From the early 90s to the mid-00s, strategies dominated the minds of players, receiving well-deserved honor and respect. Alas, their golden time has passed: RTS (real-time strategy) cannot compete in entertainment with the next Battlefield, with the dynamics of Overwatch or the plot of Witcher 3. Therefore, gamers have to be content with another replay of the good old classics or wait for the release of a new "Civilization".

However, not everything is so pessimistic. Our rating of the best strategies will allow us to establish the most worthy representatives of the genre, as well as learn about the latest releases that have given some classic strategies a second life. We hope this TOP-10 will be informative. If not: comments and voting at the bottom of the article to help.

Rating of the best strategies

Stronghold was released during the golden era of RTS - in 2001. At the time, most strategies tried to emulate either C&C or Warcraft, but Stronghold had other plans.

The game had a well-developed economic component. Although the amount of available resources is not far from the standard "wood / iron / gold / stone / food", an unusual parameter has appeared - "Popularity". It provided an influx of new residents into the city and depended on many factors: taxation, the variety of food available, entertainment.

To hire soldiers, it was not enough to build a barracks. It was necessary to build buildings that produce weapons. Provide gunsmiths with the necessary building materials. Wait until the lame grandfather with an imposing gait delivers a planed bow to the arsenal ... Now you can hire one archer. And so with all types of troops! You can't just put up the barracks and "lay down" any units - this was preceded by the organization of a full cycle of production of weapons and ammunition. It is not surprising that the game had a number of economic missions that were not inferior in complexity to the military ones.

An ordinary serene morning in Stronghold Crusader

However, it was not the first part that won particular popularity, but its sequel: Stronghold Crusaders, which appeared in the next, 2002. As the name suggests, the game was about the confrontation between the Arabs and the Crusaders. Unfortunately, the attack / defense mode of the castle disappeared (the only thing worth paying attention to the first part), but more units appeared, some of which could be hired for gold without producing weapons. Only desert warriors were hired for money, while European soldiers were to continue to be equipped with weapons of their own production.

The game remains popular to this day thanks to the multiplayer and the release of the Crusaders Extreme add-on. This is also facilitated by a simple, but rather diverse system for the construction of fortifications: Stronghold allows you to enclose the castle with battlements and high towers, equip them with defensive weapons and archers, set additional traps and dig a moat with water.

The first part of Command & Conquer was released in 1995, becoming at that time a real breakthrough in the genre and seriously competing with Warcraft and Dune. Many of the familiar gameplay features at that time looked revolutionary:

• Selection and direction of a group of units with just one click;
• The presence of neutral units, buildings and other objects with which you can interact (read "smash to the trash");
• The system of division of units into classes. The principle of "rock, scissors, paper" appeared - the first type of unit is effective against the second, but vulnerable to the third, etc .;
• The game began to use videos and animation screensavers. Paired with a cool soundtrack, they allowed players to "feel" the history of the C&C universe, and not perceive it as another unnamed chessboard to hone their tactical skills;
• The presence of only one resource, tiberium - it is for him that all wars in the universe of this game are waged.

C&C has gained popularity with all the consequences: many gameplay elements have diverged across other games, becoming familiar elements of most strategies. In addition to the classic C&C series, which pleases its fans with new releases so far, over time, two "alternative" versions of the game's universe have appeared. These are Command & Conquer: Generals (2003) and the very popular Red Allert line of games.

• Red allert

The tips seem to convey ardent greetings to old man Einstein.

Red Allert deserves a separate article. This game has absorbed an incredible amount of madness and "cranberry" on the theme of the Cold War and the confrontation between NATO and the USSR. Here is a brief description of the background of the game's universe: after watching the horrors of World War II, in 1946 the old man Einstein decides to make a time machine and return to the past to destroy Hitler. As a result, the scales swung in the other direction: Comrade Stalin decides to build his own, communist Reich, and Europe, together with the allies, still has to fight.

How successful the game was, judge for yourself: 35 million copies were sold worldwide. An entry appeared in the Guinness Book of Records claiming that Red Allert is the best-selling RTS in the world. In 2000 and 2001, Red Allert 2 and Red Allert 2 were released: Yuri's Revenge, which is still the classic choice of oldfags. However, for fans of more modern graphics, there is a third part of RA.

Warhammer is a vast fictional universe, on the basis of which many books, comics, films, computer and board games are built. However, there are two versions of this universe: Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40,000. In the first case, as the name suggests, Warhammer is faithful to the canons of fantasy and pleases fans of Tolkien and other "elves". And Warhammer 40,000 creates a certain mix of fantasy and, pushing the confrontation closer to the stars.

There are about 20 games related to Warhammer 40,000. But only one of them is always associated with the word "Warhammer" by any strategy fan: this is the one and only Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War, released in 2004.

Strategy, in the usual sense of the word, is not given much space: the focus is on tactics. Buildings are built quickly, and only 2 resources are provided: energy, for which you need to build generators, and special points that can be obtained by holding check points under the onslaught of the enemy.

The creators of the game, as if from the very first minutes, say directly: leave all this fuss with the construction of the base and economic development for the nerds. The WH40K universe was created solely to force armored paratroopers to fight various monsters (from orcs to more exotic creatures). So no long-term economic development is foreseen in it: only battles from the first to the last minute.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 2 looks like it was made for Jeremy Clarkson from Top Gear: with a yell of “Power !!!”, the player smashes all enemies in his path. Tactics? No, have not heard.

In 2009, the release of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 2 took place, which received high marks from players, was thoroughly praised by many gaming publications, but ... suddenly turned out to be not a strategy. Loyal fans of the first part were horrified to find that the long-awaited Dawn of War 2 began to resemble an RPG like Diablo more than itself 5 years ago. True, this did not prevent the game from finding its fans, who assure that the multiplayer has retained all the necessary elements of the RTS and is quite satisfactory.

7. Total War

It's funny that Total War and Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War are located next door in the ranking of the best strategies, because just in May of this year, Total War: Warhammer was released - the first TW dedicated to the Warhammer universe. True, not Warhammer 40,000, but Warhammer Fantasy - so, first of all, it will appeal to fans of fantasy worlds. However, let's talk about everything in order - after all, the release of this game was preceded by 9 other parts, which brought TW worldwide fame.

The main distinguishing feature of Total War is the successful combination of turn-based mode and RTS: the level of each of them is selected separately. The main action takes place on the global map of the world, in which everything happens step by step. But battles are loaded separately and are rapidly developing in real time. Players will have to wisely use the terrain and different types of units, which allows them to gain an advantage even over superior enemy forces.

The first TW came out in 2000. But the worldwide fame of the series was brought by its third part, Rome: Total War, which used a three-dimensional engine. As the name suggests, the action took place during the time of the Roman Empire. In addition to the "classic" European nations, Arab empires (Egypt) and even barbarians were available in the game. Depending on the side chosen, not only the units differed, but also the architecture of the cities. The subsequent TW could not surpass the popularity of this part.

Rome: Total War II came out in 2013 - initially bugged, but later polished through numerous patches. Probably inspired by Civilization, the developers of Rome 2 added the ability to win not only through conquest, but also through culture and trade. However, this is not the only part worthy of attention: Napoleon, Attila, Shogun 2 and the previously mentioned Warhammer are also interesting in their own way.

If I managed to create a product as successful as Warcraft, I would have been resting on my laurels for 20 years, spending all my money in some absolutely meaningless way. But the guys at Blizzard are not like that: having won a well-deserved standing ovation after the release of Warcraft 2, the Blizzards took to work on the space RTS. True, as a result, they still got Warcraft: the beta version was mercilessly criticized and perceived as "orcs in space." Fortunately, the developers have heeded the criticism and completely overhauled the graphics engine and setting. This is how the legendary StarCraft was born in 1998.

