Fire Emblem is a tactical RPG series from Intelligent Systems and Nintendo. Your team and the enemy take turns moving across grid-based maps, and a unit that falls in battle is usually gone for good. Then there is the weapon triangle, where lances beat swords, swords beat axes and axes beat lances. The series is often called the one that defined the tactical RPG.
Once a Fire Emblem campaign is over, the wait for the next one feels long. These are the 9 games players recommend most to Fire Emblem fans, ranked by how many different people named each one.
9 Games Like Fire Emblem That Make Every Move Count
Valkyria Chronicles (2008)
Valkyria Chronicles is a tactical RPG from Sega, released for the PlayStation 3 in 2008. It is set in Europa, a fictional region loosely based on Europe early in World War II, and you lead a unit of the Gallian Militia against an invasion. The art looks like pencil drawings in motion. Like Fire Emblem's weapon triangle, its classes form a rock-paper-scissors loop of strengths and weaknesses.
The big difference is how you move. On your turn you pick a unit on an overhead map, then zoom in and steer it in real time, with an action point gauge that limits how far it goes. You aim each shot yourself while the action freezes. It has been cited as one of the greatest video games of all time, and Fire Emblem fans name it alongside their favorite tactics games. Play it on PS3, PS4 or Switch.
Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. (2015)
Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. is a turn-based strategy game from Intelligent Systems, the studio behind Fire Emblem, made for the Nintendo 3DS. Its cast of characters comes from across American literature and folklore, drawn in a Silver Age comic book style. Your squad, the Agents of S.T.E.A.M., takes on a team of alien invaders in an alternate steampunk history.
The big difference is the camera. You control each character directly from a third-person shooter view, and steam is the resource that runs out whenever a character moves around or uses their weapon. Save enough and some characters fire overwatch attacks during the opponent's turn. Fire Emblem fans get a treat: with amiibo you can play as Marth, Ike, Robin and Lucina. Those four cannot be revived at checkpoints if they fall, which feels very Fire Emblem. Play it on 3DS.
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 (2011)
Devil Survivor 2 is a standalone sequel to Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor, first released on the Nintendo DS. A series of natural disasters signals the arrival of divine forces that threaten to destroy humanity in seven days, and the story moves across Japan, including Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka. Gameplay is similar to the first Devil Survivor, with squads on a grid and a turn-based fight each time two units meet.
The big difference is the Fate system. Talking with party members raises their Fate rank, which opens new skill exchanges, combat abilities and demon fusions. Some characters can die permanently in battle and leave the story for good, a rule Fire Emblem fans know well. Critics praised the story and criticised the high difficulty. The 3DS version, Record Breaker, came out worldwide in 2015 and restored cut content, and Fire Emblem fans point straight to it. Play it on DS or 3DS.
Pokémon Conquest (2012)
Pokémon Conquest is a 2012 tactical RPG for the Nintendo DS, a crossover between Pokémon and Nobunaga's Ambition. You start with an Eevee and travel the Ransei Region, battling Warriors and Warlords to conquer and unite it. Legend says whoever unites all 17 kingdoms of the region may meet Arceus. Warriors and Warlords can join your party once you beat them, and players call it a tactical RPG that plays a lot like Fire Emblem.
The big difference is how small each Pokémon's toolkit is. Every Pokémon can use only one move, picked to suit its species, and only 200 of the 649 Pokémon that existed at the time are in the game. There are no levels. Instead, each Pokémon has a link percentage with its Warrior that rises to a maximum and sets its stats. Play it on DS.
Advance Wars (2001)
Advance Wars is a turn-based strategy game from Intelligent Systems for the Game Boy Advance. Fire Emblem's director said the series came to the West because of the international success of Advance Wars. Two nations, Orange Star and Blue Moon, have been fighting each other for years. Two to four armies, each led by a commanding officer, take turns on grid-based maps.
The big difference is that you build an army instead of raising one. You produce units and capture cities, ports, airports and bases, and you win by destroying every enemy unit or capturing the enemy headquarters. Nintendo worried that Western players would not take to turn-based games, so the team added a tutorial that does not need the manual. It was remade for the Switch with its sequel in 2023 as Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp. Play it on GBA, Wii U or Switch.
Disgaea: Hour of Darkness (2003)
Disgaea: Hour of Darkness is a tactical RPG from Nippon Ichi Software for the PlayStation 2. Laharl, the son of a demon overlord, wakes up after a two-year sleep and sets out to take his father's place. Like Fire Emblem, battles take place on a square grid, with your squad of humans and monsters against a group of enemies.
The big difference is the chaos. Your characters can lift and throw other units across the map, and throwing an enemy into your base panel can turn it into an ally. Colored Geo Panels change the rules of the floor, and breaking the symbols on them can start a chain reaction. Maps can be played again at any time, which is a gift if you like to grind. A PSP version followed as Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness. Play it on PS2, PS3, PSP or DS.
Final Fantasy Tactics (1997)
Final Fantasy Tactics is a 1997 tactical RPG from Square for the PlayStation. You follow Ramza Beoulve, a highborn cadet caught in the Lion War, where two noble factions want the throne. Its director, Yasumi Matsuno, had created the Ogre Battle series before it. Battles play out on isometric fields made of square tiles, and terrain and weather decide who has the edge.
The big difference is the turn order and the jobs. A unit acts when its Charge Time reaches 100, and faster units fill it sooner. There are twenty jobs for regular characters, and the points you earn in battle learn new abilities in each job. The PlayStation version sold over 2.4 million copies worldwide by August 2011, and it has been cited as one of the greatest video games of all time. An enhanced port, The War of the Lions, followed in 2007. Play it on PS1, PS3 or PSP.
Stella Glow (2015)
Stella Glow is a 2015 tactical RPG from Imageepoch for the Nintendo 3DS. A young man sets out to unite four witches and save his home town from destruction. It was the final game Imageepoch made before the studio went bankrupt. Battles are turn based, and Fire Emblem fans say its battle system feels a lot like Fire Emblem's.
The big difference is free time. Between battles you get three chances to build relationships with your teammates, take odd jobs or explore the area around you. Those bonds matter in a fight. A character's abilities depend greatly on how close the hero, Alto, is to them, and closer ties unlock new abilities. How far you take those relationships can change the ending. If the support conversations are your favorite part of Fire Emblem, this is the one to play. Play it on 3DS.
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor (2009)
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor is a 2009 tactical RPG from Atlus for the Nintendo DS. A group of teenagers in Tokyo is trapped inside a government lockdown after demons invade. The story runs on an in-game clock across seven days, and the events and battles you complete can unlock different endings. Like Fire Emblem, you move units around a grid in turns.
The big difference is the demons. You control up to four units, each a human with two demons at their side. When units meet, the game switches to a first-person view for a turn-based battle, and landing a critical hit or hitting a weakness grants an extra round. You buy new demons at an auction or fuse two into a new one, and Skill Crack lets your humans take a skill from the enemy that has it. An expanded version, Overclocked, came to the 3DS in 2011, and players who love Fire Emblem point straight to it. Players recommend it to Fire Emblem fans more than any other game. Play it on DS or 3DS.
Which one to play
There you have it, the whole list of games like Fire Emblem. Some keep its grid and its permadeath, and others keep only the planning.
If you want the closest feel to Fire Emblem's battles and support talks, start with Stella Glow. If you want the same studio, play Advance Wars or Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. For a dark story with hard fights, go for Devil Survivor and its sequel. If you love class systems, Final Fantasy Tactics is waiting. And if you collect Pokémon, Pokémon Conquest is an easy pick.
