Best Turn-Based Strategy Games for iPhone

There are plenty of puzzle, arcade, sports and action games available for the iOS platform. It’s the strategy genre which has got a very less share of games than other game genres. Still there are some addictive turn-based strategy games for iPhone that are as impressive as their PC counterparts. Some follow the traditional turn-based tactics, others are a mixed bag.

Playing a turn-based strategy (TBS) game on a 3.5 inch phone touch screen isn’t disappointing at all. I know all you PC gamers would frown upon the idea of playing a tactical game on a constricted space when you have a bigger LCD monitor to get a perfect view. But believe me; playing TBS on a mobile phone gives as much gameplay satisfaction as playing a game on your PC. It adjusts very well within the small screen estate, plus you have the touch-screen that makes it very easy for you to navigate maps, maneuver units and get your strategy right.

Some of the games mentioned here are pure TBS games, while others have RPG elements infused into them. You might like the traditional turn-based tactical games, but the role-playing ones are quite impressive with their turn-based combat. So, without further ado, here are some awesome strategy titles for the iOS platform.

One of my dream themes for a turn-based strategy game was naval combat/pirate battles. Developers Bungie Aerospace made my dreams come true. Crimson: Steam Pirates teleports players to the world of pirate ships.

This visually-enticing game looks like a slick graphic novel, but ends up as an engaging TBS title. Players can explore islands; embark on a treasure-hunting journey and battle against rival pirate ships and zeppelins. The game has a gripping story, which unfolds as the virtual "torned" pages of a journal explain the story bit by bit.

Crimson: Steam Pirates’ strategy is not limited to turn-based combat. It relies on several factors, speed, the number of crew members on a pirate ship and additional units, such as air balloons, that are required when you will need to expand your fleet to counter a large number of enemy pirate ships.

Of all turn-based iPhone strategy games mentioned here, none have visuals as astounding as Steam Pirates. The top-down graphics are cel-shaded and look spectacular, like a 30s comic book.

The full-scale pirate battle looks great from a birds-eye view, giving you full control of your fleet. You can easily distinguish your ships from the enemy fleet and exploit their abilities to defeat opponents. If you like to add some steam in your strategy game collection, do consider Crimson, because it is the only complete naval strategy game developed for the iOS platform.

Part turn-based, part resource management, Battle Nations (BN) is the perfect answer to the strategy drought faced by iPhone. There are very few Civilization-type of games developed for the iOS platform and BN is one of them. Not only players build a formidable army, they also build farms, factories and military bases. Pretty much like traditional strategy games.

The game is a freemium, which means you can download it without paying anything, but will have to buy items while playing. There’s also a multiplayer mode that allows you to battle against your friends. Battle is traditional TBS: you have a small grid where you can place your soldiers and vehicles. You will then have to position them all over and fire at the target if it falls in the range.

Battle follows the rock/paper/scissor mechanic, which means you will need to ascertain the strengths and weaknesses of each unit before you choose them for battle. Remember that each turn lasts only for 20 seconds. You will have to be extra careful in positioning key units and have to be quick enough to place units/attack opposing forces before the timer runs out.

Battle Nations' premise is very much like any war game sim. The colorful graphics and animations are spectacular. The attention to detail of each army unit and the terrain is amazing. The visuals look more like the polished version of Advance Wars. So get ready with your flame throwers, tanks and snipers and battle against friends via the multiplayer mode in this epic turn-based strategy game.

Time of Heroes follows the traditional turn-based tactics employed by famed games like Final Fantasy tactics. You can choose heroes, units and place them in strategic positions before going out for an all out attack against opposing forces.

With breathtaking 3D visuals, this historic/fantasy game offers tremendous depth in turn-based tactics and features plenty of stuff to please strategy gamers. Players can exploit the terrain to their advantage and can get “Hero” bonuses and power to go full throttle against various monsters.

For the novice strategy gamer, the number of strategy elements can be a bit overwhelming at first, but the game’s difficulty system eases of the frustrations. Newbie players can choose the easiest difficulty setting and then select the higher settings once they get used to the controls and strategy variables.

