Now don't get me wrong, I'm not claiming these are they best RTS games out there but these are definitely my top 5. Some of them are quite old but I still have great fun playing them today, Especially on multiplayer. In case you're not entirely sure, Real-time strategy (RTS) is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns.
I don't own any of the images used in this post, Feel free to ask where I got them.
#5 - Company of Heroes
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Zoom in on the action as your men fight for you! |
The thing I love most about
Company of Heroes is that as well as being able to control huge armies to fight an ongoing war, you can get right in on the action to see what you're troops are capable of. The key to this game and most other RTS games like it is that you can zoom right in on the action and watch your soldiers carry out your orders.
#4 - Civilization IV (2005)
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Start off in pre-historic times and work your way to the future! |
Civilization IV is a very unique game in comparison to other RTS games. There's so much I could write about this game but I'm going to keep it short. In
Civ IV you can start from as far back as 4000BC, as a single unit of settlers on a vast earth map and research, pillage and conquer both militarily and culturally to expand your empire.
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Nuke Germany! (Or anywhere else!) |
Found dozens of cities and take over the world or be a peaceful prosperous nation feeding off superpowers, it's your choice. You can research your way into modern technology, finish the Manhattan project and nuke your enemies! (As seen in the image above.)
#3 - Command and Conquer: RA2
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Paradrop your units into the action! |
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Red Alert 2 will always be one of my favorite RTS games of all time. The basic Idea of the game is you start with a construction yard and you have to build up a military camp with power plants, barracks, air fields and tank factories to raise an army and defeat your opponents with a limited amount of resources around you.
#2 - Age of Empires II (1999)
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Attack tactically with organized formation! |
Although it's quite an old game, It's difficult not to put AOE as number 1. Age of Empires is simple yet thoroughly enjoyable, Build up your city with houses for your people, stables for your horsemen, barracks for your infantry, a siege workshop for the heavy weapons and a castle for your king. The default objective of the game is to break through your enemy's defenses and kill their king. as soon as everyone's king is dead you win the battle, If your king dies, you lose.
#1 - Rome: Total War (2004)
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Zoom in on 1000's of units each one fighting differently! |
The scale of the battles in RTW is truly epic. Watch as literally thousands of men clash against eachother, Romans centurions in tight organized formation and Gallic barbarians fanatically sprinting at the enemy as a scare tactic. Besides the huge scale of battles another thing that is truly captivating about this game is the realism, Lay siege to cities, send assassins to kill enemies of importance, invade empires and take their people as slaves for your own, the possibilities are endless!