The 25 Best RTS Games of All Time (2024)

Xbox Game Studios

Published Jan 26, 2024

During the early 1990s, game designer Brett Sperry uttered a phrase that is now considered a gaming lexicon. While marketing the game he was the producer of (Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty), he coined the "real-time strategy" moniker to give fans a better understanding of what his game entails. Ever since then, that sub-genre of strategy games has grown into a major pillar of PC gaming. Perhaps real-time strategy games have never quite had the most mainstream spotlight on them, but for decades now, dedicated fans of them will put up hundreds of hours into masterpieces of the genre. Below, we did our research and put together a well-rounded list of the 25 best RTS games of all time, taking into consideration influence in the genre, depth, story, and more crucial factors.

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THQ

• Developer: Forgotten Empires
• Rating: T for Teen

This 2019 remaster of the second Age of Empires game celebrated its 20^thanniversary. This game is generally considered the best in the series, but it’s debatable. This game focuses on building towns and armies to defend them. The game was a big milestone not just in its series, but in the entire RTS genre. With a huge bump in visual fidelity, the inclusion of every expansion from previous versions of this game, and the same addictive gameplay fans have come to revere, Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition deserves all of its flowers as one of the best RTS games of all time.

• Developers: SkyBox Labs, Ensemble Studios
• Rating: T for Teen

This is a quality spin-off from the Age of Empires series which draws inspiration from Greek, Egyptian, and Norse mythology as opposed to historical events. Essentially, this takes most things fans love about the mainline series and puts it in a fantasy setting. The vast array of graphical and mechanical improvements made to this classic RTS makes its battle of the gods that much more engrossing.

• Developer: Westwood Studios
• Rating: T for Teen

Like a few games on this list, a bunch of the games in this series could appear on this list, but we went with the first Red Alert. This game takes place in a parallel universe where Einstein time-traveled to prevent the rise of Hitler. Unfortunately, this means that the Soviet Union is more powerful than ever, amongst other things. Players can choose which side to fight for.

• Developer: Relic Entertainment
• Rating: M for Mature

Developed by Relic Entertainment and published by THQ, Company of Heroes is, for many people’s money, the best real-time strategy game of all time. In it, players must capture resource structures, which gives them currency that they can then use to build structures. Over time, your troops will become more senior ranking, giving them higher stats and more abilities, making them that much more valuable to you the entire way.As far as World War II-themed games go, this one gets plenty of positive callouts for being one of the best RTS games ever made.

• Developer: Paradox Development Studio
• Rating: T for Teen

Set during the Middle Ages, Crusader Kings III is a grand strategy game, which means that it’s asymmetrical and focuses on large-scale military movement. It becomes quite the addictive habit to fight for your chosen dynasty's bloodline in political and combative warfare. This game is generally a little niche, but this is still a great, accessible entry point for RTS newcomers.

• Developer: Slug Disco
• Rating: N/A

If some of the settings and tones of these games are starting to feel familiar, Empires of the Undergrowth is as unique an experience as the real-time strategy genre will offer you. You’re in command of an ant colony as you try to escape a mad scientist. Along the way, you’ll be in charge of fighting other insects and managing resources too.

• Developer: Subset Games
• Rating: E10+ for Everyone 10+

Developed by Subset Games, FTL: Faster Than Light puts players in control of a spacecraft crew that is carrying intel to be delivered to an allied fleet. All the while, players are being pursued by a rebel fleet. Death means restarting the game with a new ship and there’s a decent chance that that happens a lot, which only makes the win sweeter.

• Developer: 11 bit studios
• Rating: M for Mature

Set during a harsh volcanic winter, Frostpunk sees players build and maintain a city and make some incredibly tough decisions based on survival. It straight-up feels like more than a video game with some of the decisions and their consequences. This game's alternate history take on the 19th century and its mix of city building & RTS elements make it one of the more unique picks on this list of the best RTS games ever introduced to the sub-genre.

• Developer: Massive Entertainment
• Rating: T for Teen

Ground Control, released in 2000, was quite influential in its genre. It gives players a set number of units to utilize to beat the enemy in the most effective way possible, which makes it a fun game to advance in. If careful planning is something you value in RTS games, you’ll have fun with this one.

• Developer: Relic Entertainment
• Rating: E10+ for Everyone 10+

This game was the first to open up a third dimension of space to players, not limiting them to a 2D plane. Many believed this to be the best game of 1999 and while there is a bit of a steep learning curve and high difficulty level, the remastered version still holds up and is worthy of some unhealthy hours of playtime sessions.

• Developer: Bungie
• Rating: M for Mature

Made by the creators of Halo (Bungie), Myth: The Fallen Lords is about forces of Light fighting forces of Dark. The 3D environment means that you can destroy your prized units accidentally, along with the environment. Plot is a massive part of this game and drives all of the game’s other features.

• Developer: Shiro Games
• Rating: E10+ for Everyone 10+

Norse mythology is a popular direction for games to go and Northgard follows suit. If you’re a fan of the combat mechanics emphasized in real-time strategy games with mythological themes, you’ll be happy here, but the emphasis is put on resource management and making sure that your population is surviving and thriving.