The game features 3 races: zerg, protoss and terrans, which are borrowed from the Warhammer 40,000 universe (tyranids, eldar, imperial guard). However, the similarity is extremely superficial: when it was born, StarCraft went its own way of development - the universe of this game has overgrown with its own characteristics and now has little in common with Warhammer.

In most strategies, in order to maintain a delicate balance, all nations have the same set of units and buildings + several unique buildings / soldiers, which introduce a certain variety, but do not fundamentally affect the tactics of the game. StarCraft didn't give a damn about these canons. All 3 races are completely different:

• Zerg far from technology and science, achieve superiority solely by quantity.
• Highly spiritual protoss are the complete opposite of the zerg: each protoss fancies himself an important person with a rich inner world, so it costs a lot of resources, but also hits, respectively, painfully and hard.
• Terran(from the word "terra") represent people in the game. They are the "golden mean" between zerg and protoss.

Beautiful lights of Star Craft 2 lure gullible schoolchildren and cause skeptical grin of oldfags

Such striking differences between the races gave the game a solid advantage over the rest of the RTS, having won it a reputation for "smart" strategy, in which you need not only to "spawn" as large an army as possible, but to think over your actions in advance, showing strategic and tactical skills. Micro-control also plays an important role: if protoss are not particularly demanding on control accuracy, then the success of offensive operations of other races, especially zerg, directly depends on the speed and accuracy of the player's reaction.

StarCraft II was released in 2010. Modern graphics and excellent multiplayer allowed the game to return to its former glory and take its rightful place in esports. Although the oldfags claim that the unique balance of the first SC is partly lost, StarCraft 2 received high marks from various gaming publications (an average of 9 out of 10) and gave it a second life.

5. Age of Empires

In 1997, the first part of Age of Empires was released: the same Warcraft, only in profile. Instead of fantasy races, the game featured 12 human nations that could develop from the Stone Age to antiquity. This game did not make a furore in the gaming world, but in general it was received favorably, which inspired its creators to start work on the second part.

After 2 years, Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings came out, which became truly legendary. She overshadowed not only the first part, but also many of the then "whales" of this genre, having won a decent army of fans. In 2000, the addon Age of Empires II: The Conquerors appeared, which added 5 new nations with unique units to the game, as well as additional missions and technologies. It was this part of the game that became the most popular in the Age of Empires series. What is the reason for its success?

• Diversity of nations. There were 18 nations in The Conquerors, many of which were quite exotic: Huns, Teutons, Saracens, Celts, Persians, Aztecs, Mayans, etc. In fact, it was this game that laid the fashion for strategies with many different civilizations.
• Development opportunity. The second "trick", which was for the first time among the strategies implemented precisely by AoE 2 - the transition from one historical era to another. All this was accompanied by a rather extensive technology tree, for the research of which it was necessary to construct various buildings and spend resources.
• Balance. Of course, nations differed not only in color and different designs of buildings. Each of them had its own bonuses and unique units. Some had an economic advantage, others had stronger cavalry, third class siege weapons, fourth long-range fleet, etc. All this variety was pretty balanced with no clear favorites. As a result, Age of Empires 2 has attracted many fans of online battles.

As it turned out, a beautiful picture cannot replace interesting gameplay.

In 2005, Age of Empires III was released. It was not bad, but it did not come close to the success of its predecessor. As a result, after several add-ons, Microsoft gave up and, to the delight of the fans, returned to Age of Empires 2. In 2013, they released Age of Empires 2: HD edition, and then 2 more add-ons: The Forgotten (5 new nations, including the Slavs) and The African Kingdoms (4 more nations and "African" campaigns). So today AoE 2 continues to evolve and delight fans with new additions.

4. Cossacks

The success of Age of Empires attracted the attention of many game makers: they stopped trying to create their own "Warcraft", switching to "Age of Empires" (which was undoubtedly inspired by Warcraft). So the guys from the Ukrainian company GSC Game World have created an RTS, which conceptually has a lot in common with AoE.

The game "Cossacks", released in 2001, turned out to be so successful that, in the eyes of many Russian strategists, it overshadowed the "Epoch" for a long time. If you believe "Igromania", then at one time "Cossacks" became the best-selling domestic game (over 1 million copies).

"Cossacks" continued the idea of ​​numerous gaming nations. In the second addon of the first part, which was called "War Again", 20 different countries were available. And if in the "Epoch" there was not a single Slavic nation, then in the "Cossacks" not only Russia was available, but also Ukraine (which is logical, following from the name and geographical location of the developers). There were also more sophisticated nations like Piedmont and Saxony.

Unlike other strategies, in "Cossacks" resources were spent not only on the acquisition of units, but also on their maintenance. Without food, hunger began, and the mercenaries, acquired for gold, raised an uprising, as soon as the treasury was empty. To use firearms, iron and coal were needed - without them, arrows and artillery were defenseless.

Also in the game it was possible to capture some enemy buildings, artillery and peasants (except for Ukrainian ones, with them as usual: will or death). Compared to the Age of Empires, the Cossacks seemed more dynamic, allowing you to create an incredible number of some crazy and fearless units - in a multiplayer game, the battles of such hordes looked epic and exciting.

• Cossacks 2

In 2005, "Cossacks 2" came out: despite the high marks of many game publications, the game did not cause the same enthusiasm as the first part. Everything has been redesigned in it: it has become more realistic and thoughtful. No "controversial" nations, raids of hordes of fearless madmen and upgrades of ancient guns to such a degree of efficiency that even Kalashnikov becomes envious.

The battles in "Cossacks II" forced to take into account the peculiarities of the terrain, to reload guns for a long time and to monitor the morale of the soldiers who can chicken out and rush into the loose. Sounds good, but in the multiplayer game there is no trace of the former fun.

• Cossacks 3

And on September 21, 2016, the long-awaited Cossacks 3 was released, which no one had dreamed of anymore. And everything would be fine if it were not for the number 3 in the title - everyone expected the continuation of the series, but received a remaster of the first part. The old game has been ported to a new graphics engine, the gameplay is completely taken from the original "Cossacks". Add to that the decent amount of bugs that GSC Game World has been actively fixing after release through various patches, and you can see why many gamers felt cheated. Still, GSC should have announced that the game is a remaster of the first part. before release, not after him.

3. Heroes of Might and Magic

The first part of the turn-based strategy Heroes of Might and Magic was released back in 1995. Its predecessor was King's Bounty, which appeared back in 1991. But universal love and recognition for HoMM came gradually, covering Heroes of Might and Magic III with a head somewhere closer to 1999.

The action of all "Heroes" takes place in a kind of fantasy universe. There are races, but the player is not tied to them: the hero can conquer castles of any faction and hire any available units. So under the same banners the most motley and wild brethren can gather: elves and skeletons, centaurs and dragons, people and elementals.

Battles take place on a field divided into tiles (hexagons). Units of the same type occupy one square, regardless of their number. The moves are carried out in turn, the hero looks at this action from the side, from time to time trying to help his army by casting various spells. Gradually, the hero gains experience, learns new skills and collects various artifacts that make him better and higher.

HoMM IV was released in 2004 and was perceived, to put it mildly, ambiguously: there were too many innovations. The main and key innovation concerned the heroes: from passive observers, they turned into active participants in battles who could move, inflict damage and be attacked like other units. Heroes could travel without troops at all: one by one or huddled in a gang of 7 characters. Having pumped up properly, a lone hero could independently endure a large army.

