ICBM: Escalation

ICBM: Escalation is a complex game with good real-time strategy mechanics that asks players to overcome existential angst. Winning, after the nukes start flying across the globe, is possible but it involves the death of tons of abstracted-out people. Still, the title makes it compelling to both plan the nuclear annihilation of others and to try and minimize losses. Make sure to play through the tutorial first and it’s a good idea to first engage with the campaign and its more limited scenarios. Standoff and Blitz offer a ton of variety both in terms of setup and potential strategies. ICBM: Escalation is a big game that allows players to set up a variety of scenarios and test out many ways to manage a world-ending nuclear exchange.