Opinions on real time strategy games have been changing for many years. Some consider it the best genre ever, while others perceive it as a thorn in the side. Well, this subject can arouse intense emotions. And what is happening with the RTS today?
The 1990s are gone for good, but their legacy of many video game genres remains with us to this day. Including the RTS. Always in opposition to turn-based strategies and forcing the player to combine tactics with a rush. Exciting, suspenseful, and full of twists! Are you a fan of real-time PC strategy video games? Welcome to the list of the best and newest RTS games of recent years!
| Game | Release | Genre | Developer | Video | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | StarCraft 2: Battle Chest | 2010-07-27 | Strategy | Blizzard Entertainment | |
 | Supreme Commander Forged Alliance | 2011-09-28 | Real Time Strategy (RTS) & Strategy | Gas Powered Games | |
 | Northgard | 2017-02-22 | Real Time Strategy (RTS) & Indie | Shiro Games | |
 | Company of Heroes 2 | 2013-06-25 | Strategy & Real Time Strategy (RTS) | Feral Interactive (Linux) | |
 | Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition | 2021-10-28 | Real Time Strategy (RTS) & Strategy | Relic Entertainment | |
 | Warcraft 3: Reign Of Chaos | 2002-07-03 | Strategy & Real Time Strategy (RTS) | Blizzard Entertainment | |
 | Ashes Of The Singularity | 2016-11-10 | Indie & Strategy | Stardock | |
 | Homeworld Deserts Of Kharak | 2016-01-20 | Real Time Strategy (RTS) & Strategy | Blackbird Interactive | |
 | Total Annihilation Commander Pack | 2010-08-17 | Strategy & Real Time Strategy (RTS) | Cavedog Entertainment | |
 | Age Of Mythology Retold | 2024-08-28 | Real Time Strategy (RTS) & Strategy | World's Edge | |
 | Age of Mythology Extended Edition | 2014-05-08 | Real Time Strategy (RTS) & Strategy | Ensemble Studios | |
 | Command & Conquer Remastered Collection | 2020-06-05 | Real-Time Strategy (RTS) | Petroglyph Games Inc | |
 | STAR WARS Galactic Battlegrounds Saga | 2001-11-09 | Real Time Strategy (RTS) & Strategy | Ensemble Studios | |
 | Iron Harvest | 2020-09-01 | Strategy & Real Time Strategy (RTS) | KING Art Games | |
 | Battlefleet Gothic Armada | 2016-04-21 | Tactical & Real Time Strategy (RTS) | Tindalos Interactive |
Frostpunk 2
| Release date: | 2024-09-20 |
| Genre: | Strategy & Simulator & Indie |
| Developer: | 11 bit studios |
While Frostpunk 2 isn’t a full-blown RTS game, it does involve genre traits like the ever-changing passage of time and an evolving society. Plus, it’s one of the most engaging recommendations on this list!
Frostpunk 2 expands on its predecessor with a larger area and a voting system in the Council Hall. You’re no longer the sole ruler of an ever-evolving society – your job is to convince rival factions to support your cause. That, ultimately, becomes even more challenging, considering the apocalyptic winter never lets up.
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Starcraft + Remastered
| Release date: | 2017-08-14 |
| Genre: | Real Time Strategy (RTS) & Strategy |
| Developer: | Blizzard Entertainment |
It is a renewed version of the legendary strategy game from 1998, released in 2017 by Blizzard Entertainment. Travel to the distant future and face fierce competition in single player or online gameplay!
Choose from three playable factions: Protoss, Zerg, or Terran. Each of them has different skills and development speed in a given field. Gather resources, engage in base building, expand your army, and fight for supremacy in the galaxy. The developers made only some graphical improvements, offering players the same playstyle that we have come to love over the years.
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Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance
| Release date: | 2011-09-28 |
| Genre: | Real Time Strategy (RTS) & Strategy |
| Developer: | Gas Powered Games |
A 2007 independent expansion pack for a Supreme Commander video game. See a brand-new campaign, an additional playable race, fresh maps, and even more combat units.
The invasion of the mighty alien race threatens all humanity. To defeat the enemy, already existing factions must prepare a new plan to resist the invader. Try over a hundred new units, plan extensive combat tactics, and direct your troops into the ultimate war against the most powerful of the enemies. The fate of all mankind lies in your hands!
