Strategy and simulation games remain my go-to genres whenever I pick up the latest Atari console or turn on my rig to see the Windows XP startup. The reason is and always will be simple: I like to keep my brain ticking along, slightly delaying the decay that would lead to dementia. I am in my mid-thirties now; it’s just a ticking time bomb; were this the middle ages, I would be the village elder. So, I will stave off this decay for another year with multiple roles of general, businessman, or village elder.
So, with only a bit more blurb, we can get right into the Most Anticipated Strategy and Simulation Games of 2024. As with previous years (2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019 and 2018), this will feature no remakes, remasters or regurgitations. You can also find Wccftech’s other most anticipated games of 2024: Action, RPG, Horror, Fighting, Adventure, Platform, Indie, Expansion/DLC, Sports/Racing, Shooter, and Multiplayer.
Genre: Strategy (Real-Time Strategy). Platform: PC.
If this seems familiar, it’s because it is. This is one I covered in last year’s most anticipated strategy games list, and back then, it was penned in for a first-half of 2023 release. Delays happen, and we come to the following year, and it’s penned in for a first half of 2024 release. This time, we have specifics.
I’ll repeat what I said last year: Homeworld 3 also looks to follow the series’ history of being near-revolutionary, and my initial impressions were more than positive.
There aren’t many games I come out of a preview thinking that the finished result could be one of the best games of the year, but Homeworld 3 and Blackbird Interactive have certainly done this. With a story that will take you on a quest to find out the source of “the anomaly”, darkness swallowing gates, outposts, planets and more, threatening the galaxy. I’m looking forward to discovering this and experiencing the more extensive, more intense missions to be found within the game when it launches within the first half of next year.
Genre: Simulation. Platform: PC.
I’ve played a fair amount of The Sims in the past, and often, I’ve considered what a similar game, made by a publisher that generally cares enough to finish their games, would look like. Well, Paradox Interactive will be publishing this, developed by the internal studio Paradox Tectronic, and it seems to expand on Sims by having you control anybody and everybody, as well as the world they live in.
Open up a new world of creative possibilities in Life by You. Be in total control of the humans that you create, the towns that you build, the stories that you tell. And oh yes – mods! We know life is always better with a heavy sprinkle of your imagination, so we’re empowering you with a wide variety of Creator Tools so you can design your lives the way you see fit – or break the rules of life itself. Designed to be one of the most moddable and open life-simulation games, we look forward to the humans, stories, and creations that you’ll make with Life by You.
Frostpunk 2 (First half of 2024)
Genre: Simulation. Platform: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X.
Frostpunk, when it was released, was somewhat of a revelation. Taking a city-builder and putting it in what was essentially Snowpiercer, you had an excellent game that gave you real choices and consequences in keeping the remnants of humanity alive. It’s what led to our review at the time being glowing, summarising with this:
Frostpunk is unforgiving and punishing but that’s why you’ll invest more and more time into it. It takes what you know about city builders and turns it on heads. It’s bleak, and the beautiful design brings life to an otherwise frozen hellscape. The race against the clock is stressful as you try to make sure everyone is alive while the weather gets colder and colder and materials become more and more scarce. Frostpunk is a pleasant surprise that is definitely worth your time if you’re looking for something different and brutally challenging.
With Frostpunk 2 set 30 years later, humanity has learned how to spread further. The whole city in the first is a mere central core now. Resources are still vital; as our preview with the developers indicated, you can still starve or freeze to death. This second time around, 11 bit Studios are focusing mainly on the societal aspects of the game. I, for one, can’t wait.
Genre: Simulation. Platform: PC, Xbox Series S/X
This is an odd one for me. I can’t think of any reason to make a new Microsoft Flight Simulator when the previous one can be upgraded with new content. In every single way, to this day, Microsoft Flight Simulator deserves the 10/10 score I gave it when it was released in August 2020. I’m not inside Asobo Studio, so behind the scenes, they could be doing something to revolutionise gaming. Here’s what Microsoft had to say when it was announced.
Pursue your dream of an aviation career with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. This brand-new simulator is designed to take advantage of the latest technologies in simulation, cloud, machine learning, graphics and gaming to create the most sophisticated, immersive and awe-inspiring flight simulator of all time. To achieve this unprecedented level of accuracy, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is powered by the significantly evolved Asobo Studio engine.
Reservations aside, the sequel to one of the only two 10/10 scores I’ve ever given has to be on this list.
Honestly, I could likely make a complete list of strategy games out of publisher Hooded Horse, but if I have to pick just one, it would be Manor Lords. Manor Lords looks to put you back in medieval times, building a city up from scratch with what appear to be intuitive and exciting city-building mechanics, but then also incorporating grand-scale battles akin to those in games like Total War. If that doesn’t sell you on at least trying the game, you are no friend of mine.
More than simply competing with the elements and other lords, you will also be competing with yourself. Every decision you make naturally impacts somewhere else. Most important will be how you manage your people, with war being a very costly venture in capital and workforce. Every man you lose in battle is one less man to build or repair your city, to farm your fields, or to smith your swords.
Genre: Strategy and Simulation. Platform: PC.
Honorable Mentions: Strategy and Simulation 2024
2024 could certainly be a strong year for the Strategy and Simulation genres, with stalwart titles like Homeworld 3 and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, but supported by the rise of another strategy and simulation-focused publisher in Hooded Horse. While only one game in the above five (Manor Lords) is from the publisher, there are five in the honourable mentions. That’s before we include Paradox Interactive – after surpassing Sim City – who want to exceed The Sims.
Strategy
- Ara: History Untold
- Millennia
- MENACE
- Stormgate
- Toy Soldiers 2: Finest Hour
- Broken Arrow
- Heart of the Machine
- Fragile Existence
- Mars Tactics
Simulation
- Taxi Life: A City Driving Simulator
- Big Ambitions
- Wild West Dynasty
- Nova Roma
All in all, 2024 looks like it could be yet another strong and busy year for the Strategy and Simulation genres, with a lot of the “job sims” and odd eastern-European sims, like Bum Simulator, not even included in the list because they appear out of nowhere.
