Top 10 Strategies on PC
Turn-based and real-time, new and classic, realistic and fantastic strategies for fans of the genre.
1. Warcraft III
A true classic is blizzard’s first three-dimensional game and one of the best strategies in general.
At the time of its release in 2002, Warcraft III had it all. Wonderful graphics, which, thanks to the unique style, look good even now, fascinating gameplay with role-playing elements that influenced the entire RTS genre, a chic plot in a well-thought-out universe and mod support.
If it weren’t for Warcraft III, there would be no DotA, no MOBA genre per se.
2. XCOM: Enemy Unknown
Tactical strategy on the PC, in which you need to protect the Earth from aliens.
The key to XCOM is the constant need to make tough decisions. Who to send on a difficult mission: a veteran who will have a better chance of winning, or a beginner who is not so sorry to lose? Which of them should be given a more powerful armor or cannon? Order the fighters to attack the strongest alien or deal with small enemies first?
Every aspect of the game — managing the base, changing the gear of the characters, and the battles themselves — is incredibly fascinating.
3. Company of Heroes
In appearance, this is the most ordinary strategy about the Second World War, but in fact, Company of Heroes is one of the most human games about war. That’s because there are rarely more than a few squads under the player’s command (as opposed to a few dozen units in traditional RTS). You worry about the fighters as for yourself and build tactics in such a way as to ensure their survival.
Thanks to the advanced graphics engine for its time and thoughtful missions, Company of Heroes shows all the cruelty of war. No matter how hard you try, people still die – this is the price of victory.
4. StarCraft II
StarCraft II is the main esports strategy in the world. Every millimeter of the map, every special ability of the character, every building available for construction – everything is mathematically verified to generate the most exciting matches. No wonder, tournaments on the game are held almost every couple of weeks, and the prize pools in them reach up to $700,000.
If you don’t really like microcontrol and multitasking, then StarCraft II also has a gorgeous single-player campaign. It has an excellent plot about the confrontation of three races and various types of missions. Plus, to pass it, you do not have to click so much with the mouse.
5. Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak
A prequel to the famous space strategies Homeworld, which takes place on the sand-covered planet Karak.
Despite the change of setting and the transition from three-dimensional battlefields to two-dimensional, Deserts of Kharak managed to preserve the spirit of the original. There is also no base as such, but there is a carrier ship – the most important unit, the loss of which means defeat.
The game has an exciting single player campaign, each mission in which is connected with the previous one: in any new task, the player has exactly the same number of units of equipment as remained at the end of the past.
And Deserts of Kharak is a very beautiful game. It’s hard not to admire when you see how iron colossi plow through the sand dunes.
6. Supreme Commander
The spiritual heir of Total Annihilation, which enhances and expands the ideas of the original. In fact, this is a game about leisurely battles of huge robots on giant maps.
Matches in Supreme Commander rarely last less than an hour. This time is needed to build a base with a balanced economy and prepare enough combat units to destroy the enemy.
Supreme Commander is a massive strategy in every sense. The number of fighters on one side sometimes reaches a thousand, and you need to think over the actions at least 10 minutes ahead.
7. Total War: Shogun 2
Among the games of the Total War series, it is difficult to choose the best, but we settled on Shogun 2. Of all the modern parts, it is perhaps the most integral, concentrated and understandable even for beginners.
In Total War: Shogun 2, the player assumes the role of the head of a clan in medieval Japan. The goal is to capture the whole country. To do this, you can use diplomacy, economics and even intrigue – to send assassins and spies.
But the main thing is, of course, epic battles, in which it is very important to correctly place your troops on the location.
8. Age of Empires II HD
In Age of Empires II, the player needs to take civilization through several eras: the Dark Ages, feudalism, the castle era, and so on. You can play as one of several factions, such as Japan, Mongolia or the Celts.
The main feature of the game is the combination of resource management with military operations. During the battle in Age of Empires II, it is not enough just to gather an army, you also need to build a powerful economy, building houses, quarries and sawmills and cultivating fields.
Thanks to this emphasis on the economic component, you can feel like a real ruler, leading your country to prosperity.
9. Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2
Unlike many other parts of Command & Conquer, Red Alert 2 is not about the confrontation between the GDI and NOD factions, but about the battles between the Allies and the USSR.
According to the plot of the game, with the help of a time machine, Hitler was erased from history, which allowed the Soviet Union to significantly develop its technologies. As a result, in the second half of the XX century, he attacked the United States.
Red Alert 2 pokes fun at many of the clichés of the Cold War. What is worth only the Soviet super-soldier Boris, who walks in an earflap hat and with an AKM. Without the classic cutscenes for the series, filmed in the studio with real actors, it was also not enough. Only here they are twice as funny thanks to the insane setting.
During battles, however, it is not up to laughter. Especially when you see a pair of Kirov airships approaching your base with dozens of powerful bombs on board.
10. Civilization V
One of the main strategies of the generation, a bright representative of the subgenre 4X. In Civilization V, the player must develop his civilization and bypass all the others. For this, it is possible to use both brute force and diplomacy, technological and economic development.
The gameplay is divided into moves, which is why matches can sometimes last for several hours. Civilization V has a lot of mechanics. To master it, it can take a lot of time.
But it’s worth it. No game here is like the previous one. And even if you spend a few hundred hours in this strategy, it still will not cease to amaze you.
