The 25 Best Games Like XCOM That You Should Consider!

Turn-based strategy games like XCOM have recently grown amazingly big. XCOM comes with addictive gameplay and a profound tradition. It enjoys a highly dedicated fanbase.

The two last episodes of XCOM come with a feeling of bittersweet. They make you feel good as you assume the credit for thrashing through two of the most popular, hardest, and most fulfilling strategy games in history. At the same time, you feel sad about coming to the end of a delightful and meandering road.

The two games were wonderful, and the upshot even resulted in the prolonged existence of the games through modders. Besides, they’re not just available on the PC, you equally play them on other platforms.

However, Firaxis is only a single studio with the capacity to launch new installments every few years. This means many tactics addicted gamers long for ways to fill the holes created by these games while waiting for the next episode. To fill these gaps, many new games get launched constantly.

So, if you’re salivating for more and can’t help waiting for the upcoming episode, we have provided a list of 25 best games like XCOM to quench your thirst and assist you to hold up for the next episode. These games are equally superb.

All the games on our list approached the game genre uniquely. However, while some of them draw inspiration directly from XCOM, some of them focus on a specific aspect or feature of XCOM. The largest one is the die rolls, and all the games on the list have a unique approach to it. Eager to know what games we have on our list? Don’t go away, we’ll get there in a minute!

Best Games Like XCOM: Our Top 25 Picks

1. Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden

Road to Eden is a turn-based combat game that feels instantly like XCOM. It features a lot of cover spots and punitive dice rolls. However, the structure is different from that of XCOM.

The game features a post-apocalyptic world inhabited by animal-human hybrids with gloomy senses of humor. You also get all the sneaking and looting that occur before firefighting with the game. When you move from The Ark, which is your home base to any other place, you must first spy out the environment as you move your three-animal troop through your adversary blind spots.

As far as you continue to hide away, you can determine the terms for the upcoming combat and this will position your troop to take cover and remain hidden when amid a large troop. You can equally team up in threes to battle against an enemy isolated from the shadows. It comes with pre-combat, stealth, which is a great addition to the XCOM combat tactics.

The game is accessible on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. You can equally access the Free demo version on Steam. It was designed through the collaboration of Hitman and PayDay and puts you in a world no longer controlled by humans where you must travel around forests packed with unfriendly mutants.

To survive, you need to move smartly and avoid making noise as much as possible to remain hidden. Your task equally includes deciding on your preferred combat and ensuring that you stay close to your friends. The game comes with amazing visuals, attractive sceneries, trees, snow, and dilapidated buildings.

You’ll equally move around with gifted characters that will assist you to gather resources and contend with the mutants.

2. Invisible, Inc.

Invisible Inc. is a turn-based cyberpunk scouting adventure game where speed is of utmost importance. The status alert of your foe beeps every turn both when you’re noticed and when you aren’t identified. You aim to get in, grab the intended gubbins and abscond without being noticed.

However, unavoidably, a camera will discover you and this will make an alarm to start beeping. This will activate a turn-based fight that comes with a mixture of clearly specified rules with the pandemonium of hostile AI adversary similar to XCOM.

Also, like XCOM, you select the missions to accomplish from the map of the gaming world map. Thankfully, while fulfilling the missions, you lose workers if you decide to move without them. You will gradually gather up your troop when you make fresh recruits.

You can hack to use up a power supply required for controlling the cameras, disclose safes, and label sentries to offer Invisible, Inc.’s combats a feeling of tactical depth. Invisible Inc is one of the most popular and best indie games which feel very much like XCOM. The game is accessible on the PS4, iOS, and PC.

3. Xenonauts

Xenonauts is a PC game that looks much more similar to the 1994 first installation of X-COM: referred to as UFO Defense than recent episodes of the XCOM games. It’s in essence a replication of the indie feature with a sheer straining curve. It equally comes with a few much-required features of life jerks.

Your task is to explore a different universe where the inhabitants stopped the end of the Cold War. You’ll be working to keep the earth secure from being invaded by aliens. With your small troops or armies, you struggle to fight off the alien invasion and reclaim their machinery.

This game allows you to select your team members. However, you must work hard to keep them safe because it can be emotionally painful to lose any of them during your missions. As you move from one mission to another, you can improve your skills every time.

The game comes with a very clean user interface. However, the absence of users’ manual makes a bit more intricate. The ability to name your troops is fantastic but it also makes it more painful if any of them die on the field. It also comes with the capacity to reserve time units or action points between one turn of battle and the other. You can equally engage strategically in an aerial fight while struggling with your jets.

