With 2022 behind our backs and a fresh new year just ahead, it’s time to scour the internet in search of the up-and-coming video games that might pique our interest during the next 12 months. From real-time-strategy classics to hardcore wargamers, this list is sure to feature at least one thing you’ll most certainly enjoy.

Company of Heroes 3

The series that kept the real-time-strategy genre from going under is finally back, a decade after Company of Heroes 2 first hit store shelves (back when shelves for video games were a thing). The chaotic World War 2 real-time battles now come packaged with a nice world map that blends the tactical and the strategic in one nice and comprehensive bundle, developed by the joint efforts between the studio and veteran CoH players. Expect modding support on launch day, 40 main missions, custom lobbies, and 4 factions. Company of Heroes 3 looks promising, let’s hope it doesn’t fail to deliver.

Release Date: 23 February 2023

Manor Lords

Manor Lords was the only game that managed to scratch the itch that was left by Stronghold all those years ago. Everything in this game is just… chef’s kisses. The graphics are absolutely astonishing, the town building and management aspects are as intricate and detailed as they come, and to top that off a military system that takes into account individual equipment and stats, weather conditions, terrain, formations, fatigue, different melee stances… oh please just finish it already!

Release Date: Coming Soon

Second Front

What can one say about Second Front that hasn’t already been mentioned elsewhere? I played it for the first time nearly two years ago, when the developer Joaquim allowed me a sneak peek into it and since then I’ve become enamored. It’s my most anticipated game of the last decade, just because it managed to tie everything together in such an easy-to-digest and fun-to-interact package. Hex-and-Turn-based-tactical set in Second World War 2 with hundreds of different units, sporting a detailed damage model for infantry and vehicles. Second Front is well on its merry way to the Ultimate List of the Best World War 2 Games of All Time.

Second Front – First Impression

Release Date: 31 January 2023

Broken Arrow

BA is going to be one of two things: it’s either going to dethrone Eugen Systems and the Wargame Series and dominate this weird sub-genre of modern real-time-strategy games that Wargame spawned way back when, or it’s going to be a massive disappointment. As of right now, I can’t decipher if the pace of Broken Arrow is too quick for me to enjoy, but by the looks of what was presented during Slitherine Next, it looks to be substantially slower than other games such as Regiments or WARNO. Here’s hoping!

The New Broken Arrow Gameplay Is Impressive

Release Date: Coming Soon

General Staff: Black Powder

Dr. Ezra Sidran is putting together an end-all-be-all solution for every wargamer looking to fight their battles during the age of muskets. With decades of experience in artificial intelligence research and plenty more as a wargame designer since the 1980s, Sidran has been quietly putting together the most advance AI ever seen in a videogame. Such is his confidence in the work he’s been developing over the last five or so years that every step of the AI’s thinking is displayed for you, should you wish to peer under the hood. Realistic and complex chains of command, a fantastic art style, and the unlimited ability to build your own battles make General Staff: Black Powder stand tall amongst the competition.

An Interview With D. Ezra Sidran, Ph.D. – General Staff: Black Powder

Release Date: Sometime soon, but not announced.

The Great War: Western Front

Despite the uninspired name (The Great War: Western Front), just the fact that the team behind this one immediately unveiled their gameplay to the world after announcing the game fills me with enough confidence to say that my excitement for their interpretation of the First World War isn’t totally unjustified. It’s the first time a game is attempting to bring a grand-strategy layer punctuated by tactical real-time engagements in persistent maps in this time period. What’s fantastic is the existence of a detailed trench-building system that can also be built up over time. The team is implementing seasonal changes and persistent terrain damage (with the constant artillery, the french countryside was damaged for decades, and in some parts, the scars of war are still visible). Creeping barrages, aircraft, and tanks will be there to help the ones going over the top to achieve their objectives.

Release Date: 2023.

Homeworld 3

“After all these years?”, asked Blackbird Interactive. “Always”, the fans answered, with cheerful tears streaming down their eyes. The premier space strategy series is back and looking better than it ever did. Long gone are the drab and desertic sceneries of Kharak, and back is the colorful infinity of the cosmos, now filled with the presence of space derelicts that bring 3D elements into the maps, offering fleet commanders even more opportunities to showcase their military genius. As with the previous games, everyone is expecting a banger of a campaign filled with danger, high stakes, and wonder in Homeworld 3.

Release Date: 2023

Field of Glory: Kingdoms

It’s far from being a secret that Field of Glory II: Medieval is one of my favorite games of all time. Sure, this might be to my bias toward Medieval Warfare, rather than it being just an absolute gem of a game. But if that was the case, how come to my attitude towards every World War 2 game isn’t exactly the same? Probably because FoG II is just that great. The question is: what happens if the team behind the AGEOD series of games decides to design a grand-strategy layer similar to the ones found in Total War and Paradox? We’ll have our answer in 2023, hopefully, seeing as the game is looking for Constables to test Field of Glory: Kingdoms out during the beta. 375 Factions, 325 units, 600 buildings, 14 religions, and 90 cultural traits will keep many a medieval enthusiast entertained for months.

