5 Most Challenging Tactical RPGs, Ranked

The thrill of any good RPG is the bittersweet taste of hard-won success. Allies may have been felled, and blood may been spilled by the gallon, but standing tall and proud as the victor once the dust settles offers a thrill unlike any other. Unlike traditional turn-based RPGs, tactics RPGs offer entirely new ways to test players’ strategic mettle. So much more than assigning orders to characters and grinding for levels, strategic RPGs offer exactly what their name implies: tactical combat of the grandest scale.

Choosing which units to send into battle, how to take advantage of different terrain, gaining height advantages, out-maneuvering enemy units, and creating the most synergistic fighting force possible are only a few of the tasks at hand when playing a tactics RPG. While the genre is typically viewed as being inherently more difficult than standard RPGs, some are a cut above the rest. These games don’t just challenge players, they put them through the most grueling exercises in futility possible. The following games are among the hardest of the hard, reserved only for those with an infinite amount of patience or an unquenchable thirst for pain.

5

Space Hulk: Tactics Throws Players to the Genestealers

Purge the Xenos!

Set within the far-flung chaos that is the Warhammer 40k universe, Space Hulk: Tactics places players in one of the most unenviable positions imaginable: explore and neutralize the threat of a Space Hulk. A massive collection of derelict spaceships and other space debris, Space Hulks are packed with valuable resources – and the Genestealers, a ferocious race of xenos that can cut through soldiers like butter. For the Terminators of the Blood Raven chapter, however, anything worth doing for the Emperor is worth dying for.

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Space Hulk: Tactics requires pinpoint precision with every single action that a player can take. Moving units forward into a corridor, even turning them around to face a doorway, is a decision that can spell life or death. Even with the odds stacked in their favor, the Blood Ravens will be cut down again and again by the relentless Genestealer hordes. Space Hulk: Tactics is a stellar experience for fans of 40k, but it demands only the strictest of devotion to the Emperor to conquer.

Space Hulk: Tactics

Systems

Released

October 9, 2018

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Violence

4

Wild Arms XF Amps Up the Difficulty In Every Way Possible

Even the Early Battles Are Tough

War rages across the planet of Filgaia and the only certainty for its inhabitants is that peace is but a distant dream never to be realized. For the Chevalet Blanc, a band of knights fighting to win back their kingdom of Elesius, countless battles will be fought, their goal inching ever closer with every hard-won victory. It’s a dire circumstance to be sure, but for those who are willing to help the Chevalet Blanc, Elesius may see better days.

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Wild Arms XF, unlike other tactics RPGs, does not offer players a moment to breathe. Reinforcement units will enter battles in waves; enemy units will be placed in seemingly unreachable locations; additional goals such as keeping civilians alive during a battle with be enforced; and an utmost mastery and understanding of the game’s many unit classes is a must. Simply grinding for levels and equipping strong gear will not lead to an easy victory. Even players familiar with titles such as Final Fantasy Tactics and Fire Emblem will be humbled by this game.

Wild Arms XF

3

Fire Emblem Fates Conquest Is Almost Cruel In Its Challenge

Old Tactics Won’t Work Here

The Fire Emblem series has long been proof that Nintendo can craft a supremely challenging game when the need arises. Steeped in high fantasy, the Fire Emblem games have their own unique take on tactics RPGs, such as permadeath, the weapon wheel, and promoting units to bigger and stronger classes. Of all the Fire Emblem titles, however, there is one that has been regarded as being noticeably more difficult than the rest: Fire Emblem Fates Conquest.

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Released as the companion title to Fire Emblem Fates Birthright, Conquest tells the same story, just from the opposing nation’s perspective. What makes Conquest so difficult in comparison to Birthright and other Fire Emblem games is how underpowered player units feel for much of the game.

Battles cannot be won simply by charging in with a lord and letting weaker units play mop up; enemy AI will pick off weaker units quickly and effectively, restorative items must be rationed, and the lack of grinding in the game will prevent players from steamrolling later chapters. For players who became accustomed to Awakening‘s difficulty level, Conquest was a rude awakening indeed.

Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest

2

Rondo of Swords Put Players Through the Paces With No Mercy

Poor Judgement Can Cost an Entire Battle

As a prince of a fallen kingdom charges into battle, the fate of countless lives will hang in the balance. Cursed swords, political intrigue, and more await players brave enough to dive into Rondo of Swords. Similar to the Fire Emblem series in its style and gameplay, Rondo of Swords allows players to control units across a grid-based map as they battle oncoming enemy forces. Also, just like Fire Emblem, Rondo of Swords can become excruciatingly difficult, almost maddeningly so.

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Unlike other tactics RPGs, Rondo of Swords allows players to send their units out in a swath of destruction. Every enemy that a unit passes through gets damaged. Blocking or counterattacks halt unit advancement, which means Rondo of Swords offers high-risk, high-reward gameplay.

But when fallen units begin the next battle with stat penalties, Rondo of Swords can make players think twice about rushing blindly into battle. Add in a whole host of skills that units can be equipped with, and it becomes apparent very quickly how much room for error there is in Rondo of Swords. For those who don’t take the time to understand its steep learning curve, Rondo of Swords can be a very unforgiving game.

Rondo of Swords

1

Tactics Ogre Reborn Is the Pinnacle of Tactics RPG Challenge

Wealth and Glory to the Winner!

The Ogre Battle series is one of the most respected and revered tactics series ever made. Spanning several console generations, the Ogre Battle titles have consistently released the highest-quality tactical experiences possible. Among the titles in the series, Tactics Ogre has often been considered to be the best of the best, with the title receiving not one, but two rereleases on the PSP and PS4, PS5, and Switch. In the realm of tactical strategy RPGs, they don’t get much tighter or more nuanced than Tactics Ogre Reborn.

Overwhelming is a suitable word to describe the sensation of learning just how many different skills units can learn, items and weapons they can be equipped with, and how outfitting a unit perfectly is key to achieving success. But even well-equipped units are not enough to see battles through, as Tactics Ogre Reborn demands that players utilize every skill at their disposal. Debuffs and status ailments are meant to be used to great effect, with cures and healing being much more critical than in other RPGs.

Enemy AI will strike down player units as quickly as possible, kneecapping entire skirmishes within minutes. There are tactics games with gimmicks. Some tactics games compensate for their high difficulties with grinding — and then there’s Tactics Ogre Reborn, a game that takes itself deathly seriously with a narrative that would make Game of Thrones blush.

Tactics Ogre Reborn

Tactics Ogre, crown jewel of the tactical role-playing genre, is reborn!Based on the 2010 release, the game features improved graphics and sound, as well as updated game design, bringing to life a new Tactics Ogre that remains true to its roots. Tactics Ogre veterans will experience a game that surpasses their fondest memories, while players new to Tactics Ogre will discover a game unlike any they’ve ever played. Reborn and deeper than ever, the game enables players to immerse themselves in the world and intrigue of Tactics Ogre like never before.

Systems

Released

November 11, 2022

ESRB

T for Teen due to Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes