Computed from player tags · Not ranked by quality
24 games like XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2026)
Every game below overlaps with XCOM: Enemy Unknown on things players said about it rather than on our opinion of what feels alike. Each entry shows what it matched on, so you can throw out the ones matching on the part you did not care about.
The short version
- Closest match: X-COM: UFO Defense, which both science fiction, atmospheric, strategy and difficult.
- XCOM: Enemy Unknown is tagged Turn-Based Strategy, Tactical, Strategy, Sci-fi, Turn-Based, Aliens, Singleplayer, Base-Building by Steam players. Those tags are what the matching runs on.
- 24 games qualify, each with at least fifty player reviews behind its sentiment figure.
- 4 are from the same studio: Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth, XCOM: Chimera Squad, Total War: EMPIRE – Definitive Edition, Total War: WARHAMMER.
How these were matched
Steam tags carry the most weight, because players apply them and they describe how a game feels rather than how it was filed. Souls-like, Atmospheric and Cozy exist as tags and as nothing else, which is exactly the vocabulary this question needs. Formal genres count for less, themes and a shared studio for more.
Tags carried by more than a third of the catalogue are thrown out before matching. Nearly everything is tagged Singleplayer, so matching on it is matching on nothing. That cutoff is computed from the catalogue rather than fixed, so it moves as the catalogue grows.
All 24, closest first
- 1
X-COM: UFO Defense
Why it matched: both science fiction, atmospheric, strategy and difficult; shares 11 player tags including Strategy, Turn-Based Strategy and Sci-fi; published by the same company; released around the same time (2008).
You are in control of X-COM: an organization formed by the world's governments to fight the ever-increasing alien menace.
X-COM: UFO Defense at a glance Released 2008 Studio MicroProse Software, Inc Player sentiment 95% positive of 3,992 Price $4.99 StrategyTurn-Based StrategySci-fiAliensTurn-BasedTacticalTurn-Based TacticsDifficult
- 2
Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus
Why it matched: both science fiction, atmospheric, strategy and difficult; shares 9 player tags including Strategy, Turn-Based Tactics and Sci-fi.
MECHANICUS II ANNOUNCED! Take control of one of the most technologically advanced factions in the Imperium: the Adeptus Mechanicus. In this turn-based tactical game, your every decision will weigh heavily on the outcome of the conflict. Will you be blessed by the Omnissiah?
Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus at a glance Released 2018 Studio Bulwark Studios Player sentiment 91% positive of 14,603 Price $29.99 StrategyTurn-Based TacticsSci-fiTurn-BasedTacticalTurn-Based StrategyRPGCharacter Customization
- 3
Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth
Why it matched: made by the same studio, Firaxis Games; both science fiction, atmospheric and strategy; shares 8 player tags including Strategy, Turn-Based Strategy and Sci-fi; released around the same time (2014).
Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth is a new science-fiction-themed entry into the award winning Civilization series. As part of an expedition sent to find a home beyond Earth, lead your people into a new frontier, explore and colonize an alien planet and create a new civilization in space.
Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth at a glance Released 2014 Studio Firaxis Games Player sentiment 61% positive of 23,140 Price $39.99 StrategyTurn-Based StrategySci-fiTurn-BasedFuturisticAliensTacticalReplay Value
- 4
XCOM: Chimera Squad
Why it matched: made by the same studio, Firaxis Games; both science fiction and strategy; shares 10 player tags including Strategy, Turn-Based Tactics and Turn-Based Strategy.
XCOM: Chimera Squad delivers an all-new story and turn-based tactical combat experience in the XCOM universe.
XCOM: Chimera Squad at a glance Released 2020 Studio Firaxis Games Player sentiment 71% positive of 23,443 Price $9.99 StrategyTurn-Based TacticsTurn-Based StrategyTurn-BasedAliensSci-fiFuturisticTactical
- 5
BATTLETECH
Why it matched: both science fiction, strategy and difficult; shares 10 player tags including Strategy, Turn-Based Tactics and Turn-Based.
Take command of your own mercenary outfit of 'Mechs and the MechWarriors that pilot them, struggling to stay afloat as you find yourself drawn into a brutal interstellar civil war.
BATTLETECH at a glance Released 2018 Studio Harebrained Schemes Player sentiment 84% positive of 33,142 Price $39.99 StrategyTurn-Based TacticsTurn-BasedSci-fiTurn-Based StrategyTacticalCharacter CustomizationRPG
- 6
Invisible, Inc.
