There is quite a selection of pretty decent RTS games out there by now. Don’t waste your time wading through a sea of poop to find a new one that fulfils your expectations for a good strategy game.
Here is a list of arguably the best RTS games currently available, so make haste and find a title that tickles your frontal lobe.
20. They Are Billions
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They are Billions
The zombie apocalypse has happened. It’s up to you to lead humanity out of the darkness and into a new age, but the horde won’t make it easy. This steampunk style strategy is set in the distant future, you must build and manage colonies while struggling to survive against billions of infected.
What makes They Are Billions awesome:
A campaign mode with over forty-eight missions.
Explore fortresses from the ancient world with your Hero.
A fast paced, addictive survival mode on a randomly generated map. A weekly challenge will let you compare scores with other players.
19. Company of Heroes 2
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Company of Heroes 2
One of the best RTS titles out there, tactics determine who wins the day in this WWII strategy masterpiece. The trademark TrueSight system emulates units line of sight and the cover system will aid strategically placed system.
What makes Company of Heroes 2 awesome:
A gritty single player campaign will help you hone your skills before you end up knee deep in online matches against skilled players
Essence Engine 3.0, responsible for the amazing TrueSight system and now also the ColdTech dynamic weather system.
Not one, not two, but three expansion packs. One single player and two online DLC’s adding new forces including the British, United States and Oberkommando West
18. Ultimate General: Civil War
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Ultimate General: Civil War
One of the bloodiest periods in U.S. history comes to your fingertips as you navigate the historic battles of the American Civil War. Each battle will determine your responsibilities in the next one, so be smart, General.
What makes Ultimate General: Civil War awesome:
A bevy of massive battles that really took place and over forty seven smaller scale battles.
Officer progression, if you lose your men, you could end up being forced to resign. On the other hand, keep your officers alive and become a legend.
Historical weapons, from mass produced Enfield rifles to rarer weapons that can only be gained from raiding the enemy.
17. Sins of Solar Empire: Rebellion
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Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion
From the award winning RTS original comes this fantastic standalone DLC. Take command and head up the greatest space faring solar empire the galaxy has ever seen. Will you choose the rebels or remain a loyalist as you explore, expand, exploit and exterminate.
What makes Sins of Solar Empire: Rebellion awesome:
New classes of space ships, including Titan Class Warships, Capital ships and Corvette Class ships.
Updated visual effects means better graphics, particle effects and lighting and shadows that will rock your world.
There are a lot more ways to skin a cat now – Military, Diplomatic, Research, Last Flagship Standing, Last Capital Standing and Occupation are all ways to win a battle.
16. AI War 2
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AI War 2
AI has taken over the galaxy, but they made one mistake… underestimating you! I mean look at you, you’re one tough cookie! Steal technology to fortify your bases and take back the galaxy one battle at a time. It won’t be in your best interest to go in guns blazing in this one though, knowing where not to attack is just as important as knowing where to attack.
What makes AI War 2 awesome:
There are mercenaries to hire, factions to ally with and capturing or hacking targets is just as important as destroying them.
They’ve trimmed the fat off this one, repetitive boring tasks have been automated or streamlined and there are more customizable options.
A challenging learning curve, that once mastered will yield a top notch RTS experience.
15. Stronghold Crusader HD
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Stronghold Crusader HD
The revamped follow up to the best-selling classic Stronghold puts you in the hot seat of the Crusades. Plan and fight your way through historic battles and castle sieges from one of the bloodiest periods of human history. You will see both sides of the coins as you lead the Crusades then fight for freedom as a Sultan.
What makes Stronghold Crusader HD awesome:
Four historical campaigns as both Crusaders and Saladin’s freedom fighters
View the entire battlefield on one screen
100 unique skirmish missions
14. Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun
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Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun
The aim is to eliminate conspirators and rebels, stealthily of course. Control five specialist Shogun with extraordinary skills to assassinate, sabotage and pull off espionage all without being detected. It will remind you of another awesome game, Commando’s, except this time you are the legendary samurai.
