27 Games Similar To The Xcom Series
The XCOM series of games are beloved by players for their addictive gameplay, strategic depth and sci-fi setting. The combination of turn-based tactics and base management creates a unique and engaging experience that keeps players in the game for hours on end. In addition, the games allow for detailed customization of their fighters' appearance, as well as their weapons and abilities, allowing you to tailor the gameplay to your own preferences. What are some other Xcom-like games? The answer is in this article.
27. Into the Breach
- Similarity: 30 %
- Metacritic: link
- Year of release: 2018
- Game play time: 10 hours
- Trailer: link
- Review: IGN
Robot chess. You are on the field, and your opponents are bugs. Each of you makes a move, and the game shows you what the enemy intends to do. Or shoot at you, or destroy a building with people or something else. You have to kill all the bugs or fulfill the mission objective. At the end of each chapter there is a boss bug waiting for you. The game is very addictive, but uses a roguelike system, meaning that after failing a mission you start over. Plot-wise it is reasonable, but not everyone will like it. It's like a simplified version of Xcom.
26. Othercide
- Similarity: 40 %
- Metacritic: link
- Year of release: 2020
- Game play time: 15 hours
- Trailer: link
- Review: IGN
A very stylish game with roguelike elements. The only colors in the game are white and red, everything else is black. We have sisters of different classes (melee, ranged, shieldbearer) with different skills that can be pumped. The most interesting of which are joint combos. Another peculiarity of the game is that characters cannot be healed in the usual ways. But only by sacrificing another character of the same level or higher.
25. Divinity: Original Sin 2
- Similarity: 50 %
- Metacritic: link
- Year of release: 2017
- Game play time: 80 hours
- Trailer: link
- Review: IGN
Every corner of the Divinity: Original Sin 2 world is steeped in detail and attention to detail. A variety of locations and characters add depth and variety to the gameplay. The combat system of the game also deserves a special mention. It combines tactical elements, magic and character skills, which makes each battle unique and interesting. Battles here are more interesting than in Xcom. Each character has their own strengths and weaknesses, and proper use of their skills is the key to success. It is especially interesting to play with friends in co-op. The plot of the game is simply thrilling. It is full of intrigue, riddles and unexpected turns of events. You will be involved in an epic story where your choices matter and can change the course of events.
24. Invisible, Inc.
- Similarity: 50 %
- Metacritic: link
- Year of release: 2015
- Game play time: 15 hours
- Trailer: link
- Review: IGN
A game set in a cyberpunk world with an emphasis on stealth and espionage. There are almost no gunfights. Weapons are available, but ammo is scarce. But we have a wide range of gadgets and abilities. Each map is procedurally generated, and generated well. No bugs are observed because of this. Missions are standard, like saving a colleague and stealing documents.
23. King Arthur: Knight's Tale
The game is similar to Xcom in terms of turn-based battles and base building. Only instead of firearms there are swords and spells. And instead of a base - Camelot Castle. Each of your subordinate knights has his own story, his own beliefs, and even his own missions. There is a lot of epic and grimness in the story and no humor at all. The bad thing is that the game doesn't drag on and gets boring quickly.
22. Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle
Xcom for kids and adults on Nintendo Switch. You control only three heroes, each of which performs the roles we're used to: Mario is a stormtrooper, Luigi is a sniper, and Rabbit is a medic. The missions are interesting, the humor is great. Surprisingly, Kingdom Battle was created by Ubisoft, not Nintendo itself.
21. Age of Wonders: Planetfall
- Similarity: 60 %
- Metacritic: link
- Year of release: 2019
- Game play time: 50 hours
- Trailer: link
- Review: IGN
A complex 4X strategy game in a fantasy style. You'll spend more than an hour learning how diplomacy, city development, and resource development work. Globally Planetfall resembles Sid Meier's Civilization, but the battles are pure Xcom. Shelters, action points, hit probability.
20. Halfway
A "pixelated" project of the TBS genre. Shootouts are turn-based, with hit probability. Each fighter has two action points, which can be spent on 1 move + 1 shot (in any order), or 1 shot of increased accuracy. Unlike Xcom, you can't put characters in "Observe" mode. Instead, it's "Return Fire". Interestingly, in Halfway you can run out of ammo at any time, and all you have to do is replay or engage in melee combat. From the description it's not a bad game, but it gets boring quickly. There's no variety. In enemies, levels, pumping, story. Nowhere.
19. Hard West 2
- Similarity: 60 %
- Metacritic: link
- Year of release: 2022
- Game play time: 15 hours
- Trailer: link
- Review: IGN
Turn-based tactics in the style of westerns and mysticism. Cowboys and revolvers are combined with vampires and magic. Shootouts have a ricochet system, so enemies can be reached by shooting, for example, into a bucket. This is something you won't find in Xcom. The progression here is unusual, made in the form of poker combinations. You have a set of cards and making a rack, straight, full house, flush, etc. you get bonuses. There are interesting ideas for variety, like levels on moving horses.
