8 RPGs where your heroes die

Strategy games are already very much along the lines of their high-pressure scenarios and tense mechanics, but what happens when you go east and add perma death as a central rule? You will get some of the most advanced tactics and strategy games where every decision you make carries a lot of weight.

Perma death can be a frustrating element as there is often a temptation to restart the game (or the entire save profile) to keep your most valuable characters. But if you stick to your decisions and still manage to persevere to the end, perma-death strategy games can provide one of the most fulfilling sensations found in modern gaming.

8 Strategy Ogre: Reborn

Designed as a revamped version of the 2010 original, Tactics Ogre has been reborn in the 2022 update that brings the classic turn-based combat system into a new generation. Tactics Ogre is heavily inspired by Final Fantasy Tactics in its story, art style, and gameplay, making it a great perma-death strategy game for Square Enix fans.

The 2022 update brings several improvements, including a cleaner UI, faster combat speed, and an auto-save function. Like any great RPG strategy game, your results will have a big impact on the story, so be extra careful when sending troops into harsh situations.

7 Jagged Alliance 3

As far as turn-based strategy games go, Jagged Alliance 3 is easily one of the most action-packed titles in the genre. Isometric gameplay and field strategies make it look familiar to strategy fans, but make no mistake – there are tons of weapons, explosives, and destructible environments in a world full of mercs and perks.

Jagged Alliance 3 also leans towards the apocalyptic vibe found in Mad Max or Fallout. You will be scrounging for loot and resources all the time in a desperate attempt to tip the scales against your opponents. This helps add a level of tension and immersion not often found in turn-based strategy games.

6 Fire Symbol Awakening

Widely considered the best game in the franchise, Fire Emblem Awakening is considered one of the greatest 3DS games of all time and makes it worth owning the portable platform. It is one of the series entries with some of the franchise's most iconic characters.

It's not all JRPG storytelling though. Fire Emblem Awakening is a great mix of everything the franchise has used in the past, including older characters that can be accessed through DLC. If you've never played Fire Emblem before, this is a great place to start.

Known for its relentless difficulty and very varied enemy designs, XCOM 2 proved that a great sequel can be even more complex than its original. XCOM 2 takes everything that made the first game great but adds more and more until there's so much new content you don't know what to do with it all.

Deciding which skill tree ability to use also takes a lot of planning and strategy, as it all goes down with one bad move thanks to the perma death system. To face even more challenges, XCOM 2 is a great way to test your strategy game skills in one of the best strategy games for PC.

4 Wildersmith

Wildermyth sets itself apart from other strategy games for its unique story and art style. It's definitely a labor of love, but it has a lot of the classic tactical RPG combat that fans of the genre are looking for.

The way Wildersmith handles death in Param is quite unique, as fallen heroes are remembered and brought back in a future playthrough or by using their death to buff another character. The way death affects the story and your own strategic choices in-game makes Wildermyth a particularly unique strategy game.

3 Valkyria Chronicles 4

Even if you've never played the original, Valkyria Chronicles 4 is a great way to experience the series for the first time, especially for fans of the anime-inspired art direction. In Valkyria Chronicles 4, the patented BLiTZ system returns with its command mode and split-screen action mode. This has always helped give the Valkyria Chronicles games a unique feel to their strategy missions.

Not only that, the fourth entry in the series introduces a new character class and the Last Stand mechanic. It gives your characters a last ditch effort to survive with unique abilities before they face perma death.

2 FTL: Faster Than Light

Rougelike games are proof that they can be connected to any pre-existing genre, and FTL is exhibit A of this fact. You take command of your choice of starships inhabited by humans and aliens, each with their own unique characteristics that include combat and engineering.

What makes FTL special is how addictive and expansive the game can feel despite being relatively small and simple. Managing your energy to power either weapons or shields feels incredibly immersive, as if inside an episode of Star Trek. However the game is brutally difficult and death comes quickly, hence the urge to load another game.

1 A dark dungeon

The hardest game on this list is also one that will have you mowing down corpses as fast as possible. Even if you've never played it, you may already know a lot about the brutal world of Darkest Dungeons, a Lovecraft-inspired game where most of your heroes will fall victim to death.

Unlike other strategy games, most of your planning and tactics take place on the battlefield. You'll spend a lot of time and money treating heroes for their ailments, upgrading weapons and skills, investing in institutions, and retrieving items based on the task at hand. Although there's a lot of bad luck stacked against you, it's possible to overcome the ultimate challenge of this unforgiving RPG.