PC gamers have long been drawn to strategy games, and even in the 1990s when computers started to become commonplace in homes, and the fledgling internet was growing, strategy games became huge.

Gamers have more choices now in terms of consoles, mobile games, and other ways to play, but strategy remains a popular genre on PC, and even games you might not strictly call “strategy games” have strong elements of making choices and formulating plans for the best results.

Video Poker

Poker is a game that has a huge element of strategy involved. Luck plays its part, too, but players are often drawn to the fact that they can build a betting strategy and a way of playing the game. Some versions of poker have a psychological element of playing the game, raising the stakes, and trying to work out when your opponents are bluffing can add some interest to the game.

Poker is different now from how it used to be, with new poker services including Video Poker platforms that don’t require the player to come up against other human players, as it is played via an interface, similar to slots.

Video Poker is easy to play online plus there are variations of the game, and spinoff games out there for people who are interested, they tend to have slightly different rules. Video Poker is a very popular game that takes many of the elements of poker but gets rid of the aspect of waiting for a dealer.

In video poker games the level of strategy may vary, as the player isn’t taking on another player who may be bluffing, for instance, the game more closely resembles slot games, but still has enough for strategy lovers as the players need to choose which cards to keep and which to replace for their best chances in the game, applying a level of choice and strategy to the game.

Chess

When chess was played thousands of years ago, people could never have imagined how it would grow, and that eventually it would become a game played on a computer across thousands of miles.

Players can play chess online, or using software on their computer, where they can play against an AI. Strategy is at the forefront of chess and how it is played. The Shannon Number is an equation that works out the number of different possibilities of a chess game and its outcomes, which are virtually limitless.

Chess remains popular with millions of players all over the world, and it has benefits including improving planning skills and helping to sharpen the brain, it has even been linked with slowing issues like dementia.

Sid Meier’s Civilization Series

Dating back over 20 years, Sid Meier’s Civilization series is one of the top strategy games with really immersive gameplay, and it is now on its sixth iteration. Civilization 6 has the same premise as previous games, as people guide their people through the ages, declaring war, building an economy, and much more

Few games have such an impressive set of features that test strategy abilities, and this is a game that requires a lot of thought if you want to be the top leader. Civilization 6 has DLC now with even more content available, and there is another game in development, Civilization 7, in one of the most popular series of strategy games ever, and arguably one of the most important games in the history of all gaming.

House Flipper Series

Some people think of strategy games and think of things like war and city-building, but strategies can also be tested in other ways. In House Flipper, players take on the role of a property developer, taking on houses that are run down and in need of renovation and adding to them, fixing them up, and selling them on.

Somewhere between the tycoon genre and the strategy genre, this is a game for the thinkers. How will you take this old fixer-upper and turn it into a property that is suitable for the market? Can you increase its in-game value?

People who enjoy the house-building aspect of The Sims may well enjoy this game, and interior design can be a lot of fun for people, so House Flipper has plenty of ways in which people can delve in and indulge their strategic brains. Some people spend a lot of time looking at properties online and dreaming of how they would improve them, but they don’t need to dream with this particular game series.

Conclusion

Strategy games make up a huge genre, with thousands of options for people to explore. Even card games and board games can be considered strategy games, and this makes them games for people who like to think and plan rather than just be reactive within a game like a shoot-em-up. From card games to tycoon games, strategy is at the forefront of so many complex and interesting PC options.