There was also a downside to the medal: if you managed to kill an enemy hero at the beginning of the battle, you could get a solid advantage. For example, it made sense to organize a sabotage attack on the enemy, lay down the leader of the army and retreat - the decapitated army lost the ability to capture mines and castles, which forced it to retreat and drag the lifeless carcass of the commander home.

All these innovations have spawned countless spaces for controversy and Hallivars: since 6 years have passed since the release of the third part, a new generation of gamers has emerged who have never seen "Heroes" before - they liked HoMM4. But those who grew up in the previous installments experienced mixed feelings butthert.

• Heroes of might and magic v

The controversy between supporters and opponents of the fourth part was stopped by the release of Heroes of Might and Magic V, which took place in 2006: yesterday's opponents joined forces in a common impulse to express complaints about cartoon graphics for anime lovers. If we close our eyes to the picture, the gameplay "Heroes 5" was a modernized copy of the third part - obviously, the developers did not experiment in order to earn extra money on the nostalgia of the fans of the series.

This ends the classic "Heroes" and begins something completely incomprehensible. HoMM 6 and 7 have turned into a kind of alternative product, so far from the original that even Heroes 4 look like the standard of kosher against their background. Therefore, most fans of "Heroes" prefer to play the earlier versions, from 3 to 5. But the most popular are the Third HoMMs. Moreover, the HD version of this game was released in 2015.

2. Civilization

The first "Civilization" appeared in shaggy 1991 and is said to be a digital version of the board game of the same name in the early 80s. Since at that time ordinary mortals did not have computers, few suspected a new strategic toy: mainly employees of research institutes and other interesting enterprises.

Nevertheless, the game turned out to be quite successful: what engineer could resist the temptation, after a busy work shift, to try on the role of Stalin or Gandhi? The presence of the Civilopedia, a detailed game encyclopedia, favorably distinguished Civilization from other strategies of those times.

• Civilization II

In 1996, Sid Meier and company released the second part of Ziva, which, thanks to the increased prevalence of computers, became a very successful commercial product. Despite the mediocre graphics, the game had some cool moments: for example, a video clip of a real newsreel was played during the construction of a wonder of the world. You could see the launch of Apollo or a nuclear rocket, filming the Sistine Chapel or Notre Dame de Paris. In subsequent parts, the movie was replaced with ordinary animation.

• Civilization III

2001 was marked by the release of Civilization III: the first Civa with nice graphics. Even now she looks quite attractive, and in 2001 this picture caused a real delight. The gameplay has also undergone certain changes. In Civ 2, players tried not to collect many units on one square, because in the event of an enemy attack and the death of one of them, everyone who stood on the cage died. In Civ 3, nothing like this happened: in order to clear the cage of enemies, it was necessary to destroy them all.

Therefore, the obvious and only tactic of waging war in the third Tsiva: the creation of the so-called stack - a crowd of motley units on one cell. From time to time, a leader appeared who could unite 3 units under his banners. Such a formation was called an army and was a kind of fat unit with 20 HP. With the help of the army, almost anything could be cut.

The city window is the best thing in Civilization III

The trademark of the second and third Tsiva was a situation in which a technologically backward unit, having more combat experience, could calmly destroy some miracle weapon of the future. For example, in the order of things there was a situation when a spearman with an accurate blow tore an enemy tank to shreds or an archer, pulling the bowstring properly, shot down an enemy bomber. I was especially amused by the fact that the plane was shot down equally successfully not only by an archer, but also by a swordsman. In subsequent parts, this problem was partially solved, but in the first Tsivs such events gave rise to many attacks of hysteria.

Civilization III had a number of innovations that migrated to all subsequent games in the series: various resources on the map, the Golden Age, cultural influence on neighboring cities, with which it was possible to assimilate a neighboring settlement, a technology tree (in previous parts, you had to memorize or write down the sequence discoveries of various sciences).

• Civilization IV

Civilization IV, released in 2005, has acquired a three-dimensional image. Players accustomed to the third Tsiva were wary of the unusual graphics, so different from the previous part. Religion and espionage appeared in the game (addon Beyond the Sword), and the actions of aviation became more realistic: planes raided from the city and could not be shot down by some stern spearman. The problem of the accumulation of a large number of units on one cell was partly solved by aviation or artillery: all units in the stack received damage from their attacks.

The year 2010 came and Civilization V was released. Square cells were replaced by more convenient and practical hexes: with them, the borders of states got rid of the strange linear angularity and became more believable. The system for accumulating a huge number of units on one cell was demolished: now only one military unit could be placed on one hexagon. At the same time, they were made more effective and stronger.

The maintenance of certain units required spending strategic resources: horses, iron, oil, coal or uranium. Without them at hand, the state risked being left without cavalry, battleships, nuclear weapons and aviation, which not only added realism, but also forced the players to carefully manage resources instead of riveting whatever they wanted in incredible quantities.

The tactics of building as many cities as possible also outlived theirs: large empires received fines for culture and science, and the population began to show discontent. So, several different tactics emerged: develop through 4-5 cities with a large population, or build more settlements, but with fewer inhabitants in cities. It became possible to win with one single city (greetings from Venice).

Another innovation: the emergence of city-states that do not claim world domination. Friendship with them brought various bonuses: resources, points of science, culture or religion, units and additional votes in Congress.

It is worth noting that many of the functions, as in the previous Civs, were added in add-ons: religion and espionage, caravans, the ability to pass various resolutions in Congress and the UN - in the initial version without add-ons, all this was not. Therefore, reading the reviews about the game, it is not difficult to trace how the anger of the fans of the series gradually changed to mercy.

On October 21, 2016, Civilization VI was released. Notable innovations include 2 tech trees, cultural and scientific, which open independently of each other. The cells around cities must be built up with special areas: scientific, cultural, military, religious, industrial, etc. It will definitely not work out to build everything - there will simply not be enough cells. Moreover, each wonder of the world also requires a separate tile.

It is difficult to describe all the innovations and features of the sixth Ziva due to its freshness. But the game has already received the highest ratings from various gaming publications, and the reviews on Steam are, by and large, very positive. And this is despite the fact that usually the first version of Civilization turns out to be damp and only over time, with the help of several add-ons, it turns into a masterpiece. But, apparently, the sixth Civilization may become the first representative of the series, which is good initially.

The plot of Warcraft: Orcs and Humans is tied to the confrontation between humans and orcs. As in the film, the orcs fall out of the portal into the human world and a struggle begins between them for a place in the sun. However, the first part did not attract much attention to itself - all the glory went to its sequel, Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness, which was released just a year later. But just look what changes in the schedule have taken place in this short period! Add interesting videos and a good plot to a nice picture, and that's it - the masterpiece is ready.

As if "before" and "after" - the year has not passed in vain

• Warcraft iii

But the continuation of the banquet had to wait a long time - as much as seven years. And the first reaction of the gaming community was mixed: too many suspicious innovations appeared in the game:

• 3D engine;
• 2 races grew into 4 (night elves and undead were added);
• A lot of neutral units and monsters appeared on the maps;
• Heroes were added to the game who gained experience, pumped skills and cast all sorts of things (what is not an RPG?);
• The rollers have become even brighter and more beautiful;
• The plot is even more twisted and pathetic.

The pinnacle of the evolution of the third part was the release of Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne in 2003, which spawned a memorable dotka for everyone (I’ll hardly discover America if I recall that DotA was created in the usual Warcraft 3 map editor and was not considered a full-fledged standalone game).

