Good Strategy Games For Mac

• Good Strategy Games For Mac Os X
• Best Mac Strategy Games Free
• Good Strategy Games For Mac
• Best Free Strategy Games For Macbook Air
• Best Ww2 Strategy Games For Mac
• Turn Based Strategy Games For Mac
• Best Strategy Games For Mac 2019

Battle for Wesnoth 1.14.7

Starcraft II is one of the best current RTSes and has mac support. You can also search Steam Monster Summer Sale for games with the RTS and MAC OS tags. The total war series is good but gives a fundamentally different experience to SCII. The best strategy games on PC in 2020. Time to conquer the best strategy games on the PC, from the finest RTS to the greatest turn-based strategy, as picked by PCGamesN.

Oct 02, 2019  In this article, we have listed some of the best macOS games. Undoubtedly, Windows is the most preferred OS when it comes to gaming on a computer. That said, many popular games are compatible with macOS as well. So in no particular order, these are. Jun 11, 2018  Read: 20 Best Simulation Games for Android (2018) Best Strategy Games for Mac #1 0 A D. Let’s start with something completely free. 0 A D is an open-source strategy game for Mac. When you start the game, you’re a leader who is up for the challenge. Using the resources around, you have to set up your civilizations and beat down enemies ahead.

The Battle for Wesnoth is a free, turn-based strategy game with afantasy theme. Fight to regain the throne of Wesnoth, of which you arethe legitimate heir, or use your dread power over the Undead to dominatethe land of mortals, or lead your glorious Orcish tribe to victoryagainst the humans who dared despoil your lands. Wesnoth has manydifferent sagas waiting to be played out. You can create your own customunits, and write your own scenarios - or even full-blown campaigns. Youcan also challenge your friends - or strangers - and fight multi-playerepic fantasy battles.

If there’s one good thing about the relative scarcity of games on the Mac, it’s that we often get the best games when we do get them. Sure, you’ll find a few stinkers, but the fact remains.

• License: Freeware
• Developer/Publisher: Battle for Wesnoth Team
• Modification Date: April 22, 2019
• Requirements: Mac OS X 10.9 or higher - 64-bit

Download File Size: 466 MB

Civilization V 1.4.1
Sid Meier’s Civilization V: The Complete Edition is the definitiveCivilization V collection for Mac gamers who have yet to experience thefamous “just-one-more-turn” addictive gameplay that has madeCivilization one of the greatest game series of all time. The CompleteEdition includes the original 2010 Game of the Year award-winningstrategy game Sid Meier’s Civilization V, plus the twocritically-acclaimed expansion packs (Gods & Kings and Brave New World)and all of the released add-on content in one complete package for anamazing value.

• License: Buy, $50 for the Complete Editon, $30 for Civilization V or for the Campaign Edition
• Developer/Publisher: Aspyr
• Modification Date: April 11, 2019
• Requirements: Mac OS X 10.11 or higher - 64-bit

Download File Size: 5.1 GB - App Store - Civilization V: Campaign Edition for $30

Download Steam - The Complete Edition for $50

Download Steam - Civilization V for $30

Civilization VI 1.2.1
Originally created by legendary game designer Sid Meier, Civilization isa turn-based strategy game in which you attempt to build an empire tostand the test of time. Become Ruler of the World by establishing andleading a civilization from the Stone Age to the Information Age. Wagewar, conduct diplomacy, advance your culture, and go head-to-head withhistory’s greatest leaders as you attempt to build the greatestcivilization the world has ever known.
Civilization VI offers new ways to engage with your world: cities nowphysically expand across the map, active research in technology andculture unlocks new potential, and competing leaders will pursue theirown agendas based on their historical traits as you race for one of fiveways to achieve victory in the game.

• License: Buy, $15 with In-App Purchases for Expansion Packs
• Developer/Publisher: Aspyr
• Modification Date: April 4, 2019
• Requirements: Mac OS X 10.11 or higher - 64-bit

Download File Size: 9.8 GB - App Store

Download File Size: 9.8 GB - Steam

Command & Conquer: Generals Deluxe 1.1.2
The genre defining Command & Conquer: Generals Deluxe Edition returns tothe Mac, exclusively on the Mac App Store!
In a time of modern war, recent military aggressions around the globehave many nations worried. Between the United States, China, and theGlobal Liberation Army, tensions run high. Their leaders profess nointerest in escalating the situation, but words ring hollow whensatellite photos tell a different story.
This award winning Deluxe version includes both C&C Generals and thestand-alone expansion Zero Hour!

