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 being more turn-based options to choose from than ever before.
This is all great news for fans of XCOM and the like, but the opposite goes for those who just need a new Supreme Commander game 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, one Total War game absolutely had to make its way onto this list, and including the immense (albeit flawed) Warhammer 3 would’ve been the easy way to go. The simple fact of the matter, though, is that Warhammer 3 is not necessarily the best Total War game, and that crown should instead go to Total War: Rome 2. Straightforward, yet with plenty of variety. Challenging, but fairly so. Rome 2 encapsulates Creative Assembly’s grand strategy offerings in the best possible way.
#9: Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars brought the franchise into a new era back in the late aughts, and though some will swear that Generals: Zero Hour is the superior RTS experience, it doesn’t quite reach the heights of C&C3 in our book. Tiberium Wars is 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 for all the classic Command & Conquer games, mind.
#8: Age of Empires 4
Nobody really expected Age of Empires 4 to be as good as it ended up being. A long-time-coming follow-up to the revered AoE titles 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 that Age of Empires 4 doesn’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 2 is, one might argue, Relic Entertainment’s best real-time strategy ever. Featuring squad mechanics some might recognize from Dawn 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-Earth 2
The Battle for Middle-Earth 2 often 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 best LOTR video game made yet, both of the Middle-Earth RTS 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 the Middle-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 legendary Age of Empires 2, but after jumping back in and comparing it to Rise 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 one Command & Conquer game 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. Whereas Tiberium Wars plays into the slightly more strategic and realistic combat fantasy, Red Alert 2 throws 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 Collection is 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 of Homeworld looks, 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 that Remastered Collection comes with Steam Workshop support by default, making modding easy as pie.
#2: Starcraft 2
Is Starcraft 2 with its standalone expansion packs truly better than Starcraft: 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 2 is 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 other Starcrafts and Warcrafts for 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 reason Supreme Commander made its way to the top, though, is simple: it’s the most RTS an RTS has ever been: 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, SupCom is 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 is the ubiquitous 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 up Forged Alliance Forever and thank us later!