Besides, engaging in battle, you can engage in the construction and management of radar stations and foundations to track the actions of alien invaders. You’ll begin with a minor section of the world, while the other section of the world remains outside your control.

Recording some casualties as you fight makes it more compelling. Also, the pressure from citizens of Xenonauts and a Cold War USA-USSR battle, help to the pressure to continue to mount.

4. Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle

Despite the integrated bunnies and catchy soundtracks, Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle is a good and densely packed tactics game. However, you get a more streamlined feeling as opposed to XCOM. While it doesn’t come with deep tactics like that of the XCOM, the mobile enemies, and their large numbers make the game constantly challenging.

You can find yourself stuck on a single level for more than 60 minutes. The entire cast comes with over-the-top capacities like the team jump: stroll with Mario to Luigi and you can experience him springing off the hands of the brother as he flanks the bulky stalactite golem forward.

The game was developed by Ubisoft and every aspect of it features detailed animations. You’ll be very delighted to watch your troop jump and dance from level to level.

The game is an amalgamation of Mario magic and difficult strategies that make the combat feel special. The game is accessible on Nintendo Switch.

5. Warhammer 40,000 Mechanicus

In the game of Warhammer 40, 000: Mechanicus, your task is to fight to eliminate a group of aliens that are threatening the remnant of the human race in the world. While playing the game, you’ll be traveling around the world of the Necrons as you realize that a dreadful group of monsters is emerging. Your role is to halt their invasive activities before it gets out of hands.

You’ll be gathering up information about your alien foes and organizing your troop to launch a heroic battle against them leveraging on their weak points. The game allows you to view the entire map in a sophisticated interface that makes it possible for you to view plenty of details.

It equally allows you to lead your troop through deceitful maps loaded with plenty of traps. You have to be careful while doing this as any member of your troop you lose won’t return. You’ll be investigating and learning about a fresh group of beasts. Your task is to fight to get rid of them to prevent them from invading and ruling the congregation.

Mechanicus is a great fit if you want a turn-based game that is not as challenging as XCOM. Here, the task isn’t essentially about clearing each map but doing it most pleasingly. It’s less puzzling tactically but comes with an enhanced fantasy power. You can play the game on PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PC.

6. BattleTech

Battle Teach allows you to be in charge of 60-tonne mechs while they explode rockets and cut the arms of each other away. BattleTech is turn-based fighting that lacks grid and this means you have the freedom to go anywhere. You can enjoy your adventure by deciding on your preferred attack angle. It equally allows you to position your troop in non-conventional manners.

It’s is extremely granular to fire a weapon. You can make one of the 11 body sections on your foes mechs your target. You can equally eliminate specific parts of the body that will hinder your success in another way. You can decide to bust the leg to make it wobbly and easily somersault to the ground, for instance.

Another feature of the game is the heat management. The hot planet makes the world less tolerant of heavy weapons. You can equally customize your mech from one combat to the other. You’d have to tweak your weapon to a single pound of weight, in your effort to obtain an additional heat sink while ensuring your army is light enough to move.

Battle Tech specifically focused on XCOM’s freeform mechanics and the persistent threat of losing your troop forever. It’s accessible on the PC.

7. Skulls of the Shogun

The Skulls of the Shogun is a game similar to XCOM, which comes with samurai swords. Its rationalized tactics may serve as a great way to relax your nerve after the more challenging XCOM battle. It comes with short and sharp combats that lure you to dawdle for the next episode.

Each troop is allowed to make only a maximum of five moves in every turn. This leaves the game with a compact and more controllable feeling. It comes with sophisticated visuals that offer extra weight to each sword movement you make.

Besides, your task will include gathering resources, staying away from environmental harms, and doing everything possible to safeguard your soldiers. You need to do it because when your soldier dies, you lose, irrespective of where you’re in the game.

The game lacks grid and this allows you to take any action you want and make moves as you desire. Also, no two battles look similar. While the game is released more than six years ago, it is still a delight among turn-based enthusiasts. It’s accessible on the PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

8. Battle Brothers

Battle Brothers is a tactical game that combines the management of mercenary with barbaric turn-based combats. Your task as a leader of a gang of brigands is to stay economically buoyant. While playing the game, you’ll wander through a tactically–designed open map. You’ll make money by taking employments that include clearing gangster campsites and killing goblins.