• License: Buy, $10
• Developer/Publisher: Aspyr
• Modification Date: December 2, 2015
• Requirements: Mac OS X 10.9.5 or higher - 32-bit

Good Strategy Games For Mac Os X

Download File Size: 4.4 GB - App Store

Company of Heroes 2 1.3.1
Direct your troops through fast-paced real-time battles in the brutalfight to turn the tide of World War II. From the desperate defence ofStalingrad to victory in Berlin, you must defeat a tenacious enemy andthe deadly cold of the Russian winter.

Best Mac Strategy Games Free

Objective-based missions challenge you to maneuver soldiers, guns, andtanks across feature-rich environments to scope out the battlefield,secure targets and destroy enemies. Navigate the hazardous terrain, takeadvantage of cover and overcome the freezing temperatures andtreacherous ice that can make the difference between crushing defeat andhard-won victory.

• License: Buy, $20
• Developer/Publisher: Feral Interactive
• Modification Date: October 1, 2018
• Requirements: macOS 10.14 or higher - 64-bit

Download File Size: 42.1 GB - App Store - Company of Heroes 2 Collection - $40

Download File Size: 28 GB - Steam

Dota 2 7.22h
Dota is a competitive game of action and strategy, played bothprofessionally and casually by millions of passionate fans worldwide.Players pick from a pool of over a hundred heroes, forming two teams offive players.

• License: Free to Play
• Developer/Publisher: Valve
• Modification Date: October 16, 2019
• Requirements: Mac OS X 10.11 or higher - 64-bit

Download - Steam

Dota Underlords
Hire a crew and destroy your rivals in this new strategy battler set in the world of Dota.

• License: Free to Play - Early Access
• Developer/Publisher: Valve
• Modification Date: October 26, 2019
• Requirements: Mac OS X 10.13.6 or higher - 64-bit

Download - Steam

Heroes of the Storm 2.48.2
You can play alone, randomly matched players, or with your friends; youcan play against the computer or other human beings; you can play rankedor just for fun… The point is, there are a LOT of ways to play. Heroeshave an array of powerful abilities that set them apart from each other.Although unique in their own right, every hero has a kit geared towardsa particular role.

• License: Free, Buy More
• Developer/Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment
• Modification Date: October 15, 2019
• Requirements: Mac OS X 10.10 or higher - 64-bit

Download File Size: 4.1 MB Installer

League of Legends 9.20
League of Legends is a fast-paced, competitive online game that blendsthe speed and intensity of an RTS with RPG elements. Two teams ofpowerful champions, each with a unique design and playstyle, battlehead-to-head across multiple battlefields and game modes. With anever-expanding roster of champions, frequent updates and a thrivingtournament scene, League of Legends offers endless replayability forplayers of every skill level.

• License: Free to Play, Buy Stuff
• Developer/Publisher: Riot Games Inc
• Modification Date: October 8, 2019
• Requirements: Mac OS X 10.10 or higher - 64-bit

Download File Size: 86.7 MB Installer

Medieval II: Total War 1.1
Rally to the standard and light up the Dark Ages in this classic TotalWar game of real-time battles and turn-based strategy. As a warriorking, expand your area of influence and consolidate power with an artfulmix of diplomacy, commerce and war.
Rule wisely across the campaign map to build your empire’sinfrastructure, cities and trade routes, then master the art ofdiplomacy to disarm enemies, empower allies and gain the favour of thePope and on the battlefield, conduct siege warfare and lead your armiesinto epic clashes to bring rival kingdoms to their knees.

• License: Buy, $25
• Developer/Publisher: Feral Interactive
• Modification Date: October 24, 2018
• Requirements: macOS 10.14 or higher - 64-bit and Metal

Download File Size: 25.7 GB - App Store

Download File Size: 25.7 GB - Steam

Myth II: Soulblighter 1.8.3
Myth II: Soulblighter is a unique strategy game, set in a 3D world ofdangerous alliances and ancient evil, where all beings tremble beforethe wrath of Soulblighter, cruelest and most cunning of the evil FallenLords.
The installer can update any previous version of Myth II andcan also be used to install and update Myth II directly from theoriginal CD.

