Iron Dominion

Iron Dominion is for people who like to think between moves. You settle a frontier, balance resource nodes, and defend against timed raids. The tension comes from never having quite enough workers for everything you want to build.

What sold me is that rushing rarely works. I lost my first two settlements by expanding too fast, then learned to turtle up and out-plan the AI. The tech tree is broad enough that two players can build wildly different economies.

It asks for patience — some upgrades take real time — but you can set a plan and check back later, which suits a phone. The UI is a touch cramped on smaller screens, my only gripe.

What we liked

• Deep tech tree with real strategic forks
• Rewards planning over reflexes
• Works well as a check-in-throughout-the-day game