What is a tick-based strategy game?
In a tick-based strategy game the world moves in fixed steps, called ticks. Between two ticks you plan. When the tick comes, everything happens at once, for everyone. It is a style made famous by persistent browser games, and it rewards planning over fast clicking.
What happens in one tick
- Your economy pays out: money, food, energy and materials.
- Buildings and research finish when their time is up.
- Armies on the march get one step closer to their target.
- Battles fight one round. A battle lasts three ticks, so you can press on or retreat in between.
Why it is about planning
Because everything resolves at once, timing is the game. An attack that lands one tick too late meets a defence that was not there before. A scout report from six ticks ago may no longer be true. An army that fought last tick is tired. Good players think a few ticks ahead.
Three games built around the tick
| Game | Era | Its own battle choices |
|---|---|---|
| Terrastate | An alternative 2026 | Fresh scouting and one air wing that supports one battle per turn |
| Romaterra | The ancient world | Formations: Line, Triple line or Wedge |
| Ironfront | Europe, 1944 | Battle orders every tick, field works, radio traffic and feints |
In all three, an army that fought in the last six turns hits softer, so resting and timing your strikes pays.
Your pace, not the server's
Many tick-based games run on a fixed clock and the world moves on while you sleep. In these games you decide: end each turn yourself, or let it run at 1x, 5x or 20x. A season lasts 200, 400 or 840 turns.
Questions
What is a tick in a strategy game?
A tick is one step of the game clock. Between two ticks you give your orders. When the tick comes, everything happens at once: income comes in, buildings finish, armies move and battles are fought.
Is a tick-based game the same as turn-based?
They are close. In a turn-based game players often take turns one after another. In a tick-based game everyone plans at the same time and the world moves on for everyone at once.
How long is a tick in these games?
In Terrastate, Romaterra and Ironfront you decide. You end each turn yourself, or let it run automatically at 1x, 5x or 20x speed.
Do I have to wait for other players?
No. What you play today is single-player against hundreds of AI nations, so the world moves when you want it to.
Are these games free?
Yes. No payments, no ads, no account and no download. They are free, non-commercial hobby projects by Wim Kamphorst from the Netherlands.