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There are many lists of the best RTS games, and many of those lists a packed with the classics from the 90’s and early 2000’s. These legends have quite rightly earned their place in the real-time hall of fame for all time, but this status quo sees the same titles appearing time and again, with little new to say about them. It can leave newer releases in the cold.

Download and play free Strategy Games for Mac. Pick a strategy and build your empire in real-time in games where your choices affect the outcome! Oct 14, 2019 Are you looking for the best RTS games on the PC or Mac? We have done the research and compiled a long list of quality titles that fit this genre. Ultimately, our team determined the best real-time strategy games for most people are.

The rise of MOBAs has challenged the RTS scene quite significantly over the past decade, but that hasn’t stopped some worthy games rising to the top ranks to earn their own place in a future generation's hall of fame.

Recently Released RTS Games

Well this is embarrassing. We've reviewed THREE new RTS titles since the start of the year, and none of them seem to have been good enough to warrant a place in the list below, for various reasons. We'll list them out below just for posterity, but beware these arn't considred our favourites right now:

• Warcraft 3: Reforged - still the subject of much controversy, this is a classic example of how not to manage expectations. The game is still quite good, and the remastered assets are quite pretty.. but really only people who've never played Warcraft 3 are going to get anything out of this. Veteran fans are advised to steer clear for now.
• Commandos 2 HD - the first of two remasters being done by Kalypso Media, this is a much loved real-time stealth/action game you'd think would be easy enough to get right. You'd be wrong.
• Praetorians HD - This is the second remaster and technically the strongest new entry of the three, this is an RTS that's been handled well in terms of porting, but sadly as a game just doesn't really fit well in terms of modern design. It's a bit buggy in places but not as bad as the above, and generally is probably one title that didn't need bringing into the 21st Century. Shame.

What are the best RTS Games?

• John Wick Hex
• Close Combat: The Bloody First
• Driftland: The Magic Revival
• Bad North: Jotunn Edition
• Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun
• Tropico 6
• Offworld Trading Company
• Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak
• Company of Heroes 2: Ardennes Assault
• Age of Empires 2
• StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty
• Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation

John Wick Hex

Developer: Bithell Games
Publisher: Good Shepard Entertainment
Buy From:Epic Games Store

I know this is going to cause some controversy, but I'm having a real tough-time with this one, ok? Hear me out - My thinking is, John Wick Hex can't be a turn-based game because there's no defined set of time for the turn to play out in. You choose an action, whether it be walking, or firing your gun, and time advances however long it takes for that action to play out. Meanwhile the game still plays out around you at it's own pace regardless of what you're doing, and your action could end part-way through a enemy playing out their action. It's not like BSG Deadlock, where a fixed amount of time passes in between issuing orders. So yeah, for now until we hear otherwise John Wick Hex is an RTS games. Kind of. Don't @ Me - it's not like there have been many RTS releases of note recently.

Identity crises aside, this is a very inventive and addictive strategy game where you play as John Wick, from the movies, in a prequel story set before the first film. You don't actually need to know much about the films for this to work - mastering the rhythm and the dynamics of the game's 'time-line' system is fascinating enough, and there are a surprising amount of tactical options to approach any given situation. This probably one of the most decent tie-in games we've seen in a long while.

Close Combat: The Bloody First

Developer: Slitherine
Publisher: Slitherine
Buy From:Steam, Direct

This is quick one as we'll talk more about this on our sister The Wargamer's list of excellent WW2 Games when it next gets updated, but this is a real-time tactics game that released recently from Slitherine. It's the first 3D entry in the iconic Close Combat series from the 90's, and puts you in charge of a fictional Company of the US 1st Infantry division through their exploits in Tunisia, Sicily and Normandy. It's pretty good, although there are still some technical hiccups that need to be ironed out. Still, an optimistic start to a new era of Close Combat games.

Driftland: The Magic Revival

Developer: Star Drifers
Publisher: Star Drifters
Buy From:Steam

It's nice to see a new face finally make it onto this list - Driftland was in Early Access for a couple of years before it finally released in April 2019, and it seems that time has been put to good use. This is an innovative RTS that follows in the mould of the classic Majesty franchise - where indirect control is the order of the day. You are a Mage whose realm is on one of many shattered pieces of the world floating around, and you must develop your holdings and expand onto other ones by connecting them together.

