Updated January 29, 2020: Wording edited, entries revisited.
As one of the most enduringly popular and diverse genres on mobile, we've covered the finest Android strategy games quite often.
But the thing with the biggest and best strategy games is that they tend to be extremely meaty, dare we say 'hardcore' experiences. And those tend to cost money.
So what about those Android strategy games that don't (or needn't) cost you a penny? That's what this list is dedicated to.
Naturally, in-app purchases play a part in the following strategy games. Some will only grant you the full package when you pay up. But all of these strategy gems will provide you with a satisfying strategy experience for no upfront fee.
Is there a free Android strategy game that you feel should be on this list? Let us know in the comments below.
Plague Inc. totally flips the usual heroic script of saving lives, and instead asks you to wipe out vast swathes of humanity. It's no psycho-sim, but rather a darkly alluring tactical war room simulator all about forming and spreading viruses.
Crush Your Enemies simplifies the RTS essentials almost to the point of ugliness, with its garish dual-toned battlefields. But the delicate push and pull of its territory-based gameplay is almost perfectly judged.
The very presence of Clash of Clans on this list may make strategy game die-hards vomit with rage. But its brand of casual city building has been hugely influential, and rarely matched.
Guide a pint-sized Spartan warrior through hex-based gridded levels, out-manoeuvring foes with a small but diverse range of abilities. Hoplite is one of the purest strategy games on mobile.
Just like Clash of Clans, Clash Royale rarely gets the purist vote, but it's been hugely influential. Part tower defence, part MOBA, part card battler - all entertaining strategy game.
This speedy, streamlined RTS mixes a little MOBA magic into the equation, along with an appealingly clear art style. It's not big or particularly clever, but Battleplans sure is fun.
A 4X mobile strategy game without the hardcore demands on your time, Star Trek: Fleet Command makes brilliant use of its sci-fi license for a deeply immersive tactical experience.
Mixing tense Rock Paper Scissors battling with a refined JRPG universe and a real time PVP mode, Langrisser Mobile covers a number of bases. It's packed full of tactical content.
The stakes might be relatively low on Motorsport Manager - you're managing an F1 team, not conquering a country - but the strategic action is no less tense or cerebral for that fact.
OK, so Command & Conquer: Rivals isn't the epic RTS game that you might remember of the brand. But it is a finely honed-for-mobile take on the genre with a deceptive level of depth.
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