18. Marvel's Midnight Suns
- Similarity: 60 %
- Metacritic: link
- Year of release: 2022
- Game play time: 50 hours
- Trailer: link
- Review: IGN
As it is clear from the name, the main heroes are the characters of the Marvel universe. But not only the usual ones, like Spider-Man or Dr. Strange, but also many forgotten Blade and Ghost Rider. Only three characters can be taken to levels at a time. Battles are turn-based, but without cover or probability calculations. These are superheroes - they get hit all the time. Midnight Suns allows you to choose the direction of impact, so you can drop a pillar on two enemies at once, or throw one enemy into a barrel, which will hit two more enemies with an explosion. Instead of the usual actions (move + shot) there are playing cards. Choosing them, you can apply a special skill of the hero or perform a normal attack. Staging, dialogs - everything is done at a good level. At the same time, your answers affect the relationship to you heroes. Oh, and also, this game was created by Firaxis Games, the same developers who created Xcom.
17. Valkyria Chronicles 4
- Similarity: 60 %
- Metacritic: link
- Year of release: 2018
- Game play time: 40 hours
- Trailer: link
- Review: IGN
The game is set in an alternate version of World War II Europe, where the player takes on the role of a young commander leading a group of soldiers into battle against an invading empire. With its unique art style (similar to the manga, in watercolors) and deep storyline, Valkyria Chronicles takes its rightful place in the genre of Xcom-like games.
16. BattleTech
- Similarity: 70 %
- Metacritic: link
- Year of release: 2018
- Game play time: 40 hours
- Trailer: link
- Review: IGN
Turn-based battles like in Xcom, but with huge robots - that's not all there is in this game. You will have to hire and fire pilots for these robots, repair and install weapons on the combat vehicles and so on. In short, there is a lot of management here. The game is for amateurs, very difficult for beginners. It will take a long time to understand it, in all the subtleties, which here is not a few. And the missions are quite the same, or you go to the enemy, or the enemy goes to you.
15. Phantom Doctrine
- Similarity: 70 %
- Metacritic: link
- Year of release: 2018
- Game play time: 30 hours
- Trailer: link
- Review: IGN
We play as spies and our task is to prevent the third world war. At the base we hire and improve employees, buy and create ammunition, create useful departments like infirmary and gym. Shot damage estimation works a little differently here. Xcom calculates the percentage of hit probability, while Phantom Doctrine will cause damage in any case, the game calculates how much. The spy component is interestingly played - one of our people may turn out to be a spy of the enemy, and our man may be revealed and we will have to change his appearance and biography.
14. Rebel Cops
Your squad is made up of cops. There are not enough of you - there are a lot of bandits. Therefore, most often you will have to choose a quiet way to pass missions using non-lethal weapons. The game welcomes this, as more experience is given for arresting bandits rather than killing them. The missions themselves are quite varied and are not reduced to banal shooting of everyone on the map. During firefights the enemy can be wounded in the leg (in this case he won't be able to walk) or in the arm (he won't be able to shoot). At the same time, any wound causes bleeding, from which the character will surely die if he is not healed. This applies not only to enemies, but also to your people. From the disadvantages we can note the weak intelligence of enemies. They are often dumb and do not see you even on the neighboring cell. Xcom is much better in this respect.
13. Shadowrun: Dragonfall
Cyberpunk RPG with turn-based combat. You play as a mercenary who performs various tasks for clients. Your partners are your friends, who have their own opinions about you as a leader and about all the game events. Unfortunately, you can't manually hand out weapons and equipment to your co-partners, the game does it itself. Xcom fans, keep that in mind. But a story with multiple endings.
12. SteamWorld Heist
- Similarity: 70 %
- Metacritic: link
- Year of release: 2015
- Game play time: 15 hours
- Trailer: link
- Review: IGN
You together with hired robots fight in turn-based battles with opponents for the main resource - water. For completing missions you get access to new weapons, skills, specializations. Classical role distribution is used, as in Xcom: sniper, close combat, heavy weapons, etc.. Battles only take place not in 3D, but in 2D with a side view. Thus reminiscent of the Worms series of games. With Worms, by the way, Steamworld Heist is related to similar physics of shots. You can't reach the enemies in a straight line, you have to use ricochets all the time. There is no probability system here, everything always gets where it needs to go according to the trajectory you choose. The main drawback of the game is too harsh punishment for losing a mission. A lot of resources are taken away from you, and in order to restore them, you have to do side quests.
11. Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus
A must-play game for all fans of turn-based strategy games like Xcom and the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Sophisticated game mechanics, an immersive world and an engaging story make the game one that you want to return to again and again. It's no wonder that the game is critically acclaimed and considered one of the best Warhammer games. It's a shame that despite the extensive customization options for the Cult of Mechanicus characters, the game as a whole has a monotony of enemy types and mission objectives.
10. Attack of the Earthlings
If in Xcom we played for humanity and opposed alien invaders, in "Attack of the Earthlings" on the contrary, we play for the alien race and oppose humans. At first we will have only one character, but then our squad will expand. The key feature of the game is that we are weak. Humans have modern weapons, armor and robots. And we only have tentacles and a couple of skills. That's why you will almost always need to use stealth kills, avoid direct contact and approach enemies from behind. The atmosphere of the game is absolutely not serious. There will be ridiculous mission objectives, funny dialogs and absurd situations in front of us.
