2017 was quite an uneventful year for RTS games as was 2016, as was 2015, as was... I don't know if it's just me, but I feel like RTS games are becoming harder and harder to come across. It seems that every year they are slightly less popular than the last, with many just being kept alive by their die-hard audiences. I don't have any way to prove this for sure, but I definitely feel that RTS games are becoming less popular by the year.
My personal suspicion about why this is, is the fact that they are harder than many gaming genres (especially in terms of entrance barrier... It's a hard genre to get into, and one that requires a lot of patience and time.
I am a rather serious RTS player though, and my main games involve Starcraft 2, Act of Aggression, and Dawn of War 3. While there are so many other RTS's out there that I am sure I have no idea about, I would love to share a list of what I think are the best RTS games out there right now. Without further ado, let's get started!
Dawn of War 3
What's that? You heard this game doesn't live up to its predecessors? Honestly I am not here to tell you about whether this game is a 'real' Warhammer game or not, I am here to tell you about the newest installment in the Dawn of War series as an RTS.
I didn't expect much going into DAW3 after hearing all of the reviews. However I picked it up anyway, and I was enthralled. The campaign was amazingly fun (I haven't had such a great campaign since Starcraft 2!). I played it constantly that week and finished it within a week of getting the game. It was a real treat to play.
The graphics in the game are great, the combination of army and hero control is great fun, and the unique factions and mechanics together make a very pleasing experience.
I would say that the biggest downside to this game is that there is only three factions to play. Other games in the franchise had multitudes of factions to pick from and it definitely increased the longevity of the game. However, this is a minor downfall in the scheme of things. The other biggest con was the lack of players online (or so it seems, the queues were far too long for me).
Definitely a game to check out if you love RTS games, and a certain buy when on sale!
Ashes of Singularity
The computer resource beast is here! The game infamous for taking your PC to its limits, that one game that actually uses DirectX 12! Ashes of Singularity is a stunning game. Simply stunning. Watching thousands of little explosions go off is a rather calming experience (unless it's your own army taking the hits) and something that I think everyone must watch themselves to understand exactly what I mean.
The game is MASSIVE. The maps are huge, the units are huge, the armies are huge. Everything about this game screams massive. It's a graphical masterpiece really, it's truly incredible. That's all I can say about the visual elements of the game.
The game does have a few downsides though. Similarly to DAW3 it lacks variety in the factions. Every game is totally different and unique, but only having two factions limits things greatly. I don't really know how they could have added more (as everything already seems to be covered), but I would have loved to see it attempted.
The other biggest downside is that it seems to be a bit of a steam-roll style game. Gain some momentum, and often you can't lose from that point forwards. I wish there was a bit more back and fourth action, but either way it's great.
The game looks amazing, the AI are fantastic (frustratingly so) for single player, and the game is on sale often. I think the only reason not to get this game is if you have a lower end PC... It's a resource hog like I said. There's a reason this game is often used for benchmarking.
Act of Aggression
I don't know what it is about me, but I seem to love these little hated games. Games that so many people seem to hate, whether because of bugs, gameplay, or some other reason. Yet I come across them and... Well I love them. This game is one of those games!
Act of Aggression is essentially Generals 2, a game that sadly never got a true sequel. Both of the games are action-packed, fast-paced, arcade style real time strategy games. AoA is a game where you can send 20 nukes at the opponent and watch in glee as you wipe them off the face of the earth. Ever wanted to see what it is like to mass a bazillion artillery and send them at the opponent? Here's your chance!!
The game has a much better variety than the other games I feel. There are only three factions here too, but these factions all have enough different choices that I am never bored. Me and one of my friends have played over 30 hours of co-op on AoA and neither of us regrets getting the game at all.
The downsides are that there is a very distinct lack of players if you want to play with people outside of friends, and the AI can be... a bit crazy. They seem to have phases, like massing units, then building Sh*t tons of bunkers, then trying you nuke you to oblivion. But then they just sort of... Die?
The AI are still decent though, just they aren't perfect. Any fan of Commander and Conquer Generals MUST check out this game, it's probably the closest thing we will ever get to Generals....cries.
Company of Heroes 2
Company of Heroes 2 is the first game on this list that doesn't try to be flashy or futuristic to get its players. Company of Heroes is the complete opposite of that! It is a World War 2 RTS that has destructible scenery, hypothermia, tanks falling into lakes, and stupidly OP 88mm anti-tank guns.
The game is built around realism and it does this very well. It isn't perfect (no game can be entirely realistic just yet!), but it does a damn good job. The workshop support for this game is also amazing. There are so many mods, maps, and skins that you can get overwhelmed pretty easily. I think me and my friends play with around 200 workshop subscriptions these days.
However CoH2 definitely also has the biggest problems of any game on this list. It is amazing, don't get me wrong, but it is also very flawed. The game has some massive performance problems that I think can't be attributed to the PCs me and my friends play on (1060 - 8700k, Ryzen 1700 - 1080, 7600k - 970) as even low settings will lag. this game also has TERRIBLE D-sync problems. In an hour and a half long game, I finished ten minutes before my friend... ten minutes. I had finished the game, while he continued for ten minutes. That is a big problem right there.
However usually if we refrain from using crazy settings the game wont D-sync too massively. But it's still a big issue for whenever you want to play with mods or extra big maps.
In Conclusion
There are many games I am sure I missed, but these are the games that I have personal experience with... Games that I think are often overlooked. I personally recommend each and every game on this list!
Thank you for reading, hope everyone is having a great day :)
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