Classic Strategy Games Are Making A Comeback, And Here’s Why
Video games encompass almost every genre imaginable. They’re perhaps synonymous with first-person or arena shooters, sports simulations, and open-world adventures – yet you’ll find all sorts of smaller genres out there. Indeed, the world seems to be in a frenzy for open-world-style games at the moment, which would explain why two of the most anticipated releases for the next couple of years are Ghost of Yotei and GTA6.
That being said, there’s another (perhaps more surprising) gaming trend going around at the moment: the return of classic strategy games. You couldn’t ask for more of a juxtaposition compared to open-world or RPG games, so what’s made classic strategy games so popular, and where has this trend come from?
Firstly, what are “classic strategy games”?
Before we delve deeper into why these games are on the comeback, let’s define the genre itself. It’s quite a broad one – and you may have your own opinion on what a “classic strategy game” entails – but we’re referring to classic table games that have gone digital.
This normally includes card games, dice games, tile games, and so on. We’ve seen a huge rise in gamers playing online mahjong, solitaire, chess, checkers, and many other games of a similar ilk. Those are the types of games we’re talking about in this post; the classic titles you can play whenever you want, and they tend to originate from physical games in the past.
Now that we’ve cleared that up, it may be even more surprising to learn that these games are making a serious comeback. What’s so special about them that they’ve managed to creep back into the mainstream gaming world despite all the incredibly advanced feats of gaming out there?
The single-player preference
If you were asked whether you think most gamers prefer single-player or multiplayer games, you’d probably opt for the latter. It just feels as though the majority of popular games take place on multiplayer platforms, though research suggests the opposite is true.
A study from MIDiA Research concluded that 53% of gamers preferenced single-player games over multiplayer options.
That’s interesting because it shows that single-player games are technically more popular, which is potentially one of the reasons why classic strategy games are coming back into the fold. Gamers are slowly getting over the need for every game to have multiplayer functions and want to play things alone. Few games are as repetitively playable as things like solitaire, mahjong, or other card/tile puzzle games.
The beauty of single-player games like this is that you don’t have to depend on anyone else. You’re not working around your friends’ schedules to arrange a party, and you don’t have to worry about being put in a lobby with people who shout slurs within five seconds of the game loading.
Rage-free gaming
That final point leads us into the next one: classic strategy games introduce us to a world of rage-free gaming. Look, video games shouldn’t be anything other than fun. We’ve already got far too many developers that make games feel like work – and even more that seem to cause rage at every turn.
Streamers may see their view counts rise when they rage at games, but these people represent the 1% of gamers. The average person doesn’t want to finish work or studying, only to boot up a game and see their blood pressure go through the roof because it’s either too complicated or their teammates make the experience terrible.
Classic strategy games fill a void that most of us didn’t realize was there. They provide rage-free gaming and give you a chance to just relax after a busy day. Not only that, but they’re almost like the antidote to rage-inducing games. You may still play a multiplayer FPS game and spend a couple of hours screaming down a microphone, but then you hop off and finish the evening with a more relaxed classic puzzle.
As such, the popularity of these games increases because you’ve got people playing them instead of rage-inducing games, and people playing them after raging for hours!
Affordability in a world of rising gaming costs
Gamers are always embroiled in the debate about the cost of gaming. We see new consoles with massive price tags coupled with games that now cost $70 to buy. It makes everything seem far more expensive, despite the fact that analysis shows the rising costs aren’t that terrible when adjusted for inflation. You may not bat an eyelid paying $40 for a game in 2005, but that’s the equivalent of paying $65.50 in 2025.
While the price hikes associated with gaming aren’t necessarily as bad as they seem, there’s another key problem in the gaming world: recurring payments. It’s rare that you’ll just spend $70 on a game these days – it almost always ends up with additional payments to unlock extensions to the story, cosmetics, etc.
This is (weirdly) an even bigger problem for free-to-play games: they make money based on extra micro transactions, so you’re always bombarded with ways to spend. Before you know it, you’ve splashed over $100 on a game in less than a year, and you keep spending year after year.
That’s a big reason why classic strategy games are coming back and seeing rising player bases; they provide affordability in a world of micro transactions and rising gaming costs. Most of these games are either free or cost a couple of dollars – and that’s it! You can download mahjong, solitaire, or certain chess games without needing to constantly spend money.
Easily playable across multiple platforms
We’re entering into an intriguing age of gaming where many players don’t have a specific platform preference. Gone are the days when you’d be a PlayStation or Xbox fan and only play games in front of your TV. Now, we want different gaming experiences across multiple platforms to satisfy our needs at specific times.
For example, we’ll happily play games on our PC for a couple of hours, but then we may want to lie on the sofa and play something with the TV in the background. We want to game on the go, which is why the last few years have seen new consoles like the Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally push us into a world of multi-platform gaming.
The only problem is that most of us can’t afford to buy handheld consoles as well as a PC or main games console. That’s what makes classic strategy games so appealing; they’re one of the only game genres that you can play across multiple devices without spending loads of money. Play for free on your PC, then play the same game on your phone or tablet with zero additional investment.
Modern adaptations drive people back to the classics
It would be remiss not to mention games like Balatro before closing off this article. Balatro was a gigantic hit in 2024 and scooped up multiple gaming awards – which is surprising for a roguelike title based on a classic card game like poker. It reinvented the classic strategy game with modernized elements, and people loved it.
As well as creating a huge fanbase for itself, this pushed people back to the classics as they remembered the simplicity involved in them. We’ll probably see more classic strategy games adapted in various ways to become more modernized, but this will only help fuel the fire of this genre’s renaissance.
It’s pretty funny to see such a simple genre of games make a comeback in a world where a lot of new releases provide almost cinematic experiences. Sometimes, people want the simple pleasures – and that’s where classic strategy games thrive.