It's not for everyone, and there are some other minor niggles that will need to get worked out over time, but Driftland willingness to be bold and experiment does it justice, and anyone looking for a new fantasy RTS game need look no further. Read our Driftland: The Magic Revival review for more.

Bad North: Jotunn Edition

Developer: Plausible Concept
Publisher: Raw Fury
Buy From: Discord, Steam

Self-styling itself as a 'micro strategy' game, Bad North is the poster child for minimalist design facilitating tight tactical decision making. Evoking the best bits of games like FTL, this game sees you taking your modest force from island to island, protecting them against waves of blood-thirsty marauders. As you progress through the game you can earn coins to level up your troops, recruit new troops and find powerful items to aid you.

At the end of July 2019 Bad North got a major content update known as the Jotunn Edition. This is a huge content update, changing everything from meta progression, to adding new items, to gameplay and difficulty, and more. It's been folded into the main game and is now the 'definitive' version of Bad North.

Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun

Developer: Mimimi Productions
Publisher: Daedalic Entertainment
Buy from: Steam, PS4

This isn't a new release but we feel it's definitely worth mentioning as Shadow Tactics is a wonderfully tense real-time tactical/puzzle game that will challenge not only your creative thinking, but also your combo and control skills. This is a stealth-based game that follows in the hallowed tradition of classics like Commandos, but also taking queues from modern contemporaries like Assassins Creed. With a very powerful and engaging narrative, you must guide up to five characters through vibrant and varied levels. Subterfuge is key, and 'fighting your way out' isn't really an option.

This is a wonderful homage to a forgotten genre of strategy games, but one that stands proud as it creates its own legacy. The attention to detail on the maps & characters makes this a story you genuinely want to experience right through the end, with characters you can 100% get behind. The tactical puzzles you are presented with map-to-map will challenge your creativity and handling of the characters to the very end – and at no point does it feel like a chore.

Tropico 6

Publisher: Kalypso Media
Developer: Limbic Entertainment
Buy From:Steam

Ah, Tropico. The Banana Republic sim, the Castro sim, the tin-pot dictator sim. Tropico 6 represents a clean slate in the series' history - originally under the helm of Surviving Mars studio Haemimont, (who were responsible for Tropico's 3-6), Limbic Entertainment have now taken over control of everyone's favourite dictatorship. This is a refreshing twist on the city builder that puts players in the aviators and oversized cigars of not just one, but an entire dynasty of male and female despot wannabes. Starting in the twilight of the Imperial era, the player’s role is that of the manager of a new colony on a Caribbean isle, who eventually earns their independence and then proceeds to navigate the literal and political waters of the World Wars, the Cold War, and into the modern era, with the player choosing such roles as either a socialist dictator, or crony capitalist.

Tropico 6 is a great game. It hits many of the right notes, and has that “just a little longer” feel that will keep you in its sandbox (and coming back) for quite a while. It’s an easy pick for fans of sim games. And of course, there’s always the benefit that you can lord over the lives of hundreds of virtual people with as iron or velvet a hand as you desire – and that’s always a good time!

Offworld Trading Company

Publisher: Stardock
Developer: Mohawk Games
Buy From:Direct

Offworld Trading Company is an object lesson in RTS design. It’s a competitive strategy game in which there is no actual direct combat. And no units. Inspired by classic Atari game MULE and systems like Age of Empires’ Marketplace interface, Offworld Trading Company has players compete by cultivating the economic portfolio of an ambitious, hostile company.

Players are tasked with choosing which resource(s) to harvest to produce income which they can use to, ultimately, buy out their opponent's companies one by one. To this end they are aided by intermittent auctions, the ability to freely buy and sell any resource in the game as well as attack their opponent's production with Pirates, EMPs, nuclear warheads or temporary takeovers of their operations. Ultimately, OTC is a game of efficiency, coupled with prediction and daring. It is, in every sense, the essence of what RTS games are about laid bare for all to see.

Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak

Publisher: Gearbox Software
Developer: Blackbird Interactive
Buy From: Steam

A new take on the classic series’ mechanics and a prequel to the original Homeworld, Deserts of Kharak Princess and the pauper game download mac. is beautiful, haunting, powerful and intense. While I was initially sceptical of how the “six degrees of freedom” RTS would pan out on a flat plane, Blackbird Interactive has packed Deserts of Kharak with nuance and heart. One of the best RTS solo campaigns in history, coupled with gameplay that hides surprising subtlety, Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak has been sadly overlooked by the larger RTS community.

