Introduction
I grew up during the golden age of real-time strategy. The late 90s and the early 2000s were the best years the genre has ever seen, and it was then that the gold standard was solidified, and the all-time classics emerged.
Unfortunately, from the late 2000s until 2015, aside from a few exceptions, came a time when the RTS genre went into a steep decline. Or better yet, a deep slumber. Now, it seems that this genre of strategy is fully awakened, and it’s coming out swinging in 2026 and 2027.
This list focuses on the upcoming real-time strategy games that deserve attention, and I’m most excited for. There’s a wide variety of picks, from medieval titles like Stronghold 4 to sci-fi RTSs like ZeroSpace, to some good old classic inspired RTS from the 90s and 2000s like D.O.R.F., all the latest and greatest hits like Dawn of War IV and Total War: Warhammer 40,000, and the RTS genre is stronger than ever. All the information displayed here is the information available at the time of writing, but it might be subject to change until the games come out.
15 – Bergfried
- Developer: Quid Pro Games
- Publisher: Quid Pro Games
- Release Date: To be announced
- Steam Page
It’s a weird thing that, despite the success of games like Stronghold, Age of Empires 2, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, and Manor Lords, we still don’t have a whole lot of options when it comes to medieval strategy games, but at least the ones we do have are timeless classics. Bergfried, the first title from Quid Pro Games, seems like it’s going to be a fusion between the castle building of Stronghold, town-management of Manor Lords, and the real-time strategy combat of… well, any other RTS. I’m very curious to see how its development comes along, but from the trailers and screenshots, things are looking very interesting indeed, and as a fan of medieval history, and a lover of castles, descriptions like “Bergfried offers an organic castle-building experience on a unique grid that captures the irregular shapes of European castles from the high and late middle ages” is exactly the kind of thing that really tickles my fancy.
14 – Panzer Strike
- Developer: ISAK Team
- Publisher: ISAK Team
- Release Date: Q3 2026
- Steam Page
Panzer Strike was recently on display during the Steam Next Fest, and despite some initial rough first impressions, I’m hopeful that the game is going to end up in a good place, and there’s a strong base in here, especially since the team is going for a late 90s and early 2000s classic RTS experience, similarly to titles like Blitzkrieg and Sudden Strike. The sprite work is stellar, animations do feel good, and the scale is on point. I just hope the team can significantly improve the game’s pathfinding, which I found to be the biggest pain point during my time with it. If you were around during the heyday of World War 2 strategy games, it’s worth keeping your eyes peeled for this one.
13 – Falling Frontier
- Developer: Stutter Fox Studios
- Publisher: Hooded Horse
- Release Date: Coming soon
- Steam Page
I have done so many entries on Falling Frontier, and the game has been delayed so often that I’m not even sure if it should be here or not. Given the fact that this is one of the most wishlisted strategy games on Steam, let’s give it one last chance, then! This procedurally generated space RTS looks stunning. We’re talking arguably the most detailed, highly simulated ship-on-ship combat ever put in a video game. The big question left is simple: when it finally drops, will Falling Frontier be good enough to crown itself one of the best sci-fi strategy games ever made?
12 – Chronicles: Medieval
- Developer: Raw Power Games
- Publisher: Raw Power Games
- Release Date: 2026
- Steam Page
You have no idea how long I have been wishing upon a star for something like Chronicles: Medieval. This is a dynamic medieval sandbox strategy game set during the Hundred Years’ War that mixes up the free-roam style of gameplay of something like Mount & Blade with real-time strategy battles at the scale of Total War! Not only that, but you can control your forces and fight in the battle too! If this isn’t a match made in heaven, I don’t know what is.
11 – Dinolords
- Developer: Northplay
- Publisher: Ghost Ship Publishing
- Release Date: To be announced
- Steam Page
I am a sucker for wild, innovative ideas. Even in my less favorable reviews, I’ll always give a pass to a game that dares to try something new, especially in a genre notorious for getting stuck in its old ways (yes, I’m talking about wargames and traditional RTS games that just cannot let go that the late 90s were three decades ago). The team behind Dinolords clearly shares that philosophy. After all, how many people look at the Middle Ages and think, “You know what this needs? Dinosaurs!” Somehow, an entire development team and a publisher mutually agreed that this was a brilliant concept. And honestly? I completely agree. Dinolords takes a medieval real-time setting and replaces knights on horses with armor-clad dinos. Better yet, you can take direct control of your dinosaur-riding Lord. Sign me up.
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