The game creates a feeling of a handyman where you make use of an ax and shield as opposed to hammers and nails. The core loop is satisfying and involves accepting jobs, stabbing orcs, gathering coins, and utilizing the money to hire new troops. You can also purchase additional gears to help you stab more orcs.

It features an unforgiving combat features like the line of sight and the type of shield you put on. You can readily encounter enemies that are far stronger than your level and can get an injury like a mauled eye on the battlefield. You’ll be with your troops all the time and obstruct their skills.

When their morale gets very low, they can drop their weapons and escape. While the game is ruthless, it is a wonderful experience. It’s accessible on the PC.

9. Shadowrun: Dragonfall

The Dragonfall was initially an upshot of Shadowrun Returns. However, it eventually developed as a different game, which we liked. It’s a battle-heavy RPGs designed in a shabby sci-fi environment. It comes with multiple different characters which makes it difficult to predict turns.

You’ll experience a collision of grenades, bullets, drones, and spells as you hack character plays in a different mini-game to shoot enemy strongholds. Configure in a cyberpunk world where technology began to extremely combine with humans.

Humans will start to mutate into elves, dwarves, orcs, and trolls. The regimes struggle to keep the world in order. Your task is to look for ways to survive amidst social and political confusion. The game is an amalgamation of magical fantasy, and cyberpunk and allows players to add another level of depth to battles with the use of magical attacks. You can select from different races using exceptional features and attributes.

A game environment packed with cover and percentage opportunities look similar to that of XCOM fans. However, if you don’t want to engage in any type of battle, the game equally got you covered. If you want a game with a powerful storyline, Dragonfall is one of the best you can find in recent times. It’s accessible on the PC.

10. Divinity: Original Sin 2

The Divinity: Original sin 2 is a turn-based combat game like XCOM. However, it differs from XCOM in many other ways. It’s a 100-hour RPG with complicated discourse trees configured in a magical fantasy world. You don’t see any gun in the game like in XCOM.

The premise of the game is to merge your troops’ capacities in disordered and creative ways to douse your entire enemy squad in oil before burning them, for instance.

These collaborations will get more complicated as your foes become trickier, and deciding innovative ways to conquer the current sets of equipment will be your constant target. Because it is an RPG, the core part of the game involves team management.

Your task will include regularly providing your team with new items like XCOM. You’ll equally be burrowing deeper into their backstories compared to what you’ll do in Firaxis’ games. And this feature makes you feel more attracted to your troops compared to XCOM’s soldiers which is great. The game is accessible on the PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PC.

11. Phantom Doctrine

Phantom Doctrine gameplay centers on sneakiness. It comes with a stylish elegance that creates the feeling of agent 007. Your tasks include penetrating complicated structures and bypassing guards and cameras to get to your unsuspicious target.

Collect your data about your enemies’ activities to ruin their plans. You’ll strategize your actions to overcome your enemies. If you love a feeling of working as a secret agent for the CIA, his game would make a perfect fit. You have different ways to design your missions including management of resources, utilizing experience system, skills, and so on. This results in a different feeling for every session.

You’ll work as a commander of a smaller team of agents that has abilities and select sensibly to use a suitable fit for every mission. You can travel around complicated layouts as you discover secret weapons, alternative roads, and lay an ambush against your target when they’re not expecting it.

12. Phoenix Point

While playing the Phoenix point, you’ll be exploring a dark futuristic world invaded by aliens. You’re in charge of the management of a small team of soldiers as you battle a massive group of terrible aliens. You will save the earth while stance for the cameras.

You’ll try fresh features such as concentrating on a special section of the body to disarm the aliens a fresh layer of tactic. Concentrate on attacking the alien’s weak points to benefit during the combat.

You are the last hope of humans to survive an alien attack, which is destroying life. However, all hope is not lost, thanks to your best army troops. With their help, you would overcome the aliens. This game is very popular because it was created by the primary developers of the original X-COM.

13. Spaceland

While playing the Spaceland, you’ll be fighting aliens with a squad of special characters. It’s an indie title developed for gamers who love fast-paced games filled with action. Spaceland lacks the hiding and the ambush feature. It allows you to face the enemies head-on.

If you love engaging in gameplay that crushes a few alien skulls quickly, this would make a great choice. The game comes with a fresh cartoonish painting style, followed by a calming soundtrack, which makes the slaying of aliens less repulsive.