• License: Update
• Developer/Publisher: Bungie/Project Magna
• Modification Date: December 30, 2018
• Requirements: Mac OS X 10.3.9 or higher - 64-bit

Download File Size: 21.7 MB

Gate of Storms - You can still play here

Northgard
Northgard is a strategy game based on Norse mythology in which youcontrol a clan of Vikings vying for the control of a mysterious newfoundcontinent.
After years of tireless explorations, brave Vikings have discovered anew land filled with mystery, danger and riches: Northgard.
The boldest Northmen have set sail to explore and conquer these newshores, bring fame to their Clan and write history through conquest,trading, or devotion to the Gods. That is, if they can survive the direwolves and undead warriors roaming the land, befriend or defeat thegiants, and survive the harshest winters ever witnessed in theNorth.

• License: Buy, $30
• Developer/Publisher: Shiro Games
• Modification Date: October 3, 2018
• Requirements: Mac OS X 10.9 or higher - 64-bit

Download - Steam

Starcraft 1.23.1
In the distant future, the newly formed Terran Dominion faces thearrival of two hostile alien races: the savage Zerg and the enigmaticProtoss. Gather resources and expand your forces to lead them tovictory. The only allies are enemies. The only choice is war.

• License: Buy, $15
• Developer/Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment
• Modification Date: September 24, 2019
• Requirements: Mac OS X 10.11 or higher - 64-bit

Download File Size: 3 MB Installer

StarCraft II 4.10.4
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty is the long-awaited sequel to theoriginal StarCraft, Blizzard Entertainment's critically acclaimed sci-fireal-time strategy game. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty is both achallenging single-player game and a fast-paced multiplayer game, and italso taps into Battle.net - Blizzard Entertainment's fully-featuredonline gaming service.

• License: Wings of Liberty campaign free to play / Heart of the Swarm, Legacy of the Void and Nova Covert Ops $15 each
• Developer/Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment
• Modification Date: October 22, 2019
• Requirements: Mac OS X 10.11 or higher - 64-bit

Download File Size: 3.2 MB Installer

Sudden Strike 4 1.14
Sudden Strike is back! The beloved Real Time Strategy series returns,this time with bigger battlefields, more units, better graphics, newscenarios and legendary commanders with individual abilities – all ofwhich makes Sudden Strike 4 more tactical and realistic than everbefore!
Sudden Strike 4 sends you off on three extensive campaigns set amongstthe battlefields of World War 2. Commanding the British and American,German or Soviet troops, you will lead over 100 different units intobattle; like the German bomber Heinkel He111, the Russian T-34 tank, theBritish Hawker Typhoon fighter plane and the notorious GermanPanzerkampfwagen VI Tiger. In a first for the Sudden Strike series, youcan now choose from one of nine individual commanders, such as GeorgePatton or Bernard Montgomery, who will each allow for differentapproaches to combat and boast unique abilities.

• License: Buy, $30 to $45
• Developer/Publisher: Kite Games/Kalypso Media
• Modification Date: December 20, 2018
• Requirements: Mac OS X 10.9 or higher - 64-bit

Download File Size: 6.7 GB - App Store

Download File Size: 6.7 GB - Steam

Download File Size: 6.7 GB - GOG

Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia 1.0.4
A Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia combines huge real-time battleswith engrossing turn-based campaign, set at a critical flashpoint inhistory. Anglo-Saxons, Gaelic clans and Viking settlers clash forcontrol. What Kingdom will you build?

• License: Buy, $40
• Developer/Publisher: Creative Assembly/Feral Interactive
• Modification Date: February 7, 2019
• Requirements: macOS 10.13.4 or higher - 64-bit

Download File Size: 11.2 GB - App Store

Download File Size: 11.2 GB - Steam

Total War: SHOGUN 2 1.5
As leader of one of nine competing clans, use political ambition,military brilliance and ruthless cunning to unify 16th century Japanunder one undisputed shogun: you. Master your clan’s unique martialstrengths to triumph in spectacular real-time battles and dominate theturn-based campaign map.
With strategic gameplay inspired by the Samurai code of honour andstriking graphics that evoke Japanese art and landscape, Total War:SHOGUN 2 is a dramatic and detailed depiction of epic events and aunique expression of the Total War series’ magnificent heritage.