Release Date: Coming Soon

Headquarters: World War 2

This game was aptly described in a Youtube comment as “Battle Academy but with the graphical fidelity turned up to 11″, if that’s going to be the case is still up for debate at this point in time. But destructible environments, cover system, fully fledge campaigns, and what looks to be a detailed battle system make this turn-based-tactical game covering the Normandy invasion a respectable entry in my “to look out for in the next year” list. Headquarters: World War 2 also looks great.

Release Date: Coming Soon

War Hospital

Another game and another twist on a familiar genre, I guess the question here is: “what if Hospital Tycoon meets World War 1?”- “Genius” says me, “But how do you plan on integrating the enormous complexity of such a technologically disruptive event like World War 1? Especially in the field of medicine? Is it going to reflect the evolution of warfare and the inevitable impact it had on the wounds of soldiers across the four years of conflict? Or is this going to be just another tycoon game of making numbers go up?”, surely these questions will be answered sometime during the present year when War Hospital opens its tent flaps.

Release Date: 2023

Pharaoh: A New Era

Impressions games are a dime a dozen these days, but Pharaoh: A New Era will keep extremely close to the original since it’s going to be a reimagined version of the original Pharaoh, all these years later with the 4K graphical remaster, a new UI and all the content from the game and it’s expansion Cleopatra: Queen of the Nile. Expect 50 missions, a campaign mode, and reworked art.

Release Date: Q1 2023

Frostpunk 2

More survival game than a city builder, more societal critic than an engrossing videogame, the first Frostpunk was a game that impressed when it came out simply because it wasn’t afraid of asking tough questions: Would you rather everyone die of cold? Or that just a couple members of the community starve to death in order to liberate resources needed elsewhere? Should you force 24 hours shifts on every adult? Or maybe implement child labor? Are you willing to risk the lives of many to rescue just a few? I’m curious to see how Frostpunk 2 will surpass the original, both in human drama and gameplay mechanics.

Release Date: Coming Soon

Terra Nil

A very pretty game that found its way to mainstream acclaim (and the Devolver Digital catalog) after a short stint during its prototype stages in itch.io (still available to play, here). Terra Nil describes itself as a reserve city builder about ecosystem reconstruction, where the goal is to restore ecological balance to a barren wasteland. Having played it during one of those many Steam Fests I can say it delivers on its premise and it is great as a relaxing take on the city-building genre.

These were the best Strategy Games at the Steam Games Festival…

Release Date: Early 2023

Men of War II

I honestly think the Men of War formula has long lost its appeal in the modern-day strategy scene. A weird mix between the arcadey action of Company of Heroes sprinkled with some aspects of realism might have done it for me during the early 2000s, but right now it just feels that the series has become stale and is unable to offer anything but more units and/or maps. From the Steam description of Men of War 2, it doesn’t feel like Best Way is going to opt for a different route.

Release Date: 2023

Jagged Alliance 3

Again, similarly to what was said about Men of War II, I don’t think Jagged Alliance 3 will ever be able to capture the magic that made the previous games so great when they first came out. The landscape of gaming just isn’t the same anymore, especially when it comes to the turn-based-tactical sub-genre, where there are so many great games out there that JA3 won’t get away without being compared to XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Gears Tactics, Phoenix Point, Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate- Daemon Hunters, Marvel: Midnight Suns and so many other. Can the team behind JA3 differentiate their game enough to make it stand out? By the looks of their 2022 showcase trailer, the answer is firmly negative.

Release Date: Coming Soon.

Check my list of 2022 best Strategy Games if you haven’t already.

And you, dearest viewer, what games are you most looking forward to?

Follow Strategy and Wargaming Socials

Strategy and Wargaming needs you to follow its socials. Are we the best strategy gaming website around? I would say so. Heck, what other options do you have? The Wargamer? Please.

So why not give us a follow on the cesspool that is Twitter, or join the 1000 other geriatric patients on Facebook? Or subscribe down below? Or maybe do everything? I don’t care, I’m not your grandmother.

If you enjoyed the article, consider buying me a coffee!

I’ve been running Strategy and Wargaming at my own expense since 2017, with only the ad revenue to cover the hosting, with everything else being done by me. So, if you’re an avid reader, you can afford it, and want to support the website, please consider Buying Me a Coffee by clicking this link, for as low as one euro! If you do, just know that you’re helping out a lot and contributing so that Strategy and Wargaming can continue growing!