10 Action Games With The Best Strategic Combat, Ranked

Highlights

• Action games blend strategy and immersive storytelling, requiring players to make critical decisions for success.
• Titles like Mount & Blade 2 offer a mix of open-world strategy and combat, challenging players with tactical choices.
• Games like Diablo 4 and Elden Ring emphasize preparation and strategic thinking to overcome powerful enemies.

Action games come in all shapes and sizes, offering players the opportunity to sink their teeth into different mechanics while exploring diverse stories and settings. The adrenaline and quick thinking that is required create an immersive and challenging experience, where every move can determine success or failure.

Some of these games encourage players to have a more strategic mindset, needing to prepare in advance before facing certain enemies. Otherwise, their chances of victory will be glaringly reduced. Fortunately, within the action genre, there are quite a few options for those who appreciate a good dose of strategy mixed with the mayhem.

10 Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord

Metacritic Score: 77

Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord offers a unique approach, combining open-world strategy with third-person combat. On the vast map, players explore and manage resources, seeking battles and objectives, similar to a grand strategy game, which can affect troop morale.

When a battle begins, the perspective shifts, and players act as generals on the medieval battlefield. The choices of formation and troop positioning are crucial for victory. With both tactical and strategic decisions to make, Bannerlord provides a compelling experience for fans seeking a game that unites elements of strategy and action.

9 Fallout: New Vegas

Metacritic Score: 84

Fallout: New Vegas stands out as one of the best action RPGs set in a post-apocalyptic world. Players explore the vast Mojave Desert, facing diverse enemies (sometimes human, sometimes not) and making decisions that influence the narrative, which can branch off into multiple directions.

Strategic resource management is crucial to survive and thrive in the unforgiving desert. Facing enemies with varied armor requires efficient use of specific ammunition (armor piercing, hollow point, etc.) and the right choice of weapons. Every bullet counts, and the scarcity of supplies forces players to plan their battles carefully. In addition, the V.A.T.S. targeting system allows players to pick their spots on an enemy’s body, allowing them to go for a crucial headshot to end the fight early or attempt to cripple a limb on a tough opponent so their aim is affected.

8 Diablo 4

Metacritic Score: 86

A highly acclaimed action RPG, Diablo 4 is known for its dark, expansive world filled with demonic enemies and legendary treasures. Players embark on an epic campaign, alone or with friends, exploring horrifying dungeons and mastering a variety of skills.

To overcome challenges, especially in hardcore modes, preparation is essential. Players must choose the right equipment and build before facing powerful enemies. This prior planning is crucial to ensure survival and success in battles, making every boss fight a life-or-death struggle.

7 Dragon’s Dogma 2

Metacritic Score: 86

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a single-player action RPG that challenges players to create their own stories. From the appearance of their Arisen to vocations and behavior in different situations, the game offers a rich fantasy world filled with content to explore.

Resource management and planning for potential dangers are essential for players who wish to face the challenges of Dragon’s Dogma 2. Choices such as wielding swords, bows, or even magic are crucial before each battle, as well as planning builds and understanding group needs to cover possible gaps.

6 Horizon Forbidden West

Metacritic Score: 88

In Horizon Forbidden West, players follow Aloy on a journey through a majestic and dangerous land filled with mysterious threats. Exploring distant lands, facing towering machines, and interacting with new tribes is the name of the game.

Strategic planning is essential to overcome the game’s challenges. Before facing each machine, players need to carefully choose their weapons and equipment, adapting their approach to each type of enemy. With an expanded set of weapons, outfits, and skills, understanding the peculiarities of each weapon and exploring the best combinations and synergies is crucial. This detailed preparation ensures an engaging combat experience, where every encounter demands critical thinking and adaptation.

5 Monster Hunter: World

Metacritic Score: 90

Monster Hunter: World is an action RPG where players take on the role of hunters in a vast and vibrant world filled with gigantic creatures. Exploration and hunting are central elements, with rich and detailed environments that provide an immersive experience.

Combat in Monster Hunter: World features intense action, requiring meticulous strategy. Hunting monsters involves understanding their behavior patterns, weak points, and resistances. Players must choose the right weapons and armor for each hunt, as well as plan their strategies and preparations before each encounter.

4 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Metacritic Score: 92

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is an acclaimed action RPG where players assume the role of Geralt of Rivia, a professional monster hunter. In a vast open world, Geralt must face various monsters, explore stunning landscapes, and engage in an excellent narrative. Of course, it’s when fighting monsters that most of the strategy comes into play.

Geralt’s knowledge of monsters is crucial for his survival. Using the right sword is essential, as the game’s lore defines one sword for humans (steel) and another for monsters (silver). Additionally, applying specific oils to blades and preparing suitable potions increases his chances of success in combat. This combination of preparation and knowledge makes each battle strategic, highlighting the game’s depth.

3 Hades

Metacritic Score: 93

In 2021, Supergiant Games showed the world that family problems were just the beginning of Greek mythology stories and placed players in the role of Zagreus, a son of Hades who wishes to escape his father’s domain.

The game, which blends action and roguelike elements, was a success, mainly for challenging players to constantly adapt their strategies. Each time the main character tries to escape the underworld, he must choose one of the available weapons in his arsenal and, as he progresses, select blessings from the gods to become stronger. These blessings are random, making the ability to plan and think ahead even more important.

2 Mass Effect 2

Metacritic Score: 96

In a galaxy filled with dangers and intrigue, players take on the role of Commander Shepard, leading a motley team on crucial missions for humanity’s survival. Aboard the Normandy, players are free to explore the galaxy and engage in optional side missions.

Each crew member in Mass Effect 2 has unique abilities (biotics, tech powers, etc.), and choosing companions carefully is vital when facing the game’s assortment of enemies. Synergies between abilities provide tactical advantages by exploiting enemies’ weaknesses while investing points in the right attributes and playing to characters’ strengths is fundamental.

1 Elden Ring

Metacritic Score: 96

Elden Ring stands out as one of FromSoftware’s best games. Set in a vast open world, the game combines a rich narrative with intense combat, which is sure to hook players the moment they step foot in the Lands Between.

Players must learn enemy attack patterns, choose appropriate weapons and armor, and utilize special abilities precisely to build their combat strategies. Additionally, preparing for fights, especially against bosses, by adapting the main character’s playstyle and equipping the most relevant/beneficial Ashes of War and Talismans, is crucial to making progress.