• License: Buy, $45
• Developer/Publisher: SEGA/Feral Interactive
• Modification Date: October 1, 2019
• Requirements: macOS 10.14.4 or higher - 64-bit

Download File Size: 14.4 GB - App Store

Gaming laptop that looks like mac. Download - Steam - Total War: Shogun 2

Total War: Three Kingdoms
Total War: Three Kingdoms is the next great historical strategy game inthe award-winning Total War series, and the first to explore ancientChina as a theatre of conflict.
The year is 190 AD. China, a beautiful but fractured country, calls outfor a new emperor and a new way of life. Unite it under your rule, forgethe next great dynasty, and build a legacy that will last through theages.
Choose from a cast of 11 legendary warlords and conquer the realm.Recruit heroic characters to aid your cause and dominate your enemies onall fronts: military, technological, political, and economic.

Good Strategy Games For Mac

• License: Buy, $60 and In-App purchases
• Developer/Publisher: Creative Assembly/Feral Interactive
• Modification Date: May 23, 2019
• Requirements: macOS 10.14 or higher - 64-bit

Download - Steam

Total War: Warhammer 1.1.4
In Total War: Warhammer, Creative Assembly’s Total War series joins withGames Workshop’s Warhammer Fantasy Battles. The result is a spellbindinggame of grand strategy and high fantasy.
The Old World echoes to the clamour of ceaseless battle. In an age ofrelentless conquest, warring Races battle ceaselessly for control of theOld World. While Orcs and Goblins of the Greenskin tribes hunger forcarnage, and Vampire Counts man their armies with the living dead,Dwarfs ascend from their ancient mines to settle old scores, and theEmpire of Man seeks to unite its fractured nation.

Best Free Strategy Games For Macbook Air

Build your empire and conquer this world by unleashing your might uponthe battlefield, harnessing storms of magical power and taking to theskies with flying creatures.

• License: Buy, $60 and In-App purchases
• Developer/Publisher: Feral Interactive
• Modification Date: September 28, 2017
• Requirements: macOS 10.12.4 or higher - 64-bit

Download File Size: 34.24 GB - App Store

Download File Size: 34.24 GB - Steam

Total War: Warhammer II
Total War: Warhammer II is a strategy game of colossal proportions.Choose from four iconic Races from the world of Warhammer FantasyBattles, and mount a campaign of conquest to save or destroy the NewWorld.
Enjoy hundreds of hours of sophisticated gameplay with a combination ofturn-based strategy on the campaign map and immense real-time clashes onthe battlefield.
The second in a trilogy and sequel to Creative Assembly’s multiaward-winning Total War: Warhammer, Warhammer II delivers a breathtakingnew narrative campaign set across the magnificent continents of Lustria,Ulthuan, Naggaroth and the Southlands.

Best Ww2 Strategy Games For Mac

Command High Elves, Lizardmen, Dark Elves or Skaven in the Great Vortex Campaign
Delve into a deeply engrossing campaign playing as one of eightLegendary Lords belonging to any of four awe-inspiring Races. You mustperform a series of arcane rituals to control the Great Vortex, apowerful maelstrom of enormous magical energy.

• License: Buy, $60
• Developer/Publisher: Feral Interactive
• Modification Date: November 20, 2018
• Requirements: macOS 10.14 or higher - 64-bit

Download - Steam

XCOM 2 1.2.3
Twenty years have passed since world leaders offered an unconditionalsurrender to alien forces. XCOM, the planet’s last line of defense, wasleft decimated and scattered.
Now, in XCOM 2, the aliens rule Earth, building shining cities thatpromise a brilliant future for humanity on the surface, while concealinga sinister agenda and eliminating all who dissent from their new order.
Only those who live at the edges of the world have a margin of freedom.Here, a force gathers once again to stand up for humanity. Always on therun, and facing impossible odds, the remnant XCOM forces must find a wayto ignite a global resistance, and eliminate the alien threat once andfor all