• Developers: Big Huge Games, Westlake Interactive
• Rating: T for Teen

This game was certainly inspired by the early Age of Empires games, but it did such a good job of building upon those foundations, that it ended up influencing the fourth Age of Empires game itself. The game takes place throughout pretty much the entirety of history, from the ancient era to the modern age. Rise of Nations also ushered in features like territory and attrition, which were present in turn-based strategy games at the time. Be sure to take the plunge on the Extended Edition of this game as it comes with improved visuals and ranked multiplayer matches.

• Developer: Creative Assembly
• Rating: T for Teen

Taking place from 270 BC to 14 AD, Rome: Total War lets armchair commanders play out the fall of the Republican period and the rise of the imperial period of Ancient Rome. This game is widely considered the best in the Total War series. It combines real-time strategy with turn-based mechanics, so you get the best of both worlds. The remastered version of this classic selection is the one that'll quickly convince you of the original game's placement on this list of the best RTS games of all time.

• Developer: Firaxis Games
• Rating: E for Everyone

Taking place during the Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War, players can choose to either control Confederate or Union troops. When it came out in ’97, it set a new bar for historical simulation games and real-time strategy games.

• Developers: Ironclad Games, Stardock Entertainment
• Rating: T for Teen

Sins of a Solar Empire has previously been called an "RT4X," a combination of the real-time strategy and 4X genres. It tasks players with conquering star systems and you’ll often genuinely feel like you could be in space with how large-scale everything is, Rebellion was actually the third expansion pack for the game, but also offered an updated graphical engine in addition to new content. There are also fun Star Wars and Star Trek conversion mods on offer that make all the interplanetary gameplay even more engrossing.

• Developers: Blizzard Entertainment, Saffire
• Rating: T for Teen

Even if you’re somewhat new to the RTS genre, the twists and turns in the story of StarCraft will keep you intrigued and make for a great introduction to the genre. Even the expansion packs that came in the same year of release added great depth to the game. It’s set in the 25^thcentury where three intelligent species fight for dominance. As you've probably come to expect after checking out some of the other entries on this list of the best RTS games, Starcraft has been remastered and improved to a high degree befitting of its storied legacy.

• Developer: Eugen Systems
• Rating: N/A

Released in 2019, Steel Division 2 is another RTS game set in the Second World War, but it stands out from the bunch with its tone and scale. The sheer variety on offer with units is enough to blow the most hardcore of real-time strategy fans away.

• Developer: Paradox Development Studio
• Rating: E10+ for Everyone 10+

Stellaris asks players to take control of an interstellar civilization while exploring and colonizing. When confronted with other civilizations, you can choose to trade, engage in diplomacy, or go to war with them. If you like details and being rewarded for spending dozens of hours in a game, this is perfect for you.

• Developer: Gas Powered Games
• Rating: E10+ for Everyone 10+

Supreme Commander is considered a spiritual successor to Total Annihilation, which appears later on this list. You start with a single Armored Command Unit and will expand exponentially from there. What’s great about this is there’s a split-screen mode that supports multiple monitors.

• Developer: Electronic Arts
• Rating: T for Teen

It should go without saying that for fans of The Lord of the Rings and RTS games, the Battle for Middle-earth games are must-play. A little under 20 years ago, the idea of great LOTR RTS games was unfathomable, but EA did an incredible job of capturing the scale and straight-up epic action of the movies.

• Developer: Cavedog Entertainment
• Rating: T for Teen

Released in 1997, unfortunately, this game is no longer officially supported, but it deserves a mention as one of the best real-time strategy games of all time regardless. It’s hard to overstate how ahead of its time Total Annihilation was. It marked the first time that a real-time strategy game had 3D models moving across a 3D map, which meant that there was an entirely new dimension to consider in strategy. It also took velocity into account.

• Developer: Blizzard Entertainment
• Rating: T for Teen

The pressure was on for Blizzard Entertainment who had already produced great Warcraft games before this (along with the aforementioned StarCraft game) and had high expectations for the third main entry in the series. They knocked it out of the park, incorporating great features from the RPG genre like leveling up and equipping items with abilities, which is seen as pioneering amongst real-time strategy games.

• Developer: Eugen Systems
• Rating: T for Teen

Developed by Eugen Systems, Wargame: Red Dragon is set in the Cold War from an alternate history where the Soviet Union didn’t collapse. This game offers great depth and is easy to sink dozens of hours into, especially if you can appreciate the way the genre has evolved over the decades.

• Developer: Relic Entertainment
• Rating: M for Mature

This game asks players to not only focus on combat in real-time but unit management and a great overall balance. For real-time strategy players who value large-scale battles, it’s tough to go wrong here. Everything here is about balance so while you can now do things like put a focus on cover, there’s emphasis on destroying cover too. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II marks another high point for the franchise's video game adaptation efforts and is recognized by many as worthy of being called one of the best RTS games ever created.