EGS Holiday Sale 2023: best strategy games to grab at a discount
The Epic Games Store Holiday Sale 2023 has begun, offering tons of video games at discounts that truly get you into that celebratory holiday mood. And what better way to spend the upcoming free days is there than to finally fulfill your dream of conquering the world – come on, everyone had that one at some point. Thanks to this sale on EGS you don’t need to let your dreams stay dreams.
We’ve compiled a list of the best strategy games to grab at a discount during the EGS Holiday Sale 2023 to help you find the right battlefield for your upcoming campaign.
Best turn-based strategy game deals
Be it games following the classic 4X formula or delivering a more personalized experience that revolves around fleshed out characters, turn-based strategy games provide lots of thrill without the need for quick hands thanks to their depth.
Age of Wonders 4
- Off by 30%.
- Find Age of Wonders 4 on EGS.
Age of Wonders 4 is the best strategy game released in 2023 in my books, making it an easy one to recommend. Triumph Studios has been doing a great job in terms of supporting the title as well, publishing some excellent DLC and delivering massive updates for free, so the base game by itself is already a strong pick-up.
Grand strategy and intense turn-based battles await in Age of Wonders 4.
Triumph Studios / Paradox Interactive
Master of Magic Remake
- Off by 40%.
- Find Master of Magic Remake on EGS.
Isn’t that a throwback? Master of Magic is one of the OG turn-based strategy games, so you’ll find it very familiar if you’re into series like Age of Wonders. This remake made the classic 4X game compatible with modern systems, updating its visuals and controls to today’s standards. For those looking for a little nostalgia, this might be just what’s needed.
Master of Magic: a classic reborn.
Slitherine
Warhammer 40,000: Gladius – Relics of War
- Off by 90%.
- Find Warhammer 40,000: Gladius on EGS.
Take Age of Wonders and transplant it into the grimdark future of Warhammer 40,000 and you get Gladius. It has been given away on EGS and Steam for free before, so the base game may already be in your library, in which case you should check out the available DLCs. Most of them are discounted as well and have a ton of additional content like playable factions to offer.
Gladius does a fantastic job in combining the Warhammer 40,000 IP with 4X gameplay.
Proxy Studios
Songs of Conquest
- Off by 50%.
- Find Songs of Conquest on EGS.
This take on the Heroes of Might & Magic formula is, dare I write it, actually better than the series it was inspired by. Made by massive fans of the HoMM series, it contains all the charm and depth of these games while adding some neat innovations in terms of presentation and mechanics that bring the experience to a whole new level. An easy recommendation for fans of this subgenre.
Sprawling towns and mighty armies are at your command in Songs of Conquest.
Coffee Stain / Lavapotion
Civilization 6: Anthology Edition
- Off by 75%.
- Civilization 6 base game off by 90%.
- Find Civilization 6: Anthology Edition on EGS.
Fans of turn-based games like Civilization will absolutely feast in 2024 with some of the games projected to be released next year, which will fill the waiting time for Civilization 7. Anyone new to the series should pick up Civilization 6 in the meantime. While the base game is off by 90%, I’d recommend picking up the Anthology Edition, which contains the two big expansions Rise and Fall as well as Gathering Storm plus all content from the New Frontier and Leader Pass.
Newcomers are recommended to pick up the Anthology Edition for all the extra content.
Firaxis
Best real-time strategy game deals
If a strategic and tactical adrenaline rush is what you’re after, then real-time strategy games are what you need. Enter the thrill of battle and do your best to stay alive – or ahead of the pack.
Homeworld Remastered Collection
- Off by 90%.
- Find Homeworld Remastered Collection on EGS.
Homeworld 3 will be out in early 2024, opening the next chapter in this epic sci-fi saga that has revolutionized real-time strategy games. If you want to check out how all that started, then you should pick up this Remastered Collection, which brought the legendary original into the modern age of gaming. The spin-off Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak, which is ground-based instead of taking place in space, is off by 90% as well – find Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak on EGS.
Homeworld Remastered is the best way of experiencing the original today.
Gearbox
The Great War: Western Front
- Off by 50%.
- Find The Great War: Western Front on EGS.
From the RTS experts at Petroglyph comes this title set in World War 1, which proves that even the trench battles of that catastrophic conflict can provide engaging gameplay. Fusing a tactical layer with a strategic level akin to the Total War series, The Great War: Western Front is a solid one for genre enthusiasts.
Air and ground forces are at your disposal to push through trench lines.
Petroglyph
F1 Manager 2023
- Off by 60%.
- Find F1 Manager 2023 on EGS.
It’s off-season time in Formula 1, which means fans are reduced to producing memes, reading sensationalized articles that really say nothing new at all, and waiting for the next season of Drive to Survive being dropped – or you could play F1 Manager 2023, which lets you take control of any of the ten racing teams competing in motorsport’s most prestigious arena.
F1 Manager 2023's visuals should help stem the off-season sadness.
Frontier Developments
Best turn-based tactics game deals
Bringing the intense thrill of RTS games to the more laid-back mode of playing turn-based titles, these tactical masterpieces will have you curse and praise your luck in no time as the sweat from your forehead drops onto your keyboard.
