What are the best strategy games to play on the go? With a focus on quick-thinking, solid planning, and strong decision making, strategy games are the perfect brain workout and a great way to escape from the real world. Whether you’re looking for turn-based, real-time, tactical, or anything else, there’s something for everyone.
In this guide, we dive into our top picks for the best strategy games that you can play on all the best handheld consoles, from the Nintendo Switch to the Steam Deck and the best Steam Deck alternatives. We also have a list of the best mobile strategy games, in case you want to narrow down your search to only the top pocket-sized powerhouses.
Here are the best strategy games for handheld consoles:
RimWorld
Handheld platforms: Steam Deck and Windows handhelds
RimWorld is an incredibly unique sci-fi colony sim driven by an intelligent AI storyteller and inspired by the likes of Dwarf Fortress, Firefly, and Dune. Following a crash, the game revolves around three survivors as they attempt to build a colony on a frontier world at the rim of known space.
Naturally, this is no easy task – and this is only exacerbated by the fact that your colonists are not professional settlers, so you’ve gotta keep your wits about you and plan thoroughly if you want them to survive.
Manage your colonists’ moods, needs, and health as you fashion sprawling structures, train animals, and protect your new home. All the while, you’ll continue to see your colony grow, as new members join and existing members form relationships amongst themselves.
With an entire planet at your fingertips, the edge of known space at your doorstep, and a constantly-shifting world that can change in the most unexpected ways, no two playthroughs are alike – and, with its gameplay and optimization making it an absolute dream to play on Steam Deck and other Windows handhelds, you’re sure to lose many hours to this phenomenal experience.
Civilization VI
Handheld platforms: Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and Windows handhelds
Sid Meier’s Civilization VI is an award-winning strategy game that invites you to expand your empire, advance your culture, and go head-to-head against history’s greatest leaders. You select a ruler and civilization then slowly build up your city, sending out settlers to establish further colonies, and engaging in diplomacy and warfare against other factions.
It’s as classic as classic goes, following the recognized 4x formula of expansion and conquest, and we just can’t get enough. We’ve even got a thorough Civ 6 tier list for you to peruse if you need a little help getting started.
Since its 2016 release, Civ 6 has seen colossal success, which has now been followed up by a sequel. So, if you love this entry and are looking for even more history-based TBS fun, you should be happy to know that you can now play Civilization VII on Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, and other platforms, too – though we’re not entirely sure that it surpasses its predecessor, if we’re honest. But if you do decide to give it a try, we’ve also got a Civ 7 tier list to help you out.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links
Handheld platforms: Android, iOS, Steam Deck, and Windows handhelds
It’s time to d-d-d-duel! Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links is a free-to-play digital card game based on the iconic IP we’ve all come to know and love. First seeing a worldwide release back in 2017, it’s set in a virtual reality ‘Duel World’ created by Seto Kaiba, where duelists can gather to compete.
The game invites you to “step into a world that crosses dimensions and connects all Duelists”, as you collect cards, build decks, and duel with both NPCs and other players from all around the world, unlocking iconic characters and fresh ‘Duel Worlds’ as you continue to level up and progress through the game.
Duel Links has earned a solid place on our list of the best Yu-Gi-Oh! games, and works brilliantly on handheld platforms. Plus, we were incredibly impressed with the Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links Rush Duel update that came out in 2023 following six years of expansions and additions, introducing a brand new way to play that helps keep the experience feeling fresh.
Balatro
Handheld platforms: Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and Windows handhelds
Balatro unexpectedly took the world by storm following its 2024 release, and it’s easy to see why. This incredibly unique, deck-building roguelite strategy game may look like a simple poker game at first, but beneath its pixelated surface, it’s so much more.
With creative mechanics, charming visuals, and a wealth of content to keep you coming back for more, it’s truly one of the best indie games we’ve ever played. We’re clearly not alone, either, as it won Game of the Year at both TGA and GDC, brushing aside some of the biggest studios with ease. Yes, it’s just that good.
If you want to hear our resident Balatro-addict dive into what makes this little gem so special, you can read our full Balatro review right here, where we give it a whopping 9/10. But, honestly, do you really need any more convincing at this point?
