Best games
Best Strategy games of 2016
The 21 best Strategy games released in 2016, ranked from 8,030 critic and player ratings.
The best Strategy game of 2016 is Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, with a critic score of 88/100 — updated September 2026.
How this ranking is built
- Games are ranked on the aggregated critic score out of 100 imported from IGDB and Metacritic, never on Tier's own grades.
- A game only enters the ranking with at least 80 external ratings, so a single enthusiastic review never outranks a proven classic.
- Each game is ranked in one genre only, the one that defines it best, so the same title never tops two different genre charts.
- Community grades from F to S are shown next to every game, and only stated as a fact above 5 Tier ratings.
- Release window covered: 2016.
- 21 games are listed on this page, carrying 8,030 ratings between them.
- Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 28 September 2026.
Top 21
01
Sid Meier’s Civilization VI
Civilization is a turn-based strategy game in which you attempt to build an empire to stand the test of time. Become Ruler of the World by establishing and leading a civilization from the Stone Age to the Information Age. Wage war, conduct diplomacy, advance your culture, and go head-to-head with history’s greatest leaders as you attempt to build the greatest civilization the world has ever known.
88
/100
02
RimWorld
87
/100
03
Orcs Must Die! Unchained
Wisecracking multiplayer action that uniquely blends the strategic depth of a MOBA with intense third-person combat as you fight in a wild battle for fortress supremacy. Orcs Must Die! Unchained is a high-octane PvP action game in which you storm the opposing fortress together with your friends and defend your own base. Your enemies are also sending their minions to your rift – construct a maze of traps and beat back everything they send at you. Grinding, roasting, slashing or good old-fashioned thumping – every dirty trick is at your disposal when both attacking and defending.
87
/100
Sid Meier’s Civilization VI
Civilization is a turn-based strategy game in which you attempt to build an empire to stand the test of time. Become Ruler of the World by establishing and leading a civilization from the Stone Age to the Information Age. Wage war, conduct diplomacy, advance your culture, and go head-to-head with history’s greatest leaders as you attempt to build the greatest civilization the world has ever known.
88
/100
02
RimWorld
87
/100
03
Orcs Must Die! Unchained
Wisecracking multiplayer action that uniquely blends the strategic depth of a MOBA with intense third-person combat as you fight in a wild battle for fortress supremacy. Orcs Must Die! Unchained is a high-octane PvP action game in which you storm the opposing fortress together with your friends and defend your own base. Your enemies are also sending their minions to your rift – construct a maze of traps and beat back everything they send at you. Grinding, roasting, slashing or good old-fashioned thumping – every dirty trick is at your disposal when both attacking and defending.
87
/100
04
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun
Skillfully hide from and sneak past the enemies fields of view, take their formations apart and hide their bodies to cover your tracks. Quick Save will enable you to execute your plans perfectly. Tactically plan actions for your whole team and execute them all at once. Make use of the vertical gameplay and jump from roof to roof to silently kill your foes from above.
85
/100
05
Hearts of Iron IV
Victory is at your fingertips! Your ability to lead your nation is your supreme weapon, the strategy game Hearts of Iron IV lets you take command of any nation in World War II; the most engaging conflict in world history. From the heart of the battlefield to the command center, you will guide your nation to glory and wage war, negotiate or invade. You hold the power to tip the very balance of WWII. It is time to show your ability as the greatest military leader in the world. Will you relive or change history? Will you change the fate of the world?
84
/100
06
D
Don't Starve Together
Fight, Farm, Build and Explore Together in the standalone multiplayer expansion to the uncompromising wilderness survival game, Don't Starve. Discover and explore a massive procedurally generated and biome-rich world with countless resources and threats. Whether you stick to the surface world, go spelunking in the caves, dive deeper into the Ancient Archive, or set sail for the Lunar islands, it will be a long time before you run out of things to do.
83
/100
07
Planet Coaster
Planet Coaster is a construction and management simulation video game. Similar to its spiritual predecessor, RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 (also developed by Frontier), the game allows players to build different theme park rides and roller-coasters.
83
/100
08
Worms W.M.D
79
/100
09
Stellaris
Explore a galaxy full of wonders in this sci-fi grand strategy game from Paradox Development Studios. Interact with diverse alien races, discover strange new worlds with unexpected events and expand the reach of your empire. Each new adventure holds almost limitless possibilities.