Company of Heroes 2: Ardennes Assault

Publisher: SEGA
Developer: Relic Entertainment
Buy From: Steam

With the advent of the Western Front Armies, the overhauling of its War Spoils system and years of balance refinement, Company of Heroes 2 has cemented its place as a respectable and enjoyable competitive strategy game. With the creation of the Ardennes Assault campaign, Company of Heroes 2 has now also earned the honour possessing one of the best replayable single player experiences in modern real-time strategy gaming.

Ardennes Assault provides players with a strategic territory-capture metagame layered over the single-player missions, including semi-random events and time-based objectives that change with each playthrough, four Companies to command (of which you can utilize three in each campaign playthrough) and hard choices in an Iron Man setting. These force the player to think through each move and live with sub-optimal strategies across the length of the campaign. Where the Soviet storyline in the core game was seen as sub-par or at the very least not supremely creative, Ardennes Assault is a well-crafted take on RTS single player.

Age of Empires 2 (2013)

Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Developer: Hidden Path Entertainment
Buy From: Steam

I feel like I’m cheating, sneaking an older game into this article; while Age of Empires 2's first HD remake came out in 2013, the original was released in 1999. Age of Empires 2 HD was a testament to the enduring quality of classic RTS games. Also of note, three expansions (The Forgotten, The African Kingdoms, Rise of the Rajas) have been released, something kind of unprecedented in the real-time strategy space as far as I know.

The depth and complexity of this classic Age of Empires title is reaching, enchanting, challenging, and captivating the imaginations of a new generation of strategy gamers, and was perhaps the inspiration for Microsoft announcing remakes of virtually every other Age title ever made. It's worth noting that in November 2019 Age of Empires 2: Definitive Editionwas released that largely supersedes the 2013HD release, even though you can buy both separately. It's essentially the same game with even better graphics and a new expansion pack. We've not updated this entry fully because the 2013 edition had far more impact on the RTS genre than the newest version. That said, there's no point buying the HD version if you don't already own it - go straight to the DE.

StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty

Publisher: Blizzard
Developer: Blizzard
Buy From:Direct

You knew this was coming. You might have nodded grudgingly, or groaned inwardly. There’s nothing so contentious as the enduring popularity of StarCraft. It’s common to blame the ‘esports-ification’ of the genre on this phenomenally popular strategy game. But, love it or hate it, you can’t deny that StarCraft has continually set the standards for game polish and features for almost a decade now.

Through relentless balancing, aggressive additions of content, engaging unit designs (yes yes we all hate the Sentry, but that’s the exception not the rule), and a multiplayer scene that virtually every other strategy game is jealous of, StarCraft 2 has rightly earned it its place at the top of the competitive strategy world. Co-op was an absolute coup, and I actually had a sobering day mourning RTS developers everywhere when they announced that SC2 was going to be free-to-play for multiplayer and arcade.

Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation

Publisher: Stardock
Developer: Oxide Games
Buy From: Direct

While it is undeniable that Ashes of the Singularity launched in a pretty weird place, with a somewhat characterless campaign and what felt like a dearth of unit options, it’s matured in a big way via a long cycle of continued development and optimisation. It now stands as one of the more interesting takes on large-scale RTS that exists in the modern time.

Ashes of the Singularity takes nods from Total Annihilation-style games, but also from Company of Heroes with its squad-based light vehicles, and interconnected resource nodes which function similarly in many respects to territories from Relic’s seminal World War 2 RTS. It uses structure-based support powers similar to those found in Command and Conquer 3, and constrains player upgrades and unit counts through the scarce Quanta resource (which is also used to activate support powers). The campaign DLC has vastly improved in quality, and while the game’s specifications make it difficult to run on all but higher-end machines, Ashes is shaping up to be a serious contender in the large-scale RTS space.

Other RTS Game Recommendations

The below games featured on our list in the past, but have since rotated out to join their brothers and sisters in the hall of heroes:

• Total War: Rome 2
• Tropico 5 (Although 4 will always be my bae-ED)

What would your list of top RTS games look like? Let us know in the comments!

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