10 Best RTS Games Of All Time, According To Metacritic

With Total War: Warhammer III released earlier this year and Relic Entertainment’s Company of Heroes 3 on the way, 2022 is shaping up to be another great year for fans of strategy games. Real-time strategy games are often some of the most intense and demanding, with complicated user interfaces, many game mechanics, and all of them taking place at the same time.

As a result, players have high standards when it comes to RTS games, and for a title to rank among the very best of the genre, it has to meet these expectations. Though the best of the turn-based tactic genre has been discussed, it is interesting to see which titles are at the top in that subgenre’s real-time counterpart.

10 Myth: The Fallen Lords (1997) – 92

With real-time strategy gameplay taking place in a proper 3D environment, Myth: The Fallen Lords was revolutionary in 1997 when it was developed by Bungie several years before they found unprecedented success with Halo. The game had a variety of multiplayer modes that pitted players against each other using a game-matching system that was also innovative for the time.

The single-player mode centers around the plot of powerful sorcerers battling the dark forces led by the titular Fallen Lords for control of a mythical kingdom and has the player use their strategic thinking to complete objectives that usually involve overcoming a much larger enemy army.

9 Age of Empires II: The Age Of Kings (1999) – 92

The second title in the still popular Age of Empires series, Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings set the high standard that the later games would all have to live up to. With five campaigns to play through as well as singleplayer and multiplayer modes, Age of Empires II was one of the most comprehensive RTS games of the 1990s.

The game is set in the middle ages and there are 13 different civilizations to play as, meaning the player is spoilt for choice. The gameplay revolves around gathering resources and using them to build towns and grow the armies needed to overcome tough enemy forces. Age of Empires II is the highest-rated Age of Empires game on Metacritic as well as one of the top RTS games to play.

8 Rome: Total War (2004) – 92

Whilst plenty of RTS games from the era have been left to sink into obscurity, Rome: Total War proved its enduring popularity and appeal with a remastered edition being released last year. It’s also the best of what the acclaimed Total War series has to offer, receiving the highest critical acclaim of any game in the illustrious franchise.

For fans of RTS games and players with a strong interest in the Roman Empire, this game will provide a lot of satisfaction. The aim of the game is to use strategy to assert control over Rome’s 50 provinces and become Emporer, which can be done in a couple of different ways. The game holds up surprisingly well but the remaster is one of the best strategy games to play like Age of Empires IV.

7 Sid Meier’s Gettysburg! (1997) – 92

Sid Meier’s name on a strategy game is almost a guarantee of success and that has been the case for a long time now, with Sid Meier’s Gettysburg! for the PC just one example. Though the name is most strongly associated with the Civilization video game series, games like Gettysburg! also helped establish a titan of the strategy games genre.

Taking place in the American Civil War, the game puts the player in charge of Union or Confederate troops and can be played as a series of battles or one complete campaign. The game was also extremely popular at the time of its release for its online capability, which was impressively well-realized for the time.

6 Warcraft III: Reign Of Chaos (2002) – 92

Just two years before Blizzard released their flagship MMORPG World of Warcraft, Warcraft III proved that they remained a force to be reckoned with in the RTS world. The high fantasy strategy game shifted the series away from the traditional conflict between humans and orcs with the rise of a new threat attempting to take over Azeroth with an army of the undead.

The gameplay mostly followed the formula that made the previous installment a success but added in new features such as the introduction of creeps, AI units that are hostile to all players. The game includes four different playable factions, each with unique units and advantages that make choosing which one to play an important choice for the player. The game was released to widespread critical acclaim and is still worth playing today.

5 Homeworld (1999) – 93

The first in what would become another successful series for the developer Relic Entertainment, Homeworld won over players with its intense gameplay that used the real-time element to put the player under real pressure as well as its unique and fascinating story. Similar to the Starcraft games, Homeworld is set in space with the player building and controlling space ships to use in combat.

The game is well worth experiencing for the story alone but the gameplay is also engaging and puts the player’s tactical skills to the test, especially in the multiplayer games in which players compete to destroy the other’s mothership. Homeworld is not only an acclaimed RTS title but also rated as the best PC game of 1999 on Metacritic

4 Starcraft II: Wings Of Liberty (2010) – 93

A sequel to the original Starcraft from 1998, Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty is essentially the base version of Starcraft II that has since had a number of expansions. Not many games can boast a competitive scene that has remained popular as long as that of Starcraft II, but it is a testament to the depth of gameplay that the game brings with it.

The game revolves around the same three species as its predecessor, the Terrans, the Zerg, and the Protoss, but Wings of Liberty is firmly focused on the Terrans. The game remains an epic science-fiction saga told through gameplay that can provide even RTS veterans a challenge. Wings of Liberty is also free-to-play and there are a ton of reasons why Starcraft II is still worth playing even today.

3 Company Of Heroes (2006) – 93

Company of Heroes is one of the jewels in Relic Entertainment’s weighty real-time strategy game crown as the 2006 game is their most-acclaimed title to date. With a new title in the series on the way this year, there has never been a better time to revisit the best strategy game of the mid-2000s.

Set in the Second World War, Company of Heroes brought a level of detail and cinematic intensity to the genre that not many games have been able to replicate since. There is a lot of depth to the campaign and, with realistic physics and a destructable environment, the game holds up surprisingly well.

2 Anomaly: Warzone Earth (2011) – 94

In a genre heavily dominated by PC titles, it is even more impressive that one of the highest-rated games is the IOS edition of Anomaly: Warzone Earth. Turning the tower defense formula on its head, the player must take back the world’s major cities from alien invaders using dynamic real-time strategy gameplay.

The game’s top-down perspective may take some getting used to, but the graphics are surprisingly rich and the gameplay that puts the player on the offensive is a lot of fun. With a score of 94 on Metacritic, Anomaly: Warzone Earth more than earns its place amongst the best of what RTS games have to offer.

1 Command & Conquer (1995) – 94

One of the original RTS games that established the genre in the early to mid-nineties, Command & Conquer manages to still be the pinnacle of the real-time strategy genre. Command & Conquer is set in alternate history in which a dark cult-like organization known as the Brotherhood of Nod vies for control of the world against the Global Defense Initiative.

The gameplay is centered on obtaining Tiberium, a material that is used to build bases and train troops for combat, and it will feel familiar to players experienced with old or even modern RTS games. The game also features unique live-action cutscenes and, though it can’t match modern titles for scale or detail, it remains one of the most engaging and enjoyable strategy games.