Summary
Usually, the world of PC gaming is seen as the bastion of strategic gameplay because of the versatility of mouse and keyboard controls. However, PlayStation, as the home of many Japanese strategy games, has built up a solid library of great games that are perfect for console gamers looking for more strategy combat.
Whether it’s diving into the depths to combat eldritch horrors, returns to old favorites, or straightforward tactical goodness, there’s plenty available for every kind of strategy fan to obsess over on PlayStation.
The 2010s saw a massive boom of indie gaming, often in the roguelike genre, because they offered an unprecedented amount of content for a great price, but it also became tricky to stand out from an increasingly saturated crowd.
Red Hook Studios infused their roguelike strategy game,Darkest Dungeon,with Lovecraftian horror elements, imbuing madness and debilitating conditions into the play-by-play moments of the dungeon-crawling gameplay. Team composition, supplies, ability synergy, theever-expanding list of curios, resource allocation, and so many more factors require players to constantly think strategically, making it one of the very best strategy games on the PlayStation.
It would be impossible to talk about strategy games without bringing up the excellence of theXCOMfranchise, which, in large part, inspired the modern strategy game as gamers know it today. Unfortunately, a lot ofXCOMwas sequestered to the PC, but with the 2011 reboot — and subsequent sequel in — PlayStation gamers were able to get their hands on some excellent strategy gameplay,
InXCOM 2, players must organize a human resistance to the alien-occupied planet Earth, where mistakes are fatal, with characters permanently dying. Players must think hard about every choice they makein team composition, terrain, cover, loadouts, and more, resulting in one of the most satisfying strategic puzzle-boxes in the PlayStation library.
Final Fantasy Tacticsjustifiably overshadows the world of Japanese strategic games on PlayStations, but games likeValkyria Chroniclesshow that there is plenty more innovation and experimentation to be found in strategic combat outside the traditional grid-based combat systems.
Valkyria Chroniclesis set in an alternate world somewhere around World War 2 that mixes real-time third-person shooting with the top-down strategy level found in games likeXCOM. It results in a wholly unique strategic experience that is a must-play for strategy fans.
One problem with strategy games is that if they have campaigns, players play them once, then they never quite have the same effect again, because they know what to expect. So, in response to that problem,Disgaea 5asks the question: “What if the strategy gameplay never ends?”
That’s how a game likeDisgaea 5came about that encourages hundreds — if not thousands — of hours of strategy gameplay with an incredible amount of character customization, depth, ability compositions, and near-endless dungeons to crawl to make stats climb ever upward. For strategy gamers looking to never get bored,Disgaea 5is the absolute best choice.
Though thePersonaandShim Megami Tenseifranchises were widely beloved by PlayStation fans long before the release ofPersona 5,Persona 5launched the franchise into superstardom, and for good reason.
The one-part high-school simulation, one-part dungeon crawler, one-partPokemongameplay loop ofPersonafinds its Platonic perfection inPersona 5,where players need to considerelemental strengths and weaknesses, dwindling resources, party compositions, and Persona rosters to venture through increasingly tough dungeons. It’s got an all-timer story, an amazing sense of style, and strategic combat that would satiate any strategy fan.
As the 2010s progressed, the indie game scene became increasingly saturated, and new games struggled to stand out from the crowd. BeforeBalatro,Slay the Spireshowed that the deck-builder genre was the next great popular frontier for indie games, particularly for fans who loved in-depth strategic combat.
In the game, players must ascend the titular spire while building a deck of cards that correspond to potential abilities. This requires the player to make strategic choices as they progress, building up a sound deck,considering their starting bonus, all while fighting increasingly tougher enemies. It’s addictive, fun, and perfect fodder for strategy fans.
Baldur’s Gate 3has already gone down as one of the greatest games ever made, and for very good reason. No other game has translated the magic of playing D&D into the video game format quite likeBaldur’s Gate 3, and it might have even managed to improve on the ruleset’s combat as well.
Strategic combat inBaldur’s Gate 3is all about positioning, wise use of abilities,making the most out class abilities, and manipulating terrain to maximize damage output, all while minimizing danger. It’s a tough dance where positioning is everything, but it’s a strategy gamer’s dream, particularly as the combat scenarios can often be prepared for well in advance, encouraging strategic thinking.
In a list about strategic combat on PlayStation, it would be impossible to have any other game top the list thanFinal Fantasy Tactics. More than any other game,Final Fantasy Tacticsdefined the strategy combat genre and showed that it could work brilliantly on console.
The humble but deceptively complex game requires players to build teams of heroes with a wide range of jobs, stats, abilities, and equipment, making team comps that work in any terrain environment to face off against infamously brutal challenges. It’s the perfect game to introduce new fans to strategic combat and remains a great bastion to revisit to scratch that PlayStation strategy itch.
