Steam Summer Sale 2023: best strategy games to grab

Here are the strategic and tactical highlights from the Steam Summer Sale 2023

Naturally, the best strategy to not lose any money during the Steam Summer Sale 2023 is to move to the remote wilderness until the event’s end on July 13, 2023. However, that sounds highly inconvenient and you’d also deprive yourself of the chance to net some pretty sweet deals on some of the best video games ever made.

If you’re a fan of strategy and tactics games, be they turn-based or real-time, or if you want to become one, then this is a fantastic opportunity to bolster your reserve of games or branch out into a new area of these genres.

Find the best Steam Summer Sale 2023 strategy and tactics games below – this list covers indie gems, classics, and epic triple-A titles, so you won’t miss a beat.

Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition

Microsoft

• 75% off

Getting one of the best real-time strategy games of all time for basically free is a fantastic deal – and that would be the case even if we were talking about the original version of Age of Empires 2 here. The Definitive Edition is the gold standard for what a remaster of such a classic should be: a pleasant visual overhaul paired with bug fixes and abundant quality-of-life updates that leaves the amazing gameplay completely intact. Be it campaign or multiplayer, Age of Empires 2 is one of the greats even over 20 years after its initial release.

Jurassic World Evolution 2

Frontier Developments

• 75% off

Jurassic World Evolution 2 refined the gameplay of its predecessor and finally gave dinosaur park fans a worthy successor to Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis from 2003. Great visuals paired with fun gameplay and customization systems allow any dinosaur enthusiast to realize their dreams here. While light on the management systems, Jurassic World Evolution 2 goes hard on the thing that matters most: dinosaurs, baby!

Against the Storm

Eremite Games / Hooded Horse

• 35% off

This is one of the few early access games that can be recommended in a heartbeat: 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. Just one more settlement!

Frostpunk

11 bit Studios

• 80% off

The sequel isn’t going to come out this year, 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.

Total War: Warhammer 3

Creative Assembly

• 40% off

Play the story-driven Realms of Chaos campaign or dive into Immortal Empires, one of the most ambitious game modes in any strategy title to date, in Total War: Warhammer 3. It’s the biggest base game in the trilogy with seven very different factions included right from the start, allowing you to take control of the Daemons of Chaos or the traditional defenders of humankind, namely Kislev or Grand Cathay. Gripping as well as spectacular battles await in this mix of turn-based and real-time strategy.

Stellaris

Paradox Interactive

• 75% off

If conquering one world isn’t enough to sate your ambition, how about an entire galaxy? Mixing the typical Paradox Interactive grand strategy formula with a good deal of 4X gameplay, Stellaris is definitely the place to be for galactic warlords, explorers, traders, and diplomats – make your own faction and steer its path through the stars however you like. Become the heroic species to unite the galaxy, or transform into the ultimate villain everyone else needs to stop. The choice is yours.

Expeditions: Rome

Logic Artists

• 50% off

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.

Battle Brothers

Overhype Studios

• 50% off

Mixing turn-based tactics with Mount & Blade, Battle Brothers puts you in charge of a company of mercenaries in a harsh and unforgiving world. Join a specific faction, specialize in hunting beasts or monsters, or fulfill the arcane agenda of some dark underground cult – it’s up to you what you’re fighting for, just make sure you complete your contracts on time and get paid. The men need food and equipment, after all.

Sid Meier’s Civilization VI

Firaxis

• 90% off

It might be a while before the next iteration of Sid Meier’s Civilization, which is currently in the oven at Firaxis, will be out, so there’s more than enough time to get your money’s worth out of the current version – especially with such a discount. It’s noteworthy that bundles with all the game’s expansions have great discounts as well, so there’s never been a better time to grab this turn-based strategy epic than now. Civilization VI was a big revolution for the series, innovating how players exploit their territory and plan their cities.

Humankind

Amplitude

• 80% off

Another turn-based strategy game, but following a different formula. Humankind moves the focus away from a single culture, allowing you to choose from a variety of civilizations as you enter a new era, giving your people a unique identity over the course of a game. Allowing for huge battles and sieges, the game’s combat system takes notes from series like Age of Wonders by letting fights play out on separate maps based on the location two (or more) armies are clashing. While not perfect, Humankind is a breeze of fresh air in the genre and definitely worth checking out at this discount.

Check out the best free Steam games as well as our team’s general Steam Summer 2023 recommendations, too.