The big real time strategy showdown - Which RTS is your favorite?

[Jakisthe]

SC2, easy

Gigantic, varied campaign, even if just going with one of the three and of course all together it's just incredible.

Perfect balance between macro and micro potential which absolutely smokes all of these other games besides maybe SC1.

Elegant and endlessly nuanced unit design which continually unlock new ways to be used as the player improves with their control.

Three races which feel unbelievably distinct yet not needlessly complicated, in a way much much more so than just about everything else out there.

Simply no question. Tbh, as someone who grew up on all of these games, any other answer almost strikes me as from either someone a)who was a SC1 pro b)didn't play SC2/simply does not like the traditional RTS setup or c)is neglecting to factor out nostalgia.

 

[Hilarious_Bearious]

"5 of the best games ever made, pick one", such a tough thread.

WarCraft 3 takes the cake for me just because of the modding scene. The amount of value and entertainment I got out of that game is insane.

 

[Villa]

Age of Empires II for me, easily. I've put literally thousands of hours into that game over the decades. I haven't really stopped playing it since 1999. The historical setting always appealed to me (this and Civilization probably helped me become as interested in history as I am), the gameplay is quite easy to pick up but has a massive amount of depth to it if you dive into it, the multiplayer and random maps offer endless variety and replayability, and the mods available are fantastic and also add variety and different ways of playing. The Definitive Edition is a fantastic modernisation of the game, I'm loving it! I was worried they would change too much and wreck what made it special, but the devs knew the game very well and knew what they were doing. I couldn't have really asked for anything more in a remaster! (OK maybe fewer bugs haha, but they're working on it with monthly patches)

Although I prefer AoE2, I still really enjoy AoE3 and feel it's a bit underrated. Looking forward to the remaster of it. And Age 4 is looking promising, I'm impatient to learn more about it! It's the biggest motivator for me to build a new pc later this year.

Red Alert 2 is a great game as well. The C&C series was always a lot of fun and had a lot of 'cool' factor to it for me growing up, seeing the tesla coils and mammoth tanks and everything.

 

[tuhi009]

Rise of Nations. My go-to "chill" RTS.

The soundtrack is so good!

 

[erd]

Easily Warcraft III.

The game itself was great. I loved the heroes and the additional RPG elements they added, as well as the focus on micromanagement and smaller armies. The singleplayer campaign was also great with a ton of memorable missions and an enjoyable story.

That's not really why I love the game so much though. It's the custom map editor. That thing was incredibly awesome. So simple that even kids could understand it but powerful enough that you could transform the game into an entirely different genre if you wanted. It was incredible. I spent so much time playing the massive amount of custom maps people made.

 

[Zweisy1]

Red Alert 2 easily. Still the most fun I"ve ever had with an RTS. Lots of nostalgia for Dune 2 as well for what it did at the time as well as the original C&C.

Personally, I always preferred Westwood Studios to Blizzard.

 

[Frunkalicious]

StarCraft II

To me, complaining about SC2 because the story is bad is like trashing a fighting game for the same reason. I get it, Brood War had a great story but that's not really the reason why it's a masterpiece. And as someone who played BW for 12 years straight, I'd say SC2 is the not only a perfect sequel, but one of the greatest games of all time. Pure RTS perfection.

 

[Prototype Viktor]

StarCraft II isn't getting much love thus far.

What were peoples gripes with that one?

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It was the original FF7 remake, incomplete game split in multiple parts over years

 

[Hella]

It was the original FF7 remake, incomplete game split in multiple parts over years

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Ehh, that's selling both SC2 and FF7r short; they're complete games that are part of a wider trilogy.

Each chapter of SC2 has probably the biggest and most fully-featured campaign in RTS history. Regardless of what one thinks about the story, a whole lotta effort clearly went into making those campaigns stand on their own. They're in no way incomplete.

 

[ShapeDePapa]

Where is Supreme Commander Forged Alliance in the poll?

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That would be my vote. I'm really bad at RTSs but I always loved supreme Commander.

 

[fspm]

Frozen throne and aoe2 were good.

 

[arcadepc]

Dungeon Keeper 1&2 and War of the Overworld. Devoted hours on those games back then

 

[ArjanN]

Dawn of War II for me!

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Same, Chaos Rising specifically.

From this list it'd probably pick Starcraft+Broodwar, but I'd take, say, Homeworld or Company of Heroes over a bunch of these.

 

[tiebreaker]

There was a three kingdom RTS game from early 2000s. I forgot its name, but I remembered liking it very much.

Also loved Rise of Nations.

Edit: It's called Three Kingdoms: Fate of the Dragon.

 

[johancruijff]

I'm gonna vote AoE2 for how it's seared into my memory and how it impress me to this day.
but the one i played the most hours it's probably Dawn of War, between the expansions, the mods, online and for a couple of years we had a group and we played LAN , people bringing every time their desktops,monitors, meters and meters of cables, good times

 

[∀∃:ETURNA]

Homeworld series. Design-wise, I find it extremely appealing. Reminds me of Psygnosis + Design Republic works. I love the story, music and art. The increased dimensionality of the playing field was a game-changer for me coming from 2D and isometric RTS games.

