The broader genre of strategy games has undergone some major shifts over the past two decades or so. Whereas real-time strategy used to be the premiere option for the discerning PC gamer, the pendulum has swung, with there beingmore turn-based options to choose fromthan ever before.
This is all great news for fans ofXCOMand the like, but the opposite goes for those who just need a newSupreme Commandergame in their lives: there are so few modern RTS titles coming out that it’s almost comical!
Setting aside the obvious issue of a severely underserved genre, then, we’ve been able to come up with a list of real-time strategy games you’re absolutely, positively going to want to check out if you haven’t done so yet. And, if you’re an RTS veteran, then this list might give you an idea of what you ought to be reinstalling next.
Top 10 best real-time strategy games
#10:Total War: Rome 2
Obviously, oneTotal Wargame absolutely had to make its way onto this list, and including the immense (albeit flawed)Warhammer 3would’ve been the easy way to go. The simple fact of the matter, though, is thatWarhammer 3is not necessarily the bestTotal Wargame, and that crown should instead go toTotal War: Rome 2. Straightforward, yet with plenty of variety. Challenging, but fairly so.Rome 2encapsulates Creative Assembly’s grand strategy offerings in the best possible way.
#9:Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Warsbrought the franchise into a new era back in the late aughts, and though some will swear thatGenerals: Zero Houris the superior RTS experience, it doesn’t quite reach the heights ofC&C3in our book.Tiberium Warsis snappy, precise, and fun no matter what your gameplay style might be, and it remains a great experience in both solo and multiplayer modes. The same cannot be said forallthe classicCommand & Conquergames, mind.
#8:Age of Empires 4
NobodyreallyexpectedAge of Empires 4to be as good as it ended up being. A long-time-coming follow-up to the reveredAoEtitles of old, this newcomer is, in fact, a phenomenal RTS. It is also the newest game on this list, having come out back in 2021! Some might feel thatAge of Empires 4doesn’t take enough chances to push the genre forward, but the simple truth is that real-time strategies are too rare to complain when an awesome new one comes out.
#7:Company of Heroes 2
Company of Heroes 2is, one might argue, Relic Entertainment’s best real-time strategy ever. Featuring squad mechanics some might recognize fromDawn of War 2, this WW2 RTS successfully eked out its own niche in a genre that was obsessed with huge armies for the longest time. This refocusing worked, too, as the game feels fresh and exciting even today. Expect a slower pace and a heavy emphasis on unit placement: no room for Zerg tactics here.
#6:The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth2
The Battle for Middle-Earth 2often gets overlooked when discussing the more mainstream RTS titles, but it remains one of the finest genre examples we’ve seen yet. Impeccably balanced and, perhaps, the bestLOTRvideo game made yet, both of theMiddle-EarthRTS titles serve as a testament to what can be done with the licence. Will they ever be remastered? We don’t know, but at least theMiddle-Earth 2‘s modding scene is alive and well. If you can grab a copy of the game in the first place, of course.
#5:Rise of Nations
This spot was, at first, dedicated to the legendaryAge of Empires 2, but after jumping back in and comparing it toRise of Nations,we discovered that the latter is straight-up a superior version of the former in almost every way. It features less tedium and far superior combat (that goes up to modern-day implements, mind!), and our impression is that it simply goes under the radar for many RTS fans. This will, hopefully, push it back into the limelight.
#4:Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2
Much as is the case with Blizzard’s RTS offerings, choosing just oneCommand & Conquergame for a top 10 list is a really difficult task. So we didn’t: we included two, each catering to a slightly different type of player. WhereasTiberium Warsplays into theslightlymore strategic and realistic combat fantasy,Red Alert 2throws caution into the wind and goes insane with possibilities. Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 is an iconic RTS for good reason, and a part of that good reason are all the chrono troopers and Tesla coils.
#3:Homeworld: Remastered Collection
Homeworld: Remastered Collectionis only relatively modern in the context of the industry, but it’s still way newer than the majority of games on this list. This version ofHomeworldlooks, plays, and runs great, and it celebrates the space RTS niche in a very authentic manner, all the while behaving like something way newer. The really cool bit is thatRemastered Collectioncomes with Steam Workshop support by default, making modding easy as pie.
#2:Starcraft 2
IsStarcraft 2with its standalone expansion packs truly better thanStarcraft: Brood War? It’s a discussion that just will not end anytime soon, but in our book, it is. Blizzard’s classic RTS titles could easily make for 50% of this list on their own, but we ended up deciding to conglomerate them all into just one entry to keep it interesting.Starcraft 2is crisp, fun, and competitive, and it does justice to the franchise’s pedigree. That is, perhaps, the game’s most important feature in the context of the modern RTS scene, and helped elevate it beyond otherStarcraftsandWarcraftsfor our list.
#1:Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance
Choosing the best RTS to play in this day and age was always going to be a ridiculously tall task, and one that’s bound to be contested for times to come. The reasonSupreme Commandermade its way to the top, though, is simple: it’s the most RTS an RTS haseverbeen: a game about building an army of bots so ridiculously large that they stomp through an entire continent just to take down an opposing army of bots. Perhaps more importantly, though,SupComis still alive and well, with a small but dedicated community of players and modders keeping its spirit trucking. It’s a joy to play for genre fans, and it istheubiquitous RTS experience no matter one’s taste. We cannot recommend it enough and, honestly, it simply has not been topped since it first came out, back in 2007.Look upForged Alliance Foreverand thank us later!