Why it matched: both science fiction, strategy and difficult; shares 8 player tags including Difficult, Turn-Based Tactics and Strategy; released around the same time (2015).
Take control of Invisible's agents in the field and infiltrate the world's most dangerous corporations. Stealth, precision, and teamwork are essential in high-stakes, high-profit missions, where every move may cost an agent their life.
Invisible, Inc. at a glance Released 2015 Studio Klei Entertainment Player sentiment 91% positive of 5,778 Price $19.99 DifficultTurn-Based TacticsStrategySci-fiTacticalTurn-BasedPerma DeathTurn-Based Strategy
- 7
Xenonauts
Why it matched: both science fiction, atmospheric and strategy; shares 8 player tags including Turn-Based Strategy, Turn-Based Tactics and Base-Building; released around the same time (2014).
Xenonauts is a strategy game in which you control a multi-national military organisation defending a Cold War-era Earth from alien invasion, using small squads of persistent soldiers to eliminate the extraterrestrials and recover their technology in turn-based ground combat.
Xenonauts at a glance Released 2014 Studio Goldhawk Interactive Player sentiment 87% positive of 5,069 Price $24.99 Turn-Based StrategyTurn-Based TacticsBase-BuildingStrategyTacticalAliensSci-fiTurn-Based
- 8
The Dungeon Of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet Of Chaos
Why it matched: both atmospheric, strategy and difficult; shares 8 player tags including RPG, Turn-Based Tactics and Turn-Based.
Step into the wacky heroic fantasy universe of the Dungeon of Naheulbeuk. Lead a team of unlikely and clumsy heroes in an epic and challenging tactical RPG. Live an adventure filled with humor, surprises and silly encounters.
The Dungeon Of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet Of Chaos at a glance Released 2020 Studio Artefacts Studio Player sentiment 87% positive of 8,064 Price $5.24 RPGTurn-Based TacticsTurn-BasedStrategyTurn-Based StrategyCharacter CustomizationTacticalDifficult
- 9
Shadowrun: Dragonfall - Director's Cut
Why it matched: both science fiction, atmospheric and strategy; shares 7 player tags including RPG, Turn-Based and Strategy; released around the same time (2014).
Harebrained Schemes' biggest Shadowrun game to date, and the definitive Shadowrun RPG experience available on PC. Now a standalone title with tons of new content & improvements!
Shadowrun: Dragonfall - Director's Cut at a glance Released 2014 Studio Harebrained Schemes Player sentiment 89% positive of 6,570 Price $14.99 RPGTurn-BasedStrategySci-fiTacticalTurn-Based TacticsTurn-Based Strategy
- 10
ENDLESS Space - Definitive Edition
Why it matched: both science fiction, atmospheric and strategy; shares 7 player tags including Strategy, Sci-fi and Turn-Based Strategy; released around the same time (2012).
ENDLESS Space™ is a turn-based 4X strategy game, covering the space colonization age in the ENDLESS Universe™, where you can control every aspect of your civilization as you strive for galactic domination.
ENDLESS Space - Definitive Edition at a glance Released 2012 Studio AMPLITUDE Studios Player sentiment 81% positive of 9,598 Price $2.49 StrategySci-fiTurn-Based StrategyTurn-BasedFuturisticAliensReplay Value
- 11
Final Fantasy XIII
Why it matched: both science fiction, atmospheric, strategy and difficult; shares 6 player tags including RPG, Sci-fi and Futuristic; released around the same time (2009).
Final Fantasy XIII is a fantasy RPG in which a band of brave humans struggle against fate in the utopian sky city of Cocoon and the primeval world of Pulse. Follow stylish heroine Lightning's fast paced battles and high adventure in a mysterious new world.
Final Fantasy XIII at a glance Released 2009 Studio Square Enix Player sentiment 75% positive of 19,914 Price $15.99 RPGSci-fiFuturisticTurn-BasedStrategyDifficult
- 12
Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden
Why it matched: both atmospheric, strategy and difficult; shares 7 player tags including Strategy, RPG and Turn-Based Tactics.
A tactical game combining the turn-based combat of XCOM with story, exploration, stealth, and strategy. Take control of a team of Mutants navigating a post-human Earth. Created by a team including former HITMAN leads and the designer of PAYDAY.
Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden at a glance Released 2018 Studio The Bearded Ladies Player sentiment 90% positive of 20,534 Price $34.99 StrategyRPGTurn-Based TacticsTacticalTurn-BasedTurn-Based StrategyDifficult
- 13
The Bureau: XCOM Declassified
Why it matched: both science fiction, atmospheric and strategy; shares 6 player tags including Tactical, Sci-fi and Aliens; published by the same company; released around the same time (2013).
The year is 1962 and the Cold War has the nation gripped by fear. A top-secret government unit called The Bureau begins investigating a series of mysterious attacks by an enemy more powerful than communism.
The Bureau: XCOM Declassified at a glance Released 2013 Studio 2K Marin Player sentiment 70% positive of 12,080 Price $19.99 TacticalSci-fiAliensStrategyRPGTurn-Based
- 14
Blackguards
Why it matched: both strategy and difficult; shares 8 player tags including RPG, Turn-Based and Strategy; released around the same time (2014).
What happens when the only hope of a threatened world lies not with heroes in shining armor, but in the hands of a band of misfits and criminals? Blackguards, a new turn-based strategy RPG, explores this very question. You will discover over 180 unique hex-based battlegrounds within a dark and mature story of crime, drugs, and murder.
Blackguards at a glance Released 2014 Studio Daedalic Entertainment Player sentiment 62% positive of 3,917 Price $0.99 RPGTurn-BasedStrategyTacticalTurn-Based StrategyCharacter CustomizationTurn-Based TacticsDifficult
- 15
FTL: Faster Than Light
Why it matched: both science fiction, strategy and difficult; shares 6 player tags including Strategy, Sci-fi and Perma Death; released around the same time (2012).
This "spaceship simulation roguelike-like" allows you to take your ship and crew on an adventure through a randomly generated galaxy filled with glory and bitter defeat.
FTL: Faster Than Light at a glance Released 2012 Studio Subset Games Player sentiment 95% positive of 78,616 Price $9.99 StrategySci-fiPerma DeathDifficultReplay ValueTactical
- 16
Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game
Why it matched: both science fiction, atmospheric, strategy and difficult; shares 5 player tags including RPG, Turn-Based and Sci-fi; released around the same time (2015).
You've just unearthed the classic post-apocalyptic role-playing game that revitalized the entire CRPG genre. The Fallout® SPECIAL system allows drastically different types of characters, meaningful decisions and development that puts you in complete control. Explore the devastated ruins of a golden age civilization.
Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game at a glance Released 2015 Studio Interplay Inc. Player sentiment 94% positive of 25,164 Price $9.99 RPGTurn-BasedSci-fiDifficultTactical
- 17
Shadowrun: Hong Kong - Extended Edition
Why it matched: both science fiction, atmospheric and strategy; shares 6 player tags including RPG, Turn-Based and Strategy; released around the same time (2015).
Shadowrun: Hong Kong - Extended Edition is the capstone title in Harebrained Schemes' Shadowrun series - and now includes the all-new, 6+ hr Shadows of Hong Kong Bonus Campaign. Experience the most impressive Shadowrun RPG yet, hailed as one of the best cRPG / strategy games of 2015!
Shadowrun: Hong Kong - Extended Edition at a glance Released 2015 Studio Harebrained Schemes Player sentiment 87% positive of 4,839 Price $19.99 RPGTurn-BasedStrategyTurn-Based TacticsSci-fiTactical
- 18
Dungeon of the ENDLESS
Why it matched: both science fiction, strategy and difficult; shares 6 player tags including Strategy, RPG and Sci-fi; released around the same time (2014).
Dungeon of the ENDLESS™ is a Rogue-Like Dungeon-Defense game, in which the player and their team of heroes must protect the generator of their crashed ship while exploring an ever-expanding dungeon, all while facing waves of monsters and special events as they try to find their way out...
Dungeon of the ENDLESS at a glance Released 2014 Studio AMPLITUDE Studios Player sentiment 85% positive of 14,040 Price $11.99 StrategyRPGSci-fiPerma DeathDifficultReplay Value
- 19
Into the Breach
Why it matched: both science fiction and strategy; shares 8 player tags including Strategy, Turn-Based Strategy and Turn-Based Tactics.
Control powerful mechs from the future to defeat an alien threat. Each attempt to save the world presents a new randomly generated challenge in this turn-based strategy game.
Into the Breach at a glance Released 2018 Studio Subset Games Player sentiment 94% positive of 22,246 Price $14.99 StrategyTurn-Based StrategyTurn-Based TacticsTurn-BasedSci-fiTacticalRPGReplay Value
- 20
Wasteland 2: Director's Cut
Why it matched: both science fiction, atmospheric and strategy; shares 6 player tags including RPG, Turn-Based and Strategy; released around the same time (2014).