 

[Zweisy1]

Maybe Total Annihilation would deserve to be on the poll too. I thought that was a big favorite for many.

Relic has also done some very good and original work in the genre.. Not the most derivative clones. Put a lot of time into Homeworld especially.. could never really get into Company of Heroes tho.

And yes, Rise of Nations deserves love.

 

[Son of Liberty]

While I do enjoy all the major RTS games out there, I would say Company of Heroes is probably my overall favorite RTS.
Would love to see a third game eventually.

 

[EloKa]

Imho it's hard to define a "best" RTS because the games put their focus onto different aspects. Starcraft had the best macromanagement, WC3 the best micromanagement, C&C Generals the best mass-army fights and AoE2 had the best resource management.

I voted for WC3 because it gave us Dota and the modern TowerDefense genre. Valve and WC3 players refer to Dota as an "ARTS" title because of that: an Action RTS. Would have loved if the marketing campaign for the term "MOBA" would have failed but unfortunately it succeeded and the original ARTS is mostly gone.

 

[Gestault]

The Westwood C&C are still my all-time favorites, for some admittedly super-personal reasons, but I've (*gasp*) loved the balance and production values in the Halo Wars games, more recently. "Best" is really hard to nail down in this genre. I play the genre like a caveman who discovered a "build more units" button.

 

[Yossarian]

The only one I ever really got into:

 

[Mechaplum]

Starcraft, best lore till Starcraft 2 fucks it up royally by making it Warcraft in space.

 

[TeenageFBI]

I've never played Age of Empires 2! Lots of people are mentioning it but I have to know: How's the campaign?

 

[Mentalist]

I've never played Age of Empires 2! Lots of people are mentioning it but I have to know: How's the campaign?

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There is no "campaign" in a traditional sense.

There are multiple "campaigns" , but they follow various military conflicts throughout the time period covered (late Roman Empire- early 1600s)

Each campaign is a collection of scenarios, each one adressing an adaptation of a particular war/battle. A single campaign usually has about 5-8 scenarios. Some custom scenarios on larger maps can be "campaign length- meaning a single scenario can take you multiple hours to play.

The early stuff from OG AoE 2 and its first expansion (Age of Conquerors) are fairly simple by today's standards; most of the stuff from the 4 new expansions that were released after 2013 are pretty varied and are generally a lot of fun.

I haven't checked back with Definitive Edition in a while, so I'm not sure how big the custom campaigns scene for it is (it doesn't support Steam Workshop: since the game is cross-play with the WinStore version, it has to have its own mod management); but the 2013 HD edition has an AMAZING custom campaign scene, and most of the stuff from the original game (available at AoK.heavengames.com ) is compatible with HD. I know there was supposed to be a tool to convert OG and HD custom stuff into DE mods, but I haven't followed up with that for quite a while. I'm afraid of getting back into it, because then I'll just lose hundred more hours of my life to it, and I need to make some dents in my backlog in other genres first.

 

[TeenageFBI]

There is no "campaign" in a traditional sense.

There are multiple "campaigns" , but they follow various military conflicts throughout the time period covered (late Roman Empire- early 1600s)

Each campaign is a collection of scenarios, each one adressing an adaptation of a particular war/battle. A single campaign usually has about 5-8 scenarios. Some custom scenarios on larger maps can be "campaign length- meaning a single scenario can take you multiple hours to play.

The early stuff from OG AoE 2 and its first expansion (Age of Conquerors) are fairly simple by today's standards; most of the stuff from the 4 new expansions that were released after 2013 are pretty varied and are generally a lot of fun.

I haven't checked back with Definitive Edition in a while, so I'm not sure how big the custom campaigns scene for it is (it doesn't support Steam Workshop: since the game is cross-play with the WinStore version, it has to have its own mod management); but the 2013 HD edition has an AMAZING custom campaign scene, and most of the stuff from the original game (available at AoK.heavengames.com ) is compatible with HD. I know there was supposed to be a tool to convert OG and HD custom stuff into DE mods, but I haven't followed up with that for quite a while. I'm afraid of getting back into it, because then I'll just lose hundred more hours of my life to it, and I need to make some dents in my backlog in other genres first.

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Thanks! I think I'll pick it up. Pretty weird that two different remaster/remakes were released so close to each other.

I'm thinking of going with the Definitive version as it's still getting patches and such.

 

[HylianHero12]

If I said Battalion Wars, does that count as an RTS?

 

[Windu]

Age 2 or Warcraft 2 back in the day. Nowadays it would probably be something with a little more base building and economics like Anno 1402.

 

[Bishop89]

Age of mythology
Tiberian sun
Red alert 2

Are my favourites probably.

 

[Giga Man]

The original Pikmin for single-player, and Pikmin 2 and Pikmin 3 for VS. multiplayer.

 

[Seahawk64]

AoE2 is the goat rts. Then it would be warcraft 3.

