Leading large armies in games gives you a feeling of power and control, while complex battles make you think strategically. But while there are thousands of shooters and third-person action games to choose from, these types of experiences are a little harder to come by.
Fortunately, plenty of games focus on the satisfying feeling of leading large and powerful armies. Here are 15 of the best.
15Halo Wars 2Gives You More Than Master Chief
Halo Wars 2does an excellent job of making you feel like you’re in charge of a massive army. The units from theHalouniverse, such as Warthogs and Banshees, are easy to recognize and bring a sense of familiarity to what would otherwise be a typical real-time strategy game unit lineup.
While it can be hard to handle fine details because of the controls, the game makes up for it with its deeper strategic elements. The campaign missions sometimes repeat similar ideas, but there’s enough variety to keep things from getting boring.
14Total War: EmpireIs a Great Colony Simulator
Total War: Empiredoes an excellent job of making you feel like a powerful leader in charge of huge armies fighting across different continents. The game mixes turn-based strategy with real-time battles, giving you a strong sense of control over large-scale conflicts. You don’t just sit back and handle resources; you actively decide the future of nations through smart diplomacy, economic choices, and major military actions.
The campaign map lets you see your entire empire, so you can plan big invasions or defenses in Europe, North America, and India. You can choose which regions to attack, build up trade routes, and make sure your armies have enough supplies.
13StellarisIs Grand Strategy in Space
Stellarisdoes a great job of making you feel like you’re in charge of a growing space empire. The game randomly creates different empires, each with its own traits and beliefs, which pulls you into a universe full of possible fights and friendships. Sending out science ships to explore the galaxy to complete quests and find planets you can live on is genuinely thrilling.
The excitement of discovery is strong and real. Even though this system is simple, it’s oddly satisfying. The early game moves quickly, pushing you to think strategically and try different approaches. Forming huge alliances and federations can lead to massive wars that can be intense.
12Even Non-fans LoveWarhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 2
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 2is a great experience for players who like leading large armies, though it does so in a different way compared to traditional real-time strategy games. Instead of focusing on building bases, the game emphasizes small, persistent squads that develop and improve throughout a campaign. This is definitelya tabletop game that works better as a video game.
Players form a personal connection with these squads, outfitting them with recovered weapons and carefully upgrading their special abilities. This creates a deeper sense of investment than just giving orders, where players are shaping a powerful and efficient fighting force. You must think ahead before each mission, selecting which squads to send based on their strengths and the mission’s challenges.
11Endless Legend
Endless Legenddoes an excellent job of making players feel like powerful, strategic leaders guiding their civilization to victory. Its rich and detailed visuals, which look like something from a Game of Thrones opening sequence, pull the player right into the science-fantasy world of Auriga. This is onegame that will scratch yourCivilizationitch.
Instead of moving combat to a separate screen, battles happen on the map, with armies fighting in tactical clashes. It makes you feel like you’re playing a digital tabletop game, and it passes the test of time.
10Age of Empires 2Stood the Test of Time
Age of Empires II: Definitive Editiondoes a great job of making players feel like real commanders of huge armies. Once you go through the routine of gathering resources, building a base, and training an army, you’ll find yourself waging many battles with tons of units. The cycle of attacking and retreating until you get the upper hand is so much fun.
One moment you are carefully managing villagers, making sure farms are replanted and resources are gathered efficiently. The next moment, you need to send out troops to take over enemy towns, use smart positioning, and battle formations. It’s an incredibly enjoyable cycle.
9Sid Meier’s Civilization 7Is Better Than People Think
you may immediately see how much control you have inCivilization VIIonce you get a few soldiers. You aren’t just directing individual units; you’re creating and leading entire civilizations over thousands of years. The sense of power is strong as you build huge empires, with your influence reaching across multiple continents.
The game balances large-scale strategy, like political and military moves between nations, with the smaller details of running your cities. Every choice feels important, and each new technology you discover changes your civilization’s path. While you don’t have to fight battles, you’ll need grand armies just to defend yourself from others.
8Hearts of Iron IVActs Like a WW2 Simulator
Hearts of Iron IV’shuge size really makes the player feel like they are in charge during a war. The enormous world map, which includes more than 11,000 provinces, lets players control every small detail of their war plans, right down to each individual soldier, making every choice feel important and full of consequences.
Players can carefully plan attacks to consider weather, land conditions, and supply routes to make their moves as effective as possible and cause the most damage. The player isn’t just pushing pieces around on a board; they are commanding millions of soldiers and managing huge industrial operations to keep the war going.
7Expeditions: RomeIs an Overlooked Diamond
Expeditions: Romedoes an excellent job of making you feel like a real Roman commander, handling the many challenges of leadership. The game combines large-scale strategy with close-up tactical battles in an approachable yet exciting way. You don’t just give orders from a distance; you actively decide what happens to your legions.
Turn-based tactical fights are one of the best parts, offering tough situations that require smart planning and skillful use of different kinds of units. The way these units work together and the many battle scenarios make you feel like you’re really in charge and using clever tactics.
6Star Wars: Empire at WarNeeds a Sequel
No one can deny the excitement of controlling a massive galactic fleet inStar Wars: Empire at War. The game perfectly brings to life the famous visuals of theStar Warsuniverse, dropping players right into the middle of the Galactic Civil War. It is one of the manygames from Star Wars that I think deserve a remaster or sequel.
You get to handle resources, build bases, and assemble fleets of legendary ships like X-wings, TIE fighters, and Star Destroyers, all designed with incredible detail, especially during space battles. I really hope they make some kind of sequel because this one still holds up today, and I recommend it to anyone who has never played it.
