At the start of each year, our Editor sits down to work out the games that should be on everybody’s radar, but this time around, he is doing something different. This year, he is reducing his choices to three games for each genre. These might not be the most anticipated titles or the best releases, but they are games that have huge potential and a chance of doing something exciting or new within their genre. Welcome to “Games to Watch – 2026 Edition.” Put your thinking caps on folks, because it is time to look at what is coming from the strategy genre.
Games to Watch in 2026 - Strategy
Warhammer 40K - Dawn of War 4
It has been a long time between drinks for Dawn of War fans, but their drought is about to break. Dawn of War 4 is coming this year, and it promises to make up for the somewhat underwhelming Dawn of War 3 along the way. It is doing that by returning to the original style of gameplay that the franchise made its name with and focusing on what made the first two games so well-loved.
It will feature 4 playable races, 70+ campaign missions, online multiplayer and a stunning new engine, so things are looking pretty darn promising from where I sit. I feel confident in saying that both Warhammer and RTS fans will be well served by Dawn of War 4, whenever it drops (though I suspect it is a mid-year type of game)
Tropico 7
Everyone’s favourite Caribbean dictator is back, folks. That’s right, El Presidente, Penulitmo and their corrupt group of government agencies are back in Tropico 7, and things are looking better than ever. I have made no secret of the fact that I love this series over the years, and I always have at least one of the Tropico titles installed on every PC or Laptop I own.
That said, Tropico 6 wasn’t the strongest entry, getting a little too lost in the details in the late game, but fret not, because the developers of Tropico 4 and 5 are back at the helm, taking back the franchise and hopefully releasing the best tropical dictator simulator ever. I expect this one to land mid-year and I will be there on day one.
Star Wars: Zero Company
It seems like ages since Xcom 2 was released. Since that time, there have been plenty of games to use a similar style of gameplay, but none that have captured me quite so thoroughly. But what if you were to get one of the biggest licenses on the planet and give that license to a large crew of Xcom 2’s development team? Well, you would get Star Wars: Zero Company and the potential to create one of the most popular turn-based strategy games ever.
I haven’t stopped thinking about this title since its announcement. A turn-based title fits the Star Wars universe perfectly. I mean, the different classes are already baked into the la,w and the type of small-scale, crack unit battles that these games represent fit perfectly in the grander Star Wars universe. This game has so much potential, I want to scream. If you have any love for strategy, keep this one on your watchlist, because if everything turns out the way it is supposed to, it could be a surprise GOTY contender.
