“I don’t like strategy games.”
I’ve heard that sentence so many times.
Usually followed by:
👉 “They take too long.”
👉 “There’s too much thinking.”
👉 “I don’t want homework on game night.”
And honestly?
I get it.
Some strategy games do feel like you need a PhD, three spreadsheets and a calculator just to make your first move.
But here’s the thing.
Not every strategy game is trying to turn you into a chess grandmaster.
Some are simple.
Some are quick.
And some are sneaky enough that you don’t even realise you’re strategising until you’re twenty minutes in and suddenly very invested in defeating the person sitting opposite you.
The best strategy games aren’t about being the smartest person in the room.
They’re about making one good move, feeling ridiculously proud of it, and spending the rest of the evening pretending it was all part of your master plan.
So if you’ve always thought strategy games weren’t for you, here are a few that might change your mind.
1. Codenames
If you’ve ever confidently given a clue and watched your teammates somehow arrive at the exact wrong answer, welcome to Codenames.
The premise is simple. A grid of words sits in front of you and your job is to give a one-word clue that connects multiple words on the board. Sounds easy until you realise your friends’ brains work nothing like yours.
One clue can either make you look like a genius or have everyone staring at you wondering what exactly was going through your mind.
The best part? Every game feels different because it depends entirely on who’s playing. It quickly turns into a psychological experiment disguised as a board game.
And if you think strategy games need to be serious, wait until someone confidently guesses the assassin card and loses the entire game.
2. Hive
Imagine chess.
Now remove the board, remove half the complexity and replace everything with insects.
That’s Hive.
Every tile represents a different insect and each one moves differently. Your goal is to surround your opponent’s queen bee before they surround yours.
What makes Hive so addictive is that there is absolutely nowhere to hide.
No lucky dice.
No random cards.
No blaming the game.
If you lose, it’s because the person opposite you outplayed you.
Which is unfortunate for your ego but excellent for the game.
It’s small enough to carry in a backpack and dangerous enough to turn a casual coffee meet-up into a serious competition.
3. Quoridor
This game has one objective.
Get your pawn to the other side.
Simple.
Except your opponent has the ability to build walls directly in your path and completely ruin your day.
Every turn feels like a tiny argument.
Do you move forward?
Do you place a wall?
Do you save your walls?
Do you become the villain?
The answer is usually yes.
Quoridor is one of those games where the board looks clean and peaceful but everyone playing is internally screaming.
It’s quick, clever and somehow manages to make a tiny wooden wall feel like the biggest betrayal imaginable.
4. Azul
Let’s address the obvious thing first.
This game is beautiful.
Like genuinely “leave it on the table because it looks expensive” beautiful.
You draft colourful tiles and build a mosaic while trying to score as many points as possible. Sounds relaxing.
It is not.
Because every tile you take affects the options left for everyone else.
So while you’re creating a lovely pattern, you’re also secretly sabotaging your opponents.
It’s the perfect combination of strategy and aesthetics.
Which is probably why people who claim they don’t like strategy games end up becoming oddly obsessed with it.
5. Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective
This is for people who watch detective shows and confidently announce:
“I knew it was him.”
Now you get to prove it.
You investigate cases using newspapers, witness statements, maps and clues scattered throughout London. There are no timers, no flashy components and no easy answers.
Just you, your team and a mystery.
The game makes you feel incredibly clever for about twenty minutes.
Then Sherlock Holmes reveals how he solved it in half the time and suddenly you’re questioning all your life choices.
It’s basically an escape room, a detective novel and a puzzle game rolled into one.
Perfect for anyone who wants a strategy game that feels more like an adventure.
✨ Final Thoughts
Honestly?
I think we’ve all reached the point where our phones are winning a little too often.
We open one app for five minutes and somehow lose an hour.
We scroll.
We refresh.
We watch the same videos in slightly different formats.
And then somehow still end up bored.
These games do the exact opposite.
They make people talk.
They make people laugh.
They create arguments over absolutely nothing.
And somehow those end up becoming the stories you remember months later.
Because nobody really remembers the reel they watched three weeks ago.
But you’ll absolutely remember the moment your friend betrayed you in Monopoly Deal.
Or when somebody accidentally slapped the wrong card in Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza and nearly fell off their chair laughing.
And honestly?
That’s a much better use of an evening.
So tell me –
What’s the one game that always gets ridiculously competitive in your friend group…
or which one am I dangerously adding to my cart next? 👀
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