5 Best Strategy Mobile Games for Android/iOS (Not Pay-to-Win)

Did you know that there is a huge strategy-game community that enjoys the popular genre on the go?

If youre a strategy fan like myself, you probably enjoyed some all-time classics on your PC, including Age of Empires, the Total War games, Stronghold, Warcraft, StartCraft, and more.

However, it seems that the number of high-quality strategy games has declined for both PC and consoles, but thats not the case when it comes to mobile devices. On the contrary, mobile strategy games have been thriving lately.

Theres one problem, however. Many online strategies use the infamous pay-to-win (pay2win) business model, which requires you to invest a lot of money to get various upgrades for your in-game soldiers, buildings, and more.

In my opinion, thats just a waste of money and creates an unfair advantage for those who pay more. If you are going to spend some money, you better check out some of the best Android casinos at CasinoUSA, as youll get a chance to win real money in return.

Therefore, in this article, well cover only strategies that have a fair, competitive landscape. Read on.

Company of Heroes

Company of Heroes was a popular strategy game for PC and is now available on mobile. The game is available for Android and iOS devices, and you can find it on Google Play and the App Store. It relies on WWII tactics and is set during the Battle of Normandy.

The game is not that different from the PC version, as it features plenty of identical missions, and the gameplay is almost the same.

Even though its not a pay-to-win game, youll still have to buy it, with the current price being around $20.

Bad North

Bad North is also not a mobile-exclusive game, as its available for plenty of devices, including the PC. What makes it stand out from the pack is the minimalist approach to design, making the game seem kind of artsy. Sure, thats not what a typical strategy gamer is after, but it offers a somewhat different perspective on the genre.

This is effectively a defense strategy game, as your task is to stop the approaching hordes as you try to save buildings and island inhabitants. Every island is one level, and they are procedurally generated, meaning no two levels are the same.

Plague Inc.

Plague Inc. immediately achieved massive popularity due to its unique concept. Players assume the role of a virus, and their main goal is to kill humankind by mutating and attaining new ways to spread. Its quite a morbid game, and it became one of the most popular mobile strategy games in 2020 due to COVID-19.

Even though the game has some in-app purchases, its not pay-to-win, as players can unlock all features by merely playing. If you dont know how viruses work in general, this game can help you understand them better and take the necessary steps to protect yourself during the ongoing pandemic.

Rome: Total War

Total War is a series of PC strategy games, and Rome: Total War is perhaps the best title in it. Players lead one of the three Roman fractions to conquer Europe. Its a macro-management turn-based strategy with RTS elements, as players are allowed to lead their troops into battle in real time.

If you like seeing massive armies clash on the battlefield or enjoy taking down heavily-guarded walls using all kinds of siege equipment, this is a perfect game for you. The best thing is: its now available to mobile gamers and costs around $14.

Bonfire 2

Bonfire 2 is a simple isometric survival strategy game thats perfectly adapted to mobile play. Your goal is to build a village and protect it from all kinds of vicious enemies lurking in the dark. Youll have to provide (and upgrade) weapons for your in-game inhabitants and build them a shelter. It seems simple at first, but it becomes challenging with time.

The game is entirely free, and its far from being pay-to-win. If you enjoy survival games, this one is a must-try.

Final Thoughts

I tested all of these games on my new Android phone and wanted to give you a heads-up: the PC-export ones, such as Company of Heroes and Rome: Total War, will probably not work on older devices. In an ideal scenario, youll play them on a phone thats not older than a year or two. Ultimately, you can check the list of supported devices on the web.

Feel free to read more about the games covered in this article and begin strategizing on-the-go!

Discover More Blogs

The Evolution of Storytelling in Video Games

Explore how games transitioned from simple text boxes to rich narratives. Discover branching paths, emotional depth, and the future of storytelling in today’s evolving gaming world.

A dive into the rise of mobile gaming

A dive into the rise of mobile gaming

What Makes Star Wars: Squadrons So Good?

Star Wars; Squadrons, read on to find out what makes this galactic action game so much fun

How does the iGaming industry attract young people from the Star Wars culture?

How does the iGaming industry attract young people from the Star Wars culture?
Close Popup
Privacy Settings saved!
Privacy Settings

When you visit any web site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Control your personal Cookie Services here.

These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems.

Technical Cookies
In order to use this website we use the following technically required cookies
  • wordpress_test_cookie
  • wordpress_logged_in_
  • wordpress_sec

Google Adsense
We use Google AdSense to show online advertisements on our website.
  • _tlc
  • _tli
  • _tlp
  • _tlv
  • DSID
  • id
  • IDE

One Signal
For performance reasons we use OneSignal as a notification service.  This saves a number of cookies in order to apply notifcation services on a per-client basis. These cookies are strictly necessary for OneSignal's notification features.  It is essential to the service that these are not turned off.
  • _OneSignal_session
  • __cfduid
  • _ga
  • _gid

Affiliate Links
Fantha Tracks is reader-supported.  When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Media Net
We use Media Net to show online advertisements on our website.
  • SESS#

Decline all Services
Save
Accept all Services
Mastodon