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Games in the Fire Emblem series are fantastic examples of this type of gameplay, but there are many similar titles that are just as good – and a few that are even better. These entries aren’t ranked, but the better of the games listed will be toward the bottom of the page.
Updated on August 14, 2021, by Jeff Drake: There are no shortages of games like those in the Fire Emblem series — namely tactical RPGs. Players love these games for a myriad of reasons. Most have very intricate plots that quickly sink their hooks into gamers. They also have challenging turn-based combat, forcing players to take terrain and unit composition into account. The best of these games are able to keep things fresh, and not become repetitive. It also helps when they have some slick graphics, eye-pleasing animations and effects, and an intuitive interface. This update will add five more games that Fire Emblem fans should check out.
Updated on August 23, 2022, by Jeff Drake: Honestly, this list could include a hundred games and there would still be plenty of great tactical, turn-based, RPGs that would be left out. These games are so beloved because they combine intriguing storylines (for the most part), chess-like tactical combat, and (occasionally) a smattering of resource management. The Fire Emblem games are among the best of this type of game, and the following games are the best games like Fire Emblem. This update has expanded the list to 25 games; each a unique experience, but all following the same basic design.
25 Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
Tactics Ogre is the sequel to the cult classic SNES title Ogre Battle, and even though it was not originally given a North American release, it later released for multiple systems. Upon playing Tactics Ogre for the first time, gamers might notice a similarity to the classic Playstation game Final Fantasy Tactics (also on this list). That’s because it was developed by some of the same people.
This game was quite advanced for the time, incorporating elements such as 3D battlefields in which terrain could affect a character’s performance. This was quite revolutionary for a 16-bit game. The plot of Tactics Ogre is engrossing as well. It was later given a remastered, and slightly different, version for the PSP; however, most gamers prefer the original.
Available Platforms
SNES Gameboy Advance Sony PlayStation 1 Sega Saturn Sony PSP
24 Frozen Synapse 1 & 2
The Frozen Synapse games have a distinctive visual presentation that sets it apart from every game on this list. The playstyle of these games is also a bit different. The graphics in these games resemble old vector style graphics; or better yet, the display of a thermal imaging camera.
In Frozen Synapse the player issues commands to the entire squad during the preparation phase. Then watch the results play-out during turn, that lasts a few seconds before stopping for another preparation phase. The player can set waypoints for each soldier, as well as attack vectors. This franchise is a bit different, but no less fun.
Available Platforms
Windows Mac Android
23 Devil Survivor: Overclocked
This game takes place in present day Tokyo, so it isn’t a sword and sorcery themed game like the Fire Emblem games. The plot involves an invasion by demonic forces; it is up to the player to help the protagonist and his companions defeat this invasion.
The battles and role-playing elements in Devil Survivor are very similar to those in Fire Emblem. Each playable character can control two demons; there are a lot of available replacement demons if one of these demons dies. Overclocked is an enhanced version of the original Devil Survivor, highly recommended for players.
Available Platforms
Nintendo DS Nintendo 3DS
22 Jagged Alliance: Rage
The Jagged Alliance series has been around for a long time; the first Jagged Alliance game was released in 1995. Rage is the most recent offering, and by most accounts not the best offering in the series. Nevertheless, it is still a fun tactical, squad-based, combat simulator with a few RPG elements thrown-in.
Jagged Alliance rage is set in modern times. The player must recruit mercenaries, each with a different set of skills, and attempt to defeat the army of a despotic drug-lord who has taken over the island on which the games take place. Rage features a lot more realism than the Fire Emblem games; it includes aspects like being able to suffer from dehydration or alerting the enemy by making too much noise from moving too quickly across the map.
Available Platforms
Windows PS4 Xbox One
21 Langrisser 1 & 2
This entry is for the remakes of Langrisser 1 & 2, though the originals for the Sega Genesis are just as entertaining and challenging. The Langrisser games feature branching story-lines, so multiple playthroughs are necessary if players want to experience all the game has to offer. The remakes feature some very well-drawn, anime style, characters.
As with the Fire Emblem games, characters (and their accompanying soldiers), move in a turn-based fashion across maps during combat. In Langrisser, the fights are impacted by the terrain features and the types of soldiers in a unit. The individual fights are fast-paced, well-animated, and never get tiresome to watch.