Baldur’s Gate 3
Handheld platforms: Steam Deck and Windows handhelds
Come on, what would this list be if Baldur’s Gate 3 didn’t make an appearance? In case you’ve been living under a rock, Baldur’s Gate 3 is an award-winning CRPG-slash-strategy game based on the iconic world of Dungeons & Dragons.
With mysterious abilities awakening inside of you, this story-rich adventure sees you gathering a party and returning to the Forgotten Realms to lose yourself in a tale of fellowship and betrayal, sacrifice and survival, and the lure of absolute power.
It’s essentially the most well-realized virtual D&D experience you’re gonna get, with evolved turn-based combat, roll modifiers, a massive amount of customization and variation between playthroughs, and an intense level of replayability sure to suck you in again and again. There’s a reason why it quickly usurped Tears of the Kingdom on Metacritic after its release, and it remains one of the best-rated and highest regarded games on Steam.
Now, while you may not be able to play Baldur’s Gate 3 on Switch, it’s fully Steam Deck verified and works well on the more powerful Windows handhelds like the Asus Rog Ally, allowing you to escape to a different realm any time, any place.
Totally Accurate Battle Simulator
Handheld platforms: Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and Windows handhelds
Looking for something a little silly? Totally Accurate Battle Simulator (more commonly known as TABS) is a physics-based strategy game that invites you to become the leader of wobblers from ancient lands, spooky places, and fantasy worlds. Essentially, imagine Gary’s Mod meets Goat Simulator with strategy battle simulation gameplay, and you’re pretty much there.
Boasting a massive range of features including unit, map, and faction creators, campaigns, multiplayer, a workshop, a sandbox mode, and much more, TABS truly feels like a playground where anything can happen. Whether you’re employing wobbly warriors or wooly mammoths, there’s heaps of fun to be had here, and the low-stakes, high-hilarity gameplays makes it a treat to play on the go.
Settlement Survival
Handheld platforms: iOS, Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and Windows handhelds
Settlement Survival is a city-building game with a real classic vibe, where you lead a group of survivors in search of their new home. Choose a seed, start with basic buildings and a small colony, then slowly expand outwards, researching, unlocking, and building more and more advanced facilities and homes for your people.
It strikes a great balance between challenging and relaxing, with a massive range of modifiers, options, and opportunities for you to tailor the game to your liking. Every choice you make can have a huge impact on your settlement – both good and bad – leaving their survival and prosperity entirely in your hands.
Originally seeing great success on Steam, this brilliant, Banished-like title has migrated to all of our favorite handheld consoles and set up its roots with ease. It translates incredibly well to both the Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch, capitalizing on its engrossing gameplay loop in the handheld format and making it incredibly hard to put down. We also had a great time with the Settlement Survival mobile version back in 2023, commending how well it “offers all the fun of the full game at a fraction of the cost”.
Triangle Strategy
Handheld platforms: Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and Windows handhelds
From the team behind Octopath Traveler and the Bravely series, Triangle Strategy is an intriguing tactics RPG brought to life in stunning HD-2D graphics. Set on the great continent of Norzelia, the story focuses on three protagonists as they attempt to navigate a new conflict set 30 years after a devastating war.
Gameplay alternates between exploration stages, a complex storyline with branching paths, and tactical turn-based combat where you move around a grid-based field. In our Triangle Strategy review, we describe it as an “expansive, intricate tale with far-reaching consequences [that] tests your convictions just as much as your tactical skill.”
From the range of main and recruitable Triangle Strategy characters to the intriguing world that surrounds them, this little gem will always rank highly in our books. In fact, Triangle Strategy might just be the best Game of Thrones game we’ll never get.
Slay the Spire
Handheld platforms: Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and Windows handhelds
Slay the Spire is a roguelike deckbuilder that invites you to craft a unique deck, encounter bizarre creatures, and discover immensely powerful relics as you strive to (you guessed it) slay the spire.
Deep, frustrating, yet incredibly satisfying, this unique little gem features a dynamic deck-building system where you must strategize and choose your cards wisely as you embark on your journey up the ever-changing spire. It’s the very definition of ‘easy to pick up, hard to master’, making it a maddeningly moreish experience that’s perfect to play on the go.
