Fans of the original 1997 Final Fantasy title can finally celebrate, as a remaster is arriving in the form of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles. The remaster will take players back to the war-torn world of Ivalice, now fully voiced and upgraded to slick modern visuals that retain the classic's charm and style. The remaster was announced during the June Sony State of Play, and is scheduled to release on September 30.

Though this isn't very long to wait, Final Fantasy Tactics fans may need something to tide them over while they wait for the remaster's launch. Luckily, there's been no shortage of tactical RPGs in recent years, with plenty of excellent tRPG titles available from the last five years. These games are love letters to tactic RPGs from studios big and small, and are well worth your time if you're a fan of the genre.

10 Jagged Alliance 3

Mercenaries For Hire Go Up Against A Corrupt Government

Like Final Fantasy Tactics, the Jagged Alliance franchise hails from the 90s, with the first game releasing in 1994, three years prior to the FF game. The third installment from Haemimont Games was released in 2023 and maintains the feel and storytelling of the first game through a new 3-dimensional look. The tactical combat in Jagged Alliance centers on controlling mercenaries through various missions that can range from making money to overthrowing dictatorships.

The third game lets players loose in Grand Chien, a nation torn apart by forces vying for control over its natural resources and residents. Players can control over 40 mercenaries, each with their own backstories and quirks, or create their own units to send out into traditional, grid-based tactical combat.

9 Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga

Bring The World Back From The Brink Of War... Again

The Empire of Veridia has finally ceased its bloody fighting, but its troubles are far from over. Just as its residents begin to relax into a life of peace, the Empress is abducted by a power-hungry General with a very different view of how to lead the nation. As a new war looms in the wake of the abduction and the empire is thrown into unrest once again, it's up to a young, inexperienced academy graduate to face off against the General and change the future of the world forever.

Thus begins the story of Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga, setting up a classic fantasy storyline for the game to follow. The title was clearly inspired by classic games like Final Fantasy Tactics, and features a beautiful retro style, a well-developed world, and engaging tactical battles. It's an impressive title, especially considering that the development studio behind the title, Dancing Dragon Games, is a tiny indie dev team made up of only three permanent and six freelancers.

8 Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp

Cute And Colorful Tank Warfare

The remake of the first two Advance Wars games rolled onto the Switch in 2023, bringing the 2001 and 2003 titles to a modern audience. The reboot maintains the charm and vibrant colors of the original games, which were beloved around the world despite never being intended for release outside of Japan.

The games throw fans into a worldwide conflict where four nations, each associated with a color, fight for dominance across different types of terrain and climate. The reboot lets players relive (or experience for the first time) the tank-based battle system of the first two games in the Advance Wars franchise, which fall somewhere between tactics and strategy.

7 Solasta: Crown of the Magister

Tactics And Strategy With A Dungeons & Dragons Twist

Tactics meets Dungeons & Dragons in Solasta: Crown of the Magister from indie dev studio Tactical Adventures. The game was successfully funded in a 2019 Kickstarter campaign, raising €243,855 (about $279,000 USD) of its €180,000 goal, and was released the following year. The team is currently developing a sequel (no release date announced yet), and a demo is available to try on Steam.

Solasta used a turn-based grid battle system like Final Fantasy Tactics, but with a D&D twist. The game uses the SRD 5.1 ruleset, giving the character classes and playstyle more depth than their FF counterparts. The game is similar to the popular AAA title Baldur's Gate 3 and includes online multiplayer as well as a dungeon-making mode to craft your own adventures. Calling Solasta and Baldur's Gate 3 tactics games is ittedly a stretch, but if you love tactics and D&D, this might just be the mashup for you.

6 The Last Spell

Tactics Meets Roguelite In A Bid To Rid The World Of Magic

The Last Spell, developed by indie studio Ishtar Games, mixes the features of a tactics RPG with roguelite elements for a unique take on the genre. Like many other tactics RPG worlds, this one has been waging war for hundreds of years. Unlike the other tRPGs, the people of The Last Spell tried to end the wars by casting the Cataclysm, a massive magical spell intended to stop the fighting once and for all.

