The Best Tactical turn-based Games for Nintendo Switch

Update : SteamWorld Heist II added at rank #3.
1

Wargroove 2 (2023)

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85
Review score
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Nintendo Switch j Xbox Series X PC Windows Xbox One

Trouble stirs on the shores of Aurania. An ambitious new faction has unearthed forbidden relics capable of catastrophic consequences. But how far will they go to achieve glory? Take to the battlefield, sea, and sky with a cast of new Commanders, using your wits to wage turn-based war!

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  • tactical
  • rogue-like
  • turn-based
  • strategy
  • battle
  • campaign
  • multiplayer
  • pixel
  • fantasy
  • war
  • online
  • traditional
  • retro
  • bite-sized
  • puzzle

2

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope (2022)

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86
Review score
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Nintendo Switch

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is an innovative turn-based tactical RPG. You play as Mario and his Rabbid allies as they battle a space monster named Cursa and her Darkmess. The game captures the energy of the Rabbids, and provides supercharged weapons, flinging allies into the air, and Sparks to power up your team.

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What we like:
  • Innovative gameplay
  • Vibrant and lively atmosphere
  • Strategic maps without grids
  • Lots of fun characters with unique abilities
  • Smooth controls
What could be improved:
  • Not for those who don't like turn-based tactical RPGs
  • Some jokes may be too dumb for some players

  • tactical
  • turn-based
  • battle
  • grid
  • strategy
  • cover
  • combat
  • crossover
  • puzzle
  • rpg
  • exploration
  • fight

3

SteamWorld Heist II (2024)

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84
Review score
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Nintendo Switch Xbox Series X Xbox One Playstation 5 Playstation 4 PC Windows

Join Captain Leeway and his ragtag crew as they uncover the enigmatic menace threatening the Great Sea. Equip and upgrade your crew for turn-based gunfights packed with ricochet action and engage in real-time naval combat. Get ready to aim, plot, and plunder in this turn-based tactical adventure.


  • turn-based
  • tactical
  • submarine
  • naval
  • strategy
  • combat
  • robots

4

The Banner Saga 2 (2016)

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95
Review score
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PC Windows Mac OS Xbox One Playstation 4 IOS iPhone Android Nintendo Switch

The Banner Saga 2 is a gripping Norse-inspired fantasy adventure that engages you with its exceptional narrative and captivating art direction. The game features a turn-based combat system that challenges your strategic thinking, new creatures and obstacles, and battles resolved through primary objectives rather than max-murdering the other side. Make difficult decisions that can lead to starvation, mutiny or death, while defying traditional conventions and rejecting typical rules of morality. The sequel is a must-play, with vastly improved combat, deep and rewarding narrative, and an immersive visual and sound design.


What we like:
  • Engaging narrative
  • Captivating art direction
  • Improved combat system
  • New creatures and obstacles
  • Battles resolved through primary objectives
What could be improved:
  • Difficult for new players who did not play the first game
  • Console controls are awkward and obtuse
  • Environmental art can make combat harder to navigate
  • Not very action-packed
  • Characters can die without notice

  • turn-based
  • tactical
  • battle
  • strategy
  • rpg
  • combat
  • narrative
  • story
  • grid
  • fantasy
  • hand-drawn

5

Fire Emblem Engage (2023)

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81
Review score
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Nintendo Switch

Fire Emblem Engage is a tactical JRPG series that brings together classic elements of Fire Emblem and adds modern touches. You will take part in strategic battles, build relationships with your team, and find magical rings to defeat a dark dragon.

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What we like:
  • Challenging difficulty levels
  • Rewind feature to turn back turns
  • Variety of customisation options
  • Engaging storyline and characters
  • Beautiful level design
What could be improved:
  • Unpredictable luck system in some parts of the game
  • Limited activities outside of combat
  • Traditional narrative structure might not appeal to all players

  • tactical
  • battle
  • rpg
  • strategy
  • turn-based
  • grid
  • combat
  • narrative
  • fight
  • japanese
  • anime
  • war
  • skill
  • remake

6

Wartales (2023)

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80
Review score
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Nintendo Switch Xbox One PC Windows Xbox Series X

In Wartales, you will lead a group of mercenaries through an open-world medieval landscape, filled with treasure and mysteries to uncover. Customize your team with specialized skills and equipment, as you traverse a vast terrain via horseback or on foot. With a turn-based combat system, anticipate encountering various enemies requiring strategic planning and coordination for success. Bond with your fellow comrades and celebrate an accomplished day of pillaging with a well-earned feast. In this harsh world, will you endure and prosper? Play Wartales and find out!


