For many players, their available gaming time is limited due to other interests or responsibilities, so for them, it’s almost always better to get straight to the good stuff, skipping all the busy work along the way that can bog down a game. This is doubly true for strategy games.
Whether it be games that are focused on fresh instances of gameplay with little progression systems or RTS games that challenge the speed and split-second decision-making of the player, there’s a wealth of incredible games out there for gamers looking to skip the grind.
As probably the most popular and faithful attempt to simulate large-scale WW2 battles where the player can make microscopic command decisions on the fly,Steel Division 2deserves to be commended for just how much it commits to the simulationwhile sporting an innovative morale system.
With battles that can feature over 1000 individual units, an incredibly in-depth strategic layer, and stunning historical accuracy, WW2 simulation doesn’t get much better thanSteel Division 2. Best of all? There’s no grinding in sight.
Though it got off to a bit of a rocky start,Company of Heroes 3is fast becoming a fantastic redemption story by delivering some of the best squad-based tactical gameplay on the market. The revered franchise lets the player take control of a WW2 squad tasked with various missions across the many fronts of the war, utilizingeven more interesting factions.
As one of the most modern strategy games with little to no grinding,Company of Heroes 3builds off all its predecessors and delivers a graphical delight. This one is perfect for long-time fans of the strategy genre, orthose looking to get their feet wet but unsure where to jump in.
WhileAge of Mythologyhas enjoyed a recent remake inAge of Mythology: Retold,its controversial design decisionsmean that it’s probably best to stick with the original, even though it was released all the way back in 2002. Still, it holds up beautifully as a strategy game that is all about in-the-moment decision-making with zero grinding.
Age of Mythologyinnovated upon its historical predecessors and decided to infuse the RTS genre with mythological creatures and boons. Playing as the Norse, Greek, or Egyptians, players can build a fighting force filled with strange creatures and abilities powered by a selection of gods, making for a fascinating and novel experience when those forces crash into each other on the field.
Widely considered to be one of the best RTS games ever made,Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaostook everything the RTS genre had done by 2002 and perfected it, resulting in an amazing gameplay loop set over an infamous campaign that sees the birth of one of the most prolific MMOs of all time,World of Warcraft.
While its gameplay is strong, it’s hard to overstate just how brilliant a story the fall of Arthas is, leading into the rise of the Lich King. Any gamer fans of epic fantasy stories, even those who aren’t into theWorld of WarcraftMMO, should definitely giveWarcraft 3a shot for its campaign, if nothing else. While the recent remaster has made solid strides to recover from its terrible launch, playing a pre-Reforgedpatch still offers the best experience.
Nothing beats the original. While far from the first RTS,Age of Empires 2perfected the RTS genre to such an extent in 1999 that it is still being being played to this day, partially due to a fantastic 2019 remaster that was extremely faithful to the source and worked perfectly on release.
Players take control of a variety of historical civilizations and are placed on an even wider variety of large-scale maps on which to duke it out — not to mention the game’sbrutally challenging campaign mode. With a plethora of game modes, even more ways to strategize, and a still vibrant multiplayer community,Age of Empires2is the platonic ideal of a strategy game that requires zero grinding that still holds up to this day.
