XCOM® 2 similar games & best alternatives

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XCOM® 2

2016

Should you play it?

XCOM 2 is the sequel to XCOM: Enemy Unknown, the 2012 award-winning strategy game of the year. Earth has changed and is now under alien rule. Facing impossible odds you must rebuild XCOM, and ignite a global resistance to reclaim our world and save humanity.

What works

  • Challenging and rewarding tactical gameplay
  • Extensive soldier customization and mod support
  • High replayability with expansions and mods
  • Immersive sci-fi narrative and atmosphere
  • Strong strategic and leadership elements

Things to keep in mind

  • Performance and optimization issues especially at launch
  • Steep learning curve and punishing difficulty
  • Time-limited missions can frustrate some players
  • Randomness in hit chances and resource drops
  • Limited multiplayer and social interaction

What to play next

Top picks

Games that feels the closest overall

  • XCOM: Enemy Unknown

  • Darkest Dungeon® II

  • Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters

  • Space Hulk: Ascension (Classic)

  • HighFleet

  • MENACE

More social

Games that feels like XCOM® 2 but with more teamwork and cooperation

  • Aliens: Fireteam Elite

  • Space Hulk: Deathwing Enhanced Edition

  • STAR WARS™ Republic Commando™

  • Angels Fall First

  • Mass Effect™ 3 N7 Digital Deluxe Edition (2012)

  • Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Anniversary Edition (Classic)

More competitive

Games that feels like XCOM® 2 but with more competition against others

Choose your own criteria ->

Similarity map

How to compare these games

Compare nearby games

Each card is a nearby game on the similarity map, compared with XCOM® 2. Swipe sideways to move between games. Titles already listed in What to play next are left out.

  • Cover and title: open that game’s page.
  • What works / keep in mind: the same highlights as the desktop comparison panel.
  • Bars: the main motivational differences versus this game.
How to use the graph

Similarity map

Each dot is a game placed from its motivation profile relative to this page’s game. Direction shows which motivation differs most; distance along that axis shows how large the gap is.

  • Purple star: this page’s game at the centre — everything is relative to it.
  • Direction: each axis is a main motivational difference vs this game (e.g. more / less competitive).
  • Distance on an axis: how large that difference is (ring scales show +/− points).
  • Coloured chips: click to highlight games that mainly differ on that motivation; click again to reset.
  • Dotted line: link between this page’s game and the one selected for comparison.
  • Hover a dot to preview that game in the panel on the right; click to keep that comparison.
  • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom.

How to read the map This is a polar difference map: direction = which motivation differs, and distance = how much (same units as the sidebar deltas).

Swipe to compare nearby games with XCOM® 2. These titles are not in What to play next.

XCOM® 2: Less representative of its motivational profile, with noticeable differences. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Violence, Survival, Fellowship, Intimacy. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Leadership, Violence. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Relaxation.

Last update: 21/08/2026