What we like:
  • Exciting turn-based combat
  • Extensive customization options
  • Immersive map interactions
  • Amusing lock picking and puzzle-solving
  • Enticing exploration opportunities
What could be improved:
  • Harsh early-game difficulty
  • Repetitive late-game combat
  • No horse-riding option for faster travel
  • Lack of hints for in-game quests
  • Troop deployment is somewhat illogical

  • turn-based
  • rpg
  • tactical
  • open-world
  • medieval
  • combat
  • battle
  • survival
  • strategy
  • fight
  • cooperative
  • sandbox
  • low-fantasy
  • crafting
  • exploration

7

Triangle Strategy (2022)

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86
Review score
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Nintendo Switch PC Windows

Triangle Strategy is a tactical RPG that takes place in the middle of a trade war between three countries on the continent of Norzelia. Featuring strong tactics gameplay and striking retro visuals, players control a traveling band of troops led by the generically stoic Serenoa as they look to untangle the political conflict.

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What we like:
  • Tight tactics battles
  • Emphasis on careful troop placement
  • Special currency for special actions
  • Choice-driven story with tense decisions
What could be improved:
  • Long swaths of monotonous dialogue with minimal interactivity
  • Thin customization options
  • Hardly any side-content

  • tactical
  • rpg
  • battle
  • strategy
  • japanese
  • political
  • turn-based
  • war
  • narrative
  • jrpg
  • combat
  • politics
  • grid

8

The Last Spell (2021)

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88
Review score
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PC Windows Nintendo Switch Playstation 4 Playstation 5

The Last Spell is a captivating turn-based tactical RPG game where you'll lead a squad of heroes in a battle of survival again an endless swarm of brutal monsters. With procedurally generated enemy waves, unlockables, and a headbanger soundtrack, the game will keep you entertained until the real world collapses.


What we like:
  • Variety in runs and viable weapons
  • Immersive world and stunning graphics
  • Unique blend of strategy and RPG elements
  • Great soundtrack
  • Well-thought variation of wave defense strategy
What could be improved:
  • High time commitment required
  • Meta progression system is too essential

  • turn-based
  • tactical
  • rpg
  • strategy
  • rogue-like
  • fantasy
  • tower-defense
  • perma-death
  • post-apocalyptic
  • pixel
  • base-building
  • wave
  • dark

9

The Banner Saga 3 (2018)

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81
Review score
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IOS iPhone Playstation 4 Xbox One Nintendo Switch PC Windows Mac OS

Experience the epic conclusion of The Banner Saga trilogy in a dark and desperate world-ending event. As you lead over 40 powerful heroes through tough odds, your decisions truly impact the game's outcome. The storyline concludes in a beautifully animated epic finale with a Grammy-nominated soundtrack that'll leave you feeling both triumphant and nostalgic.


What we like:
  • Excellent storytelling, art and setting
  • Innovative custom battles
  • A fitting end to the saga
  • The series ages very well
  • Grammy-nominated soundtrack
What could be improved:
  • Some outcomes of fights seem meaningless
  • Lack of impact for decisions made earlier in the game

  • tactical
  • turn-based
  • battle
  • wave
  • rpg
  • strategy
  • narrative
  • combat
  • fight
  • story
  • grid
  • fantasy
  • hand-drawn

10

Massi (2022)

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73
Review score
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IOS iPhone Mac OS PC Windows Xbox One Xbox Series X j Nintendo Switch Playstation 5

Massi is a retro platformer game with souls like features. Fully made in hand-made pixel art, fun, fast paced. Fighting, exploration, tight controls, puzzle solving, difficult boss fights.


  • turn-based
  • tactical
  • strategy
  • battle
  • combat
  • fight
  • fantasy
  • stealth
  • cover
  • rpg
  • squad
  • soundtrack
  • metroidvania
  • war
  • souls

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