2022 is here and as is the tradition at the start of a new year, we are looking ahead at what is coming to our PCs and Consoles in the coming months. As always this is based on what we know is coming, not unannounced titles that will surely get released during the year. Get those thinking caps on because it is the Strategy genre’s time to shine.
The Most Anticipated Strategy Games For 2022
Total War: Warhammer III
The Total War franchise has been one of the longest-running success stories in strategy gaming and when they crossed over with the world of Warhammer success followed. So to say the third Warhammer title is anticipated is probably an understatement.
The third entry promises more of what fans love from Total War, along with a few tweaks to heroes, unit management and an upgraded graphics engine. Will that be enough for fans or after all these years is the gloss wearing off the venerable franchise.
I guess we will all find out when the game is released on the 17th of Feb.
Marvel's Midnight Suns
In a move that surprised almost everyone, Firaxis decided that their next game wasn’t going to be a new Xcom or Civilization, but a turn-based, card battler set in an obscure corner of Marvel comic lore.
The fact that this game is being made by Firaxis is enough for me to get excited but the chance to dive into this new (for me) story with some of the coolest characters Marvel has to offer (I mean Blade and Ghost Rider… how cool) is the icing on the anticipation cake. I am firmly convinced this is a hit in the making.
Originally scheduled for March, Firaxis has since delayed it into the second half of the year so I am guessing September at the earliest.
Metal Slug Tactics
One of the best side-scrolling shooter franchises ever is turning to tactics to reinvent itself for its next entry. The long running NeoGeo classic, Metal Slug, is getting a turn-based release and it honestly looks fantastic.
It comes across as something like Xcom, with the graphical style and wacky sense of humour of the Metal Slug franchise and I am here for it. It looks lik the perfect game for the Switch and something that will fill hours with turn based fun.
We only have a 2022 release date so far, so expect this one around August at the earliest.
Crossfire Legion
I miss Command and Conquer. That particular brand of RTS was my jam and it has been a long time missing from my life. But the good news is Crossfire Legion is looking to fill that Tiberium shaped hole in my heart when it releases this year.
From the studio that created Homeworld, Crossfire Legion is an RTS spinoff of the Crossfire FPS franchise and it is looking like an old school strategy blast. Three factions, near-future military units, resource mining, it is like it is a huge love letter to the RTS of old and I am more than fine with that.
Crossfire Legion only has a 2022 release date, but as a tech test is coming soon I expect it to be released around the middle of the year. (Trailer coming soon)
Company of Heroes 3
It has been nearly 9 years since Company of Heroes graced PCs everywhere and wowed with amazing graphics and tight, tactical gameplay. Now, all this time later, a new entry is on its way.
This time the theatre of war is the North American and Italian battlegrounds of WW2 and all that the region entails. So gone are the snowy backdrops of the Russian focused second entry and in its place are palm trees and stunning costal locations.
If the new game can capture the perfect small squad RTS tactics of the previous two games then there is no doubt that this is going to be an absolute winner when it releases on the 13th of July.