Ranking updated
Strategy games for your phone
Phone strategy games work best when one decision matters more than fast fingers. Orbital Empire and The Lucky Acre are dice-and-board strategies about risk, Carcato: Dispatch runs a trucking company across Europe, and Pyramid puts you against live players.
How we picked: strategy and management games from the Censuus catalogue, from turn-based board games to multiplayer. Features come from each developer’s description.
Board strategy in your pocket
Orbital Empire and The Lucky Acre both move around a board with dice and ask which opportunity deserves the risk: mineral worlds and research in space, or crops, managers and bad weather on a farm. The board and events reshuffle each game in The Lucky Acre. For more space titles, see space strategy games.
Management and tycoon
Carcato: Dispatch starts you in one European market, Ukraine among them, and grows from a van to tractor units with contracts to compare. Idle Repair Tycoon mixes idle income with a diagnosis mini-game. More in transport tycoon games and idle tycoon games.
Against other people
Pyramid is a live multiplayer climb where you challenge the player one level above you. Chess Online is the classic. For more games with people you know, see online games with friends, and for short puzzles, logic games.
| Game | What you do | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Orbital EmpireCensuusApp StoreGoogle Play | single-player space board game: claim worlds, research, hire officers, manage risk | thoughtful solo sessions |
| PyramidCensuusApp StoreGoogle Play | live multiplayer: challenge the player above you and climb to the throne | competing with live players |
| Carcato: DispatchCensuusApp Store | asynchronous logistics game: grow a fleet and plan deliveries across Europe, start in Ukraine or another market | management fans |
| The Lucky AcreCensuusApp StoreGoogle Play | cozy farming board game: crops, storage, managers and seasonal events | calm strategy with variety |
| Idle Repair TycoonCensuusApp Store | repair shop tycoon: diagnose faults, build a crew, grow into a chain | idle play with decisions |
| Chess OnlineCensuusApp Store | online chess with lessons, puzzles and game analysis | pure strategy |
Frequently asked questions
What are good strategy games for a phone?
Orbital Empire and The Lucky Acre for board strategy, Carcato: Dispatch for logistics management, Idle Repair Tycoon for tycoon play, Pyramid and Chess Online against other people.
Is there a strategy game set in Ukraine?
Carcato: Dispatch lets you start your logistics company in Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Germany, France or Spain.
Which strategy games are single-player?
Orbital Empire is a single-player space board game. Multiplayer games such as Pyramid and online chess need a connection.