Available Platforms
Switch PS4 Windows
20 Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
This was one of the most eagerly anticipated games back in 2003. The original Final Fantasy Tactics caused a lot of gamers to finally purchase a PlayStation. The same can be said for Final Fantasy Tactics Advance and the Game Boy Advance. This game used the same formula of the original game, but was a stand-alone title that introduced a lot of new features.
Final Fantasy Advance added three new races to the mix; however, a lot of players wish all the classes would have been open to all races. This entry in the Tactics series also introduced the Law System. Judges are present during battles, and set combat parameters that all participant must abide by - like forbidding the use of certain types of weapons or spells (among other restrictions).
Available Platforms
Game Boy Advance Nintendo DS
19 Phantom Doctrine
Phantom Doctrine is a perfect blend of tactical turn-based combat and espionage. The player controls a spy network whose reach extends across the entire planet. Much of the game is resource management and planning, with action played out through tactical missions. In this regard it’s very similar to the XCOM games.
There is an overarching story to Phantom Doctrine that’s designed to always keep the player on their toes; let’s just say there are plenty of plot twists. The combat in Phantom Doctrine isn’t quite as intense as many games on this list, preferring to be suspenseful instead.
Available Platforms
Windows PS4 Xbox One Switch
18 Advance Wars
Released for the Game Boy Advance around the same time that the first Fire Emblem game hit North America, this was another tactical RPG to grace gamers around the world. However, one commands more modern units, such as tanks and mobile artillery.
Much like the weapon triangle in the Fire Emblem games, different weapons are effective against specific units. The terrain is also a factor, giving buffs or debuffs to units depending on the tile they rest on. In addition, most weapons have limited usage, similar to durability. These factors and more make Advance Wars so awesome that it started a whole series of following games.
Available Platforms
Gameboy Advance
17 The Banner Saga
Set in a fantasy world, though one far removed from the kind with knights and dragons, The Banner Saga is a trilogy of games where a resounding impact occurs with each decision. It has a sense of permanence in some events, which immerse the player for hours at a time. The finality of letting down a unit due to poor tactics and watching them fall into the frigid mud of the battlefield is a sensation that echoes what happens when one loses a unit in the Fire Emblem games.
The player also has a wide selection of unique, interesting, and potentially powerful units with which to fill their ranks. There are witty characters and mysterious beings one can align themselves with that can draw one into their particular slice of the story, for each character has a role to play in this game’s intricate universe.
Available Platforms
Windows Mac PS4 Xbox One Switch
16 Blood Bowl 2
This game gives new meaning to ‘fantasy football.’ Blood Bowl 2 is a spin-off from the Warhammer franchise that revolves around the eponymous game of Blood Bowl. It is very much like American football in that teams try to get a ball to the opposite end of a large field from where they begin — as violently as possible, of course.
The game is played turn by turn, like a tactical strategy game. As the player either makes their way across the field or defends again enemies encroaching into their own space to score, they will need to coach their units deftly or suffer defeat. Each athlete has an identity and certain traits that make them stand out. Furthermore, they can level up and get more specialized for the implementation of better strategies.
Available Platforms
Windows Mac PS4 Xbox One
15 Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics
The supernatural element in Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics is much more cosmic horror than medieval fantasy; however, the importance of unit cooperation is similar to what players can experienced in Fire Emblem games. The player must delve into hostile territory populated by enemy soldiers and monstrous abominations with only their wits and skill to truly defend them.
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Unit specialization and advancement are key features that allow gamers to really feel satisfied as their units get more proficient at dispatching enemies. There are lots of skills and weapon combinations to try out as well, making this game a strategist’s dream.
Available Platforms
Windows PS4 Xbox One Switch
14 Wasteland 3
The original Wasteland was a groundbreaking game. It was Fallout, before there was Fallout. Modern gamers, though, might be turned-off by the extremely dated graphics; which may be primitive, but still have a lasting charm to them. Wasteland 3 combines role-playing and turn-based squad combat.
Fans of the recent Fallout games should definitely give this one a try. It’s essentially Fallout, but the battles are turn based (like using V.A.T.S. for every move) and viewed from above. Gamers who enjoy games like Fire Emblem and Fallout need to give this one a try.
Available Platforms
Windows PS4 Xbox One Mac
13 Pokemon Conquest
This crossover of the Pokemon and Nobunaga’s Ambition worlds took the world by storm when it was released in 2012 for the Nintendo DS. Pokemon Conquest, much like the title implies, is a game centered around defeating rival forces with one’s pocket monster companions.