What makes Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun awesome:
Play as five completely different characters each with a unique set of deadly skills
Multiple ways to take down opponents keeps it interesting, tactics are imperative.
There will be blood, lots of blood!
13. Dawn of War 2
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WarHammer: Dawn of War 2
The fourth instalment by Relic in the epic Warhammer 40,000 series brings on the action tenfold from its legendary starting point. Choose your race and take to the brutal frontlines of battle in this fast paced RTS game, keep your squads alive and watch them go from green recruits to ruthless battle hardened veterans who never say die.
What make Dawn of War 2 awesome:
A non-linear single player campaign that turns the traditional story mode on its head
Play through the campaign co-op with a friend, a feature not usually seen in RTS games.
Much like StarCraft, some cinematic visuals that are just top drawer.
12. Planetary Annihilation: TITANS
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Planetary Annihilation: Titans
Titans is a standalone expansion from the already colossal Planetary Annihilation. RTS just got insane with five new massive Titan-class units that will obliterate anything that gets in their way. If the titan isn’t your thing, well hey, just demolish the entire planet with a super weapon.
What makes Planetary Annihilation: TITANS awesome:
Sixteen new units are available in the DLC, including a killer nano-robot swarm!
Multiplayer on a Titan scale; play with up to ten friends in a free for all skirmish.
There is a planet splitting Ragnarok Titan, enough said.
11. Dungeons 3
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Dungeons 3
That pesky old Dungeon Lord has gone and done it. He managed to unite the forces of evil and has only one thing on his mind, expansion. If you’re expecting it to be up to you to stop him, you’ve got it wrong friend! Command the forces of evil under new dark elf lieutenant Thalya and obliterate the overworld once and for all.
What makes Dungeons 3 awesome:
Command a legion of the scariest creatures in the supernatural world such as succubae, orcs and so much more.
Use your army of darkness to destroy anything even remotely heroic, even a bunny in a tunic goes down, hard.
Every level is randomly generated so no two sessions are the same.
10. Age of Mythology
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Age of Mythology
From the creators of the greatest RTS ever made, comes yet another epic title. Heroes will do battle with legendary monsters and the Gods will interfere in those battles. Bolster your forces with powerful Minotaurs or Anubite’s that leap into the fray wielding dual sickles!
What makes Age of Mythology awesome:
Everything. Specifically though, the extended edition includes Age of Titans, which aside from new units and an extended campaigns introduces the Gods unwanted offspring, the Titans!
The Golden Gift, an additional expansion campaign that will follow two beloved heroes from the original game, Brokk and Eitri as they attempt to thwart a familiar villain.
It has everything you loved about Age of Empires, and then some.
9.
Star Wars: Empire at War
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Starwars: Empire at War
Don’t even kid yourself, if you haven’t played this game it’s only because you didn’t know there was a Star Wars RTS. So, who will you command, the Rebellion or the Empire? Hold on though, you can choose to rule the StarWars Underworld instead!
What makes StarWars: Empire at War awesome:
It’s a RTS that take place in the Star Wars universe.
Command a multitude of units, from ground troops to starships. Oh, and let’s not forget, the Death Star!
Command the heroes of the franchise, Luke Skywalker, Bobba Fett and the big baddie himself, Darth Vader.
8. Blitzkrieg 3
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Blitzkrieg 3
A WWII strategy game for anyone looking for a challenge. Strategic mastery is the name of the game in Blitzkrieg 3. With over two hundred units and so many tactics you’ll be scratching your head, hours of emersion await.
What makes Blitzkrieg 3 awesome:
The AI goes by Boris, and he thinks and acts like Boris. Good luck.
Legendary battles including D-Day, El Alamein and Stalingrad.
Tactical advantages like weather, terrain and viewing range are more vital than any WWII RTS before.
7. Men of War: Assault Squad 2
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Men of War: Assault Squad 2
Sticking with WWII comes another great title that boasts an impressive multiplayer facet. From 1v1 up to 8v8, huge maps make for a spectacular spectacle of battle. The single player campaign is also impressive with explosive tank combat missions to covert sniper missions.