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Command and Conquer: Remastered
| Release date: | 2020-06-05 |
| Genre: | Real Time Strategy (RTS) |
| Developer: | Petroglyph Games Inc |
It’s a remake of one of the first RTS games in history. Play classic gameplay in a new audiovisual setting and conquer!
Decide on one of the factions and compete for influence on the map of Europe. Valuable resources are the cause of more and more intense conflicts, and influential organizations will do anything to obtain them at any cost. Stand in the race for economic and military domination, build a base, take over your neighbors’ land, and show no mercy.
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Northgard
| Release date: | 2017-02-22 |
| Genre: | Real Time Strategy (RTS) & Role-playing (RPG) & Simulator & Strategy & Turn-based strategy (TBS) & Indie |
| Developer: | Shiro Games |
A real-time strategy video game from 2018, set in the world of Norse mythology. Become a legend of Scandinavian stories and lead your clan to victory!
Immerse in the plot of the main storyline and find your father’s killer. Be one of the first to land in the mythical land of Northgard and claim its riches for you and your clan. Battle other clans, fight mythical beasts, collect resources, and expand your settlement. Be the first and only ruler of Northgard!
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Company of Heroes
| Release date: | 2006-09-11 |
| Genre: | Real Time Strategy (RTS) & Strategy |
| Developer: | Relic Entertainment |
A recommendation for fans of video games set in the turbulent times of World War II. Would you like to take an active part in Operation Overlord on the Normandy coast? This RTS is the game for you.
Watch a story campaign as you lead American troops through the coast of occupied France. Collect resources and expand the base, but most of all focus on fighting the enemy. And this battle will be realistic! Company of Heroes is all about road damage, explosions, bullet rains, and the dramatic comrades’ death. Will you have the courage to win this battle?
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Age of Empires 4
| Release date: | 2021-10-28 |
| Genre: | Real Time Strategy (RTS) & Strategy |
| Developer: | Relic Entertainment |
The fourth installment in the legendary strategy series, released in 2021 by Relic Entertainment. Take part in the most thrilling historical battles and lead the most powerful armies yourself!
Select one of the great nations and direct its actions on the map. Examine the unique qualities of each faction and use them both in the economy game and on the battlefield. Build siege machines, take over enemy lands, and use the terrain shape to gain an advantage over your enemy. Age of Empires 4 is not only an excellent RTS – it is the fate of the entire Middle Ages in your hands!
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Warcraft 3 + Reforged
| Release date: | 2002-07-03 / 2020-01-28 |
| Genre: | Strategy & Real Time Strategy (RTS) |
| Developer: | Blizzard Entertainment |
It’s the 2020 remastered version of Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos. Travel to the fantasy realm of Azeroth, where the most influential races will confront each other in the final battle.
Choose from four races and forge your legend in the epic world of Azeroth. Build constructions, collect resources, assemble units, and accept the challenge! All this in modern and improved graphics that will show you the history of the land like never before. Discover the stories of the most famous heroes and try new game modes. It’s a real-time strategy classic in a completely new edition.
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Ashes of The Singularity
| Release date: | 2016-11-10 |
| Genre: | Real Time Strategy (RTS) & Simulator & Strategy & Indie |
| Developer: | Stardock |
It’s a strategic sci-fi game from 2016, the action of which takes place in the distant future. Discover humanity’s destiny and its place in the galaxy during the ultimate fight for survival.
Technology sparked development but also some changes. Humans abandoned their fragile bodies to conquer space and transfer consciousness inside computers. As it turns out, a powerful artificial intelligence produced its own race during this time. Will both species be able to live in harmony? See for yourself! Embark on a war like a galaxy has not yet experienced. Establish your empire and eliminate the enemy once and for all.
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Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds
| Release date: | 2001-11-09 |
| Genre: | Real Time Strategy (RTS) & Strategy |
| Developer: | Ensemble Studios |
An exciting strategic video game for every RTS and Star Wars fan. Travel to the reality of Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones and forge your legend in the epic Star Wars universe.
Choose from six factions and learn about their ambitions and history. The goal is simple – absolute power. Use the features of your civilization to gain an advantage over your enemies. See units known from the movies: AT-ATs, Jedi, droids, X-Wings, and Bounty Hunters. Collect resources, develop your faction’s technology, and fight on the land and in space. Begin your adventure in the epic world of Star Wars today!
