High temperature environments not only involve materials with excellent creep properties, but also highest oxidation resistance and chemical inertness. Transition-metal disilicides (TMSi₂) based thin films are suggested as promising candidates for novel protective coating materials used in various high-temperature applications. TMSi₂ exhibit an attractive mix of highest phase stability, reasonable mechanical properties and outstanding oxidation resistance. In this study, we investigated the role of Si on the phase formation and oxidation kinetics of sputter-deposited TMSi₂ (TM = Mo, Ta, Nb) films. The coatings were analyzed in terms of chemical composition, phase constitution, and mechanical properties (i.e. H and KIC) using diverse high-resolution characterization techniques. Moreover, the oxidation kinetics were systematically studied for all three systems at different temperature regimes up to 1400 °C. These analyses were supported by a detailed structural and morphological characterization of oxide scales formed.