Whether we’re talking about tabletop games or their digital counterparts, one thing is certain: they all test certain aspects of players. Some test reflexes, while others test long-term planning and decision-making with incomplete information.
Today, we’re covering the latter: games that reward players for thinking ahead and developing complex strategies to beat other players (or the game).
Below are five games that require different forms of strategic thinking. Our list includes classic games like poker and chess, but also a few digital masterpieces like Civilization and Balatro.
Poker
Poker is more than just a card game. First and foremost, it’s a game of psychology and strategizing. You constantly have to make decisions based on incomplete information, simply because you don’t know what sort of hands your opponents have.
You have to consider all potential outcomes, instead of basing your decisions on the likeliest option. The variables are plentiful, ranging from flop, turn, and river cards dealt to your position at the table, the size of the pot, and other players’ actions.
If you’re serious about improving your poker gameplay, we recommend you check out third-party tools like this poker equity calculator, which can help you analyze hands. Just make sure you don’t use it as a tool to help you automate your decisions, as that won’t get you far.
Civilization Games
Civilization is a turn-based strategy game where every single turn can have consequences that’ll become visible dozens of turns later. The main variables you need to keep tabs on in Civilization are your city’s base location, nearby resources, science-rich tiles, and both the cultural and military aspects of your civilization.
Focusing on one of these things usually means postponing the others, which is where diplomacy comes into play. In other words, you have to constantly monitor what other players are doing, so you can react to their decisions and choose the smartest victory condition to chase.
No two civ sessions are the same, even if you play them with the same exact group of friends. This game always rewards you for planning dozens, or even hundreds, of turns in advance, which is why we had to include it on this page.
Chess
Chess is a cult classic, where every single move changes all available options for both players. It’s not enough to monitor your own figures and figure out a game plan. Instead, the game heavily rewards you for predicting your opponent’s reactions to your own moves, and not just one but several moves ahead.
All good players are constantly monitoring both sets of figures, paying close attention to forks, pins, king’s safety, and controlling the space. The more potential lines and moves you analyze, the lower your chances of making any impulsive mistakes.
The crucial skill in chess is to know when to abandon your initial plans. The easiest way to learn this crucial skill is by analyzing your previous matches and figuring out exactly where it all went wrong.
Balatro
Balatro is a roguelike video game that features poker hand power rankings with a unique twist. It features numerous jokers and upgradable cards that help achieve massive multipliers.
The goal is to create an effective deck for reaching massive totals. Having good jokers and heavily upgraded cards won’t get you far, though. Instead, you’ll have to combine jokers with each other and create epic multiplier combos with the cards you’ve already upgraded.
No two runs will ever be the same, especially if you play your cards right (pun intended). Not only do you have to keep your eyes peeled on your own cards and combos, but you also need to monitor the upcoming blinds and boss effects, which, especially on levels 6 through 8, require you to think several rounds in advance just to stand a chance.
Age of Empires
Age of Empires is a highly competitive game that requires both in-depth strategizing, thinking ahead, and mechanical skills. Your initial build order sets the scene, deciding how strong your economy will be once you hit the second age.
You need scouts to find the locations of nearby resources and constantly monitor what your opponents are doing. You need houses and other economy buildings to keep your population growing and your resources plentiful… but you also need barracks and watchtowers to survive a potential early rush.
The best players are able to monitor all these things simultaneously, while also taking map control and countering their opponent’s military units. Long story short, it doesn’t really get much more difficult than Age of Empires, yet fans still love these types of games more than anything else.
How to Get Better at Thinking Ahead
Before making a decision, try to gauge your short-term and long-term goals, and try to think of at least two or three moves your opponent (or the AI) could make in return.
Whatever you do, don’t focus solely on the final outcome, as that’ll skew your decision-making right from the off. Instead, ask yourself this: what will happen if my move fails? This way, you’ll know how to position yourself in case of an unsuccessful attempt later on.
Depending on the game you’re playing, you might have to heavily focus on the resources you’ll need later on, and differentiate decisions that come with irreversible outcomes from those that can be reversed.
Another thing that’ll help you get better at thinking ahead is to judge your previous decisions after the fact. No matter if you’ve won or lost, judging the quality of your decisions based on the outcomes that they provided is a key step in the learning process.
One last thing: come to terms with the fact that uncertainty will always be the cornerstone of strategy games, be it tabletop or video games.
Wrapping Everything Up
No matter what games you play, they all test your thinking-ahead skills. Some test your skills based on incomplete information and probabilities, while others require you to think ahead based on your opponents’ actions.
The best strategists, be it in tabletop or video games, never try to perfectly predict the future. Instead, they prepare themselves (and their actions) for a few potential outcomes, which helps them adapt to different scenarios based on how the gameplay progresses.
