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While the RTS genre is as busy as it’s ever been, when it comes to big success stories, they have been few and far between. While there are smaller teams doing interesting things, the major launches of the last couple of years have largely been disappointing sequels and throwbacks. Even the RTS I’m most excited about right now, Tempest Rising, is trading in nostalgia—specifically Command & Conquer.
But the classics are still around, and you can save a helluva lot of money by, for instance, snatching up the Homeworld Remastered Collection instead of Homeworld 3. And with the Steam Real-Time Strategy Fest still running for a few more days, you can grab a whole lotta RTS goodness right in time for the weekend. I’ve plucked out 10 of my faves, which will only set you back around $30.
Age of Empires: Definitive Edition – $4.99
As an atrocious hipster, I have been known to say that Age of Empires gets too much love and that it was never nearly as good as Rise of Nations (also in this list), but there’s no denying its huge influence on gaming, or that, when it comes down to it, it’s still a lot of fun. And the Definitive Edition, its 4K remaster, is obviously the best way to enjoy it.
AI War: Fleet Command – $2.49
A hard-as-nails space RTS where you’ll face an AI opponent you’ll learn to despise, AI War can be offputtingly challenging but immensely satisfying to master. It’s ultimately a guerrilla war against a foe who has stacked the deck against you, boasting fleets that will obliterate you the moment you start to seem like a threat. But it’s this arsehole AI opponent, who starts each game with a combination of different behaviours, that makes this RTS so compelling.
Company of Heroes – $3.99
The original Company of Heroes remains one of Relic’s greatest games. It’s a 3D WW2 RTS that managed to innovate in so many different places—physics, destruction, tight squad-based tactics—at a time when the genre was struggling with the push to 3D. I remain a CoH2 defender (especially the Ardennes Assault standalone expansion) and actually really dug CoH3, but this is the one everyone loves without any caveats.
Cossacks: Back to War – $1.24
Cossacks: European Wars was one of the first games from Stalker studio GSC Game World, but I’ve picked its second standalone expansion (which gives you 100 new missions to tackle) since it chucks two extra nations, Switzerland and Hungary, into the mix, along with the ones from European Wars and The Art of War. Imagine Age of Empires, but with mind-bogglingly huge battles and an unlimited number of troops.
Darwinia – $3.99
This Tron-inspired indie RTS is surprisingly tricky to describe, despite being in many ways a fairly simple game. It has touches of arcade game brilliance, while also being a squad-based RTS, and there’s a dash of Lemmings in there to boot, as you guide and protect your little Darwinians from the viruses infecting your digital world. It’s weird and clever and for a few bucks there’s no reason why you shouldn’t take a punt on this classic.
Homeworld Remastered Collection – $3.49
Homeworld remains one of the most impressive RTS romps of all time, and the first two games are much easier to recommend than Homeworld 3, which was stunning to look at but did little to improve upon the formula, and in some cases undermined it. With these two games, you get the genre’s greatest campaigns; an endless supply of tense, fully 3D battles; and substantial improvements added by Gearbox, including modding tools.
Men of War – $0.74
Men of War 2 finally arrived last year to a muted reception, and it’s actually the eighth game in the series. With that in mind, it’s not really the best place to start if you’re a newcomer, especially if you want a strong singleplayer campaign. For that, you’ll want Men of War 1, which is technically the third game in the series (I know, it’s confusing). Broadly, it’s comparable to CoH, but if you prefer more micromanagement and a more robust simulation of 20th century warfare, this one’s for you.
Rise of Nations: Extended Edition – $4.99
The initial concept for Age of Empires was ‘Civilization, but an RTS’. It ultimately became something else, but that concept lives on in Rise of Nations. It shares a lot of AoE’s fundamental mechanics, but you will take your nation from a simple ancient civilisation all the way into the modern era, conquering the world as you go. And unlike a game of Civ, this all happens briskly. Even now it feels ambitious, but it’s also impressively digestible, and significantly more playable on modern PCs thanks to the Extended Edition.
Stronghold Crusader HD – $2.99
While a fully remastered Definitive Edition is on its way, for a few bucks you can still play an improved version of the classic castle-loving RTS Stronghold Crusader in this HD remaster, which came out in 2012, a decade after the original. Even more than 20 years since its initial launch, there’s something incredibly satisfying about besieging castles with up to 10,000 troops. Big castles, big battles, very angry lions—what’s not to love?
Wargame: European Escalation – $2.49
Eugen’s Cold War-turned-hot scenario is still continuing in Warno, but there’s a lot to recommend the series that spawned this World War 3 sim. Wargame is my go-to for realistic, combined-arms modern battles, but the large scale and that focus on realism can make it tricky to get into, which is why I reckon you should kick things off with the first game, European Escalation, rather than the later installments. They upped the ante, with more units and complications, but this one eases you into things a lot better, in part thanks to a strong campaign. If you want to get stuck into some meaty multiplayer brawls, though, Warno is a lot more lively.
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Kurt Indovina
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