79
/100
10
Offworld Trading Company
Offworld Trading Company is a real-time strategy game in which money, not firepower, is the player's weapon. Players lead their developing companies in cutthroat economic warfare against other companies looking to become the dominant economic power on Mars. Loosely inspired by such classics as M.U.L.E., Offworld Trading Company forces players to make tough choices on what resources to acquire, what goods to build and sell, how to interact with the planet's thriving underworld, and when and what stocks to acquire. Players compete against up to seven other AI- or player-controlled companies. The game is won when one player ultimately acquires all the shares of their competitors, thereby wresting control of the entire planet’s economy.
78
/100
11
HunieCam Studio
75
/100
12
Kingdom: New Lands
75
/100
13
Master of Orion
74
/100
14
Project Highrise
73
/100
15
Turmoil
73
/100
16
A
Dead by Daylight
72
/100
17
Hitman GO: Definitive Edition
72
/100
18
Bad North
70
/100
19
Farming Simulator 17
69
/100
20
This is the Police
66
/100
21
Cossacks 3
63
/100
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun
Skillfully hide from and sneak past the enemies fields of view, take their formations apart and hide their bodies to cover your tracks. Quick Save will enable you to execute your plans perfectly. Tactically plan actions for your whole team and execute them all at once. Make use of the vertical gameplay and jump from roof to roof to silently kill your foes from above.
85
/100
05
Hearts of Iron IV
Victory is at your fingertips! Your ability to lead your nation is your supreme weapon, the strategy game Hearts of Iron IV lets you take command of any nation in World War II; the most engaging conflict in world history. From the heart of the battlefield to the command center, you will guide your nation to glory and wage war, negotiate or invade. You hold the power to tip the very balance of WWII. It is time to show your ability as the greatest military leader in the world. Will you relive or change history? Will you change the fate of the world?
84
/100
06
D
Don't Starve Together
Fight, Farm, Build and Explore Together in the standalone multiplayer expansion to the uncompromising wilderness survival game, Don't Starve. Discover and explore a massive procedurally generated and biome-rich world with countless resources and threats. Whether you stick to the surface world, go spelunking in the caves, dive deeper into the Ancient Archive, or set sail for the Lunar islands, it will be a long time before you run out of things to do.
83
/100
07
Planet Coaster
Planet Coaster is a construction and management simulation video game. Similar to its spiritual predecessor, RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 (also developed by Frontier), the game allows players to build different theme park rides and roller-coasters.
83
/100
08
Worms W.M.D
79
/100
09
Stellaris
Explore a galaxy full of wonders in this sci-fi grand strategy game from Paradox Development Studios. Interact with diverse alien races, discover strange new worlds with unexpected events and expand the reach of your empire. Each new adventure holds almost limitless possibilities.
79
/100
10
Offworld Trading Company
Offworld Trading Company is a real-time strategy game in which money, not firepower, is the player's weapon. Players lead their developing companies in cutthroat economic warfare against other companies looking to become the dominant economic power on Mars. Loosely inspired by such classics as M.U.L.E., Offworld Trading Company forces players to make tough choices on what resources to acquire, what goods to build and sell, how to interact with the planet's thriving underworld, and when and what stocks to acquire. Players compete against up to seven other AI- or player-controlled companies. The game is won when one player ultimately acquires all the shares of their competitors, thereby wresting control of the entire planet’s economy.
78
/100
11
HunieCam Studio
75
/100
12
Kingdom: New Lands
75
/100
13
Master of Orion
74
/100
14
Project Highrise
73
/100
15
Turmoil
73
/100
16
A
Dead by Daylight
72
/100
17
Hitman GO: Definitive Edition
72
/100
18
Bad North
70
/100
19
Farming Simulator 17
69
/100
20
This is the Police
66
/100
21
Cossacks 3
63
/100
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Strategy game of 2016?
Sid Meier’s Civilization VI currently tops the ranking with a score of 88/100 across 1,431 ratings. Ranking updated September 2026.
How is this ranking built?
Games are ranked on their aggregated critic score out of 100, with a minimum vote threshold so a single glowing review never outranks a proven classic; the Tier community's own F-to-S grades are shown alongside each game.