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Turn-Based Combat hidden gems on Steam
Every game here is tagged Turn-Based Combat on Steam, sits between 1,000 and 5,000 reviews, is rated at least 80% positive, and carries a catch drawn from its own negative reviews. All 28 of them. How these pages are made.
This is a turn-based adventure RPG with platforming elements. Players use unique character abilities and action commands in combat to explore and solve puzzles.
What players likedPlayers consistently praise "Bug Fables" as a charming, deep, and captivating game, often comparing it favorably to the early Paper Mario titles.
The catchCombat goes stale fast since levels add almost nothing and the party never grows.
Games like Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling →
A turn-based football management simulation emphasizing tactical depth and player attribute transparency. Players make strategic decisions to control match outcomes and manage their club.
What players likedPlayers praise this game as an XCOM-like, turn-based football manager that offers surprising tactical depth and player investment.
The catchMatches come down to dice rolls, so good tactics still lose to bad luck.
Games like Football, Tactics & Glory →
Monster catching RPG with turn-based battles. Explore, tame over 300 creatures, and fight to save the world.
What players likedPlayers praise its improved open world design and good story, comparing it to other monster collector/battler games.
The catchDefault keyboard controls are baffling with no way to rebind them.
Games like Nexomon: Extinction →
A narrative-driven RPG focused on dialogue and choice in a crumbling society. It emphasizes consequences and player agency over combat.
What players likedPlayers compare it to 90s RPGs, Divinity, and Pillars of Eternity, praising its deep choices, branching paths, and impactful consequences.
The catchForced fights your build cannot win push you into constant save scumming and reloading.
Games like The Age of Decadence →
Card-based tactical deck-builder with turn-based combat and environmental interaction. Players manage hand, positioning, and momentum in action-movie settings.
What players likedPlayers praise this stylish roguelike deckbuilder as a deeper, more satisfying "John Wick: The Game" with fluid animations and satisfying combos.
The catchCard draw luck decides runs more than tactics, and a bad deck sinks the run.
Games like Fights in Tight Spaces →
Dice & Fold84% positive from 3,838 reviews202465% finish itDeck Verified
Dice & Fold is a turn-based roguelike deckbuilder where players roll dice to defeat creature cards. It blends dungeon crawling strategy with dice-based combat and card unfolding.
What players likedPlayers praise "Dice & Fold" as a charming roguelite that offers rewarding and interesting gameplay, even after many hours.
The catchOutcomes lean heavily on luck over strategic depth
Games like Dice & Fold →
A turn-based RPG with deep character building and strategic combat. Explore a medieval fantasy sandbox, undertaking quests and trading.
What players likedPlayers praise Low Magic Age as a deep RPG sandbox and D&D simulator with great build-crafting, combat, and economy.
The catchYears into early access it still has no story and the combat loop turns repetitive fast.
Games like Low Magic Age →
This is a 2D JRPG with a unique skill-based progression system and a story-driven adventure. It features retro graphics and music, with modernized gameplay elements.
What players likedPlayers praise its unique, experimental leveling system and improved storytelling, feeling like a precursor to SaGa games.
The catchLeveling stats through repeated use is grindy and tedious for most of the game.
Games like FINAL FANTASY II →
Hellslave85% positive from 3,270 reviews20225% finish itDeck Playable
Dark fantasy dungeon crawler with demon worship and customizable demonic abilities. Explore dangerous worlds, fight bosses, and replay with New Game+.
What players likedPlayers praise its dark atmosphere, art style, and innovative gameplay, often comparing it to Diablo II.
The catchCombat settles into one skill rotation for every fight and turns into a grind.
Games like Hellslave →
Turn-based tactical combat RPG. Build a gladiator, fight champions, and manage your career. Nostalgic, retro arena fighting.
What players likedPlayers praise its addictive simplicity, comparing it to classic Dungeons & Dragons campaigns and other flash games.
The catchWins and losses come down to RNG far more than skill or build choices.
Games like Swords and Sandals Classic Collection →
This is a modern tactical RPG with gridless movement and deep combat. Players manage reputation and contacts to complete stealthy heists in a collapsed world.
What players likedPlayers praise this X-COM-like cyberpunk tactical RPG for its deep customization, robust stealth, and exceptional developer support.
The catchPiles on so many overlapping systems that it becomes information overload, not depth.
Games like Cyber Knights: Flashpoint →
Path of Achra97% positive from 2,853 reviews202468% finish itDeck Playable
A roguelike dungeon crawler with deep character customization through merging culture, class, and religion. It features a broken build sandbox for explosive synergies and a brutal, fast-paced combat loop.
What players likedPlayers praise its deep build customization and replayability, comparing it to a simplified yet deep roguelike like Tales of Maj'Eyal or a bullet heaven.
The catchOnce a build is set the game plays itself while you hold down one button.
Games like Path of Achra →
This is a multiverse action RPG with a core loop of battling, collecting loot, and character progression across diverse planes. It offers a relaxed, "hang liver" experience focused on deep character development and team building.
What players likedPlayers praise this charming, engaging idle game as one of the best, despite its overwhelming UI and translation issues.
The catchThe English translation is so poor that basic mechanics are left unexplained.
Games like Multiverse Loot Hunter →
Hylics 296% positive from 2,502 reviews2020Deck Playable
Turn-based RPG with unique stop-motion visuals. Explore 3D environments, recruit allies, and battle diverse enemies using special abilities.
What players likedPlayers praise Hylics 2 as a unique, surreal JRPG with an extraordinary abstract art style, psychedelic music, and improved turn-based combat, often compared to Jack Stauber's work.