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Iron Harvest
| Release date: | 2020-09-01 |
| Genre: | Real Time Strategy (RTS) & Strategy |
| Developer: | KING Art Games |
It’s a real-time strategy game from 2020, presenting an alternative version of the history of the interwar period in Europe. Explore the 1920 universe and experience the reality of World War I, in which giant mechs took part!
Although the first war has only just ended, it seems the next one is just around the corner. Decide on one of the three factions: the Rusviet, the Republic of Polania, or the Empire of Saxony, and fight for influence on the map of interwar Europe. Manage the unique abilities of your nation and learn about its weaknesses. Most of all – see combat units unknown to history. Send infantry soldiers and giant mechs into battle and guarantee yourself a tactical victory over all your opponents.
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Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2
| Release date: | 2019-01-24 |
| Genre: | Real Time Strategy (RTS) & Strategy |
| Developer: | Tindalos Interactive |
A real-time space strategy game set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Experience an even bigger battle on even larger maps and more combat units than ever before.
Lead the actions of one of the twelve space factions in this thrilling story of galaxy war. Play through three immersive campaigns and learn the dramatic story of the war-torn universe of Warhammer 40,000. Customize ships, expand the fleet, consider every move on the map, and win the race for power. Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 brings even better and greater content to the epic space RTS.
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Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak
| Release date: | 2016-01-20 |
| Genre: | Real Time Strategy (RTS) & Strategy |
| Developer: | Blackbird Interactive |
It is a prequel to the series of strategic games from the Homeworld series, in which you will travel back 106 years in the main plot of the game. Set out on a mission to find a mysterious object hidden under the sands of the massive Kharak Desert.
Lead an expedition traveling through the Kharak Desert to find a mysterious anomaly. Lead the base cruiser and make sure it doesn’t suffer any damage. Collect resources, develop technology, and expand your battle forces. The threat can lurk around every corner, and the shape of the terrain will make a vital difference to the development of each encounter. Fight, gain experience, and witness the end of the beginning of the Homeworld story.
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Total Annihilation
| Release date: | 1997-09-30 |
| Genre: | Real Time Strategy (RTS) & Strategy |
| Developer: | Cavedog Entertainment |
A strategic sci-fi game from 1997. Play the legendary RTS title that impresses with a variety of game modes and audiovisual setting.
The development of technology was the first sign of the approaching crisis. As people began to transfer consciousness to machines, it was sure this subject would arouse suspicions. Civilization has split into two factions that have sworn to defeat the enemy once and for all. Choose a side and use its technology and weapons to end the conflict!
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Age of Mythology: Extended Edition + Retold
| Release date: | 2014-05-08 |
| Genre: | Real Time Strategy (RTS) & Simulator |
| Developer: | Ensemble Studios |
A remastered version of the strategy game from 2002, in which you will take part in the greatest clashes between mythological gods and terrifying beasts. Travel back to the ancient ages and play the classic RTS adapted to modern times.
War is coming, a war in which you will participate as one of the most influential civilizations of all time. It’s a world where gods and mythological creatures not only exist but can also crash your army. Gather resources, construct buildings, develop, and become a tactic genius. Use the extraordinary powers of your units to win, and soon the greatest sagas will praise your grand victory!
A full remake titled Age of Mythology: Retold has been released, offering modern graphics, updated gameplay, and a faithful reimagining of the legendary classic.
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Stronghold Crusader II
| Release date: | 2014-09-22 |
| Genre: | Real Time Strategy (RTS) & Simulator |
| Developer: | FireFly Studios |
It’s a medieval RTS set in the exciting times of the Crusades. Travel to the Middle East and choose a side to win the ultimate victory in the burning desert sands.
Choose from the sides of the Crusaders or Arabian units to engage in the most epic battle for faith and power. Build a castle, send people to work, collect resources, and construct buildings. Organize access to food and trade. And most of all – create the most massive army. Set up the walls with archers and send experienced mercenaries to fight. The enemy can come from any direction, and the survival of another day depends entirely on your tactical sense.
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Some say real-time strategy games are dying. That they do not transform over the years and have no future. That no matter what they offer, the times of their popularity will never come back. Is that true?
Definitely not! The more often released remasters of classic titles on Steam prove there is a need for RTS. Players are looking forward to the upcoming installments of their favorite strategy games like Starcraft or Warcraft. Alright – this genre may be a bit quirky. It requires concentration, fast planning, understanding large scale maps, and quick army building. Not everyone may wish to invest hours engaging in this type of game. But some enjoy it. And for them, the final victory against the enemy is just the icing on the cake.