Fallout Shelter
Handheld platforms: Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and Windows handhelds
While we all agree that the main Fallout series deserves a place on Nintendo Switch, if you’re looking for a Fallout-flavored strategy game fix, you’re in luck. Fallout Shelter is a free-to-play construction and management sim where you’re tasked with building and managing your very own Vault.
Taking the role of an Overseer, you’re the Vault’s leader and coordinator, guiding and directing the Vault dwellers and keeping them happy and healthy by meeting their needs. This includes generating and balancing resources, managing power, adding rooms, completing tasks, and more.
With multiple award nominations and updates since its 2015 launch, Fallout Shelter remains an enjoyable (albeit relatively simple) little strategy game designed around the handheld format.
Mini Motorways
Handheld platforms: iOS (Apple Arcade), Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and Windows handhelds
Mini Motorways is a deceptively complex mixture of zen puzzle game and strategy game, and once you pick it up, it’s incredibly hard to put down. You take the role of a civil engineer tasked with building connections between houses and institutions. Those who live in yellow houses need to go to red buildings. Those who live in green houses need to go to green buildings. Sounds simple, right?
Well, it is… At first. But as your spiderweb of roads continues to grow, so does the challenge, leaving you with some tricky situations to overcome. You can even step up the difficulty even more by taking on challenge modes, giving you specific goals and setting obstacles for you to work around.
A little more laid back than some of the more complex city builders but still surprisingly intricate, Mini Motorways manages to be both a challenging and relaxing game, and achieves everything that it sets out to do. If you’re looking for a chilled-out alternative to the other strategy games on our list, be sure to check out our Mini Motorways review to find out more.
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes
Handheld platforms: Nintendo Switch
The long-standing Fire Emblem series has been a mainstay in the world of tactical strategy RPGs for decades, and has long been a favorite of many here on the Pocket Tactics team. As such, we were utterly delighted at the release of Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes.
While a bit different from the classic tactical affair you may expect from the main series (and from other titles on this list), Three Hopes is a beautifully fine-tuned musou game that tactfully balances hack-and-slash combat with real-time tactics, allowing you to deploy your troops and give them orders from the map, then dive into the satisfying 1v1000 carnage yourself.
There are heaps of characters (including a lot of familiar faces from the series), plenty of strategies to try, and an interesting story that progresses at whatever pace you set. If you want to learn more, be sure to check out our full Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes review where we give it a hefty 9/10.
Into the Breach
Handheld platforms: Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and Windows handhelds
Into the Breach is a turn-based strategy game where you control powerful mechs from the future and set out to defeat an alien threat – and if that doesn’t sell you on it, we don’t know what will.
Find powerful weapons and unique pilots to build the ultimate mech, then perfect your strategy as you defend cities and take down the gigantic creatures that threaten the remnants of human civilization.
With a brilliant balance between rogulite, puzzle, and TBS elements, Into the Breach is a real gem that works great on handheld platforms. Plus, each of your attempts to save the world presents a new, randomly generated challenge, meaning it offers heaps of replayability sure to keep you entertained for many hours.
Persona 5 Tactica
Handheld platforms: Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and Windows handhelds
The most-loved of the already incredibly beloved Persona games, Persona 5 has seen multiple spin-offs since its 2016 release – one of which being Persona 5 Tactica. A tactical, strategy-based RPG, Persona 5 Tactica sees the Phantom Thieves return with a whole new story and setting.
While featuring all your favorite Persona 5 characters, Tactica is very different from its predecessor. The gameplay predominantly revolves around you controlling a party of up to three members as you move around a grid-based map populated by enemy units, which you challenge through turn-based combat.
As the name suggests, tactics play an important part in the gameplay, as you juggle skills and skill points, close and ranged attacks, taking cover or blocking enemy attacks, and more. Of course, your party also can employ the help of their personas, offering different moves and buffs and opening up a lot of options for you to explore.
If this has sparked your interest, you can check out our full Persona 5 Tactica review to take a peek behind the mask and learn more about our time strategizing with the Phantom Thieves.
And those are our top picks for the best strategy games on Steam Deck, Switch, mobile, and other handhelds. If you’re on the hunt for even more exciting experiences to explore, check out our lists of the best Nintendo Switch games, the best mobile games, and the best Steam Deck games overall. We’ve also got a guide covering everything you need to know about the Nintendo Switch 2.