• License: Buy, $25
• Developer/Publisher: Take Two Interactive/Feral Interactive
• Modification Date: February 23, 2017
• Requirements: Mac OS X 10.11.6 or higher - 64-bit

Download File Size: 13.55 GB - App Store

Download - Steam

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn Of War II 1.0.3
The sinister science fantasy universe of Warhammer® 40,000® comes tosavage life with Dawn of War® II on Mac and Linux.
It’s the 41st Millennium in the Sub-Sector Aurelia, a cluster of worldson the edge of the Milky Way, where a battle of epic proportions isabout to begin. As a newly promoted Force Commander of the Blood RavensChapter, it is your privilege to lead crack squads of Space Marines intobattle against the forces of Orks, Tyranids and Eldar that threaten theImperium of Man.
Driven by an innovative campaign narrative steeped in the lore ofWarhammer 40,000, armies of technologically advanced warriors wagebrutal war against remorseless enemies in a series of addictivelyfast-paced and visceral combat missions.

Turn Based Strategy Games For Mac

• License: Buy, $20
• Developer/Publisher: Sega/Feral Interactive
• Modification Date: December 12, 2018
• Requirements: macOS 10.14 or higher - 64-bit

Download File Size: 16.5 GB - App Store

Download File Size: 16.5 GB - Steam

What are the best strategy games on PC? Some would say StarCraft II, others Civilization VI. Join us as we list the genre’s greatest hits, featuring the biggest Steam games available. Fun fact: the strategy game genre was first invented back in 1938, when Winston Churchill looked out an aeroplane window over France and thought, “Hey, this would make a really cool videogame, whatever that is.” Probably.

Since then, there have been about a hundred million different strategy games, simulating as many different kinds of fighting as we humans have had reasons to fight one another, and then some.

From the all-encompassing broad strokes of the Civilization games to the individually rendered blades of the Total War series, and not to forget the far-flung fantasy tech of StarCraft – strategy games are as diverse as they come. But which are the absolute top strategy games on PC? Well, just drag a selection box over our bodies and right-click on the horizon, and we’ll all be on our way to finding out.

The best strategy games are:

Offworld Trading Company

Offworld Trading Company is right at the other end of the strategy games spectrum from Civilization, though its designer, Soren Johnson, also worked on Civ IV. While Civ spans the history and some of the future of humanity, chronicling the progress of mankind, Offworld Trading Company is all about making a fortune by exploiting our red neighbour, Mars.

Best Strategy Games For Mac 2019

It’s an RTS crossed with the intricacies of the best management games, one in which victory is not achieved by throwing tanks at enemies, or demolishing their bases. Instead, your weapons are resources and cash, which you use to manipulate the marketplace not just to simply get rich, but to completely screw over your competitors. That’s if you haven’t made a temporary alliance with one of your rivals, of course – though you might end up closing deals with one hand while holding a dagger in the other.

You might not expect an economic strategy game to be very aggressive, but Offworld Trading Company encourages you to be just as hostile as a warmonger. When you’re eyeing up menus, planning what to build next, what to sell, which company to launch a hostile takeover against next, it’s easily as thrilling as when you’re sending infantry across artillery-pummelled fields or launching sneak air attacks against an enemy stronghold in Company of Heroes or StarCraft II.

Total War: Warhammer II

With Total War: Warhammer, the iconic strategy series dipped an experimental toe into fantasy. The joyous fun of dragons and magic (not to mention a popular licence) made for mass appeal and record sales, but developer Creative Assembly did not forget how to make a good strategy game. The character of Warhammer’s factions was channelled into engaging campaign mechanics that varied for the first time, encouraging replayability, and unit rosters that enabled a better Lord of the Rings battle simulator than any other game out there.

All of that’s even more true in the sequel, as our Total War: Warhammer 2 PC review points out. This time, CA goes even bigger, making it one of the best strategy games in recent years. Again, though, this ambition is tempered with craft: the new Vortex victory condition may seem like fantastical indulgence, but it serves the game by keeping the pressure up right to the end, when you would previously be cruising to an easy win. The factions are richer and more vibrant than ever, yet mastering more vanilla classes adds common sense to all the bombast. So don’t be fooled by the dragons and dinos – this is the best Total War has been by the old, analytical metrics, as well as the flashy new fun ones.

