by RootSec
RTS games, known by many as real-time-strategy games, make up a genre that rarely gets attention in today’s market. These games are all about strategic planning and rapid execution to claim victory. In some ways, the genre has lived on with the likes of MOBAs but they don’t capture the same strategy that RTS games were known for.
One reason they likely haven’t seen any new entries is how hard most RTS games are. These games have steep learning curves and punish players for making small mistakes. Some of the best RTS games were also known for being brutal, and some went overboard with punishing players. Here are 10 of the hardest RTS games ever made. This list will not include turn-based titles such as XCOM or Darkwind: War on Wheels.
Updated on April 21, 2021, by Reyadh Rahaman: When games were released makes an impact on gameplay, as different eras housed different trends in the RTS genre. The platforms that they appeared on, whether console or PC, also determines quite a lot about factors like the controls and the speed at which things happen. Each developer also has their own trademarks when it comes to design, difficulty curve, and world-building, all of which heavily influence how players perceive an RTS title. Depending on the intended length of these games, one could be in for a short fray or lengthy and epic battles.
10 Supreme Commander
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360
Release Dates: February 2007 (Windows), September 2008 (Xbox)
Approximate Game Length: 20 Hours
Developer: Gas Powered Games
Supreme Commander is a paradise for players who turtle, a strategy that refers to rarely expanding from their base and playing defensive. As a result, many who play through the game’s campaign will find it exceptionally easy.
Those people aren’t wrong, but entering Supreme Commander’s multiplayer component is a whole other story. Like most RTS games, the skill gap for SupCom is massive. Learning how to quickly manufacture armies and control the battlefield can thwart most turtling players in competitive multiplayer, which makes the learning experience even harder for players who got accustomed to playing defensively during the game’s campaign.
9 Age of Empires II
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, PlayStation 2
Release Dates: September 1999 (Windows), November 2001 (Mac & PS2 [EU]), February 2001 (PS2 [JP])
Approximate Game Length: 45 Hours
Developer: Ensemble Studios
Age of Empires II is one of the best RTS games ever made. The combination of micro and macro-management makes for an addictive formula that only the likes of Civilization can match.
Its wide difficulty curve is also what makes it so great. Most difficulties are fair and provide the experience players would expect, but playing Age of Empires II on the hardest difficulty turns this game into a nightmare. The enemy AI progresses through the ages and develops armies much faster than even the most skilled players can muster, resulting in matches that last under 8 minutes if players aren’t careful. Surprisingly, the AI does not cheat to do this like in most RTS games.
8 Company Of Heroes
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, iPadOS
Release Dates: September 2006 (Windows & Mac), February 2020 (iPad)
Approximate Game Length: 20 Hours
Developers: Relic Entertainment (Original), Feral Interactive (iPad)
Relic Entertainment’s Company of Heroes is all about attrition. Players fight over key locations on the map that grant resources to make units as with most RTS titles. The difference is how important strategy was in combat itself.
Soldiers can easily get suppressed by gunfire or explosives, making them immobile and nigh-useless. Tanks are also impervious to traditional gunfire and have to be attacked from certain angles with explosives. Combined with the game’s cover system, combat was as much about managing resources as it was making good decisions mid-fight. As a result, multiplayer matches against skilled players can feel impossible for newer ones who haven’t mastered these mechanics. The AI on harder difficulties also provides a solid challenge for skilled RTS veterans to overcome.
7 Distant Worlds
Platform: Microsoft Windows
Release Date: March 2010
Approximate Game Length: N/A
Developer: Code Force
A popular subgenre for RTS games is 4x, which stands for explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate. This subgenre typically refers to strategy games that last much longer than most and have a larger emphasis on managing resources.
Few games in the 4x space can match the likes of Distant Worlds. Players take control of a galactic empire and can choose to exterminate other players or win through diplomacy. The game’s large-scale and unintuitive UI can make it a nightmare to learn for any player. Enemy AI is also formidable on higher difficulties, but many players can conquer the highest difficulty once they get acclimated with automating various tasks. Learning this game is a massive investment, but the payoff is experiencing one of the best 4x strategy games ever made.