Was Warcraft the pioneer of the RTS genre? Of course not. Is it the best strategy in the world? I'm sure many will disagree with this: C&C and Civilization, HoMM and Total War have solid armies of fans. But, undoubtedly, Warcraft made a significant contribution to the genre of strategies and, since it was in the first place in our rating, it means ... * there should be a life-affirming thesis here, but I don't have any such thesis related to Warcraft. Soryan, guys. There will be options - write in the comments *

Strategy is a vital part of PC culture. Whether you love fast-paced real-time combat or clever turn-based simulations, great strategy games immerse you in unique, massive scenarios that give you the power to rule empires, control races exploring space, and command a cavalry charge against enemy armies.

We present to you our selection of the best strategies for PC. Regardless of whether you like real-time battles or turn-based battles, strategies allow you to take part in large-scale events, rule empires, control powerful races and fearlessly fight against armies of many thousands. For this we love them. But we love some more than others.

As is the case with the selection of the best first-person shooters, we tried to make the list as diverse as possible and collect the most worthy representatives of the genre, who are still capable of taking your breath away. The article will definitely be updated as new great strategies are released.

Do you agree with our choice? Do you want to add to this list? Share your suggestions in the comments.

Dropouts from the main list

The game exploits the lack of opportunity very cleverly, often presenting the player with difficult choices. You can only scan six points at a time, while the game regularly throws up opportunities for battle. You need to look for new recruits; engineers must build new communication centers to establish contacts with new territories; resources are needed to improve weapons and armor. You can't get everything at once. You may have to be content with one of this list. Back in 1989, Sid Meier described the game as "a series of interesting decisions," and XCOM 2 is by far the most accurate expression of those words ever released by Firaxis.

Red Alert is arguably the least strategy-related on our list. To win absolutely any battle, it is enough to be the first to build a technical center and send 25 mammoths to an enemy base, or simply send a chinook packed to overflowing with simple girls Tanyusha directly to the rear of the enemy. In a sense, the lack of balance was one of the reasons for the huge popularity of this title. Even now, the chaos that is happening in the battles there on land, sea and in the air remains attractive. In addition, the game was made free.

By simplifying the XCOM formula, Firaxis took a shorter route to things that have always been the essence of the series. It's basically squad action, a game in which you take care of your favorite and unique squad with all your might. Whether you're putting your fighters in bulky combat vehicles, or giving them your friends' names (or both), Enemy Within surpasses other strategies by taking your decisions very seriously.

For this iteration of Sid Meier's game of global supremacy, Firaxis built a new engine from scratch. It was the first game in the series to use 3D effects and shine with the inimitable voice of the legend Leonard Nimoy. In a wide range of innovations and improvements, a smarter, more aggressive AI was on a separate line. It is worth noting that it was from this part that the modding of the game became easier, which resulted in the emergence of several excellent add-ons created by the players. Civilization fans can argue for hours about which part is the best in the series, but my favorite is the four.

The trick of FS is that both opposing sides make their moves at the same time. You have to not only plan the movement of your squad of cyber soldiers, but also anticipate the actions of the enemy. Before confirming the move, the game allows you to look at the actions being taken so that the player can avoid the very obvious ones. In one of my best games, I deliberately sent a soldier into enemy fire in order to distract the enemy while the rest of my fighters came in from the flank. Study the previews of the move to act with flawless accuracy, avoiding losses.

BattleTech, which can be described as a mixture of a board game with XCOM design, is a deep and thoughtful turn-based strategy game with an impressive campaign system. You control a group of mercenaries, wisely distributing available funds and updating your collection of battle suits and robots.

In battles, it is necessary to aim at specific parts of enemy robots, taking into account the strength of their armor, the rate of fire, the angle at which the fire is fired, and the features of the environment. At first, all this is difficult to understand, since the game is not particularly friendly to beginners, but if you like rich in details strategies or are already familiar with this universe, then BattleTech will definitely suit your taste.

Northgard's real-time strategy, set in the Viking Age, borrows a lot from projects such as Settlers and Age of Empires, and also invites us to dive into a unique expansion system that allows us to gradually increase the area of ​​the controlled territories.

The weather also plays an important role in the gameplay. It is necessary to prepare especially carefully for winter, however, if you choose the appropriate branch in the technology development tree, then the winter on your lands will be warmer than on enemy territories, which will give you a strategic advantage. The frankly boring story is compensated by the excellent design of the story missions and the incredibly addicting battles in the battle mode.

A near perfect tactical action game with robots and a chic design from the creators of FTL. In Into the Breach, you have to fight off waves of Vek monsters on maps divided into 64 sectors, where various fortresses and important objects are located. Of course, the easiest way to get rid of the Vek monsters is to wipe them off the face of the earth with the help of your robots and air attacks, but for this you have to think strategically and keep enemies away from your buildings.

Civilian buildings provide you with electricity, which serves as a kind of health bar here. Whenever the enemy attacks such a building, you get one step closer to defeat. As soon as you run out of electricity, your team will travel back in time and try to save the world again. It's a pretty challenging, compact and dynamic adventure. As you unlock new types of robots and upgrades for them, you will gradually learn new ways to fight the merciless enemy.

The first Total War: Warhammer showed that the fantasy universe of Games Workshop is perfect for large-scale battles and amazing detail of the battlefield - this is what Creative Assembly is known for. In the second part, many improvements awaited us - in the interface, appearance and skills of heroes, as well as armies of various factions.

The four represented factions (Skaven, High Elves, Dark Elves and Lizardmen) are strikingly different from each other, and when they were created, the authors thoroughly studied the prehistory of the rich Warhammer universe. If you have long wanted to get acquainted with the world of Warhammer, but did not know where to start, then this game is perfect for you. And if you already have a beautiful original, then you are waiting for one large-scale campaign, the action of which unfolds on a single giant map.

The War of the Chosen add-on brings a number of minor tweaks to the game, as well as some pretty interesting elements like colorful chatty enemies that appear randomly as you progress through the main campaign, each of which has strengths and weaknesses. You will also find new types of enemy soldiers, thousands of cosmetic changes, zombie-like enemies inhabiting abandoned cities, the ability to create propaganda posters, and much more.

As a result, every campaign in War of the Chosen is a little oversaturated, but the changes are so well done that no XCOM 2 fan should pass by.

At first glance, the name of the game sounds just blasphemous. More than ten years after the release of the last Homeworld, they decided to turn the game, which they remembered for its spaceships and movement in 3D space, into another ground-based tank strategy? Is it a prequel too? Nevertheless, despite all the concerns that arose, Desert of Kharak turned out to be successful in all respects.

This is not only an amazing RTS that sets itself apart from the rest of the contemporaries of the genre, but also an excellent representative of Homeworld, who reimagined the series and clearly captured its magic.

The best game in the series so far, with so many different details that it seems like it came out right away with a couple of expansions. The area system allows you to build huge cities and motivates you to think through your actions a few steps forward. Separate praise deserves the amazing design of the game - yes, you don't get used to the local cartoon style right away, but over time it becomes clear that this decision has benefited the project.

It's very interesting to see what new additions will bring to this already rich game, which is the undisputed peak of the entire legendary series.

"Hopefully future patches and additions will fill in the gaps," wrote one of the journalists in his own on the day of its release. And while Paradox's sci-fi project still has room to grow, the high level of updates and their regular release are definitely good for the game.

For example, with the addition of Utopia, the internal political system of the game underwent significant changes (not to mention a hundred other minor innovations), which gave us another hundred hours of gameplay. In addition, here you can now build Dyson spheres around the stars in order to pump out energy from them, condemning nearby planets to icing. A cruel but mesmerizing sight.