If you’re looking for the most recent fantasy strategy content, check out our blood-soaked Total War: Warhammer – Curse of the Vampire Coast review. If that gets you excitedly gnashing your extra sharp incisors, here’s our exhaustive Total War: Warhammer Vampire Coast guide. However, if you’re looking for something more historical, check out our verdict on the latest major game in the series in our Total War: Three Kingdoms review.

Civilization VI

If Civ V was the most streamlined the series had ever been, Civilization VI is the most celebratory – a 25th anniversary iteration that sheds the sterility of previous entries in favour of a stirring soundtrack and a brave new (cartoonish) look. It finds Firaxis remembering that the power of 4X games is as much in their atmosphere as its systems.

It’s testament to the attentiveness of Sid Meier and his studio, however, that those systems have not been neglected either. Civilization VI has exhumed several of the best additions from its predecessor’s Community Balance Patch, while pushing onwards and upwards with some new offbeat ideas – builders that expire after three turns, for instance, and cities that spread across several tiles.

Firaxis will surely continue to build on these strong foundations with balance patches and DLC like the Civilization 6: Rise and Fall expansion – and there’s even more following the Civ 6: Gathering Storm release date arrives. And, of course, players will do the same as they conceive game-changing Civ 6 mods.

Stellaris

Paradox’s 4X grand strategy hybrid makes space surprising again with event chains that are, at first, evocative of Crusader Kings II, but end up going much further. In Stellaris, expect mutant uprisings, robotic rebellions, and the discovery of alien texts that make your citizens question their place in the galaxy.

It’s not just a 4X game; it’s a galactic roleplaying game and empire sim, bestowing a vast array of options upon you, allowing you to create unique, eccentric space-faring species. You can play as a fundamentalist society built on the backs of slaves, or hyper-intelligent lizards that rely on robots whether they are fighting or farming. The robust species creator and multitude of meaningful decisions mean you can create almost any alien you can imagine. No wonder we praised it highly in our Stellaris review.

And underpinning all of that is the game’s focus on exploration. While most space games with 4X elements stick with one method of interstellar travel, Stellaris gives you three to choose from, each with their own strengths and counters. In one game, the galaxy might be a network of hyperlanes, but in the next you might find yourself building wormhole stations and blinking across the galaxy.

Stellaris’ multiplayer is not to be overlooked either, transforming decent human beings into Machiavellian alien tyrants at the drop of a hat. It’s easily one of the best strategy games of recent years. Plus, there’s always new DLC on the horizon for dedicated players, like the upcoming Stellaris Federations update.

XCOM 2

XCOM 2 is one of the all-time greats of the tactics genre, so we gave it a really good score in our XCOM 2 review. It takes the best bits from the series so far – the savage struggle, the ragtag group of heroes, the devious aliens, the tight tactical battles – and throws improvement after improvement on top.

Once again, XCOM 2 has you sending up to six soldiers into the breach, but this time as a group of struggling survivors fighting against a tyrannical alien regime. It’s all guerrilla tactics, covert missions, and dissidence. You need to learn to make sacrifices, leaving men and women behind so you can save the rest, and you need to learn to swallow loss and failure.

The battles are challenging and varied, full of horrific adversaries with tricky, surprising abilities, but the biggest changes are found at the strategic layer – why else would it be on a list of the best strategy games on PC? You will travel all over the world, setting up cells, infiltrating black sites, hunting for more resources so you can field more powerful weapons and tools – it is compelling, rather than an afterthought.

And besides the great XCOM 2 mods – there are corgi guns, for goodness sake – the War of the Chosen and Tactical Legacy Pack expansions will keep you occupied long after the credits of the main game roll. Featuring new environments, stories, and a devious new enemy called the Chosen, working out how to weather these new storms will certainly steal your remaining free hours.

Company of Heroes 2: Ardennes Assault

Company of Heroes 2 was great but it didn’t quite match the magic of its predecessor. Then Ardennes Assault came along; in our Company of Heroes 2: Ardennes Assault review we found that it’s one of the best RTS games you can play.