9. Jagged Alliance 3
- Similarity: 80 %
- Metacritic: link
- Year of release: 2023
- Game play time: 35 hours
- Trailer: link
- Review: IGN
The action takes place in a fictional country. The President is kidnapped and his family hires elite mercenaries to find him. A total of 40 characters are available, each with their own personality, attitudes towards their colleagues and view of the world. In addition to the single-player campaign, the game features a cooperative mode. The first games in the series are as old as the first Xcom games, so they developed in parallel.
8. Silent Storm
- Similarity: 80 %
- Metacritic: link
- Year of release: 2003
- Game play time: 45 hours
- Trailer: link
- Review: IGN
An old game ahead of its time. The action takes place during World War II, but with an alternative development of events. In the beginning you can choose which side to play for - America and its allies, or Germany and its allies. Silent Storm does not limit you, you can perform missions covertly, and you can take locations by storm. The key feature of the game is destructibility. You can easily blow down a wall with a bazooka and everyone who hid behind it. Even Xcom 2 hasn't come close to this level of interactivity yet.
7. Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate
- Similarity: 80 %
- Metacritic: link
- Year of release: 2023
- Game play time: 20 hours
This game can be called "Xcom c Space Troopers". You play not just for an elite squad, but the most elite in the Warhammer 40K universe - the Gray Knights. And your task is to fight against House and its spawns. You can enjoy the game without knowing anything about Warhammer at all, but Chaos Gate, unfortunately, does not explain much, so not everything in the story and dialogs will be clear. In addition to turn-based firefights, there is also base management here. The base is a spaceship, which you need to develop.
6. Wasteland 3
- Similarity: 80 %
- Metacritic: link
- Year of release: 2020
- Game play time: 60 hours
- Trailer: link
- Review: IGN
Tactical game in the genre of post-apocalypse. You control six brave rangers and fight with bandits, mutants and robots. During firefights, you can choose which body part or location to shoot at. In the settings, you can choose how enemies will behave - either classically, each one takes turns making a move, or all of them act at once in one turn. If you choose the second option, the battles will go much faster. Xcom 2 doesn't have this option. Since this is an RPG, you are free to choose who to be friends with and who to feud with. Of course, there will be consequences to your choice. There is a cooperative mode.
5. Gears Tactics
- Similarity: 90 %
- Metacritic: link
- Year of release: 2020
- Game play time: 20 hours
- Trailer: link
- Review: IGN
The game is set in the popular Gears of War universe. Players control a squad of soldiers from 1 to 4 people. Fighters have unique skills that can be upgraded. Gears Tactics differs from other turn-based games like Xcom in two ways. The first one: there is no attachment to the field, to squares. You can move as you please. The second one is that each hero has three action points. Therefore, you can do much more per turn than usual. You don't need to develop your base, only action, only battles. Opponents are very clever, they don't go straight to their deaths, but retreat if they have suffered heavy losses.
4. Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden
- Similarity: 90 %
- Metacritic: link
- Year of release: 2018
- Game play time: 25 hours
- Trailer: link
- Review: IGN
A combination of turn-based combat and real-time exploration. In a post-apocalyptic world, players control a team of mutants searching for a new home. The game offers an exciting blend of stealth and turn-based combat, as well as a unique setting and memorable characters. Fans of XCOM 2 will love the challenging tactical gameplay and immersive world of Mutant Year Zero.
3. Phoenix Point
- Similarity: 90 %
- Metacritic: link
- Year of release: 2019
- Game play time: 20 hours
- Trailer: link
- Review: IGN
The game is very reminiscent of Xcom, especially the base development and mission selection on the Earth model. But the shooting has been reworked. Each weapon (except rocket launchers) has a hit area, where the bullet will hit exactly. While using the first-person view you can accurately indicate this area on the enemy. So if you don't choose too distant targets, you can always hit your enemies. If there is a cover in the way of the projectile, you can blow it away with a shot or punch it through. Depending on where you hit (head, arm, leg), your enemy may bleed, lose the ability to use a certain type of weapon, etc. There is a morale system too, your character can panic when it is severely reduced.
2. Xenonauts 2
In this game you lead a military unit to fight aliens. You are waiting for turn-based battles with invaders, hiring fighters, base development. Just like in Xcom. The developers tried to add as much destructibility as possible. But you can see on the screenshots that everything looks simple, because the budget of the game is not big. The world of Xenonauts is an alternative 2009, where the cold war is still going on.
1. UFO: Extraterrestrials
The unofficial continuation of the Xcom series. It's a very difficult game for beginners. There's no one here to explain anything to you. Do you want to compare two different weapons? Do you think it will be enough to put the mouse cursor over them and the numbers of characteristics will appear? Uh, no. Go to your local encyclopedia and look up the parameters of the guns there. And so everywhere and in everything. And in essence UFO: Extraterrestrials is really Xcom - base development, research, turn-based battles with aliens. Except that the levels are bigger and the graphics are worse.
