Free Strategy Games

If strategy gaming is your thing then here are some great free games to consider. There are generally two types of strategy game, turn based and realtime. With a turn based game you will wait your turn to make a move whilst your opponent or opponents are completing their move. A realtime strategy means your opponents are playing against you at the same time as you. The following is some great free strategy games available on Linux, Windows and OS X.



Wormux
This is a turn based game quite blatantly styled like the classic Worms games. At the beginning of the game you select your team from a list of open source mascots, such as the Firefox fox and Tux the penguin. Wormux is pure comical violence. You choose your weapon of choice and set it upon the enemy. The weapons include bazookas, grenades and baseball bats.

Widelands
Back in the old days of computer gaming their was a great little gem of a game called The Settlers made by a company called Blue Byte Software. Widelands could be considered a clone of this. In Widelands the objective is to conquer and expand the land around you. By harvesting and mining the land you can expand your tribe and take over competing tribes. Widelands has many similarities to Settlers but also offers multiplayer game play, had it's own tribes and graphics as well as a map editor so you can build your own maps.


Battle For Wesnoth
Battle for Wesnoth is a turn based strategy game set in a fantasy environment. It mixes elements of RPG games and strategy and has a fully developed world to get engaged in with over 200 unit types, 16 races several factions. There are many campaigns and maps to play to keep you busy for quite some time. The music in Battle for Wesnoth is probably of the best quality ever heard in a free game. There is also a multiplayer option where you can battle with up to 8 opponents.

Scorched 3D
Scorched3D  is based on a very old game called Scorched Earth that is the basis for many games like Worms and Wormux. Scorched3D is set on a randomly generated island where you get to launch explosive attacks on your opponent using weapons like lasers and napalm. The game is in 3D so you can rotate around the map to get good views of your target. Scorched3D also has a fantastic multiplayer aspect complete with a ranking system.

FreeOrion
This is a great epic turn based strategy game set in a randomly generated galaxy. In Free Orion the objective is to move across the galaxy and settle and/or conquer  other planets and become the overall ruler of the galaxy. There are many borrowed elements of gameplay from the likes of Masters of Orion, hence the name. There is also a nice looking research and customisation facility where you get to choose what technology you want to research.

All these games are totally free and have regular updates and improvements with great communities around them so definitely worth checking out.