Like, seriously. Two nights ago I’m sitting here in my extremely sad apartment in suburban Ohio—thanksgiving decorations still up because who has energy—it’s 2:47 a.m., I’ve got this orange dust on my fingers that will never fully wash out, and I’m 47 turns deep into a Unicorn Overlord skirmish that I swear is mocking me personally. My cat is judging me from the windowsill. I haven’t answered texts in four days. This is turn-based games 2025, baby, and I’m completely back in the hole.
Why Turn-Based Games 2025 Are Hitting Different (For Me, a Certified Mess)
Look, I abandoned this genre hard after high school. Thought I was too cool for menus, too ADHD for waiting my turn—needed that constant dopamine drip of shooters and battle royales. Then 2024 happened, my attention span turned into wet tissue paper, and suddenly… waiting ten seconds to pick “Fire Emblem” again feels like self-care?
- Triangle Strategy dropping that gut-punch story
- Octopath Traveler II making me cry over a dancer and a thief (don’t @ me)
- Unicorn Overlord straight-up seducing me with its marriage sim + tactics mashup
- Even indie darlings like Wildermyth and Banner Saga remastered editions sneaking back in
It’s like all these devs looked at my burnt-out brain and said “here, take your time, king.”
The Embarrassing Part I Can’t Believe I’m Admitting
Last week I told my coworker I couldn’t make trivia night because “I have plans.” The plans? Finishing Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes. I literally chose fictional rabbits over real humans. Again. I’m 34. This is turn-based games 2025 ruining my social life and I’m… weirdly okay with it?
Are Turn-Based Games Actually Making a Comeback in 2025 or Is It Just Me Coping?
Okay real talk—Steam charts don’t lie. Tactical RPGs and strategy games are climbing back up. Check SteamDB for yourself. The Finals and all those extraction shooters are cool, but people are quietly going back to games where you can pause, think, breathe. Turns out when the world feels like it’s on fire, sometimes you want a game that literally forces you to chill for three seconds before your next move.
Games That Have Me Acting Unwise in 2025 (So Far)
- Unicorn Overlord (Vanillaware cooked, left no crumbs)
- Metaphor: ReFantazio (Atlus said “what if Persona but you actually have to use your brain”)
- The new Tactics Ogre Reborn patch that nobody asked for but we all needed
- Whatever metroidvania + turn-based hybrid thing Silksong is apparently becoming (copium)
My Completely Unqualified Advice If You’re Thinking About Diving Back In
Start slow or you’ll hate yourself. I tried jumping straight into Front Mission 1st Remake after a ten-year turn-based drought and almost cried. Try Sea of Stars first—it’s basically Chrono Trigger with therapy. Then graduate to the harder stuff when you’re ready to admit you have a problem.
Anyway. Turn-based games 2025 have me in a chokehold and I’m not even fighting it anymore. My sleep schedule is destroyed, my fingers permanently smell like hot chip, and I’ve named three different units after my exes as psychological warfare.
If you’re also rotting in bed planning your next 80-hour tactical obsession… you’re not alone. Drop your current poison in the comments. I need friends who understand that “just one more turn” is a lifestyle.
(Also yes I know this post is a disaster. That’s the brand now.)
