XCOM
Shares rank 22 of 24 strategy games by recommenders
Replayable tactics video game that became the DNA for a long-running franchise; critics say its hit probabilities and pod mechanics are flawed.
Replayable tactics video game that became the DNA for a long-running franchise; critics say its hit probabilities and pod mechanics are flawed.
8 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- criticize it
- 3
- approval share
- 63%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 1.6 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Highly replayable
“All Xcom games are super replayable with the exception of Xcom 3.”
Comment from 18 Feb 2026 in “Reverse Engineering Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon for DOS from 1990” Influential foundation for a franchise
“all worked so well that it became the DNA for decades of a franchise”
Comment from 22 Aug 2026 in “The Lost Treasure of Sid Meier's Pirates” Recommended for school curriculum
“XCOM should be added to the curriculum.”
Comment from 26 Aug 2026 in “More than half of adults in U.S. say they lack basic statistical understanding”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Hit probabilities called misleading
“XCOM probabilities are lies, just like Fire Emblem.”
Comment from 26 Aug 2026 in “More than half of adults in U.S. say they lack basic statistical understanding” Pod mechanics a major blunder
“the pod mechanics are a major blunder”
Comment from 29 Aug 2026 in “Grand Theft Auto VI: An Extended Look [video]”
Other strategy games people recommend
The four most recommended other strategy games, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battle for Wesnoth | 39 | 4 | 91% | 4 | 10 yrs5 owners | Approved |
| Sid Meier's Civilization | 25 | 9 | 74% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Sid Meier's Civilization III | 20 | 10 | 67% | 3 | — | — |
| Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri | 16 | 0 | 100% | 7 | — | Approved |
| XCOMThis page | 5 | 3 | 63% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
7 of the 8 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“the pod mechanics are a major blunder”
“true for XCOM in all difficulties except the hardest iirc”
“XCOM probabilities are lies, just like Fire Emblem.”
“XCOM should be added to the curriculum.”
“all worked so well that it became the DNA for decades of a franchise”
“Some ignorant people need to play X-Com.”
“All Xcom games are super replayable with the exception of Xcom 3.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.