You’ll work with a team of 7 characters that have multiple types of skills, as you learn the best blends that will help you to efficiently conquer aliens. The game involves fast-paced battles that last roughly between 10 to 15 minutes.

14. UnderRail

UnderRail is a popular Indie title that comes with a 2D retro art style positioned on an apocalyptic future chaotic world. Your task involves defeating your enemies in tough and violent manners. Aim to survive as you battle against other offshoots for the remaining scarce resources.

The few people that survive on earth are living crazy-like life. Therefore, you’d be battling with wicked cult members. You’ll be collaborating with your community members to keep away from foes that want to rip your resources away.

You’ll utilize a variety of weapons like explosives if you fancy creating pandemonium. The game features a historical art style, with graphics that will recap the golden age of gaming.

15. Gears Tactics

While playing the gear tactics, your task is to conquer dreadful monsters that threaten the survival of the human race. You’ll be controlling a troop 12 years following the primary episode of the game series.

Your task includes tracking down the den of a monster that breeds monsters that destroyed many cities. Thus, you’ll go through all the underlings as you protect their leader to put an end to the horrendous acts.

The game allows you to witness an action-packed battle of the Gears license in a fresh genre. You will discover more things about the primary storyline of the franchise and find out the additional events that occurred after the original Gears of Wars.

You can organize your troop and plan for tactics that will help you to defeat all the monsters and return alive.

16. Fallout 2: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game

In Fallout 2, you’ll be exploring the wasteland and all its hazards. Fallout 2 is set in a fantasy world that suffered from a nuclear war and the world became a radioactive wasteland with plenty of mutations. The animals mutated into horrifying beasts, and the entire society became very aggressive and distasteful.

Some people tried to take refuge in nuclear shelters but became reagents in the hands of scientists who want to use them for more experiments. It contains convoluted lore that you can try to discover to know what could happen if history is overturned.

You can have fun playing with the specialized skill structure specifically developed for the game franchise while you struggle to survive in a hostile wasteland packed mutants.

17. Encased: A Sci-Fi Post-Apocalyptic RPG

Encased charges you to struggle to survive as you restructure the society in a chaotic fantasy world. The game exposes you to the dangers of the world outside your arena as you try to travel through the remains of uninhibited cities in search of resources and contending with other survivors.

The game enjoys a regular update. Therefore, don’t be surprised to encounter some updates soon. Encase comes with an immersive world that leaves you with a feeling of loneliness as you explore the wasteland.

You’ll constantly be facing dangers as you travel through the length and breadth of this massive world packed with unfriendly beings, robots, and groups that co-inhabit the world with you. You can get supporters to assist you to stay alive as you battle against your enemies.

Your task equally includes gathering resources and designing weapons and shield plus maintaining your equipment to ensure they remain in a good state to ensure their efficiency during combat.

18. Wasteland 3

Your task as you play the game of Wasteland 3 is to find ways to stay alive in an unfriendly world packed hazardous creatures, people, and machinery. This episode inspired the famous game of Fallout. Society is about to go extinct but it’s presently returning in a very nasty way. The game exposes you to a cold wasteland where you must work to earn and survive.

You’d be engaging in battle against the craziest cliques of thugs. You can only survive the ruthless environments and more dangerous tribes if you’re strong.

As travel through this expansive world packed with histories of the former inhabitants, you’ll be gathering resources that will sustain you as you live in the harsh nuclear winter-laden world.

You might also be interested: The Best Games Like Wasteland You’ll Love – Top 25

19. Dreadlands

The Dreadlands puts you in a world where you’ll come across new and amiable characters with a motivating style of art. This game produces a fresh design of turn-based RPG MMO. You’ll live in your base and play with your tribe against other players.

The game allows you to travel around the expansive maps of the world as you relate to other players. You can take up a merchant role or be a sadist that likes to create a chaotic environment.  You’ll be exploring a post-apocalyptic world as you engage in combat with ruthless and harmful creatures. Your task equally includes gathering resources to enhance your base and ensure your survival.

You’ll come face to face with other players as you explore. You can choose to form collaborators to help you conquer stronger enemies. The game entices you with stunning visuals.

20. End State

The game of End State charges you to track down your energy target while fighting as an expert among selected force squad. You’ll experience the excitement of the battle as play this Early Access of the installation. You’ll be managing an avaricious company with a single task of dismantling a terrorist group.

