Video games tend to be mindless fun for many players out there, but there are some that take some serious decision-making as players navigate their stories. Strategy games are the best example of this as figuring out how to best deal with a problem in the game is crucial to the outcome.
On the Nintendo Switch, strategy games are in abundance in the hybrid console's library. Whether it be its first-party titles or unique indie games, the Switch has plenty to offer for those who enjoy that genre of games. Because there are so many, it's hard to know which games are worth the time. Luckily, Metacritic is a good first stop to check.
10 Pikmin 3 Deluxe (85)
Nintendo has been doing everything in its power to bring many of the best Wii U games to the Switch. One of the latest titles to get the porting treatment was Pikmin 3, the most recent mainline game in the Pikmin franchise. In Pikmin 3 Deluxe, the player controls three different captains named Alph, Brittany, and Charlie as they look to find food on PNF-404 in order to save their planet. The real-time strategy game has players needing Pikmin to get through obstacles and beat enemies. The deluxe version of the game adds a co-op mode, a Wii U DLC, and more.
9 Two Point Hospital (85)
Simulation games tend to have a massive strategy element to them, and Two Point Hospital puts players in the situation of making decisions while running their own medical facilities. A spiritual successor to the 1997 game Theme Hospital, players are in charge of constructing and maintaining one or more hospitals by purchasing amenities and hiring staff to take care of sick individuals who come in for help. The game has a comedic spin to it, but the doesn't mean that the gameplay doesn't put players on the spot to make important choices to cure diseases.
8 Cook, Serve, Delicious! 2 (85)
Sticking in the business management realm but moving to the culinary industry, Cook, Serve, Delicious! 2 is a restaurant simulation game that puts players in the shoes of the main operator and head chef. Over the course of a service, players must balance taking care of customers by making their orders while also keeping the restaurant nice and tidy.
Players will need to figure out a balance between the two in order to keep their restaurant a success. Improvements from its predecessor include more food, more restaurants, and a co-op mode.
7 Slay The Spire (85)
For those who enjoy deck-building games and roguelikes, Slay the Spire fits perfectly into both whiles also being a solid strategy game as well. The game revolves around the player's ability to climb a spire that has multiple levels. Each level has its own set of enemies that players need to face using a card-based battling system. The goal of the game is to reach the top of the spire by creating the best deck possible to achieve the feat. The levels are procedurally-generated as well, so the experience is different for each player.
6 Mini Metro (86)
Some strategy games aren't rich with character and graphics but still can include hours of fun. Mini Metro puts players in charge of building a transit system through a bustling city. Each level has players look at a flat image of a city with the ability to implement tracks between clearly-marked stations throughout the map. After connecting the correct stations, passengers will begin taking these transit lines to their desired locations. Players need to make these transit lines as quickly as possible in order for the stations to not get congested with passengers.
5 Civilization VI (86)
Civilization is a classic grand strategy series and its sixth installment is among the best in the series to date. Civilization VI takes on the premise of its predecessors where the goal for players is to build a society from its settlement to becoming a global power. There are multiple win conditions that can be met in order to achieve success, but the main goal of the game is to migrate and take on new areas while also defending areas that have already been taken over by the civilization. Players must also look to build new structures and research new technology.
4 Fire Emblem: Three Houses (89)
Returning to Nintendo first-party titles, one of the company's biggest hits on the console was Fire Emblem: Three Houses. The sixteenth entry of the classic franchise, Three Houses puts players in the shoes of Byleth, a former mercenary turned professor at the Garreg Mach Monastery.
The goal is to choose a class to lead and guide students through multiple battles. While the game's primary focus is on turn-based strategy gameplay, it also serves as a social simulation where players can work on and form relationships between various characters.
3 Into The Breach (89)
From the creators of FTL: Faster Than Light, Into the Breach is a turn-based strategy game that takes place in a future where humans must fight off a horrendous group of monsters known as the Vek. Players are in control of soldiers who are operating giant mechs to take on these creatures. Each mech can be equipped with its own set of armor, weapons, and other tools that can be used to get through a turn-based battle. Using three mechs, players only have a limited number of turns to achieve a specific goal designated for each battle.
2 Dicey Dungeons (90)
One of the more recent additions to the Switch library, Dicey Dungeons is another roguelike deck-building game featuring characters that have been turned to dice by Lady Luck. She forces the characters to complete dungeons with the notion that they could be freed from this dicey hell. Players can select a die in the beginning, with each having its own starting equipment and unique characteristic. Each dungeon requires players to get through each layer until they reach the bottom, where they fight a boss in order to escape.
1 SteamWorld Heist: Ultimate Edition (91)
The third installment in the SteamWorld franchise, SteamWorld Heist: Ultimate Edition is a port of the entry from the Nintendo 3DS. The side-scrolling strategy game has players control Captain Piper Faraday, a smuggling pirate who is looking to grow an empire of robots who would collect treasure for her throughout space. Players are tasked with recruiting robots that can be customized and bringing them on to enemy spaceships in order to loot them. Battles take place in turn-based combat and levels as a whole are procedurally-generated.