The US forces and German Oberkommando are fighting over control of the Ardennes in a campaign inspired by The Battle of the Bulge – in true war games style. That sets it apart from both Company of Heroes and the sequel alongside its non-linear single-player campaign that plays out across a strategic meta map. The Germans are dynamic, being reinforced by retreating forces, changing the challenges posed by both story missions and the dynamic skirmishes.

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While the campaign is only played from the American point of view, the US forces are split into three companies, all with unique specialities covering air, support, and mechanised roles. These companies all have special officer abilities and upgrade trees, and any can be used to tackle a mission. Even if you focus on one, the other two will still be on the map, and can provide assistance by blocking the enemy retreat out of a captured province.

This is the first time the battles in Company of Heroes have had real weight to rival the very best WW2 games. Previously, winning was all that mattered. Finish the mission and you move on to the next one, starting fresh. Ardennes Assault is a persistent campaign, though, and losses in battle can bring down a company’s veterancy and manpower. There is even a risk of it being wiped out entirely, leaving the other two companies to face the Germans alone.

Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2

There’s a lot to love about Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2. From the ludicrous unit types to the corny FMV cutscenes, you will struggle to find a strategy game with as much personality and charm as this RTS. It may not be as wild as the sequel, which managed to cast J.K. Simmons, Tim Curry, and George Takei, but there’s a degree of sincerity amidst the bombast.

And if you’re just looking for something with solid strategy gaming chops, then Red Alert 2 hasn’t aged a day in the two decades since its release. You’ll find two varied campaigns to barrel through – one from the US perspective and one from the Soviet Union – and a tightly balanced multiplayer offering with a couple of endlessly addictive modes. No other strategy game lets you pit democratic dolphins against Soviet squids, and for that alone we’ll always adore Red Alert 2.

Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak

Blackbird Interactive has done the seemingly impossible with Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak. And that’s to transpose the elegant, minimalist space wars of the original Homeworld games to a single planet, making for one of the best RTS games in the process. Somehow it works. Really well.

It’s a journey across a vast desert directed by your mission to save a civilisation. Each battle is connected to the last as well as the ones yet to be played. Every unit that survives will live to fight another day in another mission in a persistent war for survival.

Kharak itself, despite being a giant desert, is a fantastic planet-sized battlefield that does for the ground what the originals did for space. The addition of terrain and elevation replicates the three-dimensional battles of the previous games, with the sand dunes providing cover, hiding spots, and high ground from where you can unleash devastating attacks.

Like its predecessors, the game is blessed with some of the best art design you could hope to find in an RTS, meaning you can take beautiful Homeworld screenshots. Add with its incredible sound design, and a genuinely interesting narrative, Deserts of Kharak is a classic.

Endless Legend

In our Endless Legend review, we lavished praise on a game that blends fantasy and science fiction seamlessly, throwing stranded spacemen against magical dragon people in absolutely the most striking hex-based world there is. Diverse, gorgeous, it looks almost tangible, like you could reach out and pick up one of the elaborate cities and cradle it in your hands. “Don’t worry, citizens. We won’t let the horrible man-eating insects devour you and your families,” we whisper into our cupped palms. It’s easily one of the best PC games of 2014.

Fascinating factions vie for dominance over the apocalyptic world. Each is blessed with unique and interesting mechanics that set them apart and inform how they’re played. You have got the horrible aforementioned flesh-eating insect race, the Necrophage, for instance, who are so foul they cannot make alliances with other factions, forcing them to always be the opposition. And there are the bizarre Cultists, a faction of peculiar zealots that can only construct one city, and must rely on swallowing up other factions if they want to expand.

Endless Legend is also blessed with a strong narrative that lends it a strong sense of place. Every faction has a set of story quests that will inform many of your decisions without backing you into a corner. There is also an abundance of side-quests and stories that make it feel like you’re managing a world where a genuine roleplaying adventure is taking place.

Crusader Kings II

Talk about a murderous bastard of a grand strategy game. In Crusader Kings II, you play a medieval ruler trying to gain more power, influence, and territory in a historically authentic medieval Europe. It’s a game of intrigue, war, politics, and religion played out on a gorgeous map of the known world and in countless, complex menus. Really, though, Crusader Kings II is a strategy game about people: your dynasty, your vassals, your lovers, enemies, and family members.

