The best real-time strategy games
Real-time strategy games (RTS for short) are strategy games in which actions do not happen in turns, but are free to happen continuously, thus players can issue commands, like moving or assembling combat units, at any time. Some of the most well-known RTS series are Warcraft, Starcraft, Command & Conquer, and Age of Empires.
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DOS1991 Graftgold
Command HQ
DOSMac OS1990 Ozark Softscape
Command HQ was developed by Microplay Software. It was one of the early real-time strategy (RTS) games and focused on global warfare, allowing players to control armies, fleets, and economies in various historical and futuristic s...
NetStorm: Islands at War
Windows XP/98/951997
Praetorians
Windows XP/98/952003protected Eidos Interactive
Praetorians is a real-time strategy (RTS) game originally released in 2003 by Pyro Studios. Set in the Roman Empire during its peak, the game offers a blend of strategy and tactics, focusing on large-scale battles rather than reso...
Stronghold
DOS1993protected Stormfront Studios
Stronghold, released in 1993, is a strategy simulation game developed by Stormfront Studios and published by Strategic Simulations, Inc. (SSI). Players assume the role of a lord tasked with managing a kingdom. The game involv...
The Ancient Art of War
DOS1984 Evryware
The Ancient Art of War is a classic video game that was released in the late 1980s. Developed by Evryware and published by Broderbund, it was available on various platforms, including Apple II, Atari ST, Amiga, and MS-DOS. The Anc...
Total Annihilation Kingdoms
Windows XP/98/951999protected Cavedog Entertainment
Dungeon Keeper 2
Windows XP/98/95Mac OS1997protected Bullfrog
Dark Reign 2
Windows XP/98/952000protected Pandemic Studios
Cultures
Windows XP/98/952000protected Funatics Software
Warzone 2100
Windows XP/98/95LinuxMac OS1999freeware
Dark Reign: The Future of War
Windows XP/98/951997protected Auran Games
Dominus
DOS1994 Viacom New Media
Powermonger
DOS1992 Bullfrog
Powermonger is a real-time strategy game where the player must defeat opponents by conquering towns and tipping the balance of power in their favor. Success requires giving orders to soldiers and captains, as well as accumulating ...
Populous
DOS1989 Bullfrog
Populous is an abandoned strategy game designed by the video game celebrity Peter Molyneux, developed by Bullfrog. Populous was released by Electronic Arts in 1989 for DOS and for a long list of other 16-bit and 8-bit systems, bot...
Vlad Tepes Dracula
Windows XP/98/951997 ComputerHouse
Burntime
DOS1993 Max Design
Post-apocalyptic survival meets real estate management in Burntime, where the world is ruined, but you still need to hire employees and secure water rights. It’s like Mad Max if Max decided to open a franchise of fortified r...
Dungeon Keeper 3: War for the Overworld
Windows 10/112000canceled Bullfrog
Dungeon Keeper 3 was a cancelled dungeon management strategy game being developed by Bullfrog that was never released. Dungeon Keeper 3 was cancelled in 2000 and the Dungeon Keeper franchise ended without a third chapter.
Blood & Magic
DOS1996 Tachyon Studios
From the people who brought you Dungeons & Dragons, here's Blood & Magic (1996), the RTS that nobody remembers but definitely deserves a second glance. You summon golems from magical “blood forges” because appa...
The Settlers II: Veni, Vidi, Vici
DOSMac OS1996protected Blue Byte Software
Ambush at Sorinor
DOS1993 Mindcraft Software
In Ambush at Sorinor, tactics meet fantasy in a land where ambushing people is apparently the national sport. You’re a mercenary commander picking the right team to win missions and not get horribly skewered. Battles play ou...
Rings of Medusa
DOS1990 Starbyte Software
Rings of Medusa is a strategy / RPG developed by the German studio Starbyte Software. It was released in 1989 for various platforms including the Commodore 64, Amiga, and MS-DOS. In Rings of Medusa, players assume the role of...
Arrakis
DOS2000
No relation to Dune (except for being a total rip-off), Arrakis is a homebrew strategy game that feels like a tribute to the sandiest planet in sci-fi. You mine spice, fight vaguely Harkonnen-looking enemies, and try not to crash ...
Ultimate Domain
DOS1994 Microids
War in Middle Earth
DOS1989 Synergistic Software
War in Middle-earth is a real-time strategy game developed by Synergistic Software and published by Melbourne House. It was released in 1988 for various platforms including the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, and Amstrad CPC.The game i...
Lords of the Realm 3
Windows XP/98/952004protected Impressions Games
Robo Rumble
Windows XP/98/951998 Metropolis Software House
Command & Conquer: Sole Survivor
Windows XP/98/951997 Westwood Studios
American Conquest
Windows XP/98/952002protected GSC Game World
American Conquest is the kind of game that throws hundreds of little soldiers at you and says, "Good luck, General!" Set during the early colonization of the Americas, this RTS blends history with chaos in a way that’s both ...
Star Wars Rebellion
Windows XP/98/951998protected