6 Take Command – 2nd Manassas
Platform: Microsoft Windows
Release Date: 2006
Approximate Game Length: N/A
Developer: MadMinute Games
RTS games usually take place in a fantasy, modern, or futuristic setting, but not Take Command – 2nd Manassas. This game is all about commanding an army during the American Civil War.
It might seem less exciting than other games in the genre, but it comes into its own with its exceptional AI. Even playing on normal difficulty is a large test of the player’s skill. The AI does not hold back in this game, making for a punishing yet memorable campaign.
5 Sudden Strike
Platform: Microsoft Windows
Release Dates: October 2000 (UK), January 2001 (NA)
Approximate Game Length: 80 Hours
Developer: Fireglow Games
At first glance, Sudden Strike appears to be an imitator of Company of Heroes and similar World War II-based RTS titles. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
Sudden Strike is about winning against insurmountable odds. Players don’t have a base that pumps out units or resources for them. Instead, the player gets a set number of units and must complete the mission with them, rarely earning reinforcements. Units accumulate experience points that make them better at everything, but one well-placed explosive or bullet is all it takes to end their lives. It results in every encounter feeling stressful and much more rewarding when beaten.
4 Command & Conquer: Tiberian Dawn
Platforms: DOS, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, Sega Saturn, PlayStation, Nintendo 64
Release Dates: September 1995 (DOS & Mac OS), December 1996 (Sega Saturn [NA] & PlayStation [EU]), February 1997 (PlayStation [NA]), March 1997 (Windows), April 1997 (Sega Saturn [EU & JP]), April 1998 (PlayStation [JP]), June 1999 (N64)
Approximate Game Length: 20 Hours
Developer: Westwood Studios
Most Command & Conquer games could have been mentioned for their brutal AI on higher difficulties or their high skill gap. With that said, Tiberian Dawn gets a special mention for its misleading mission objectives and unfair AI.
Certain campaign objectives can be completed to make future missions easier or bypass levels altogether. The problem is a few of the objectives in Tiberian Dawn are either vague or give incorrect information. Worse, the enemy AI on higher difficulties cheats to gain an edge and swarms the player with enemies with little regard for resources. The first Command & Conquer game is hard for all the wrong reasons.
3 Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines
Platform: Microsoft Windows
Release Dates: June 1998 (UK), August 1998 (NA), March 2007 (Steam), September 2012 (Desura)
Approximate Game Length: 24 Hours
Developer: Pyro Studios
Stealth and real-time strategy sound like a strange combination but work incredibly well together. With its methodical gameplay and soul-crushing difficulty, Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines is a great example of this.
Players control a squad of commandos and must complete their mission objective in any way they see fit. Stealth and developing strategies are paramount, as going in guns-blazing results in failure most of the time. Each character has a unique skillset that culminates into a diverse sandbox that has more in common with Immersive Sims such as Deus Ex than most RTS games.
2 StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Mac OS
Release Date: July 2010
Approximate Game Length: 20 Hours
Developer: Blizzard Entertainment
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty came out nearly 10 years ago and still has an Esports presence. Blizzard created an RTS that has the perfect mix of accessibility and depth. It follows most RTS trends with creating armies and managing bases, but the nuance with each unit’s skillset makes for a game that has infinite depth.
The enemy AI is serviceable, but it pales in comparison to the veteran players that can be found in the game’s competitive multiplayer offering.
1 Aurora 4x
Platform: Microsoft Windows
Release Date: 2004
Approximate Game Length: N/A
Developer: Steve Walmsley
What originally started as an assistant application for the pen & paper game Starfire, Aurora 4x is a project that ballooned into a massive 4x game that rivals the complexity and fun of Distant Worlds and most of Paradox‘s 4x titles.
Aurora 4x is as hardcore as RTS 4x games get. Everything in Aurora can be fine-tuned, ranging from when ships refuel to the design of a ships’ rockets. Options menus are nested in options menus, leading to a disorienting experience. The degree of options players get is so vast that many must resort to referencing external material to simply start a game.
Aurora’s focus on conveying information through spreadsheets amplifies this learning curve even further. With all of that said, the depth and fine-tuning Aurora offers is unmatched in the genre, making this a great fit for any hardcore 4x fans that want something completely new.