Related: Find your next career with the best PC simulation games

It’s this personal element that makes Crusader Kings II so compelling. You’re in charge of a family, not an abstract nation. You’ll marry and have kids, you’ll die, and then your heir will take over and the whole thing begins again. In between all this, you can use intrigue or brute force to increase your holdings, but the key is to develop a real personal connection with your characters, your avatar. You’ll mourn their death and cheer their every triumph.

Usurp thrones, create politically advantageous marriages, murder your wife, and if it all gets too much there’s always the occasional jousting tournament or day of hunting to keep you in good spirits. As long as they don’t kill you. Best of all, Crusader Kings II has just gone free-to-play, making it one of the best free PC games around.

Starcraft II

What’s not to love about a game that pits armoured cowboys against xenomorphic aliens and space elves? StarCraft II is a classic base-building RTS that tasks you with gathering resources, building armies, and killing your enemy before they kill you with quick decisions and even quicker mouse clicks.

StarCraft II is one of the best multiplayer games on PC. Your enemies are human; they’ll probably be able to click faster than you, issuing orders quicker than you. You’ll probably lose a lot, but you’ll get better the more you play, making this one of the best RTS games for anyone with a competitive streak. Or, if you would rather watch the action, there’s a small but dedicated esports playerbase.

The PvE campaign is also interesting – Blizzard has combined frantic action with the backdrop of some of the best RPGs as you follow the exploits of Terran mercenary Jim Raynor. You’ll fight through a series of missions, many of which will have unique objectives – like trying to harvest resources on a map that periodically fills up with lava, or defending against waves upon waves of Zerg for a set period of time. In between missions you’ll explore an RPG-like hub, where you can talk to people, research new tech, and decide your next destination. Story is hard to do in RTS games, and many developers resort to cutscenes or in-mission dialogue, but StarCraft II has you interact with the world outside of combat.

Supreme Commander

Back in the day, Supreme Commander was the game that broke PCs, such were the demands it placed on processors. This future war robo-RTS simplifies resource management and focuses more on creating the perfect war machine. You start off with a single irreplaceable command unit, and from there you build factories that will churn out units to wage war on your enemies.

Nothing genre-breaking, but it’s the sheer scale that puts Supreme Commander up there with the best RTS games. Years later, Supreme Commander doesn’t so much break PCs anymore as it breaks minds. A player’s army can potentially reach up to 1,000 units separated out into land, sea, and air. You have to orchestrate a careful ballet of production, movement, and attack, grinding down your opponent while keeping your command unit safe, as well as your factories powered and supplied so that they can create more machines of death. It’s brilliant and mind-boggling all at once.

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This was one of the few games at the time to officially support dual monitors, which means you can have a zoomable map up on the second screen. It’s a godsend, as it allows you to keep an eye on the big picture a lot easier. Few games are blessed with the same scale as Supreme Commander, and when you take the war online that’s where the real challenge begins.

Titles like StarCraft demand quick thinking and quicker reactions, but they only deal with a couple dozen units at most. Supreme Commander demands all of that too but deals in the thousands. Compared to many upcoming PC games, this RTS may look a little creaky around the edges, but it still offers a supreme slice of strategy.

Upcoming strategy games

Iron Harvest

The upcoming strategy game from King Art Games is set in the World of 1920+ created by artist Jakub Różalski. In our Iron Harvest hands on preview, we marvelled at the intimate battle scenes, detailed world destruction mechanics, and each character’s story interwoven between three fighting factions. Fans of the classic RTS will find a lot of familiarity in Iron Harvest when it releases September 1, 2020, as it brings the genre into 2020, expanding on building mechanics and bringing a plethora of mech units onto the battlefield in this dieselpunk dystopia.

So there are the best strategy games on PC. While you’re here, check out the best PC MMOs for similar life-swallowing experiences. And if you’re after the very cream of the crop, check out the best PC games of all-time. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’re off to defend our bases/save humanity from alien annihilation/wage global war. Phew, this strategy stuff sure is stressful.