However, the Pokemon in this game cannot be caught by traditional means. Each warrior is connected to very few, often only one, Pokemon. These fighters must be recruited similar to how the player must sometimes meet certain criteria to unlock units in Fire Emblem games.
Available Platforms
Nintendo DS
12 Dynasty Warriors: Godseekers
This is the latest title in the series that was once called Dynasty Tactics; which is itself an offshoot of the popular Dynasty Warriors franchise. Godseekers is not a perfectly executed game, but it is a fun tactical RPG nonetheless. This game uses the familiar grid system for moving across the battlefield that many of these games use.
Graphics are generally exceptional in tactical RPGs; this is true going back to the 8-bit systems. This is where Godseekers falters though – the graphics and animation could have been better considering the hardware on which this game is meant to be played.
Available Platforms
PS3/PS4/Vita
11 Shining Force I & II
Back in the 8-bit and 16-bit eras, when the Fire Emblem series was first getting started, Sega’s counter to Fire Emblem was the Shining Force series. These games play almost identically to Fire Emblem, but are more focused on the tactical combat versus the RPG elements.
Shining ForceI and II are excellent games, whether someone is into retro games or not. Sega chose 42 games for their mini console from a library of 700+ titles. Shining Force was good enough to be one of those 42 games. These games are about as similar to Fire Emblem as they come.
Available Platforms
Sega Genesis Sega Mini Console Windows Mac
10 Valkyria Chronicles 4
Sega’s Valkyria Chronicles games are an interesting take on squad-based tactical RPGs. This franchise blends turn-based tactical strategy with first-person action games. This combo of gameplay styles don’t sound like they would be compatible, but somehow Sega expertly blended them and produced one of the best games in the tactical RPG genre.
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The game takes place in a fictional modern world, so combat takes place primarily with firearms and tanks. The story is well crafted and has an interesting cast of characters; in fact, every soldier in the player’s army has a backstory, a side-mission, and a personality.
Available Platforms
Windows PS4 Xbox One Switch Stadia
9 Mario+Rabbids: Kingdom Battle
Mario has already been in a few role-playing games, so why not a squad-based strategy game. The fact that the antagonists are Rabbids only makes this game better and provides a little levity. It is incredibly rare for Nintendo to release a bad Mario game, and Mario+Rabbids: Kingdom Battle is no exception.
This game is split into two primary sections, exploration and combat. Players explore the four worlds by following a robot named Beep-0. When Rabbids are encountered the game switched to a turn-based battle system. There are simple puzzles to solve along the way, and Mario themed terrain features - like tubes that can be used for fast traveling around the map.
Available Platforms
Switch
8 Heroes Of Might & Magic III
This classic PC game was the pinnacle of the Heroes of Might & Magic series. In these games, the player is given a hero (more can be acquired later) with which to explore the world map. A hero can have up to seven troop units with them; troops are purchased in the towns that are scattered across the world map.
Players attain victory by capturing towns and vanquishing the opposing armies. This game received an HD remaster in 2015, but the expansions packs were not included. Apparently, the source code for the expansions was lost.
Available Platforms
Windows Mac
7 Jeanne D’Arc
Here is an entry for a (somewhat) retro system that deserves more love – the PSP. Jeanne d’Arc brings a colorful and cartoonish style to a genre that at times can get too serious. The PSP may be an aging system, but the graphics in Jeanne d’Arc have held up well thanks to their cartoonish art style.
This is a very competent tactical RPG and the story is actually good – it’s not just filler to take up the time between battles. The battles are fought on a grid-system and include fantasy elements like spellcasting. For those with a PSP or Vita, this game is still available on the PlayStation Network.
Available Platforms
PSP
6 Pathfinder: Kingmaker
This is a fun tactical RPG that uses the rules for the Pathfinder RPG franchise, known for the Pathfinder tabletop game. Pathfinder, like the SPECIAL system in the Fallout games, is an excellent alternative to the de facto Dungeons & Dragons ruleset. Kingmaker is not a turn-based game, it is a real-time tactical RGP that can be paused at any time.
There are mods that allow for turn-based play, but they are not an official patch released by developer Owlcat Games. This game looks and plays very, very similar to the classic Baldur’s Gate games for the PC. Kingmaker, like Heroes of Might & Magic III, also incorporates empire-building into the game.
Available Platforms
Windows Mac PS4 Xbox One