 

[Lightjolly]

Age of Empires 3
Red Alert 3
Company of heroes
Supreme Commander Forged Alliance

Those are the ones I played the most in that order, so those are my favourites. Out of that list, between RA2 or Other (Supreme Commander FA)

 

[YukiroCTX]

My favourite would be Starcraft with Broodwar. Fun MP, Great story in SP. My second would have been Total War: Rome which was the first entry I played and the third Red Alert 2.

 

[Lactose_Intolerant]

No mention of Kohan, this place is slipping

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Of the listed? StarCraft 2, easily.

But I absolutely LOVED Homeworld and Sins of a Solar Emprie. Real ones know about Sins.

 

[Grug]

What would be the best RTS games released in the last 5 years or so?

I kinda fell off this genre around then and don't know where to climb back on. Particularly interested in ones that are friendly to learn and a fraction chill.

 

[Zukkoyaki]

Other: Age of Mythology is my all time favorite RTS.

As someone who never really played this genre competitively, I appreciated the expansive and diverse campaign. My time with this game helped fueled my life-long interest in various mythologies from around the world. I've read books, took college classes, etc. I adore AoM!

 

[DidactBRHU3]

So far AOE3 before AOE4 releases and the remaster.

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A man of culture I see.

 

[Lightjolly]

What would be the best RTS games released in the last 5 years or so?

I kinda fell off this genre around then and don't know where to climb back on. Particularly interested in ones that are friendly to learn and a fraction chill.

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Company of Heroes 2
Ashes of the Singularity Escalation
Planetary Annihilation Titan
Men of War 2 Assault Squad

Would be my picks of the past 5 years

 

[Grug]

Company of Heroes 2
Ashes of the Singularity Escalation
Planetary Annihilation Titan
Men of War 2 Assault Squad

Would be my picks of the past 5 years

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Cheers! I notice Ashes of the Singularity Escalation is currently free on Humble. Sounds like a sign from the gaming gods.

 

[TeenageFBI]

Of the listed? StarCraft 2, easily.

But I absolutely LOVED Homeworld and Sins of a Solar Emprie. Real ones know about Sins.

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Sins is tough to play on a high resolution monitor. Unless they've added UI scaling since I last played, it's too hard to read and differentiate icons at 1440p and higher.

 

[Phinor]

Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance followed by Company of Heroes. Former is still unrivaled in almost every way and CoH is just the best LAN game ever that also happens to have a good campaign. Age of Empires games are good but wouldn't be in my top 10 even, same goes for C&C. I thought Warcraft 3 would be my choice but thinking about it, it's actually not anywhere near my top choice. There's been so many great RTS games even in the past five years that many of the old classics are falling in my rankings. Steel Division, Deserts of Kharak, Sins of a Solar Empire, Grey Goo, Total War series, Battlefleet Gothic if that counts...

 

[Moments Hunter]

I have 3 RTS close to my heart.

Age of Mythology for first RTS I have ever played and its campaign is still one of the best for me. The mix of mythologies, heroes, different playstyles, music is still perfect to me.

Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance (and FAF) is just RTS with scale like nothing else. Story is so so but the sheer amount of different units, systems, logistics, tactics which can be used land, sea and air is simply amazing. When you learn how to run your economy and then start pouring your units to the frontline - it is really something. Sometimes you can be stuck in artillery match when you hope your shields will last long enough. And sometimes you fight endless battle with hundreds of your Tech 1 units only to be destroyed by superior Tech or even Experimental tech machines (Spider Bots!).

Men of War is your "yet another WW2 RTS" but it is very unique (it has several successors but also precedessors). Battles are more tactical, you can use a lot of covers, your men have different equipments (helmets!) and it is really hard.

And by the way... are Paradox games RTS? If yes, I am adding Crusader Kings 2.

 

[Teddy]

I've gone for Red Alert 2 but I was extremely close to picking up Age of Empires 2.

Both games are excellent and I wouldn't change anything about either of them.

 

[Fall Damage]

I was tempted to say all of the above but WCIII has always stood above the rest for me. Orcs and Humans was one of the games that got me hooked on PC gaming and the series only got better from there. The campaign in III is one of my favorite in any genre of game and the custom games/multiplayer will never be surpassed by anything for me. I guess now that I think about the choice wasn't that hard.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Sins is tough to play on a high resolution monitor. Unless they've added UI scaling since I last played, it's too hard to read and differentiate icons at 1440p and higher.

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Oh I haven't played it in years. No idea of the current state. Was speaking more of the year or two post launch.

 

[Zoon]

Battle for middle earth followed by Age of Mythology.

 

[.exe]

I like Supreme Commander (and Total Annihilation) a lot.
That's where my interest in RTS games begins and ends.

Edit: Wow, lots of Supcom love here! Nice.

 

[Legacy]

AOE2 is the GOAT

Battle for Middle Earth 2 in second place for me

 

[Theorry]

Balanced poll.

 

[Unkindled]

Age Of Empires as a whole series loved them all.