Endless Legend was one of the unexpected breakthroughs last year. Following on from Amplitude's Endless Space, EL's 4X fantasy strategy game was very good, but still not fully realized the developers' potential. Its release went unnoticed thanks to the entry into the market of the high-budget Civilization: but EL is rightfully the best game in the genre since the fourth Civilization.

It is deeper and more diverse, it has amazing asymmetric factions, subraces, heroes, quests, and so on and so forth. And she looks, moreover, just great.

As a social experiment as it is a strategy game, Neptune's Pride pits humans against each other in the battle for the star system. The rules are simple: develop your systems, build ships and send them to conquer new systems. The war unfolds slowly, for a week or so, and requires attention, which can slightly spoil your real life.

Simple yet elegant mechanics condone forging and breaking alliances, which can result in an insidious attack by yesterday's friends on your systems. Naturally, at three o'clock in the morning, while you watch the second dream. An affordable game that produces a ton of amazing drama.

I still love the first two Red Alerts, because there are practically no bad titles in the Westwood C&C series, but everything is perfect in this part: here are the most interesting campaigns, the best units, beautiful maps and, of course, gorgeous videos.

The factions differ from each other in all respects and have much more uniqueness than it was in the original game - take at least the Soviet octopuses and dolphins on the side of the allies. Here the authors found the perfect balance between self-irony and sincerity in the cutscenes, and therefore the game was both captivating and brought a smile at the right moments.

What, alas, cannot be said about the natural disaster in the face of EA's Red Alert 3.

If you've ever dreamed of conquering space at the head of an armada of customizable colossus starships, this strategy is for you. It has smart, creative AI, and one complete game can take weeks.

You will have to monitor the economy, technology, diplomacy, culture, build up military power, forge alliances, fight wars and dominate the rest of the peoples of the galaxy. It resembles the games of the Civilization series, but only on a larger scale and, in some places, much deeper.

In terms of its mechanics, Homeworld is a phenomenal strategy game with a fully three-dimensional game space. She was among the first representatives of the hot, tore him from one single plane.

What's more, the game boasts a chic atmosphere and sound design, from Adagio for strings in the opening missions to heartbeat drum rolls in multiplayer battles. If you like the rebooted Battlestar Galactica, be sure to play Howmeworld.

With the scale of battles in Supreme Commander, only Total War can compete. Here you give an order to a specific engineer, then turn the mouse wheel - and you observe the battlefield from a bird's eye view. A couple of seconds later, you are already looking at the face of another soldier, a few kilometers from the first. Even my head is spinning.

The clash of armies of slender columns of hundreds of robots rewards the player with the most delightful gunplay the processor can handle. SupCom is one of the very few RTSs that combine naval, ground and air vehicles in one battle. And even more - with artillery, tactical nuclear weapons and experimental robots of titanic proportions.

In addition to being the successor to the best competitive strategy game of the past decade, SC2 deserves credit for rethinking the structure of the traditional RTS campaign. Heart of the Swarm is a good example of this, but it was the "human" Wings of Liberty that started: an intricate adventure that brings a mixture of working formulas to the table with each new mission.

From a scenario of defending against a zombie invasion to a planet flooded with lava every few minutes, SC2 forces the player to re-learn all of its basic elements.

Not the most obvious contender for getting on this list, Tooth and Tail drew us in with its simple look at RTS (and the game was clearly created for controllers), in which all the components of an excellent strategy were preserved. The game is even closer in spirit to Pikmin than Halo Wars - the units here gather around your character and follow the simplest orders, and the creation of units occurs automatically, relying on the population limit and available resources.

The battles last no more than 10 minutes, and the action takes place against the backdrop of a well-written political conflict between the factions of anthropomorphic animals.

The game that is remembered today as the ancestor of Warcraft III is primarily an inventive and ambitious strategy game that introduced many gamers to cinematic fantasy.

Here, for the first time, RPG elements were introduced in the form of heroes and neutral units, which had not been seen in any strategy before, and a large-scale campaign told an amazing story that completely captured the player thanks to its impeccable execution. As a bonus, funny phrases from units reacting to invocation were attached.

The series' transition to full 3D marked the crossing of a milestone, beyond which gradually accumulating problems led to instability with the Empire release and long-term AI issues that plagued players in the later games of the series.

The original Rome presented us with the unpretentious yet gripping face of an ancient war, and it did it in a masterpiece. A magnificent excursion into one of the most curious eras of military history, interesting to this day.

It was a big temptation to put the first part of "Dawn of War" on this list, but it was decided to stop at its experimental sequel, which replaced large units with a handful of the coolest space thugs with sets of murderous abilities.

To deal with the Orc hordes, you have to manage these genetically modified special forces, coordinating their actions with the raids of the Stormtroopers, the aimed fire of the Scouts and the cover of the detachments of heavy weapons. And the co-op Last Stand is also great.

SSE uses some 4X strategy tricks, but makes them work in an RTS wrapper. This is a game about star empires that grow, prosper and die in the distant space of the distant future. Well, and about how the huge starships of these empires emerge from hyperspace to the blazing worlds.

Diplomacy is also available, but these are huge starships! Play the Rebellion expansion and see how these very ships grow to truly incredible sizes.

CKII is a political strategy. It is not only about how the player leads his troops into battle, but also about the wedding of his imbecile niece. Each character matters, each has its own goals and desires. Yes, it's difficult (blame the feudal system for this), but you can get your own personal drama, right here and now.

The situation often drives the player into a corner, into desperate situations, forcing him to do terrible things for the sake of power. Once I had to execute a newborn baby so that his older and smarter sister could rule. The Middle Ages were still a time.

DEFCON's ominous blue world map is the perfect stage for a macabre story about the start of a nuclear war. First, you prepare for Armageddon by stocking up warehouses with supplies, placing silos, nuclear submarines, and setting up missile defenses. This organizational stage of the game itself is interesting for its strategic component, but the really cool DEFCON gets when the rockets are sent into the sky.

Blasting spots of explosions, counting casualties as city after city turns to radioactive ashes. When the dust settles, no one will care about the formal victory. The multiplayer, where a sheer nightmare is happening, is simply amazing.

Some games try to distance themselves from the emotional side of the war that just ended. But not Company of Heroes. She is tense, difficult and brutal.

Of course, the game uses purely Hollywood tricks (the mud sultans of artillery fire migrated here straight from Saving Private Ryan), but the result is the most intense strategy in the world, perfectly capturing the tactical imbalance of World War II.

A deep strategic component and transparent turn-based combat system made Xenonauts a model among game reboots. If you are an old fan of the X-COM series, forget about your ancient discs and fossil graphics from twenty years ago. The best way to remember those glorious days is to turn on the Xenonauts. If you are not familiar with X-COM, this game will give you the chance to enjoy the origins of the series with refined mechanics and details.

After Rome, the series quickly went to a dead end, dragging on itself a heap of problems. But Shogun 2 still managed to become the game that fans wanted to see Total War again. A chic setting, polished mechanics and the honor of your leader balancing between Buddhism and Christianity. The real difference between the clans (Chsokabe archers are the best!), And some particularly fun special units like the Kish ninja bombers.

Shogun 2 also offered something as cool as a two-player co-op campaign - a great (albeit slow) way to conquer a continent. The follow-up to TWS2, Rome 2 became extremely ambitious, but failed to achieve the fine balance and mechanics that Creative Assembly succeeded in Shogun 2. In the second expansion, Fall of the Samurai, players were offered a fantastic campaign in the age of gunpowder the middle of the 19th century. Guns, swords, ninjas - there is everything your heart desires.

