We Love It's Guide to…
Lead DEA agents or cartel crews through turn-based squad missions, with class roles, upgrades, and reactive gunfights.
Released 19 Nov 2019
Play Both Campaigns
Fight as DEA
Build the Cartel
Narcos: Rise of the Cartels is a brutal turn-based action strategy game based on the hit Netflix TV series. Explore the entire first season from two sides each with their own unique story. Join the narcos and expand the drug cartel empire, or take up arms with the DEA and bring it crumbling down
Developed by Kuju · Published by Curve Games









Set in 1980s Colombia, the game follows the conflict portrayed in the first season of Narcos. Players choose a campaign as the DEA, working to bring down the cartel, or as the Narcos, helping it grow.
Players assemble squads from class-specific roles and fight through mission maps in turn-based combat. Units can move and take actions such as attacking, reloading, healing, or using skills.
Recognizable characters serve as leaders with distinct abilities and perks. Counterattacks and direct-control kill shots add reactive combat, while campaign rewards support recruiting, treating injured units, and upgrading skills.
Some reviewers appreciated the series atmosphere, the chance to play both sides, and the range of missions. Several others criticized the limited tactical choices and the way combat often centers on moving one unit at a time; complaints also included repetitive encounters and similar-feeling campaigns.
| Platforms | Windows |
|---|---|
| Achievements | 34 |
| Age ratings |
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| Controller support | Xbox |
| Controller required | No |
| Content notices |
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| Metacritic | 45/100 View on Metacritic |
| Website | Official website |