10 best rts games

However, when conflict does happen, the game switches to a real-time strategy game as the player takes command of entire armies and sends them to bloody battle. With the complete edition, players get all three game packs and 11 DLC.

That means you will have plenty of content to play and replay, which is what makes Shogun 2 so appealing. Vikings are all the rage in video games these days, so it is no surprise that one of the best RTS games in recent memories has a Viking theme to it. The game plays like a usual RTS. You take control of a Viking clan, gather resources to expand your units and buildings, and do your best to survive the onslaught of the enemy AI.

However, while Northgard is heavily rooted in the classic traditions of Warcraft III and the like, it also makes its own innovations to stand out and even rise up over its predecessors. For one, players must consider the seasons in their expansion efforts. Winters in Northgard are harsh and unforgiving, and not properly preparing can be disaster out for your campaign.

Units can take on multiple roles, switching from army units to workers to farmers on the fly, making the game flexible enough to maximize player resources, which you will need to do to survive. Players can also expand their lore to create warmer clothes, better weapons, and so on to even the odds.

Northgard also has a unique resource called fame, which is accumulated by deeds you do throughout the game. The plot is a bit underwhelming, though, however the overall package is more than enough to compensate that. Real time strategy RTS games are exactly what they sound like. In the s, strategy games were usually turn-based. However, heading into the s with improved AI, it became possible for players and the game to operate at the same time. RTS games usually revolve around building structures, upgrading troops, and maneuvering strategically to defeat an AI opponent doing the same thing.

However, there are plenty of variants on that, with some focusing exclusively on combat, some focusing on construction and management, and others involving politics as well as battle. In this period, we got the Warcraft series and Command and Conquer , as well as another pivotal title in Total Annihilation.

These games would go on to set the standard for the genre for years to come, and many of them are still looked upon fondly as you can see in our list. Classic titles like Warcraft and Command and Conquer hold a special place for many people, but the transition into 3D is when the franchise really came into its own.

In the s and into the early s, gamers saw some of the most iconic franchises of the genre. Popular titles like Sim City also came into prominence and fulfilled many of the needs of the micro-managers of the genre. However, there are massively popular titles whose roots are based on real time strategy.

Games like Dota 2 and League of Legends draw elements from this genre and combine it with role-playing and action titles. If you're looking to get into the RTS genre, the titles above will certainly help you get started in that journey. We hope you like the items we recommend! CBR has affiliate partnerships, so we receive a share of the revenue from your purchase. Premium pick. Warcraft III Battlechest. Editors choice.

Starcraft II. Best value. Supreme Commander. Summary List 9. Editors choice: Starcraft II 9. Best value: Supreme Commander 9. Company of Heroes 2 8. Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War 9. Total Annihilation 9. Total War: Shogun 2 9. Northgard View All. See on amazon. Read More. Key Features Lengthy single-player campaign Multiplayer servers across the globe Three distinct factions to play. Pros Multiplayer is still alive and well Includes a robust and engaging campaign Great animation, especially for the time.

Cons New players will likely get owned in multiplayer matches. Buy This Product. Key Features Lengthy and lore heavy campaign Four playable factions Powerful hero units. Pros Introduced genre staples like creeps and heroes Story is engaging and packed with details for fans Still plays surprisingly well.

Cons Graphics are a bit dated, but remaster is underwhelming. Unfortunately, Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance has not aged well. Performance on modern systems is bumpy and resembles a slideshow more than a smoothly executed battle plan. With this style of RTS having largely fallen out of favor, fans may have to hope for someone putting on a remastered version at some point. As the successor to the immensely popular Warcraft 2, Reign of Chaos had huge shoes to fill — and mastered this task with flying colors.

The included editor could not only spit out exciting multiplayer maps, but create fun and complex minigames. The entire MOBA genre as well as many classic tower defense games have been refined in Warcraft 3 before standing on their own feet.

The title also has a long and successful tradition as an esports discipline that continues to this day. Warcraft 3 stands out for its focus on micromanagement, with battles being able to last minutes before even one unit falls, and a minimized economic component — yet the classic construction of bases and workers gathering resources is still present here. The release of the Reforged version was unfortunately a disaster, but even in its original form, Warcraft 3 is still a very fun title with an active community today.

The release of Total Annihilation was a technical quantum leap for the RTS genre: for the first time, 3D models moved across a 3D map and verticality mattered. Not only did projectiles have to be fired over structures or hills, their ballistics had to be taken into account so that they actually hit their targets. Units could be controlled individually or in groups, and there were different commands, such as attack and patrol.

Chief developer Chris Taylor was later in charge of Supreme Commander , where he further developed the perspective ideas of Total Annihilation.

With Supreme Commander and the more recent Planetary Annihilation it has received spiritual successors, but Total Annihilation did not become a cornerstone of a popular series despite its huge importance. Today, Wargaming owns the rights to the brand — so far, nothing has come of it. Instead, small groups of units and vehicles must be controlled to capture and hold nodes on the map, which in turn generate income. These troops earn veterancy levels over time, which give them additional abilities or stats.

With Age of Empires IV , a modern entry in the long-standing series was released in , but Age of Empires II in its Definitive Edition is still considered the king of this series for the time being. The game, which seems gigantic after countless expansions, offers a multitude of campaigns and still boasts an active multiplayer and esports community, which has experienced a late heyday, especially in the past year.

Getting started is difficult, but with the Art of War missions, Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition offers by far the best multiplayer tutorial of the entire genre. Players are not shown basics like camera controls, but real build orders and principles from the multiplayer ladder.

Age of Empires has been a long-running and popular franchise, especially for fans of the RTS genre. It follows various cultures throughout history and has the player managing everything as they rise to the pinnacle of their empires. Age of Empires IV is the most recent installment of the series, and it really outdoes itself. The mechanics are less buggy, the UI is easier to handle, and there are fewer loopholes for the AI to cheat. Not to mention, it's a lot prettier while still feeling like an Age of Empires game.

This is essentially the successor to the classic Caesar games , which are favorites of old RTS city-builder fans. Like its predecessors, this has an ancient Roman setting where the player has to build cities, manage resources, and go through events and areas present in the ancient world. It's fixed some of the old issues, enhanced the gameplay, and streamlined the UI enough that it still feels like the old games while living up to more modern sensibilities.

Shadow Tactics: Blade of the Shogun is a unique RTS game in the sense that instead of micromanaging a huge force of people, the player can only micromanage the actions of a small group of them. They can use them to lead, command, and progress throughout the story in a way that gets the player deeply invested in their different styles and goals. Just because the player doesn't get to be as godly as in most other RTS games doesn't mean this one is easier.

It just has a more grounded story with more set goals than many other ones, which makes it definitely worth the playtime that goes into it. Ancestors Legacy is a more recent release of a squad-based RTS that allows the player to pick from four historical factions in medieval European history. It's a story-driven game with competitive multiplayer that takes heavy inspiration from real-world history and thus has a lot of realistic warring to go along with it.

It has even won an award for best of show and multiple nominations, one of which is for its stellar soundtrack. It's a great game for gamers new to the genre or RTS fans wanting something more story-driven and less painstakingly micromanaging.

It's relatively straightforward and easy to get through for more seasoned players, but it still has enough to keep quite a bit of entertainment going for hours. Age of Mythology is an old spinoff of the Age of Empires series that focuses on the mythological side of history.