In 2012, strategy expert Tim Stone described the game as a "fresh and friendly" wargame, praising the impressive AI. To defeat computer generals, you will have to use the advantages of the battlefield to the fullest and diversify tactics.

A simple and accessible interface lowers the barrier to entry, which is usually high in wargames. And by exploring the intricacies of the system, you will discover incredible depths of mechanics.

Age of Empires gave us the opportunity to live centuries of progress in half-hour game sessions, but RoN went further, smartly introducing elements of turn-based strategy like Civilization. Instead of directly leading your troops into battle, you expand the state by rebuilding new cities.

When countries' borders collide, a technological race ensues between nations, a war of influence interspersed with missile strikes and spear throws. Can you ever get bored with the process of crushing archers and knights with tanks and stealth bombers?

The list could not do without this game, even taking into account the fact that Rise of Nations developed all the ideas laid down here to the maximum. Age of Empires II still looks very decent on PC thanks to the HD re-release, for which add-ons are still coming out. The latest was Rise of the Rajas, released at the end of 2016. Not bad at all for a game that is almost 20 years old.

Build huge armies, upgrade them, collect resources and enjoy exciting campaigns in this RTS. And if you get tired of the proposed campaigns, then you can always download amateur add-ons or even create your own scripts. We are looking forward to the release of the fourth part of the game.

For those who like to think carefully about global decisions and lead huge armies, a genre of strategies has been created. In such games, you can become a front commander or the leader of an entire nation. There are also strategies where you need to not only come up with battle tactics for your warriors, but also develop trade and diplomacy. Games like this are a great workout for the brain. In some of them, developers embed encyclopedias detailing events that took place in different historical eras. The following are best PC strategies- top 10 rating.

10. Anno

The Anno series of games opens the ranking of the best strategies on PC. The first part (Creation of new world) was released in 1998. There are 13 games in total, covering most modern eras, sometimes including alternate history. The main focus is on trade and providing their settlers with resources so that they increase their social status. For example, after drinking a cup of coffee, an ordinary citizen can become a merchant or a nobleman, depending on the situation. However, the gameplay here is built not only on the economy. Sooner or later, neighboring states will have a desire to seize the player's wealth. Therefore, it always makes sense to build yourself a couple of extra guns.

Caesar 3 is one of the best economic strategy games on PC, in which the player will have to rebuild cities for the glory of the Emperor. After the training mission, the developers offer two options for further passage - military and peaceful. In the first case, the city will be regularly attacked by barbarians, in addition, a rebellion may suddenly begin. In the second option, there will be much fewer enemies. In some missions, they will not be at all, but the requirements for the prosperity of the settlement there are much higher. If the gamer does not cope with the plan that was drawn up by the game, then the emperor removes him from the post of governor. The city is very quickly attacked by Roman legionaries. In case of a loss, the player will be sent to the galleys, after which the level will have to be replayed. It is worth noting that this legion can be defeated by building defenses.

8. Total War: Attila

Ranked 8th in the top 10 best strategy games on PC Total War: Attila. This game has both a spectacular combat and a well-implemented turn-based mode on the global map. Total War: Attila is set in 395 AD, immediately after the division of the Roman Empire into West and East. The player needs to lead one of the peoples and completely capture the entire map. Difficulties begin almost immediately. Europe is under the attack of the Huns, and in the lands of Rome civil wars and barbarians rage. In other words, the Great Nations Migration is in full swing. The diplomacy system is well done and allows for various tricky moves. AI is smart enough and may well cause a lot of problems for a novice gamer.

7. Age of Empires 2: The African Kingdoms

Age of Empires 2: The African Kingdoms, an add-on for the remake of Age of Empires 2: HD Edition, entered the top ten strategy games on PC. Compared to the original game, the graphics have been significantly improved and multiplayer has been built on the Steam servers. New nations and four fully voiced companies have also been added. The old classics have been revived and have been very warmly received by the fans. This remake is rightfully considered one of the best games in the entire Age of Empires series.

Command & Conquer 4 is the final installment of the famous and one of the best strategy games. Despite the fact that the GSB and the Brotherhood of NOD have joined their efforts to save the human species, the last stage of the confrontation - the fourth war for Tiberius, is just around the corner. The developers have overhauled the entire gameplay. Now, in order to receive resources, the player needs to capture and hold special nodes that control the growth of Tiberium. Units have also undergone changes and are divided into attack, defense and support classes. Fans and critics have received mixed reactions to the game, mainly due to its multiplayer focus. All other changes were accepted by the public quite loyally.

5.XCOM: Enemy Within

The XCOM turn-based strategy series is considered one of the best games of its kind. Basically, the plot tells about the struggle of earthlings with aliens. The gamer will have to lead the XCOM organization and carry out various operations against aliens, which have a strong technological as well as numerical advantage. The non-storyline expansion Enemy Within has added new quests, weapons and mechs-robots, for the production of which you need to build a special laboratory. The atmosphere of the game allows you to completely immerse yourself in the noble cause of protecting the Earth from aliens.

4. Civilization VI

Continues the list of the best global turn-based strategy Civilization VI. One of the most interesting innovations is the new city system. Now settlements can occupy several cells and will give serious bonuses to the economy, as well as science. Unfortunately, it is impossible to capture a separate quarter - the city is owned only by the one who captured the center. The goal of the game remains the same - to lead your nation to victory through diplomacy, culture or military expansion. However, Firaxis Games was able to make a quality game to please fans of the series.

3. Age of Mythology

Age of Mythology unlocks the top 3 strategy games on PC. Even ten years after its release, the game has a huge fan base. Developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios. Like most standard RTS in Age of Mythology, the player needs to rebuild cities, collect resources and build troops to destroy enemy armies and settlements. The game's plot is a kind of mixture of Greek, Scandinavian and Egyptian mythologies. Interestingly, gaming AI has been used in scientific research. The researchers wanted to find out what effect merging the emotional model with standard bot scripts has. According to the results, the aggressive variation won 25% faster. The only drawback of the strategy turned out to be very monotonous tasks in the company, but this did not reduce its replay value.

Everyone has long understood that Blizzard doesn't make bad games. Warcraft III was once the most anticipated and best strategy computer game on the market, so it's hard to find a gamer who has never heard of such colorful characters as Arthas, Illidan and Thrall. Well-chosen music allows you to fully immerse yourself in the history of the fantasy world. In addition to an excellent plot, Warcraft has excellent graphics, as well as a map editor that allows you to completely change the characteristics of units, textures and create your own cut scenes. This has led to the creation of many unofficial maps, the gameplay of which is strikingly different from the original game. The most famous example is DotA, which has grown into a separate major project.

1. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty

Starcraft II Wings of Liberty is the most famous and best real-time strategy game on PC and quickly became the new esports discipline. The Blizzard developers did not even hide that the main purpose of their game is online matches. However, a single player company with a cool storyline is present. Terrans, protoss and zerg will once again face off on epic battlefields. The main task in any mission is the complete destruction of the enemy and his buildings. The Havok graphics engine and excellent graphics only increase the enjoyment of the process. The game was released for a long time - thanks to a well-developed universe, interesting factions and network leagues that allow you to fight with other players.

Warhammer 40,000 Series

Release date: 1992-2011

Genre: Real time strategy

The Warhammer 40,000 series is the most popular and one of the best-selling games. Fans are constantly waiting for a new game to be released. The most famous is Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War. The player chooses a race (Imperial Guard, Space Marines, Tau, Necrons, Orcs, Chaos, Eldars, new races appear with each game) for which he wants to play, after which he chooses a place on the planet or planets that he wants to capture and fights with the race that owns this earth.

