Real-Time Strategy

Set in the darkest century of medieval Europe, Crusaders: Thy Kingdom Come lets players experience the historic first crusade through the eyes of a chosen knight. Command your armies across challenging, mission-to-mission campaigns as you unite rivaling nations to conquer the Holy Land. Developed by NeocoreGames and published by Paradox Interactive, this real-time strategy title challenges you to rise through the military ranks, accumulating power and wealth along the arduous historical road from Constantinople to Jerusalem.

✦ Best for strategy fans wanting a challenging medieval crusade campaign.

Arsenal of Democracy is a comprehensive grand strategy game taking you from 1936 to 1964, allowing you to play as any nation during the turbulent World War II era. Developed by BL-Logic, a studio formed by passionate members of the modding community, it delivers deeply detailed mechanics covering economics, diplomacy, research, intelligence, and warfare across land, air, and sea branches. Building extensively on the experience and community feedback of previous Hearts of Iron titles, this release is affectionately described as Hearts of Iron II on steroids. It offers unprecedented control and immersion for military strategy enthusiasts who want to rewrite history or experience authentic historical simulations on PC.

✦ Best for hardcore grand strategy fans seeking deep wwii economic and military simulation.

East vs. West: A Hearts of Iron Game is a grand strategy video game developed by BL-Logic and published by Paradox Interactive, built upon the popular Hearts of Iron franchise. Set during the tense backdrop of the Cold War, it aimed to let players navigate global geopolitics, nuclear brinkmanship, and ideological conflicts. Ultimately, the project faced a prolonged and troubled development cycle before being officially cancelled by Paradox Interactive, leaving it as a notable piece of strategy gaming history rather than a completed commercial release.

✦ Best for history enthusiasts wanting a cold war grand strategy game.

End of Nations was an ambitious free-to-play tactical massively multiplayer online game developed by Trion Worlds. Players engaged in large-scale strategic warfare, commanding armies and customizing units for intense online skirmishes. Originally envisioned as a revolutionary real-time strategy MMO, the game underwent significant development shifts before its production was officially put on hold in 2013.

✦ Best for strategy enthusiasts seeking innovative tactical moba mechanics and massive multiplayer skirmishes.

Command & Conquer was a planned real-time strategy video game developed by Victory Games for Microsoft Windows, originally announced as Command & Conquer: Generals 2 before being repurposed into a free-to-play platform. Intended to utilize the powerful Frostbite 3 engine, it aimed to introduce downloadable content and episodic campaign missions to the classic franchise. Following negative playtest feedback regarding its economy-based experience, Electronic Arts ultimately cancelled the development of the game and shut down Victory Games in October 2013. Consequently, the game was never officially released to the public, remaining an unfulfilled project in the series history.

✦ Best for franchise completionists exploring the history of cancelled real-time strategy games.

Set in the year 2015 during a World War III where nuclear attacks are ineffective, Force 21 delivers intense real-time strategy and action gameplay. Players must rely on large-scale armored units and infantry to outmaneuver the enemy across diverse environments including barren snowfields, yawning deserts, and crowded cityscapes. Choose to command either the American or Chinese military forces, utilizing eight distinct unit types ranging from tactical attack helicopters to powerful tank platoons. With 16 challenging missions spanning the globe, players must execute precise tactical plans to achieve victory in this classic RTS experience.

✦ Best for rts fans wanting wwiii armored warfare.

Dominant Species is a real-time strategy game set in a bizarre alien world featuring fully 3-D creatures and terrain. Players act as powerful alien intelligences locked in a constant, deadly conflict with rival hives over the precious substance known as Anima. The fragile balance of this alien conflict is threatened by the sudden arrival of humans seeking to harness Anima for immortality. As survival of the fittest unfolds, players must navigate this epic three-way struggle to protect their hives and secure their dominance.

✦ Best for classic rts and sci-fi fans wanting alien hive battles.

Empire Earth: The Art of Conquest is the official expansion pack to the classic real-time strategy game, developed by Mad Doc Software and published by Sierra Entertainment. Building upon the foundation of the original game, this expansion introduces thrilling new strategic dimensions including unique civilization powers, distinct hero units, and two new playable civilizations: Japan and Korea. Players can immerse themselves in three distinct narrative-driven campaigns that span vastly different eras, taking them from the legendary battles of Ancient Rome through the global conflicts of World War II all the way to futuristic warfare on 24th Century Mars. With new units and expanded tactical options, it delivers a comprehensive challenge for strategy enthusiasts.

✦ Best for rts fans and history buffs wanting expanded historical and futuristic campaigns.

Empire Earth II is a comprehensive real-time strategy game that spans the entire breadth of human history, from prehistoric tribes to futuristic sci-fi eras. Players take command of various nations across 15 distinct epochs, engaging in large-scale warfare, resource management, and diplomatic maneuvering. Developed by Mad Doc Software and published by Vivendi Universal, the game offers diverse single-player campaigns, cooperative modes, and robust multiplayer options. With complex mechanics like the war planner and a crown system for bonuses, it delivers a deeply tactical historical simulation.

✦ Best for history buffs wanting massive real-time strategy campaigns across fifteen epochs.

Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy is the official expansion to the acclaimed real-time strategy game, transporting players back to the front lines of historical and futuristic warfare. Experience diverse new battlefields ranging from the icy Russian plains to scorching African deserts while commanding unique civilizations with distinct advantages. Featuring brand-new single-player campaigns, advanced tactical gameplay options, and expanded multiplayer modes, this title challenges players to cement their legacy as the greatest leaders across past, present, and future epochs.

✦ Best for real-time strategy fans seeking new historical and futuristic campaigns.

Empire Earth III is a real-time strategy video game developed by Mad Doc Software and published by Sierra Entertainment. Released on November 6, 2007, the game is the final installment in the Empire Earth series and spans world history across five distinct epochs. Players can choose from three unique factions—Western, Middle Eastern, and Far Eastern—each featuring specialized buildings, units, and technologies. The game offers both single-player and multiplayer modes, challenging users to conquer rivals and expand their dominance across the globe.

✦ Best for real-time strategy enthusiasts wanting a global conquest campaign.

Front Mission Alternative is a real-time strategy spin-off set in the rich science fiction universe of the Front Mission series. Developed by Square and released in 1997, the game shifts the franchise's traditional turn-based combat into a frantic, real-time environment where players command units of giant mechs known as Wanzers across various war-torn theaters. Players must strategically deploy and maneuver their squads to outmaneuver enemy forces, managing movement paths and engagement zones on dynamic battlefield maps. As part of the PlayStation classic library accessible on PlayStation 3, it offers a distinct tactical experience that expands on the lore and military conflicts of the overarching series.

✦ Best for mecha fans wanting deep wanzer customization and real-time strategy.