XCOM 2
- Off by 90%.
- Find XCOM 2 on EGS.
We have been basically calling this genre XCOM-likes for years now, which should tell you all you need to know about how good and influential this series is. XCOM 2 is no exception and at 90% off is basically a no-brainer for anyone even remotely interested in this type of game.
Good hunting, ladies and gentlemen!
Firaxis
Xenonauts 2
- Off by 25%.
- Still in Early Access.
- Find Xenonauts 2 on EGS.
XCOM 2 made a bunch of changes to the formula that old school fans weren’t that happy with. Luckily, a heavily inspired series called Xenonauts took up the mantle to still provide that kind of experience, and this tradition is continued in Xenonauts 2. Featuring more classic mechanics and looks, it’s a true homage to the original XCOM. While it’s an Early Access title, publisher Hooded Horse has a stainless record when it comes to projects like these, which allows me to recommend it in spite of that.
Xenonauts 2 offers a more old school experience.
Hooded Horse
Miasma Chronicles
- Off by 35%.
- Find Miasma Chronicles on EGS.
If you’re not afraid of a challenge and want to mix some real-time sneaking into your turn-based combat, then Miasma Chronicles is a pick-up you should consider. This one is a hardcore title, though you can turn down the difficulty to experience its entertaining narrative without struggling all too much – though that never goes away entirely, of course.
Miasma Chronicles is gorgeous to look at.
The Bearded Ladies / 505 Games
Showgunners
- Off by 40%.
- Find Showgunners on EGS.
Showgunners is another very solid entry into this genre and offers a bit of a shorter experience. You’re a modern-day gladiator fighting on TV to entertain millions – heck, during levels you can even take a break and sign some autographs for fans – and rise through the ranks as one of the show’s big stars. However, a revenge story is what’s really driving you forward. Combining a few real-time segments with turn-based combat, Showgunners keeps things fresh and keeps things concise.
Showgunners is pretty linear, but entertaining.
Artificer
Expeditions: Rome
- Off by 60%.
- Find Expeditions: Rome on EGS.
Ancient Rome is one of the coolest settings for video games in general and this turn-based tactics title makes the most of it, leading you through a surprisingly good – if not in any way historically accurate – story full of drama and twists as you battle your way around the Mediterranean in gripping fights. You need to equip your characters with the best gear you find and use their talents to the fullest, if you want to return to the Eternal City in glory.
For the glory of Rome!
Logic Artists
Marvel’s Midnight Suns
- Off by 67%.
- Find Marvel’s Midnight Suns on EGS.
Another fun Firaxis game, which didn’t quite hit the economical mark the developer wanted it to hit. Mixing XCOM with card game aspects, Marvel’s Midnight Suns is perhaps not entirely what the studio’s fan base or Marvel fans expected, but it’s certainly worth a try: It’s a well-executed, good-looking, and engaging title for any tactically-minded superhero fan.
Spotting any familiar faces?
Firaxis
Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus
- Off by 85%.
- Find Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus on EGS.
Mechanicus is worth it for its banger soundtrack alone – seriously, it’s going to convert you into a follower of the Omnissiah quicker than you can blast away some Necron Scarabs. Which you’ll have to do in this game, because it has you explore dusty and forgotten Necron tombs with your brethren from the Adeptus Mechanicus, lifting ancient secrets and defeating their guardians.
It's a showdown between people who became robots and people who want to be robots.
Bulwark Studios
Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters
More Warhammer 40,000! Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters is another very challenging title and has you fight Daemons of Chaos with small, but extremely elite, parties of Grey Knights. That’s the Space Marines who make other Space Marines look like wimps thanks to their powers as Psykers and purity of mind.
Expansions have added assassins, tech-marines, and other units to aid the Grey Knights.
Complex Games / Frontier
Best city-builder deals
For a more relaxed experience that has you fight other things than nightmares like demons, foreign nations, and Red Bull Racing, a city-builder is perfect. That doesn’t mean that there is no challenge to be had here – on the contrary.
Against the Storm
- Off by 35%.
- Find Against the Storm on EGS.
Against the Storm is a unique roguelike city building game that forces you to adapt from mission to mission and never overstays its welcome – where other games of the genre get dull and overwhelming as time goes on, Against the Storm focuses on the exciting early game phase of establishing a settlement and helping it grow. It’s a downright addicting formula that graduated from Early Access this month.
Storms bring danger and opportunity alike.
Eremite Games / Hooded Horse
Frostpunk
- Off by 80%.
- Find Frostpunk on EGS.
The sequel is going to come out in 2024, so you may as well get into the mood of this dark and frosty survival city-building series – it’s quite a steal with this discount. Humankind faces icy extinction in this game’s post-apocalyptic world and it’s up to you to make the gut-wrenching choices necessary to lead your group to survival.
The city must not fall.
11 bit Studios
Phew, that was quite a list. If you’re out of pocket money after this one, worry not: The Epic Games Store is giving away 17 games for free this holiday season with the Destiny 2 Legacy Collection being up for grabs now.