The battle takes place in real time on the terrain on which the battle takes place. Players capture special points that give influence and build generators that give energy, structures, troops are built on these resources and improvements are made. Each race has its own troops, super units and heroes and abilities. The goal of the campaign is to conquer all lands and become the patron saint of all lands.

Civilization Series

Release date: 1991-2013

Genre: Global turn based strategy

In Civilization, a complete model of the development of mankind has been created from the most ancient times to the present. build a spaceship and fly to Alpha Centauri. The strength and development of civilization consists of the development and creation of new cities, the creation of production in the cities of troops, scientific and military research. Also in the game you can create wonders of the world.

For a civilization to flourish, the player must be able to focus and balance between scientific progress, military build-up, treasury replenishment, infrastructure and culture development, diplomatic contacts and trade with other civilizations. The player can take part in the historical events that took place, control the leaders such as Stalin, Napaleon, Ramses II, Catherine II and so on. Which of the series is the best is hard to say. Someone says that the part is the best, someone that the fourth. Graphic devotees claim that the fifth is the best of the series.

Warcraft iii

Genre: real-time strategies with RPG elements

Popularly, the so-called "Varik" was one of the most anticipated games: more than 4.5 million pre-orders and more than one million copies of the game sold in less than a month, making it the fastest-selling computer game. The game received a large number of positive reviews, many editions marked the game with the titles "Best Game of the Year" and "Best Strategy of the Year". The game also received high marks from the players.

There are 4 races in the game: Alliance (humans), Undead, Horde (Orcs) and Night Elves. Each race has its own unique heroes who gain experience and a new level in battles. With each level, new abilities of the hero are revealed. Also, heroes can buy or pick up items from killed mobs that improve the combat characteristics of the heroes and the troops surrounding him. On different maps, players capture gold mines and extract forests, use these resources to build a base and units and improve their characteristics.

Heroes of Might and Magic III

Genre: Turn-based strategy with RPG elements

Heroes of Might and Magic III is a turn-based fantasy game, the third part of the series has become cult and has gained many fans around the world. Despite the already outdated graphics, it is still played by thousands of players around the world. The fourth and fifth parts of the game came out with better graphics and improved gameplay, so if you are not a fan of old games and love graphics, then it is best to play the last parts.

The player travels across the global map with heroes who control mythical creatures, exploring new lands, capturing cities and fighting enemies. On the map, the player moves only one hero and can only walk a certain distance or do one or several actions, after which he skips the move and the enemies under the control of the computer make their move. When attacking enemies, you move into combat mode, the army of enemies and your army of creatures stand opposite each other, moving units in turn, you need to destroy the enemies. With the development of cities, you can open up new opportunities and spells. Hire troops.

Starcraft ii

Genre: real time strategy

StarCraft II is the second part of the cult first part released back in 1998. The second part of the game became the most anticipated game of the year due to the great popularity of the first part and fully justified its hopes among the players. Many Russian and foreign gaming portals rated the game over 9 points out of 10, and received 9.3 points in the rating of the players.

The plot of the game and all the actions take place in the distant future, or rather the XXVI century in a distant part of the Milky Way galaxy. The three races of Terran, Zerg, and Protoss confront each other. Players extract two types of resources, minerals and vespene gas, for which they then build buildings and hire combat units. The main task is to destroy the enemy base. Each type of unit has its own strengths and weaknesses, so to destroy certain types of enemy troops, you need to hire troops that destroy them well.

Total War series is the best Rome: Total War

Genre: turn based global strategy, real time strategy

Total War rus. "Total War" is a series of games that already has seven games and various additions. Different games cover different time periods and states. The most popular and iconic is Rome: Total War, released in 2004, which takes place in Ancient Rome during the Republic period from 270 BC. NS. until 14 A.D. NS. For example, Shogun: Total War takes place in Japan Shogun: Total War in the 16th century, where ruling dynasties confront each other. Empire: Total War - during the European colonial wars and so on.

The gameplay of the game is very similar to Civilization. The player controls troops, cities and settlements on a global point. After completing all actions, the player skips a turn, after which the competitors controlled by the AI ​​make their move. If you or your enemy attack each other, then you move to the tactical map, where you control all your troops in real mode, attacking them and placing them in convenient positions on the map.

Command & Conquer: Red Alert 1,2,3

Release date: 1996 and 2000

Genre: Real time strategy

Red Alert is a game that was released in the last century and captured the minds and souls of gamers around the world, it is still played by thousands of people, more than 30 million copies sold. The game takes place in an alternate story where allied troops defend Europe from the aggressive Soviet Union. The player can choose one of two warring parties: the Alliance or the USSR. Accordingly, the goal of playing for the Allies is to stop Stalin before he conquered the whole world, for the USSR - to achieve complete capture of Europe. Depending on the side chosen, the player's victory leads to one of two alternative endings.

The battles in the game take place both on the ground, on the water and in the air. Each side can have its own base and can train ground forces, air force and navy. Each side also has unique features. The game mechanics is that now even a simple infantryman can destroy a tank. A tank can easily destroy a machine-gun pillbox, a small group of grenade launchers can just as easily cope with a tank if it is not covered by anti-personnel equipment or its own infantry, which forced the use of various types of troops in battle.

Europa Universalis series

Release date: 2000-2013 r.

Genre: turn-based global strategy,

Continues the series of global strategies Europa Universalis. Like the previous games in the series, the third part invites you to lead one of the states of the world . The essence of the game: to develop national ideas that give the gaming power certain advantages; as new state technologies are discovered, it becomes possible to choose one of the national ideas. The action of the game takes place in real time, but the reaction speed of the player is not required, since at any moment of the game you can pause. The game takes place on a schematic world map, divided into more than 1,500 sea and land provinces.

The player can take control of any country that existed in this historical period (about 200 states in total). Under his control are the country's economy, the formation and management of armies and fleets, diplomacy, the introduction of new technologies, the internal policy of the state, the change in the state religion and the colonization of new lands.

A feature of the game is the link to the real story (note that in the third part of the series it is no longer attached to the story and the gameplay is more free); there are historical rulers predetermined for each country, each of whom has certain abilities that affect the game, who actually existed commanders (such as Suvorov or Napoleon I Bonaparte), pioneers, explorers and navigators (such as Columbus, Ermak and Fernand Magellan ), as well as historical events that usually take place in the same country and at the same time as in real history (for example, an event occurs in 1517 that makes it possible to convert to Protestantism)

Company of Heroes 1.2

Release date: 2006 year

Genre: Real time strategy

The gameplay of Company of Heroes is very similar to Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War. The player commands entire squads of fighters, but there are some unique units. Each squad has a life scale (not an individual fighter) and if the life ends when the squad is damaged, then the entire squad dies. The player can equip infantry units with various weapons, choosing which weapon is more promising in battle. After the death of a detachment, weapons remain that can be picked up and equipped with another detachment. This even applies to stationary weapons such as anti-tank guns, heavy machine guns and mortars.

Each side in the game is divided into three unique directions - infantry, amphibious and tank for the Americans and defensive, offensive and propaganda for the Germans, advancement in which gives access to new combat units and attacks (for example, attack aircraft raid). Another important difference is that the squads and units in the game have three levels of experience. After the destruction of the enemy, a new level is obtained that increases damage, speed, health, armor, or the view range of a combat unit, depending on its type.

There are three types of resources in the Game: weapons, fuel and personnel. Personnel are used to build buildings, recruit new combat units, both infantry and armored vehicles, fuel, in turn, to build buildings and armored vehicles, and weapons - to provide detachments with additional weapons, for example, a grenade launcher, for artillery and air strikes, or for so that your technique has new opportunities. Resources are replenished using checkpoints.