The catchThe added platforming sections are clunky and janky enough to spoil exploring.
Games like Hylics 2 →
Play a Roman ranker through the Second Punic War in turn-based fights decided by morale, reach and high ground, with permadeath and points carried from your best runs into the next legionary.
What players likedPlayers praise the game's immersive historical accuracy and amazing writing, with menu music reminiscent of Assassin's Creed 2.
The catchFights come down to RNG, and high percentage rolls miss over and over.
Games like A Legionary's Life →
Tactical roguelite dungeon management where you defend against heroes. Place traps and monsters, then watch them fight in turn-based combat.
What players likedPlayers find it a fun, relaxing, and enjoyable dungeon management game, despite its current simplicity.
The catchDepth runs out within an hour and the loop turns repetitive after that.
Games like Legend of Keepers: Prologue →
This is a JRPG with branching story paths, weapon customization, and a party-based combat system. It features strategic battles with character transformations and adjustable difficulty.
What players likedThere is not enough information to provide a comparison to other games or what players praise most.
The catchExperience and weapon points are so stingy that progress demands hours of grinding.
Games like Fairy Fencer F Advent Dark Force →
WitchSpring R97% positive from 2,262 reviews202322% finish itDeck Verified
This is a story-driven RPG with simulation and crafting elements where players train a witch, collect ingredients, and battle monsters. The game features character growth through player choices and a focus on uncovering hidden stories.
What players likedPlayers praise WitchSpring R as a charming JRPG with an engaging story and characters, often compared to Atelier games for its combat and crafting.
The catchCombat stays shallow and gets trivially easy, with one strategy clearing everything.
Games like WitchSpring R →
This is a turn-based RPG with deep skill customization and a free progression system. It emphasizes exploration, meaningful choices, and crafting for a rich adventure.
What players likedPlayers praise its challenging JRPG-style combat and rewarding progression, reminiscent of classic adventure books.
The catchCore systems, crafting most of all, are never properly explained to the player.
Games like The Nameless: Slay Dragon →
This is a turn-based JRPG with a job system and the Brave/Default combat mechanic. It features a classic fantasy adventure feel with a focus on strategic battles.
What players likedPlayers praise its grind-friendly, chain-battle system for quick JP, comparing it to Final Fantasy 3 DS.
The catchBosses counter everything and spike in difficulty, forcing long grinding sessions.
Games like BRAVELY DEFAULT II →
Turn-based fantasy strategy game. Command armies in tactical battles, managing units and resources to conquer Keldonia.
What players likedPlayers compare it to "Civilisation combat without the cities" and praise its fun, large-scale battles with diverse units.
The catchUnits die permanently and there is no undo, so one bad move can sink a mission.
Games like Fantasy General II →
Showgunners93% positive from 1,905 reviews20237% finish itDeck Verified
Turn-based tactical shooter with a dynamic show director mechanic. Recruit allies, upgrade skills, and survive brutal arenas for revenge.
What players likedPlayers praise this fast-paced XCOM-like tactics game for its engaging dystopian game show setting and great characters.
The catchThe real time exploration between fights is slow, puzzle filled padding that drags.
Games like Showgunners →
Small Saga95% positive from 1,807 reviews20231% finish itDeck Playable
Turn-based tactical RPG with boss-focused combat and a story about a mouse reclaiming his tail. Features a cast of animal characters in a medieval rodent kingdom.
What players likedPlayers praise "Small Saga" as a charming, story-rich JRPG homage to GBA-era games and Berserk, with excellent music and art.
The catchHeavy-handed modern politics and internet slang repeatedly break the fantasy setting.
Games like Small Saga →
This is a classic JRPG with a turn-based combat system focused on strategic action order. It offers an epic adventure with enhanced visuals and audio.
What players likedPlayers praise its charming, accessible adventure with engaging characters and a fun skill system, reminiscent of classic JRPGs.
The catchThe port runs badly, stuck near 30fps with choppy frame pacing and frequent drops.
Games like GRANDIA HD Remaster →
Arco96% positive from 1,607 reviews2024Deck Verified
This is a Mesoamerican fantasy RPG with a simultaneous turn-based combat system. Players explore a world, make narrative choices, and engage in bullet-hell combat.
What players likedPlayers praise Arco's unique tactical combat and engaging story, often comparing it to a "retro-Red Dead" or "Fantasy Wild West Mesoamerica."
The catchThe real-time guilt ghosts break the turn-based combat and force rushed decisions.
Games like Arco →
A first-person dungeon crawler RPG where players map labyrinths and build parties to explore. It features strategic combat and character customization with a classic adventure feel.
What players likedPlayers praise its satisfying grind, distinct class system, and unique map-drawing, akin to classic first-person dungeon crawlers.
The catchProgress leans on repetitive grinding and backtracking that turns tedious fast.
Games like Etrian Odyssey HD →
This is a story-driven JRPG with turn-based combat. Players investigate crimes and build relationships in a vibrant city.
What players likedPlayers praise its immersive world, natural characterization, and continuation of the Trails series, often comparing it favorably to the Sky trilogy.
The catchThe pacing crawls, with dozens of hours of filler dialogue before the story moves.
Games like The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero →
A space strategy game with base building, crew management, and tactical combat. Explore, research, and fight to defend Earth from alien invasion.
What players likedPlayers praise its engaging blend of FTL, XCOM, and classic JRPG combat with base management and 4X strategy.
The catchEvery battle plays out the same, with one attack rotation and no real tactics.
Games like Halcyon 6: Starbase Commander →
