15 – Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition
How amazing it is that we live in a timeline where the best RTS games ever made are constantly being rebuilt and upgraded to modern standards? Just recently, one of my favourite RTS games ever, Stronghold Crusader, has gotten a remake, in the form of the excellent Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition. Released as a modernized version of the 2002 classic, this game is a singular experience that sets itself apart by focusing on a meticulous blend of city-building and military strategy. Players won’t just be commanding armies; they’ll be designing and fortifying their own impenetrable fortress brick by brick, managing a complex economy to feed their population, and then unleashing their forces in brutal siege and counter-siege battles across the sun-scorched deserts of the Crusades.
The “Definitive Edition” breathes new life into this beloved classic with updated visuals, new content, and quality-of-life improvements that make it more accessible than ever, and make this the best way to experience this beloved classic that shaped the way RTS games were designed going forward.
14 – Age of Mythology: Retold
When Age of Mythology came out in 2002, it was riding high on the popularity of the Age of Empires series, but was quickly recognized as a great real-time strategy (RTS) game in its own right. Fast forward more than two decades, and yet again we have the new remaster of the original in the form Age of Mythology: Retold, which is more than just a simple remaster; it’s a monumental re-imagining of a real-time strategy classic that brings its mythical world to life like never before while keeping all the basics intact, and it’s the best way to experience this classic in 2025.
As a spin-off of the Age of Empires series, it trades historical accuracy for the epic sagas of Greek, Norse, Egyptian, and Atlantean mythologies. This fundamental shift introduces a compelling layer of gameplay, where players don’t just advance through ages, but also choose to worship major and minor gods, each granting unique “god powers” and access to a fantastical roster of myth units like cyclopes, minotaurs, and giants. The game is beloved for its massive single-player campaign, amazing music, unique design decisions, and fantastic exploration of mythology. If you loved Age of Empires and never got around to giving Age of Mythology a go, then Age of Mythology: Retold is a no-brainer.
13 – Total War: Shogun 2
This wouldn’t be a proper real-time strategy list without a historical Total War entry. I had to decide between Rome: Total War, Total War: Medieval 2, or Shogun 2. I think there’s a community consensus that if you want a truly epic blend of real-time strategy and grand-scale empire management, Total War: Shogun 2 stands as the watermark for the entire series. Set during the brutal Sengoku Jidai period of feudal Japan, the game perfectly captures the era’s unique aesthetic and military style. The campaign map operates in a turn-based fashion, where you manage your clan’s economy, diplomacy, and technology, while the massive, cinematic battles play out in real time. This two-pronged approach, combined with a streamlined design that homes in on the series’ best mechanics, makes it an incredibly deep yet highly accessible experience for both newcomers and seasoned veterans.
What elevates Shogun 2 to a must-play status is its masterful execution. The AI is widely regarded as one of the best in the franchise, providing a genuine and challenging opponent on both the campaign and battlefield. Its unique “Realm Divide” mechanic ensures that the late-game remains tense and difficult, as all clans eventually turn against you to prevent your rise to Shogun. With its stunning art style, focused gameplay, and a profound sense of historical immersion, Shogun 2 is a definitive title for anyone searching for the best RTS games that seamlessly fuse strategic depth with spectacular tactical combat. It’s two expansions, the Rise of the Samurai and Fall of the Samurai, that perfectly round things up by exploring the eras before and after the Sengoku Jidai period. It’s just the best Total War has ever been.
12 – Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II
Relic Entertainment’s Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II took a bold and divisive turn from its predecessor, abandoning traditional base-building in favor of a fast-paced, squad-based tactical experience. This is an RTS that feels less like a macro-heavy war simulator and more like a real-time RPG, where every single unit matters. You command a small strike force of Space Marines, each squad a unique unit that levels up, gains new abilities, and can be equipped with powerful gear you discover on the battlefield. This deep RPG progression and loot system ensures you become deeply invested in the fate of your squad, making every victory and defeat feel impactful.
What makes Dawn of War II a must-play title is how it perfectly translates the brutality and scale of the Warhammer 40k universe into intense, close-quarters combat in a way that makes sense and is exactly what one imagines when reading the books or playing the table-top game. The game’s excellent cover system, destructible environments, and a focus on flanking maneuvers and special abilities create a tactical sandbox where smart positioning is more important than sheer numbers. For those searching for the best RTS games that offer a squad-focused, action-heavy experience with a rich campaign and a strong co-op mode, Dawn of War II is a thrilling and unique choice that still holds up today.
11 – Total Annihilation
Cavedog Entertainment’s 1997 masterpiece, Total Annihilation, is a landmark title that pushed the real-time strategy genre into a new dimension, quite literally. It was one of the first RTS games to feature a true 3D engine, giving its units and terrain realistic physics. Artillery fire could be obstructed by hills, projectiles followed actual trajectories, and the wreckage of destroyed units remained on the battlefield as a valuable source of metal. This focus on physics and spectacle, combined with an innovative Commander unit that served as both your mobile base and your most powerful weapon, created an unprecedented sense of scale and destruction that was completely unrivaled at the time.
What makes Total Annihilation a timeless classic and a must-play title is its core philosophy: build massive armies and annihilate everything in your path, and this design philosophy has gone on to inspire pretty much every other RTS game since. Unlike games with a fixed resource pool, its economy is based on a constant stream of energy and metal, allowing for battles of truly gargantuan proportions with hundreds of units on screen. Its legacy is immense, inspiring a generation of RTS games, most notably its spiritual successor, Supreme Commander. For fans of the best RTS games who crave epic-scale warfare and a command of both construction and total destruction, Total Annihilation is a foundational experience.
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