10 – Company of Heroes 3
After a rocky launch, Company of Heroes 3 is finally where it should have been when it first came out, in 2023. Even though the gameplay was a bit lackluster and the grand strategy campaign failed to deliver on promises, the third entry of CoH at least delivered some of the most visually impressive WWII battlefields ever seen in a strategy game. It combines highly detailed environments with a powerful destruction system that makes towns, fortifications, and terrain deform convincingly under fire. Units are meticulously animated, from infantry taking cover to tanks tearing through rubble, and the Mediterranean theaters burst with color, atmosphere, and sharp lighting that elevates every encounter. After the launch, the game underwent a significant graphics overhaul, making it look so much better now than it ever has, and the game is very much worth playing now, two years after its release.
9 – Age of Mythology: Retold
Is this cheating? Because Age of Mythology: Retold is a complete remaster of the 2003 original. I don’t think it’s cheating, because you can look at it as a brand-new game that just so happened to revitalize the classic RTS with dramatically enhanced visuals, transforming its legendary pantheons, mythical creatures, and ancient civilizations into something that’s worth taking a closer look at in 2025. This is while keeping what made the original Age of Mythology look so special, with its unique interpretation of mythical creatures and almost dreamlike landscapes and biomes. Had they fully kept faithful to the original unit designs, I would place it so much higher on this list, but that’s a grudge I’m still not able to let go.
8 – Broken Arrow
Broken Arrow impressed me when it released earlier this year by being a semi-realistic approach to the Wargame formula, pioneered by Eugen Systems. Despite being developed by a new team, it’s undeniable that Broken Arrow not only delivers in the gameplay department but also impresses with its detailed depiction of modern combined-arms warfare, showcasing highly realistic vehicle models and variants, authentic military equipment all around, and expansive battlefields that feel alive with movement and destruction. From the heat shimmer of jet engines to the dust clouds kicked up by armored convoys, and the smoke trails and muzzle flashes of tank rounds spitting out of barrels, Broken Arrow has some of the best RTS graphics you can engage with in 2025. Better yet, the game does all of this without sacrificing clarity (a major pet peeve of mine with some other games), giving players a clean tactical view of massive engagements, earning a top spot on my best strategy games of 2025 so far.
7 – Tempest Rising
Look, I still think that Red Alert 2 has one of the best art styles of all time, even if it’s silly, but I cannot deny the graphical masterpiece that is Tempest Rising, even if I don’t enjoy it as much as its ’90s and 2000s counterparts. At least Tempest Rising goes above and beyond to blend modern graphical polish with the unmistakable, over-the-top style of classic ’90s and early-2000s RTS games, delivering battles that are both nostalgically familiar but with modern details. Its contrasting looks of reds and blues that light nearly all maps, crisp terrain and unit textures, and highly readable unit designs with animations and effects that play a massive role in informing the player of what’s going on, as well as entertain, make every skirmish pop on screen. For a game as bombastic as Tempest Rising, explosions, laser fire, and destruction effects feel satisfyingly weighty—a necessary requirement for any proper game that’s trying to rank amongst the best-looking strategy games you can play in 2025. The two available factions have distinct visual identities, base structures animate with personality, and the game’s clean, saturated art direction ensures that even large-scale engagements remain smooth and cinematic. It’s a gorgeous revival of old-school RTS energy wrapped in contemporary visual fidelity. The only thing missing are the silly FMV sequences we all loved to see and laugh about.
6 – SpellForce 3 Reforced
I don’t think a lot of people give SpellForce 3 Reforced the necessary credit for how beautiful this RTS and RPG game truly is, despite being nearly a decade old by now. It has a breathtaking blend of high-fantasy art design, handcrafted environments, and richly detailed units that make every battle and exploration sequence visually unforgettable. Its world is rendered with lush forests, glowing arcane ruins, great lighting, and intricate architectural styles that reflect each faction’s identity. Character models and spell effects shine with RPG-level detail—flashes of elemental magic, swirling particle effects, and impressive animations elevate every encounter. As both a strategy game and an RPG hybrid, SpellForce 3 Reforced showcases a level of artistic cohesion and technical polish rare in the genre, making it one of the best-looking strategy titles ever made.
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