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The best strategy games on iPhone and iPad (2016)

Think before you move

The best strategy games on iPhone and iPad (2016)
Templar Battleforce
By Trese Brothers - get on iPhone and iPad
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A tense sci-fi strategy game about building a team of metal-played squad mates, before sending them off into a labyrinthine to mow down waves of xeno hunters. Like Space Hulk, but with far less cardboard.

We said: "A top quality blend of tactics and role-playing, with enough customisation options for enormous replay value"

XCOM: Enemy Within
By 2K - get on iPhone and iPad
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XCOM is about the hear and now, as you command tiny squads to tactically clear out alien dens. But it's also strategy on a far grander scale, as you manage your base of operations and deal with diplomatic relations around the world.

We said: "XCOM: Enemy Within adds some wonderfully inventive new toys, but making it a separate app means only those who truly adored Enemy Unknown should double dip"

Sid Meier’s Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies
By 2K - get on iPhone and iPad
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Sid Meier is usually making strategy games about the entire world, and the entirety of human history. But his best work on mobile is a quirky dogfighting game where ace pilots (with ace facial hair) take turns to dive, barrel roll, and blast each other.

We said: "Though Ace Patrol and Pacific Skies's core systems are pretty much identical, the latter's shift to a more technologically advanced conflict and thoughtful enhancements make it every bit the worthy sequel"

The Banner Saga
By Stoic - get on iPhone and iPad
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You might get distracted by this game's gorgeous hand-drawn visuals, or its stirring soundtrack. But behind the gloss is a tricky, compulsive tactics game about careful positioning and judicious use of abilities.

We said: "A dark, strange, tough, and beautiful tactical RPG-cum-interactive story with one of the richest settings you could hope for. Banner Saga is an iOS game to savour"

Plague Inc.
By Ndemic Creations - get on iPhone and iPad
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Games like XCOM have you saving the world. Plague Inc, on the other hand, has you ending it. Your job is to make a super bug capable of jumping past jabs and paracetamol until everyone is dead.

We said "The most fun you can have destroying civilisation without becoming a government MP, Plague Inc. refines the Pandemic formula into a streamlined combination of strategy and twisted bio-horror"

Warbits
By Risky Lab - get on iPhone and iPad
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Warbits wants to be Advance Wars. That's no secret. From the colourful graphics to the chunky tile-based movements, this cute tactics game is as close as you can get to Nintendo's forgotten strategy series on your phone.

We said: "There's a lot to do in Warbits, and you're going to have a lovely old time doing it"

I Keep Having This Dream
By Fireflame Games - get on iPhone and iPad
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This weirdo game seems to defy genres. It's part roguelike, part RPG, part puzzler, and part boardgame. It's not as complex as it sounds, but there's a thick vein of gooey strategy goodness running under this elegant exterior.

We said: "I Keep Having This Dream mashes together a bunch of ideas, and while they don't all come off, it's still an entertaining journey"

rymdkapsel
By Grapefrukt - get on iPhone and iPad
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Rymdkapsel is an RTS stripped to its bare essentials. Just the DNA of the genre: collect resources, train troops, defend from attacks. But there's something wonderfully elegant about the game that makes it easy to play again, and again, and again.

We said: "You might not be able to say Rymdkapsel, but its brilliance is clear enough for all to understand"

Warhammer 40,000: Deathwatch - Tyranid Invasion
By Rodeo Games - get on iPhone and iPad
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If we judged games by the number of words in their title, Tyranid Invasion would be a strong contender for game of the year. Probably better to judge it for its strategic gameplay though, where this Hunters-like game also wins big time.

We said: "A squelchy blast of gothic turn-based violence that ticks the right boxes for 40K fans, and offers enough for everyone else too"

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