Unfortunately, this spell had some unforeseen consequences, bringing hordes of monsters into the world and causing even more trouble than before. Now, players are tasked with protecting a group of mages as they attempt to cast the last spell that will banish magic from the world and bring peace back, hopefully without any other hiccups this time.

Players spend the daytime hours rebuilding their fallen defenses, training and positioning heroes, and preparing for the coming battle. Night ushers in the monsters, which have to be taken out with a combination of skills, spells, and other RPG elements.

5 Triangle Strategy

Test Your Values In A Tactics RPG From Square Enix

From the team behind the Bravely Default and Octopath Traveler series comes Triangle Strategy, a Square Enix tactics game. Released in 2022, the game bears a striking resemblance to the original Final Fantasy Tactics. Like Tactics, Triangle Strategy centers on a war-torn land with tactical battles playing out across an isometric grid-based combat system.

"Triangle Strategy asks players to lead their troops to victory by being a good leader, or face the consequences."

In addition to the typical strategic battles of the tRPG genre, Triangle Strategy adds several new mechanics to play with. Players are tested on their sense of justice using three values—utility, morality, and liberty. In addition, getting the troops to do as you command will require convincing them that it's the right choice to make, with every major decision being put up to a vote. The game asks players to lead their troops to victory by being a good leader, or face the consequences.

4 Fire Emblem: Three Houses

A Modern Take On A Tactics Classic

You can't talk about tactics RPGs without a mention of Fire Emblem. The long-running Fire Emblem series has consistently set the gold standard for tactical games, featuring a rich fantasy world with medieval influences and perpetual conflict. Fire Emblem: Three Houses is the latest game in the mainline franchise to use the tactical RPG style.

The 2019 game also incorporated time management and social interactions, in a new 3D style, for a game that retains the appeal of a tactics RPG with a modern twist. The story centers around Byleth, a teacher at an Officers Academy. Players can choose between three different houses, each representing a nation that's trying to gain control over the continent of Fódlan. Your actions and strategy are called upon in battle in this entry in this classic franchise.

3 Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark

Classic Tactics RPG Called By Many A "FF Tactics" Spiritual Successor

Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark was created by the small dev team 6 Eyes Studio, but it frequently draws comparisons to Final Fantasy Tactics, with many fans calling it the closest thing to the classic Final Fantasy game you can get. Fell Seal describes itself as:

"A story-driven, turn-based tactical RPG set in a fantasy world with a touch of steampunk."

The story centers around the Arbiter Kyrie as she leads her troops through the world in an effort to maintain stability and help people resolve their conflicts with the help of the overseeing Immortals Council. As she goes about her work, Arbiter Kyrie discovers hidden corruption tainting the good deeds of the Council, throwing her into the middle of a worldwide conflict threatening to upend the delicate balance of good and evil.

2 Unicorn Overlord

Overworld Exploration And A Unique Take On Tactics Combat

Unicorn Overlord is one of the most well-known modern tactics RPG. Created by Atlus and Vanillaware, the game combines the tried-and-true elements of a tactics RPG with unique features that set it apart from many other tactics games. The game incorporates RPG-like overworld exploration that's often missing in the more linear games of the tactics genre.

It also takes a new approach to tactics combat, combining automatic skill activation with real-time battles, instead of the usual turn-based battles of tactics RPGs. Players can customize their characters and skills to optimize them for battle, shifting the flow of battle and changing the way player approach the battlefield.

1 Tactics Ogre: Reborn

Branching Storyline Where Choices Really Matter

Hailed by many as one of the best tactics RPGs of all time, Tactics Ogre: Reborn was a modern restoration of the 2010 classic. The game plays out like a traditional tactics RPG, with a grid-based battle system, a huge selection of troops with unique skills and classes, and an intriguing tale.

But where Tactics Ogre deviates from traditional games is in its branching narrative. The game places players in the middle of a warring nation in the wake of its king's death. Players must navigate through the conflict, making difficult decisions along the way and seeing these choices make a large difference in the way the events of the game play out.

Every playthrough of Tactics Ogre is different thanks to this unique narrative system. This means you'll have plenty to do until the release of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles as you discover this and other fantastic modern tactics RPGs.