10 best strategy RPGs and tactical RPGs on Android

Strategy RPGs and Tactical RPGs are an admittedly niche market. The gameplay tends to be slower because it focuses more on strategy than it does on sheer action. They operate with a turn-based combat style and feature a chessboard-style map where you move units into tactically advantageous positions to gain the upper hand. There aren’t many available on Android, but some of them are truly excellent. Here are the best strategy RPGs and tactical RPGs on Android.

We’d also like to give a shoutout here to emulators. You can play a bunch of classic strategy RPGs on an emulator. We list the best emulators for various consoles if you want ideas.

The best strategy RPGs and tactical RPGs for Android

Arknights

Price: Free to play

Arknights is a mobile strategy RPG with tower defense and gacha mechanics. Players progress through the story, summon characters, and do battle against bad guys. Combat is similar to tower defense. You set your characters along a path and prevent the enemy from reaching the end. It’s a neat take on the strategy RPG playstyle, and it lends itself to a lot of strategy upfront, followed by watching to see how you did. The story is pretty good, the graphics are pretty smooth, and there are plenty of players to summon and use. It’s a bit new age compared to most strategy RPGs but in a good way.

Brave Nine

Price: Free to play

Brave Nine (formerly Brown Dust) is a newer strategy RPG. It also has Japanese RPG elements, animations, gacha elements, and story style. The game boasts over 300 mercenaries to collect, upgrade, and fight with. In addition, the grid-based fighting system is a traditional strategy RPG. We liked this game for its massive story, the 1,200 stages to complete, and all the weekly and monthly stuff to do. You will have something to do in this game for a very long time. However, it is a free-to-play game, and it has a lot of those free-to-play elements, especially with the gacha stuff. Beware of that, but otherwise, it’s a good RPG.

Monster Hunter Stories

Price: $19.99

Final Fantasy Tactics

Price: $13.99

Final Fantasy Tactics is definitely among the best strategy RPGs. It first came out in 1997. It features a long, story-driven campaign complete with video-cut scenes. Square Enix added characters and cut scenes for more options and enjoyment. There are also additional jobs and missions to play. The only caveat is that players on budget devices seem to be having some crashing issues on certain missions, so make sure to read through the customer reviews before dropping $11.99 on the game. Another great, albeit expensive, Square Enix SRPG port is SaGa Scarlet Grace: Ambition.

Fire Emblem

Price: Free to play

Fire Emblem Heroes is one of the newer strategy RPGs. It’s a freemium version of Nintendo’s popular series. It features a bunch of characters and music from the series. There’s a new storyline for you to play through. There are also a few play modes to keep things fresh. The main game maintains the classic tactical RPG mechanics of the original franchise. The game is also very clean compared to other mobile RPGs. There is also a lot more content now than on release day. It does have a character-collecting mechanic. That’s popular in current freemium RPGs. Otherwise, everything in the game is surprisingly good. This is Nintendo’s most profitable game for a reason.

Heroes of Steel

Price: Free/ $3.99 

Heroes of Steel is a four-episode tactical RPG. All four stories add up to about 120 hours of gameplay. That’s fairly impressive. The game also includes character customization, retro-style graphics, tons of loot to find, and much more. The combat mechanics are classic tactical RPGs but still pretty simple. It definitely focuses a little more on the narrative. The base game is $3.99. The in-app purchases are for the other four episodes. It is definitely one of the better strategy RPGs.

Neural Cloud

Price: Free to play

Neural Cloud is another mobile strategy RPG with gacha elements. It has most of the same elements as other games in the genre, including seasonal events, a story to play through, and characters to summon. Combat is tile-based. You place your units down on the field in specific places, and they act independently from there. You can use your abilities to turn the tide of battle as well. It’s a nice take and a bit more hands-off than some others. We also like that the game is solid, with few crashes or server connection issues.

Path to Nowhere

Price: Free to play

Path to Noshwere is very similar to Arknights. Players make their way through each level to progress the story, summon characters, and do seasonal events, along with other such things. Combat is a mix between strategy RPG and tower defense. You lay your units along the enemy’s path, and they attack when the enemies get near. There are differences, so it’s not a clone of Arknights. We appreciate that it didn’t try to rip off the game. In any case, it’s smooth, it doesn’t crash, and the bite-sized story missions make it nice for casual players as well.

Templar Battleforce RPG

Price: $9.99

Embark on an epic journey as you pilot a Leviathan mech and lead the Templar Knights into fierce combat against otherworldly Xenos in the heart-pounding adventure of Templar Battleforce! Dive into intricate character development and diverse battlegrounds, and engage in strategic turn-based warfare to keep you on the edge of your seat. Gather skilled specialists, devise cunning tactics, and seize triumph amidst the chaos in this captivating tactical RPG experience!

XCOM 2 Collection

Price: $14.99

XCOM 2 Collection is a strategy RPG and a port from the original. It is a bit more relaxed on the RPG elements than some other games, but it makes up for it with its excellent combat strategy. You put units on the battlefield and move them around to try and attack the opponents without exposing yourself. As you progress, you level up your units, and there are enough customization options to make growth feel good. This version of the game is quite expensive at $19.99. However, it includes all XCOM 2 DLCs from the original game.

If we missed any of the best tactical RPGs or Strategy RPGs for Android, tell us about them in the comments! You can also click here to check out our latest Android app and game lists.