The real-time strategy genre has been a cornerstone of PC gaming for decades. Its versatility is part of the secret of its success; the genre has seen World War II shooters, mythical battles, and historical events. Another popular type of RTS game is futuristic science fiction, a category that has been dominated by Blizzard Entertainment's StarCraft series.
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The original game, StarCraft, won numerous awards at launch, including Strategy Game of the Year by GameSpot and Real-Time Strategy Game of the Year by PC Gamer. The tension around Starcraft 2 was one of the more memorable events in gaming history, and the sequel is one of the highest rated games on Metacritic. For those who love Blizzard's signature RTS games but want a change of scene, there are plenty of choices for games like StarCraft.
Uploaded on October 23, 2025 by Jack Pursey: This list of RTS games to play if you love Starcraft has been updated to improve the layout and quality of visuals.
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2
Fast RTS with a wild story
Fans of StarCraft who want an exciting real-time strategy experience will appreciate the fast-paced thrills on offer Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 and the flexibility of its game options. Set in an alternate history where the Soviets launch an all-out attack on the Allies using hyper-powered Tesla coil technology aided by psychic Yuri's psionic army, Red Alert 2 offers equal parts campy FMV sequences and challenging encounters.
Similar StarCraftgame in Red Alert 2 positioning players as either the Soviets' cheap but hard-hitting units, the Allies' expensive but hyper-specialized roster, or amassing an army by infecting both sides with Yuri's psychic (in the expansion). The game mainly consists of gathering enough resources to amass enough units for all-out attacks – that is, unless enemies manage to whip out a quick counterattack to turn the tide. In addition to some pretty crazy stunts in the story, the game offers a lot of creativity when it comes to abusing the meta Red Alert 2 an enduring classic.
Total annihilation
A classic title with interesting mechanics
While other modern RTS titles have incredible graphics and more sophisticated gameplay, Total annihilation was a surprisingly complex and fluid entry in the genre despite its 1997 release date. Set in the far future where remnants of humanity known as the Arm are battling a galaxy-spanning AI-led faction known as the Core, Total annihilation will let players control towering mechs known as Commanders as they attempt to overproduce and overpower the enemy using a variety of units and techniques.
Compared to other RTS titles, Total annihilation has constantly generating metal and power resources, the consumption of which depends on the strength of the building unit and the power of the unit being built. Arm units have sleek designs designed for quick incursions, while Core units have more durable bodies, with each side having Kbots built to meet specific combat situations. Total annihilation is also among the first RTS titles to feature a radar system that displayed units on the minimap, with the game having a “technique” that can disable enemy radars to make it much more difficult for them to gain information.
Battle Realms
Builders become the foundation of core entities
Battle Realms
- Released
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November 8, 2001
Despite its Asian-inspired themes and environments, Battle Realms packs a lot of finesse outside of its story of exiled heir Kenji returning to a chaotic land. The Battle Realms The campaign takes Kenji down different paths depending on the player's choices – each battle leads them closer to one of the game's factions and unlocks heroes or Zen masters that they can call on in battle. Choosing between the honorable Dragon Clan, the nature-bound wolf clan, the technologically advanced snake clan, and the wizards of the lotus clan can give players access to a wide variety of units to use in fast-paced battles.
While Battle Realms follows a similar RTS formula with macro combos and overwhelming opponents into submission, its game loop offers more flexibility. Matches will see a steady stream of peasants produced, depending on the player's population, and can be assigned to collect rice, water and horses – the latter of which can be equipped into units to upgrade them into mounted variants. Peasants themselves act as “base” units that upgrade to more specialized variants through structures, while Battle Gears can buff units to counter others they are normally weak against.
Ashes Of The Singularity
Thousands of units and giant maps
Ashes of the Singularity was released by Stardock Entertainment, the team behind Sins of a Solar Empire and Galactic Civilizations franchise agreement. The RTS game differs from others in the genre by having thousands of units fighting simultaneously on huge maps that make the game feel ahead of its time.
