
It makes for an aggressive RTS, in which combat is always evolving and huge battles are favoured over small confrontations. You’ll only be able to extend your empire’s reach within the bounds of your national borders, having to first build new cities or forts to create more space, or besiege enemy cities and grab their territory for yourself. Rise of Nations is particularly noteworthy for its ‘territory’ system. Whether you’re looking to relive your halcyon childhood days, or are taking your first steps in the RTS genre, these games will be more than enough.Īdvance from primitive swordsmen to nuclear weaponry In the interest of immediate satisfaction, we’ve opted for games that are readily available, and won’t have you trudging through eBay or the shelves of your nearest charity shop to find a copy. Others lean into fantasy or sci-fi settings, introducing new elements of play, such as RPG mechanics, or a heavy narrative focus.


Some are historical epics, that will have you traverse the ages, and progress the development of your civilisation. These games ape Age of Empires’ staple formula: resource gathering, base building, unit recruitment, economic management, and rock-paper-scissors-like combat. After you’ve completed every one of its titles and campaigns, and firmly proven your might across its competitive multiplayer skirmishes, there’s an abundance of games like Age of Empires to keep your town-building and civilisation-destroying habits afloat. For the unaware, Age of Empires is a classic RTS in which you pick a civilization, start from the stone age and build your way up to the modern age.We can all agree that Age of Empires is fantastic, but the venerated RTS series need not be the only one in your strategy catalogue. The game offers over 40 hours of updated campaign content, new competitive modes and 4K visuals that will surely bring back memories from your childhood. The game features all of the original title’s content with modernized gameplay, new visuals and a bunch of other new features that I’m sure you’ll appreciate. While most of you might have already played the game before, I’d highly recommend you to check out Age of Empires: Definitive Edition, a remastered version of the classic. Command & Conquer: The Ultimate CollectionĪny list of the best RTS games is incomplete without the iconic Age of Empires franchise.

You can click on the links to quickly move to the game you find most interesting. I have added the quick links to all the games mentioned in this list.
