Summary
Strategy gamescome in many flavors. There arereal-time strategy gamesthat focus heavily on combat, grand strategy games that require complex interaction with opposing factions, and turn-based strategy games that offer a more relaxed playing style, among many others. What many strategy games have in common is that they are typically set on Earth or an Earthlike planet. However, there are some that put the player in space, oron the moon.
The strategy genre has a long history, going back several decades. Over this time, certain gameplay elements have become set in stone. For example,resource gathering and management, and researching new technologies to unlock. Transporting this kind of gameplay to the Moon adds some new twists to strategy gameplay, something these games embrace openly.
5Millennium 2.2
Help Humanity Survive On The Moon
Millennium 2.2harkens back to the days when the Commodore Amiga and Atari ST were the gods of gaming hardware. Games were simpler in those days, but still managed to be addictive and engaging.Millennium 2.2is a good example of this.
The game wasdeveloped by a single person, Ian Bird. The gameplay begins following a meteor strike, making Earth unsuitable for human life. The player is tasked with taking control of a base on the Moon. From this base, they will explore the galaxy, settle new planets, and ensure that the human race survives.
Strategically, the player needs to balance the production of food and procurement of raw resources to ensure that the population is safe, all while discovering new territory for expansion. In its day,Millennium 2.2was at the pinnacle of strategy gameplay.
4Moon Tycoon
Thrive And Survive On The Moon
Moon Tycoonhas a campaign mode that tasks the player with building, expanding, and sustaining a successful moon colony. It also has a sandbox mode, where the player is free to build and expand as they wish. In campaign mode, a series of connected missions take the player through different gameplay aspects, acting much like an extended tutorial section.
Power, residential, research, and manufacturing infrastructure needs to be established and maintained, and new technologies researched and unlocked. Raw materials have to be procured, and consumables such as water and oxygen need to be produced at the required levels to sustain the player’s moon colony.
Managing the economyeffectively is the key to doing well in this game. Resource shortages are common, and catastrophic events such as meteor strikes can have a huge impact on critical supply chains. Overall, this is a great little strategy game that was well-received in its day.
3Moonbase
Build And Expand A Base On The Moon
Moonbaseis a pretty old strategy and simulation game. Released in 1990, it was published before many of the common tropes we find in strategy games had become set in stone. This means that the gameplay is somewhat quirky by modern standards. The premise of the game is, unsurprisingly, establishing a flourishing moonbase and colony on the moon.
The player has to locate and procure raw resources, and then build out the infrastructure of their base by creating viable living spaces, supplying power, and constructing research facilities to unlock more advanced technology.
The main focus of this game is resource procurement and management. The key to success is making sure that there is an ample supply of raw materials to keep manufacturing chains working efficiently. This requires some tough decisions, as the player will need to prioritize certain projects over others, and a mistake can lead to disaster. This was a great strategy game when it was released, and would stand up well today if the graphics were improved.
2MoonBase Commander
Turn-Based Moon Construction
Turn-based strategy games that focus on resource procurement and construction are quite rare, butMoonBase Commandermanages to pull off this odd mix quite well. The player, unsurprisingly, takes on the role of the Commander of a moon base in this game. However, there are other factions that are set on establishing a moon colony, and the player is in direct conflict with them.
Expansion and construction of advanced structures are the overall goals of each scenario, as this enables the player to field powerful units. Defense units are important, but the player also needs to control resource collections and juggle base expansion at the same time.
MoonBase Commanderis an odd hybrid of a real-time strategy game that has grafted onturn-based combat. It is something quite unique and deserves a place on this list because of it.
Strategic City Building
Anno 2205
Anno 2205™ – the beloved city builder takes off into space!In Anno 2205™, you join humankind‘s next step into the future with the promise to build a better tomorrow. You conquer Earth, establishing rich, bustling cities and grand industrial complexes, but to secure the prosperity of your people, you must travel into space.A scientific breakthrough in fusion energy promises to revolutionise all aspects of society. The necessary isotope, helium-3, can only be found in harvestable quantities on the Moon. Venture into space and settle on the Moon in the thrilling race for resource and power.Anno’s masterful economic gameplay is back and taking strategic city-building simulation to new heights, launching into space!Thousands of hours of accessible and challenging gameplay let you go beyond the story and ultimately grow monumental cities with thousands of buildings. You control your growing corporation simultaneously on multiple locations on Earth and the Moon. Gameplay brings a revolutionary session mode that lets you play on multiple islands, instantaneously connecting different regions. Anno 2205™ is the biggest in the series, offering unlimited replay value on islands five times bigger than in previous games.
Anno 2205is part city-builder, part strategy, and partsimulation game. The gameplay takes place across both the Moon and Earth. The main gameplay loop in this game revolves around meeting the needs of citizens and expanding the population to unlock further construction options.
One of the key features ofAnno 2205is the fact that the player can construct and manage multiple colonies at a time, and this is where the moon-based gameplay comes in. Once the player has unlocked the core technology required, they can begin colonizing the moon and gain access to the rich resource deposits found there. But colonizing the moon comes with its own challenges, not least of which is the lack of oxygen.Anno 2025is a fantastic combination of resource-driven strategy gameplay and grand city-building on an epic scale. While theAnnoseries is most popular for its historical entries, this sci-fi entry stands right up alongside them.
