Interested In Finding Out My Top 10 Favorites?
I have written hundreds of articles since founding Strategy and Wargaming in 2017 (then known as OneHexAway). Despite the amount of content available, all the opinions I have penned, and all the criticism I have dished out, I have never told you, my dearest of readers, what my favorite strategy games really are.
Now, mind you, making a list like this isn’t easy, especially when you have played hundreds of games, and your recollection of them isn’t the same in 2025 as it was in 2003 or 2005. More so, the way we perceive things changes over time. Our preferences change, the way we look at life and entertainment changes, and the way we enjoy these experiences is also constantly being shaped by the world and the people around us. I can vividly recall younger me scoffing at the idea of a turn-based strategy title, much preferring real-time experiences back then. Fast forward two decades, and my opinion did a 180.
With that out of the way, have in mind that this is my list of games, and they all hail from different times in my life. Welcome to my Strategy and Wargaming Wall of Fame.
10 – Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Definitive Edition
If I were pressed to choose a strategy game that I think represents the epitome of what a video game should be, my mind would immediately jump to Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Definitive Edition. It is one of the best real-time strategy (RTS) games ever made and embodies everything I believe a game should be. Everything is so over the top (being a Warhammer game certainly helps), it features fantastic combat and base-building, incredible graphical variety, very little concern about symmetrical factions, and extremely powerful abilities, all alongside lasers, explosions, and screams of battle. I might have never played Dawn of War when it came out, way back in 2004, but after playing it this year, it has solidified itself as one of my top 10 favorite strategy games of all time.
9 – Red Alert 2
Red Alert 2 was the second game I ever installed on my PC after I first received my trusty old Pentium 4 sometime in the early 2000s. I quickly built a life-long love affair with its fantastical take on the Cold War. The game took a very real and tense diplomatic affair, asked ‘what if this were to happen?’, and then decided the answer required time travel, Tesla towers, jetpacks, teleportation technology, and giant squids. Aside from its sci-fi nature, Red Alert 2 is a solid RTS with tight controls, plenty of strategic avenues to achieve your objectives, and one of the most memorable single-player campaigns of all time, easily becoming a fan favorite in the Command & Conquer franchise.
8 – Empire Earth
I don’t think I’ll ever be able to justify the presence of Empire Earth on this list by telling you how in-depth the gameplay was, how much strategic freedom it offered, or even how it achieved all of that while packing some of the best 3D graphics of the early 2000s. While the latter might be true, the real reason Empire Earth holds a spot on my Top 10 favorite strategy games of all time is the sheer volume of amazing memories I have of playing it as a kid. Its core premise—’take a civilization from prehistoric times all the way to the distant future in real-time’—simply captivated me that much. Going from hunter-gatherer societies bashing each other with clubs, to medieval soldiers with spears and bows, to muskets, machine guns, atomic bombs, and modern tanks, and finally to futuristic mechs, still remains a truly unique experience no other game has quite replicated. If you have a passing interest in older titles and would like one of the most unique experiences ever delivered in the RTS format, jump onto GOG and buy Empire Earth—you won’t regret it.
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