Real-time strategy (RTS)
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.
Most popular real-time strategy games
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Age of Empires
Windows XP/98/951997protecteddemo Ensemble Studios
Released in 1997, Age of Empires is what happens when ancient history gets drunk and decides to party. You start in the Stone Age, bashing wild boars and clubbing trees, and before you know it, you’re building temples and fl...
Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings
Windows XP/98/951999protecteddemo Ensemble Studios
Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings is a landmark real-time strategy (RTS) game developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft. Released in 1999, it is the second installment in the Age of Empires series and remains one ...
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...
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 ...
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 ...
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...
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...
Castles
DOS1991protected Quicksilver Software
Castles 2: Siege and Conquest
DOSMac OS1992protected Quicksilver Software
Command & Conquer
DOS1995freeware Westwood Studios
Command & Conquer: Red Alert
DOS1996freeware Westwood Studios
Command & Conquer: Red Alert is a real-time strategy (RTS) video game developed by Westwood Studios and published by Virgin Interactive in 1996. It is part of the Command & Conquer series and is set in an alternate history...
Command & Conquer: Sole Survivor
Windows XP/98/951997 Westwood Studios
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...
Cossacks: European Wars
Windows XP/98/952000protected GSC Game World
Cossacks: European Wars is a real-time strategy game developed by GSC Game World and released in 2001. The game is set in the 17th and 18th centuries, a period marked by significant military, political, and social changes in ...
Cossacks: The Art of War
Windows XP/98/952001protected GSC Game World
Cultures
Windows XP/98/952000protected Funatics Software
Dark Reign 2
Windows XP/98/952000protected Pandemic Studios
Dark Reign: The Future of War
Windows XP/98/951997protected Auran Games
Dominium
DOS1992 Microids
Dominus
DOS1994 Viacom New Media
Dragon Lord
DOS1990 Spotlight Software
Dune
DOS1992 Cryo Interactive Entertainment
Dune, released in 1992, is a game developed by Cryo Interactive and published by Virgin Games. It's based on the iconic science fiction novel of the same name by Frank Herbert. In Dune, players assume the role of Paul Atreides, th...
Dune 2000
Windows XP/98/951998 Westwood Studios
Dune 2000 is an abandoned science fiction classic real-time strategy game based on the popular Dune franchise. The Dune "universe" took form in the books of science fiction writer Frank Herbert and went on to include mov...
Dune Generations
Windows XP/98/952002canceled Cryo Interactive Entertainment
Dune Generations was a canceled 3D MMO strategy game set in the Dune universe that was never published. Dune Generations was in development by Cryo Interactive Entertainment, but it was canceled in 2002 wh...
Dune II: The building of a dynasty
DOS1992 Westwood Studios
Dune II, released in 1992, is a pioneering real-time strategy game developed by Westwood Studios. Set in the world of Frank Herbert's Dune, players command noble houses in a battle for control over the planet Arrakis. With base-bu...
Dungeon Keeper
DOSWindows XP/98/95Mac OS1997protected Electronic Arts
Dungeon Keeper 2
Windows XP/98/95Mac OS1997protected Bullfrog
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.
Empire Earth
Windows XP/98/952001protected Stainless Steel Studios
Empire Earth is a real-time strategy (RTS) game developed by Stainless Steel Studios and released by Sierra Entertainment in 2001. It's often compared to the "Age of Empires" series due to its similar gameplay mechanics and histor...
Final Frontier
DOS1989 Bubble Bus Software