronghold 3 Pre-order Info Pre-Order Bonuses →

Shogun 2 is an upcoming title in the Total War strategy game series developed by The Creative Assembly and published by Sega. The developers are going back to the roots of the franchise and remaking their first game with better graphics, smarter AI (said to be based on the principles of Sun Tzu’s “Art of War”) and vastly improved gameplay.

Shogun 2 will take you to the 16th century Japan which is devastated after a 10 year long civil war. You will have to take control of one warring clans and unite the country under your rule. There will be 9 playable clans in total, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.

The clan leaders (daimyo) are going to play an important role on the battlefield and have unique abilities. Also new in Shogun 2 are powerful hero units which add yet another layer of strategy to the game. These won’t be invincible one man armies, but they will have special skills, such as dealing bonus damage against cavalry or boosting the morale of your troops.

Shogun 2: Total War Pre-Order Bonuses →