Resource Systems are what grant an identity to the strategy genre, and though not all Strategy games rely solely on their resources to give players a fully immersive experience, they are a feature that needs to be around most of the time in order to give shape to many other mechanics in this genre.
Related
Best Strategy Games With Dragons
The following fantasy games are perfect for strategy gamers looking to either use dragons to their advantage or build an army to defeat them.
Unlike population systems that force players to keep close control of their unit budget, resources can come in various colors and shapes. From the classic food and gold to the incredibly scarce magic resources in a high fantasy strategy game. This list contains some of the best resource systems in strategy games.
5 Dawn Of Man
Craft Everything, Progress Through The Ages, And Trade To Survive
Dawn of Man
- Released
- March 1, 2019
- Developer
- Madruga Works
- Publisher
- Madruga Works
If we are talking about incredibly good resource systems, then Dawn of Man definitely places among the first games on the podium. With a wide range of resources to collect and even more to craft and produce, it has one of the biggest resource pools of all strategy games ever created.
Related
5 Best Lovecraftian Strategy Games, Ranked
Lovecraftian elements can appear in several different subgenres, but strategy games allow for a unique exploration of cosmic horror.
From tools (stone, copper, bronze, iron) to tannin, cereals, and even cheese, villagers will need a little bit of everything to be able to survive the harsh winters in the vast wilderness. To add a little more depth, every resource is tradeable and has intrinsic value, so when traders arrive to trade with the player’s settlement, they’ll be able to offer a variety of things that players cannot obtain easily in exchange for the surplus in their own produce. Dawn of Man delivers a great resource system with lots of room for replayability.
4 Age Of Empires 4
Age of Empires 4
- Released
- October 28, 2021
- Publisher(s)
- Xbox Game Studios
The all-time classic Age of Empires renewed itself with Age of Empires 4 with its iconic 4-main resource system (Food, Wood, Gold, andStone). It has come a long way from its early origins back in 1997. The fourth iteration of the franchise made a great revision of its core resource mechanics and added civilization-specific resources that depend on each of the chosen faction core mechanics.
For example, the Rus civilization collects gold each time they hunt a wild animal, and that stacks into a passive that improves how their villagers gather and carry resources. The Dehli Sultanate can produce religious (Scholar) units that gather inspiration as a special resource and improve the research rate of the buildings. The Mongols cannot collect Stone directly, instead needing to build Ovos, places of worship that empower every building surrounding them and unlock special research using stone — plus, the Mongols are the only units that receive resources for pillaging enemy buildings. Then, you have the Byzantines, who can gather Olive Oil and use it to hire mercenaries and other special units. Age of Empires 4 has gone far beyond its core resource system and greatly improved its features.
3 Age Of Wonders 4
You Want Magic? You Want Power? Then Pay The Price
Age Of Wonders 4
- Franchise
- Age of Wonders
- Released
- May 2, 2023
- Developer(s)
- Triumph Studios
Age Of Wonders 4 has an intricate resource system with its three basic resources and then plenty of special resources to gather, from Knowledge (that you can use to research new spells) to War Spoils, which are special resources that only certain factions can gather. Overall, the game has a pretty complex resource system, with some cool main mechanics that are easy to learn but hard to master.
Related
7 Best Strategy Games With RPG Elements
The best strategy games featuring RPG elements approach these role-playing mechanics in different ways, both in and out of combat.
In advanced gameplay, the game also offers some additional features, such as the Casting Points, which determines how many spells you can cast during the tactical and strategy turns. And then, you have a sort of reputation system that depends on your contributions called Imperium — the higher it is, the easier to take new cities, unlock new developments, and lower the rates of upkeep of advanced units. This intricate system can be a little bit painful at first, but as you go through the initial stages of gameplay, players will be presented with many opportunities to learn how to manage resources. Besides, each new playthrough is considerably extensive, since it can last up to 8 hours in total, so prepare for a long-term strategy play.
2 Frostpunk
Where People Are The Most Important Assets To Survive
Frostpunk is a complex strategy game with a powerful background message: only those who work together can survive. From its intricate management system to its even more complex resource gathering, players will need to prioritize the most valuable thing above all else: survivors. Gathering survivors will not be easy, since players need to create a beacon for their explorers to return to base — and cross fingers to see if their supply runs are successful or disastrous.
On the other hand, people working in facilities can get badly hurt, sometimes requiring prosthetics to regain the full use of their mechanical and operating abilities. Besides your usual food provision in the form of raw food and rations, players will also have to gather wood, mine coal, and search for steam cores and steel — which can be quite tricky to find while also being highly valuable in all stages of the game.
1 Total War: Warhammer 3
Explore, Expand, Exploit, And Exterminate Like Never Before
Total War: Warhammer 3 is the epitome of 4x games, with an enormous number of mechanics to try out and several campaigns to play both in single-player and cooperative modes. But, what makes this game such a vast and complex title among the many strategy games currently available is its enormous resource system. For starters, every faction has its own uses for each of the available resources on the campaign map, and each resource requires a specific building to be allocated in their respective node to be collected.
Of course, there are the classic Gemstones, Iron, Gold, and Timber, but then there are also special resources like Dwarf Beer, Medicinal plants, Furs, Tusks, Exotic Animals, and more. Each of those resources grants different bonuses to each of the factions you control; for example, Wine can guarantee public order for Bretonians, while for the Warriors of Chaos, Wine increases the melee damage of their Marauder units. One of the greatest things about this game is that its campaigns are enormous, especially Immortal Empires and Realms of Chaos.
3:44
MORE
Best Strategy Games On Xbox Game Pass
The Xbox Game Pass library offers great titles for fans of the strategy genre, and here is a look at the best ones available to subscribers.