You can take a sneaky approach or come out boldly in a gun battle so long as you end up eliminating the terrorist group members. The game comes with believable astrophysics with bullets piercing through walls. However, this capacity depends on the material used for producing the bullet you can us for combat. It features destructible settings that will interest gamers who love engaging in atrocious acts.

The game allows you to develop your experienced troops of the army and provides you with large collection weapons and armors. You’ll equally enjoy the classy look and the character customization system.

21. Forged of Blood

Forged of blood makes you experience an art style storytelling. It is set in an apocalyptic world. However, its designs are more inclined to the medieval art style. It is a D&D RPG that sets you out in an exploration to find fame and treasure.

You’ll be exploring a medieval world as act as a commander of a troop or armies going for war. Your task includes managing your troops’ weapon and shield to win the battle. You’ll experience a D&D life as you respond to all the situations the world poses on you. At the same time, you’ll work to enhance your skills.

You can access different types of tools including swords, bows, and spells while exploiting the effects of your magic to make the battle move in your favor.

22. Desperados 3

Desperados 3 puts you in a world where you will travel around the wild west with your team of questionable heroes. It comes with a very good-looking standard Wild West style as you journey through as an 1800’s cowboy with a shady past.

You’ll be traveling through the USA and Mexico as you look for his family. You’ll be joining forces with others to stay alive amidst the harsh weather and make a profit in any possible manner. The classic design of the old west movie allows you to explore the desert lands of Mexico and the southern US.

You can explore different campsites and make new friends as you discover the stories and difficulties faced while roaming the wild in the west. You can go undercover as you battle to conquer using non-lethal forces. However, when things go against your plans, you can engage in direct gun battles.

23. Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark

This Fell Sear games come in a stunning art style and character structures. You’ll be the commander of an Arbiter in charge of the security of the Kingdom’s lands.

However, your task does not involve only a standard patrol, because, you will be battling against a large corrupt troop that works underground to threaten peace and order.

The game comes with attractive 2D visuals and art style. You’ll view the beautiful landscapes and be able to customize your character. As you explore, you will uncover a rich story that will help you to unravel the mystery behind the threat the kingdom is experiencing.

24. Space Hulk Tactics

The game of Space Hulk Tactics put you in a dark world infested with horrific aliens. It was adapted from the board game Space Hulk and designed in the world of Warhammer 40,000, where human congregations face constant attacks from the monsters.

In addition, the armies that defend humans are intimidated. You will be commanding the best troop of the emperor. You can decide to launch an attack against these horrifying creatures that are menacing the human race on the verge of extinction.

You’ll play as the commander of the elite group of space marines as you travel through the popular world of Warhammer 40,000. As you explore, you’ll be challenging other players in online battle. Alternatively, join forces with other players as you engage in multiplayer combats. You can design your missions as you play on the community-generated maps to explore additional content.

25. ATOM RPG

Atom RPG allows you to travel around the expansive wasteland in your quest to survive. The game took inspiration from popular games like Fallout, System Shock, and Deus Ex. As you play, the game, you’ll travel through the soviet desert of an alien world where the Soviet Union and the Western Block devastated each other in a nuclear battle.

Your tasks include finding ways to stay alive amidst the nuclear-induced winter. You will equally be working to stop any further disaster that could unleash mayhem to the remnants of the human race.

It comes with a character creation tool that allows you to develop your character the way you want. As you travel around the world, you will meet other troops and visit different places as you engage in combat with bandits. You can also choose a location that is nice and calm. It’s a game world densely packed with missions and quest you can explore at your own pace.

FAQs About XCOM

Conclusion

XCOM is 2012 launched turn-based tactical video game created by Firaxis Games and published by 2K Games. It is a popular and one of the best turn-based tactical fantasy games ever created.

However, if you can’t wait for the next installation of the game and is looking for a similar game to satiate your thirst, this 25 list of the best turn-based game like XCOM is the best place to start.

Have you played any of these games? Let’s know your experience in the comment section. If you haven’t, pick the ones you think are a suitable fit from the list and also share your experience in the comment section.

Further Comparisons

• The Best Games Like Gone Home Worth Trying
• 25 Best Games Like Diablo Worth Trying [2020]: Diablo Alternatives
• Best Games Like Skyrim Worth Playing: Skyrim Alternatives [2020]
• The Best Games Like Banished – Top Alternatives to Consider!
• 20 Best Games Like Portal in 2020 Worth Trying
• Top 25 Best Games like Fortnite Worth Playing [2020]
• Best Games Like Spore Worth Playing – Top 25 Picks!