Time of Heroes has also included some RPG elements. There’s a nice XP system that allows gamers to pick up the best abilities through the skill points gained during battle. Each hero can be leveled up and the skill points distributed equally in the talent pool.

Turn-based strategy gets a boost with an excellent spell system that gives tremendous benefits to players. Make sure you use your spells carefully and position your heroes at the right places, you opponents too have access to a variety spells. With excellent depth, amazing visuals and a spell/XP system, Time of Heroes is a good, solid strategy game.

Rogue Planet offers pure, unadulterated turn-based strategy fun. Most TBS games released for the iPhone are a mixed bag (i.e. combine RPG with TBS elements). But this game sticks to traditional turn-based strategy and sets the standards for other Turn-based strategy games.

The game has a gripping storyline, spectacular map designs and smooth controls. The animated 3D artwork is awesome during combat and will remind of Advance Wars. The sci-fi theme adds more interest to this gem.

Besides some stunning eye candy, the game offers plenty of strategic fun. Along with the usual turn-based strategy elements, surprises like Kamikaze makes things more interesting. This feature allows units to self-destruct. Doing so destroys any nearby units. As you progress, the AI opposing forces becomes more difficult and challenging. You will have to be more careful with your units and make the most of their abilities to tackle your opponents. There are plenty of missions and each mission offers a solid strategic experience.

The current version has a multiplayer mode, which is great news for all players. The detailed visuals in the iPhone 4S versions look even more stunning than the 3GS version. Trust me guys, Rogue Planet is a steal!

One of the first strategy games to hit the iPhone and Android mobile platforms, Uniwar is the perfect example of a solid hex-based TBS game. It combines the galactic battles of StarCraft with splendid turn-based strategy of Advance Wars and presents a lengthy 21 mission campaign.

A short tutorial explains the key aspects and immediately takes players to the first campaign map. Players won’t even need any tutorial as they are familiar with the genre. Moreover, the controls are very simple, making it easy for even non-TBS fans to get used to it.

Besides the campaign mode, players can also try their hands on individual maps. What’s more, they can also play against their friend in the single iPhone. No, no, don’t get me wrong. There is a local multiplayer mode that allows players to play against up to 20 friends simultaneously. The player receives notifications via email for any moves made by his friends. The AI is impressive and the 2D graphics splendid. If you like hex-based strategy games and are into futuristic settings, do play UniWars.

A Worms-clone, Star Hogs is a turn-based strategy game with a sci-fi setting. While borrowingthe core elements from Worms, the artillery-style combat takes the form of a large scale galactic warfare. Everything from a large fleet of spacecrafts to a single spaceship can be controlled by gamers. The objective is simple - eliminate opposing spaceships before they fry your ships with their laser blasters.

In Star Hogs, turn-based strategy is either timer-based or based on energy. In the campaign mode, each move will force you to spend a certain amount of energy. Between attacking and maneuvering your ships, you will have to use energy cleverly because firing uses up more energy than moving around the map.

Balancing between attacking and navigating is the key to make the most of energy supplied per campaign mission. Timer-based combat allows players to move or attack before the ticking clock turns down.

Combat is very similar to Worms. You will have to keep a right combination between the shot angle and the power. To make sure your attack is accurate every time; the game keeps a ghost image of the angle of your previous shot, much like what the mobile version of Angry Birds does.

There is enough micromanagement to select the right ships, customize them and use them against opposing fleet of ships. All in all, Space Hogs immerses you into a massive galactic battle and infuses key elements from Worms pretty well.

Another iPhone turn-based strategy game with a sci-fi theme, Mecho Wars is an absolute gem. Inspired by Advance Wars, the game has a rather vague story, but the turn-based strategy is flawless. Moreover, the inclusion of time forces players to change their strategy. An hour is passed each turn. And as hours pass by, the color of the background changes. Watery areas freeze during morning, which allows land units to pass over them. But as time passes, the ice melts. This strategy element will force you to make an early move and inch in closer to your opponents. During combat, the Advance Wars-style split screen will show splendid animated battle between the two forces.