From the producer of the original Fallout comes Wasteland 2. With over 80 hours of gameplay, deck out your Ranger squad with devastating weaponry, test the limits of your strategy skills, and bring justice to the Wasteland! The choices are yours…but so are the consequences.
Wasteland 2: Director's Cut at a glance Released 2014 Studio inXile Entertainment Player sentiment 83% positive of 8,104 Price $29.99 RPGTurn-BasedStrategyTacticalTurn-Based StrategySci-fi
- 21
Gloomhaven
Why it matched: both strategy and difficult; shares 8 player tags including Turn-Based Strategy, Unforgiving and Strategy.
Lead your band of mercenaries in the land of Gloomhaven, work with unsavoury individuals, shape the fate of the region, fight your way through horrific places and get rich or die trying in this ruthless Tactical-RPG.
Gloomhaven at a glance Released 2021 Studio Flaming Fowl Studios Player sentiment 82% positive of 16,097 Price $34.99 Turn-Based StrategyUnforgivingStrategyDifficultRPGTacticalTurn-Based TacticsTurn-Based
- 22
Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters
Why it matched: both science fiction and strategy; shares 8 player tags including Turn-Based Strategy, Turn-Based Tactics and Tactical.
Lead humanity’s greatest weapon, the Grey Knights, in this fast-paced turn-based tactical RPG. Root out and purge a galaxy-spanning plague in a cinematic, story-driven campaign, using the tactics and talents of your own personalised squad of Daemonhunters.
Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters at a glance Released 2022 Studio Complex Games Player sentiment 77% positive of 14,719 Price $44.99 Turn-Based StrategyTurn-Based TacticsTacticalStrategyCharacter CustomizationSci-fiRPGFuturistic
- 23
Total War: EMPIRE – Definitive Edition
Why it matched: made by the same studio, CREATIVE ASSEMBLY; both atmospheric and strategy; shares 5 player tags including Strategy, Turn-Based Strategy and Tactical; released around the same time (2009).
Command the seas, control the land, forge a new nation, and conquer the globe.
Total War: EMPIRE – Definitive Edition at a glance Released 2009 Studio CREATIVE ASSEMBLY Player sentiment 91% positive of 38,055 Price $24.99 StrategyTurn-Based StrategyTacticalTurn-BasedTurn-Based Tactics
- 24
Total War: WARHAMMER
Why it matched: made by the same studio, CREATIVE ASSEMBLY; both atmospheric and strategy; shares 5 player tags including Strategy, Turn-Based Strategy and Tactical; released around the same time (2016).
The Old World is yours to command. Lead Legendary Lords in a combination of turn-based campaign and magically charged, strategic real-time battles, and decide the fate of your chosen race in a fight against Chaos.
Total War: WARHAMMER at a glance Released 2016 Studio CREATIVE ASSEMBLY Player sentiment 79% positive of 52,323 Price $59.99 StrategyTurn-Based StrategyTacticalTurn-BasedRPG
Common questions
What game is most like XCOM: Enemy Unknown?
X-COM: UFO Defense, on the evidence we have. It both science fiction, atmospheric, strategy and difficult. That is a statement about overlap, not a promise you will like it as much: two games can share every tag and still feel different to play.
How is "similar to XCOM: Enemy Unknown" decided?
By overlap on the tags Steam players applied to each game, the formal genres, the themes both sit in, and whether the same studio made them. Tags carry the most weight because players write them, so they describe how a game feels rather than how it was filed. Tags carried by more than a third of the catalogue are ignored: matching on "Singleplayer" is matching on nothing. Every entry below shows exactly what it matched on.
Are these ranked by quality?
No. They are ordered by how much they overlap with XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Where two games overlap equally, the better received one goes first, but that only moves a game a place or two. Each entry shows its own player sentiment so you can weigh that separately.
What else did the makers of XCOM: Enemy Unknown do?
Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth, XCOM: Chimera Squad, Total War: EMPIRE – Definitive Edition, Total War: WARHAMMER are also from Firaxis Games, and appear in the list below for that reason as well as on tag overlap.
Do you get paid for these recommendations?
No. The order is computed from tag and genre overlap and nothing else. No placement here can be bought, and a game appearing high on this page is a statement about resemblance rather than an endorsement.