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The game didn't blow away the critics when it was first released, but it Escalation expansion redeemed the game when it was released six months later. The expansion was initially released as a standalone product but has since been merged with the main game.
War party
Everybody Walk The Dinosaur
Think WarCraft with dinosaurs, cavemen and a splash StarCrafts simplistic feel, and this multiplayer indie could be the result. Harkening back to the era of colorful, early Blizzard RTS games, Studio Rogueside applies a fun and cheeky dinosaur overlay in War party.
The game dabbles in fantasy elements in the form of mages, undead and combat-altering spells – though it grounds things more in prehistoric motifs. War party allows players to choose between one of three distinct factions, no different StarCrafts human and alien armies, which intertwine and often collide. Players must take on various missions – usually defeating outposts and enemies – while taking care of smaller, secondary tasks.
While more of a mixed bag in terms of refinement and depth, the game stands out as a rare example of a decent home console port. It offers fairly organized, intuitive controls for the Switch, allowing for quick multitasking without being overwhelmed by a dozen commands and countless micromanagement.
Halo Wars 2
Gunplay, Sci-Fi and… Card Battles
343 Industries and Creative Assembly manage to polish the formula for their sci-fi RTS based on the iconic Halo series, while adding various bells and whistles that include new modes and card battles. Although the card battles are simplistic at first, they work surprisingly well and add an interesting, quasi-Magic the Gathering know the experience, except on-the-nose StarCraft vibe.
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The game features an impressively detailed, cinematic campaign that follows the events of Halo 5. This story mode is enhanced by engaging RTS combat that works surprisingly well even on home console, and features a series of unique missions and challenges.
Multiplayer is another strong point of the game, with both online co-op and competitive matches featuring impressive customization. Although it has some quirks and can be difficult to find a footing at first compared to its simpler predecessor, Halo Wars 2 is a rewarding (and frankly overlooked) RTS on Xbox.
Gray Goo
Distinct races with special powers
Gray Goo have some details in common with StarCraft, such as the enticing science fiction background and the choice between four different races, along with the option between a single player or a co-op campaign. A distinct addition is that each race has its power or advantage, such as extra speed or the use of teleportation technology, and players must find ways to use these specialized abilities to their advantage.
The setting is 500 years into the future, when humans have ventured into space and encountered the Beta, a race that is developing a wormhole of sorts to return to space after a long hiatus. Unfortunately, an aggressive alien race arrives to attack them and everything else in the galaxy. Fight them or join them and conquer the stars.
The Lord of the Rings: Battle For Middle-Earth 2
Real-time strategy in Midgard
A real-time strategy game set in Middle-Earth always sounded like a match made in heaven, so there was a ton of hype when Sierra Entertainment announced that The Lord of the Rings: War of the Ring would be released in 2003. The game failed to impress most, but fans wouldn't have to wait long for the next RTS Middle-Earth game to be released, as EA's The Battle for Middle-earth in stores just over a year later.
The game was a critical and commercial success, so a sequel was announced shortly after. The Lord of the Rings: Battle For Middle-Earth 2 is loved not only for its licensed features, but also for being an excellent RTS in its own right.
Total War: Warhammer 2
In-depth strategy with a large number of choices
About like Battle For Middle-Earth, Total War: Warhammer is the kind of game that fans of the franchise will fantasize about but not expect to see in reality. Total War: Warhammer was released in 2016 and a positive reception meant that work quickly began on a sequel.
Warhammer 2s fantasy themes are much more than just a gimmick. They offer a unique layer of depth and strategy to a game that StarCraft by giving players a large variety of unique units to battle with and control. The third entry is also a fantastic conclusion to this trilogy.
Age of Mythology
Legends, myths and epic battles
As the title suggests, the age of mythology is one Age of Empires by-product. The characters offer a fascinating layer of depth to the classic Age of Empires game. Age of Mythology is a great game in its own right and earns a higher spot on this list of games that StarCraft for its fictional setting.
The game focuses on Egyptian, Greek and Norse mythology and features key characters such as Zeus and Ra. It has similar mechanics to age of empires, with resource management, base building and unit deployment again key to the game.