Mecho Wars has strange alien species to encounter. Most have bizarre insect-like features. The variety in alien artwork is excellent, so is the colorful background. If you are a fan of sci-fi strategy, this game is worth a gander.

I always wanted a strategy game that provides turn-based or real-time combat between Autobots and Decepticons. Seems there is one game developed for the iOS platform. G1 Awakening has everything a Transformers enthusiast like me wants – familiar story, favorite characters and solid turn-based strategy.

The game has your favorite Transformers characters like Ironhide, Grimlock and our dearest Bumblebee and Optimus Prime. The plot will remind you of the 80s, and this makes playing each mission even more interesting.

Gameplay is like any other TBS. You will be quite familiar with the turn-based strategy elements if you have played games like Uniwar. Players have to take advantage of a grid to move their units, attack enemies and seize enemy buildings. Like a true-blue Transformer, every unit transforms into a vehicle. This way they cover more ground and get defensive with ease, giving you a strategic edge over your opponents.

Besides solid tactical combat, there are situations where the game looks more like a puzzle. The characters have similar abilities, but their power and attack range is different. Each character’s strengths and weaknesses needs to be read before using them against opposing forces. Of course you will have more units up your sleeve during combat, but a clever selection of the best units will ensure a sure-shot victory.

The game has a story mode as well as a unique one-on-one mode that allows gamers to fight against Decepticons in challenging missions.

The visuals in Transformers G1 Awakening aren’t groundbreaking. The cel-shaded graphics are average and the animation is good. Overall, G1 Awakening is a decent package that offers at least 10 hours of good strategy fun.

This massive fantasy strategy game offers a nice combination of role-playing and turn-based strategy elements. While the visuals aren’t that epic, the gameplay has plenty of strategy that will keep gamers glued to their seats for hours. It will take more than 100 hours to complete over 200 challenging campaign scenarios. Each mission offers plenty of opportunities to recruit new units, capture villages and level up.

Wesnoth’s campaign scenarios are for serious strategy gamers. Battles are designed for shrewd strategists who would love to use their very best units to defeat enemies. The one gripe I have is the game’s slow frame-rate. This makes scrolling a bit frustrating. It takes time, especially when I click on a unit, scroll down and click on the area to move it. Thankfully, the game has an option that lets me speed up my units turn-based movements.

One of the highlights of the game is the mission variety. No scenario is boring. You will have your own recruits ready to take on any enemy in turn-based combat. However, make sure you have all your tactics right. A wrong move might make your heroes pay heavily and this might even mean restarting the game. Despite some hiccups, Battle for Wesnoth gets my thumbs up because of its depth and variety.

Dungeon Crawlers is what happens when you combine Diablo with Final Fantasy Tactics and sprinkle some sarcasm on it. The game is pretty new in the iPhone TBS circuit and has impressed reviewers for its excellent turn-based combat and rib-tickling story. It borrows elements from traditional RPG and throws a humorous plot.

The goblin-infested caverns and hostile environments house some of the most hilariously eerie monsters, creatures and bosses. And if they don’t tickle your funny bone, then wait until to control the warrior or the druid. These characters fight against monsters, creating hilarious scenarios.

Dungeon Crawlers belongs to the RPG/turn-based tactics genre. While the characters remind you of any role-playing game, turn-based strategy is quite similar to FF Tactics. Each character has unique skills and abilities, which you can make the most of while exploring perilous dungeons and scary, but funny monsters.

From skeletons to ogres, each monster has ability different from others, making turn-based combat challenging and fun. A unique aspect of the game is its humorous storyline and an equally hilarious cast of characters and boss monsters. I mean if the name D. Knight Shyamalan (a mini boss) doesn’t tickle your funny bone, then what will make you laugh?

The game is new and soon new chapters will be included to add more fun. The initial levels are quite engaging and the 3D environment is superb. The animation of cartoon-like characters is smooth. Dungeon Crawlers looks promising and the turn-based tactical combat has some depth. I am looking forward to more improvements and am sure this game will be one of the best turn-based strategy games for iPhone.

All iPhone strategy game screenshots, courtesy of their respective developers