Tideborne Command

Tideborne Command asks you to run a small navy across a chain of contested islands. You plan routes, manage supply, and commit to attacks that play out in tense real-time skirmishes you can pause at any moment.

The clever bit is fuel. Ships that stray too far run dry, so you're constantly weighing an aggressive push against being stranded. It turns the map into a genuine puzzle rather than a rush.

It's demanding, and the tutorial could hold your hand a little longer. Stick with it, though, and you get a strategy game with real teeth that still fits in one hand.

What we liked

• Pause-anytime real-time battles
• Supply lines that actually matter
• Meaty campaign with escalating stakes