What makes Men of War: Assault Squad 2 awesome:
Every unit can be directly controlled in a third person shooter-esque style.
A bevy of content including sixty five multiplayer maps, 250 unique vehicles, 200 unique soldiers and five factions.
You have to take care selecting camouflage, the seasons are changing
6. Wargame: Red Dragon
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Wargame: Red Dragon
The latest and possibly final instalment in the Wargame series is a modern warfare RTS extravaganza! Get behind the power of the West and put a stop to those Commie sob’s, or visa versa, whatever floats your boat, as long as it sinks the enemies.
What makes Wargame: Red Dragon awesome:
Seventeen nations to choose from, including Japan, New Zealand and South Korea.
Seventeen nations means a lot of different units, and these guys and girls have delivered in fine fashion with over 1 450 units all meticulously reproduced from their source.
We’ve had some high PvP multiplayer counts on this list, but this one tops the cake. Up to twenty players can compete simultaneously!
5. Call to Arms
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Call to Arms
A RTS with a nice twist! In this game you will switch between an innovative mix of traditional RTS, third person and first person modern warfare combat scenarios. This game has a free to play version on Steam because the developers are nothing short of awesome. If you enjoy the style of the game, you can upgrade to the version of your choosing.
What makes Call to Arms awesome:
The basic version has a ton of user generated content, not to mention you can create your own custom content as you mod your game from the ground up.
The deluxe edition comprises of the single player allied campaign.
The ultimate edition has everything above, the German Army DLC, the Russian Army DLC and new single player campaigns to go with each.
4. SpellForce 3
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SpellForce 3
And the ball just keeps on rolling, how about a blend of RTS and RPG? The year is 518, the Mage Wars are over thanks to the Crown but at great cost. Create a hero, assemble a party, level them up but you also have to create an economy, raise an army and lead it into battle.
What makes SpellForce 3 awesome:
A visually superb masterpiece.
A 30+ hour campaign with a rich story that can be enjoyed in co-op with friends.
Focus on levelling up your hero and assembling the perfect war party, then play the war in the most strategic way possible, using terrain, troop formations, scouting and all the other awesome RTS elements.
3. Ancestors Legacy
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Ancestors Legacy
It seems like there was only one way to solve conflict between nations during medieval times, they went to war. The coolest thing about a medieval RTS, you get to lead the Vikings! Oh and there’s the Anglo-Saxon, German and Slav nations if that’s your thing.
What makes Ancestors Legacy awesome:
Lead an army of Vikings!
The rendering was done using Unreal 4 tech, which means fantastic detail.
A cinematic action camera accessible with the push of the button that will drop you right into the middle of the bloodshed.
2. StarCraft Remastered
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Starcraft
The Godfather of Strategy games. There is not much that can be said about this awesome title that you have already read, but just in case you’ve been living under a rock. Play this game. Choose between three incredibly rich story campaigns; Protoss, Terrain or Zerg and help them achieve redemption in an incredible intergalactic war of the ages.
What makes StarCraft Remastered awesome:
The Remastered edition is a breath of fresh air, bringing a classic game from the 90’s right into today (I mean just look at the screenshot above, so purdy).
There is a very good balance between the three factions
The game is still incredibly popular, so Blizzard keeps putting out patches, tournament modes and expansions.
1. StarCraft 2
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Starcraft 2
The sequel to the arguably unmatched original bring a fresh new campaign, units and banging new storyline. If you played the original, you won’t want to miss this one. It’s time to conquer the galaxy yet again.
What makes StarCraft 2 awesome:
Team up with a friend for intense Co-Op missions to upgrade your commander
Versus mode matches you with online players in the same skill category, go climb that ladder.
It’s free to play, up to a point of course, from the games web page, enough said!
A vagabond hailing from faraway South Africa, my playstation and a bag of salt & vinegar chips are always calling. When not procrastinating on the playstation, I'm writing, or working off the chips
Gamer Since:
1999
Favorite Genre:
FPS
Currently Playing:
Red Dead Redemption 2
Top 3 Favorite Games:
Fallout 3: Broken Steel, Fallout: New Vegas, Grand Theft Auto V