Age of empires iii

Genre: Real time strategy

Age of Empires III is a strategy game that has earned worldwide recognition for its innovative and fun gameplay. Age of Empires has received great ratings on gaming portals and magazines. A feature of this game is a well-developed artificial intelligence (the enemy is controlled by a computer). The player controls one of the powers (Great Britain, Prussia, Holland, Spain, Portugal, Russian Empire, Ottoman Empire, France), which went to conquer the new world (America).

The main action takes place in the colonies, on a map familiar to such games, but now each power has a hometown in the Old World. He serves the sole purpose of helping his colony. There are three resources in the game: food, wood and money. Which are mined by various buildings. Transitions between eras, five eras: exploration, colonization, fortresses, industrial and empire era. He trains military academies, bandages and sends soldiers to colonies. The infantry depends on the nationality of the city, for the Spaniards it will be rodelier, and for the Russians it will be archers and Cossacks. The academy is also improving the parameters of the troops.

Battles take place in real time. The maximum size of a squad and a group of soldiers, highlighted by a "frame", is 50 units. The shooting infantry has four formations: the usual line, which is convenient for firing in a volley, the thinned formation, which reduces losses from artillery fire, hand-to-hand combat and squares. The melee infantry has three formations, two of the same, actually melee and square, and a circular formation to cover the shooters. The cavalry learned three formations - all the same close combat and squares, as well as an offensive mode with a reduced speed, but with damage in the area.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown

Genre: Strategy, Turn-Based Tactics, Tactical RPG

The game is a remake (remake) of the popular and old game X-COM: UFO Defense, released back in 1993. Aliens attack planet Earth and start an alien invasion. The game is played on behalf of the commander of the secret international organization XCOM (unit for combating aliens), which has the most advanced technology, weapons and scientific developments of mankind. It employs the best specialists in the world - military and scientists. The organization must fight against aliens that threaten the existence of human civilization.

The player is provided with the central base of XCOM, from which the strategic leadership of the organization is carried out: monitoring the actions of aliens on the global map of the world using a satellite network, distributing funding for the development of scientific and technical potential, arming and deploying interceptors to destroy flying saucers, as well as conducting military operations against aliens by the forces of existing fighters in ground skirmishes. The base is presented to the player in the form of an "ant farm" - a cut of soil that allows you to look at the premises "from the side".

In a tactical battle, fighters perform up to two actions in turn - dash, shoot, throw a grenade, use a first-aid kit. Each fighter has only three characteristics: accuracy, willpower and health points.
After the first promotion in the rank, the soldier receives a specialization. This can be a stormtrooper, a sniper, a heavy infantryman, or a support soldier.

Homeworld

Genre: real time strategy

Sophisticated graphics and three-dimensional game space - the implementation of six degrees of freedom (you can view the battlefield, the combat fleet from different angles), the movement of game objects and the presence of well-thought-out fleet management in three dimensions. A rich and complex storyline that gradually unfolds directly during the game. In the next game mission, the player receives the fleet with which he completed the previous one.

At the beginning of the game, the player can choose a fleet of two races, Kushan, or Taidan: this is not reflected in the further plot in any way, only combat units change. A key feature of both the Kushan and Taidan fleets is the presence of a main mother ship serving as the main base of operations. The mother ship has its own weapons, and a hyperdrive that allows you to traverse a significant amount of space.

The entire space fleet is divided into a combat fleet and a support fleet. The support fleet includes special ships such as resource collector and controller, research ship, probe, stealth ship detector, gravity well generator. The combat fleets are subdivided into classes: Small ships - fighters, corvettes, Heavy ships - frigates, Super heavy ships, Flagships.

Stronghold series

Release date: 2001-2014

Genre: real time strategy

The game system of all games in the series is based on an economic simulator of a medieval city or castle. The games have a number of unique parameters that are characteristic only for the games of the Stronghold series. So, in the first Stronghold, the parameter "popularity" was introduced for the first time, which affects the performance and the number of the population. The combat system is standard for strategies - direct control of groups of units. The economic component is one of the main in the games of the series. There are quite complex and long production chains. As a rule, in the games of the series, more attention is paid to the economic rather than the military component of medieval castles.

In all games in the series, except for Stronghold Kingdoms, there are campaigns (a series of story-related missions) and a map editor mode. Stronghold has a single campaign, the rest of the games have multiple campaigns.

In all games, except for Stronghold and Stronghold Kingdoms, it is possible to play against computer opponents on the selected map. In Stronghold and Stronghold 2 there is a siege mode (siege or defense of a castle without conducting an economy). In the first games of the series (up to Stronghold 2 inclusive), there is a free building mode (conducting an economy without war).

Spore

Genre: Real time strategy, god simulator

Spore game is a simulator of the evolution of life on the planet, as well as a strategy and space simulator. The goal of the game is to develop a creature from a microorganism to an advanced space race. During the passage of the game, it is possible to make changes to the creature, improving its characteristics. Also, as it develops, the player will independently create various vehicles and buildings, or choose ready-made options from the catalog.

At the beginning of the game, a microorganism living in an aquatic environment comes under the control of the player. At this stage, the game - To survive, the microorganism needs to eat pieces of meat or algae, and also try not to be eaten by other carnivores. By eating food, the cell grows and turns into a microorganism. After that, the creature is selected to the ground, where it also develops. Over time, under your leadership there will be a tribe, civilization and space that you will have to manage.

Ground Control 1,2

Release date: 2000, 2004

Genre: Tactical real time strategy

This game was a cutting edge game in its genre and won many awards. Ground Control has three-dimensional graphics and a freely rotating camera, allowing the player to watch the battle from any angle. The game completely lacks resource collection, base development and research. The player's goal is to control a limited number of combat units and perform various tasks with their help.

The main goal of the game is to destroy the enemy's troops and buildings using the terrain features and the strengths of your own army. Units include various types of armored vehicles, aircraft and soldiers delivered to the battlefield by orbital shuttles. After the start of the next mission, the player cannot call for reinforcements, which requires careful selection of combat units and their configuration before the battle.

The most important element of the game is the requirement for a tactical approach in any situation. Each squad has its own distinct strengths and weaknesses. Combat units are united in detachments. The player can only give orders to units, although the units themselves will fight and receive damage separately. There are four categories of units: infantry, armored vehicles, support, and aircraft. The player can choose the configuration of each individual unit before the battle. For example, a tank unit from the Craven Corporation can exist in four configurations: recon, light, main, and heavy. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages, so different configurations are suitable for different tasks.

Tiberium Command & Conquer Series

Release date: 1995-2010

Genre: Real time strategy

a series of successful computer games with the largest sales among strategy series. The game takes place in an alternative temporal reality, conditionally modern ours, in which there is a war all over the world between two global groups - the UN international troops united in the Global Defense Initiative, and the military-religious Brotherhood of Nod, led by its charismatic leader Kane, who are fighting for possession of the alien substance Tiberium, slowly spreading throughout the planet.

The gameplay of the game is based on the principle of collecting resources, building a base, and destroying the enemy. Tiberium is the only source of money (credits) in the game. Another important resource in the game is electricity, produced only by power plants. Various structures and units produced by the player, together form a technology tree, in which access to technologically more advanced, and, accordingly, more expensive structures and units. The base can be defended by various structures, including defensive fortifications.

Let's be honest: it was very difficult to distribute the games by position. Many of us have played thousands of hours of old strategies on PC, and are ready to defend our favorite games and series to the last. It is also impossible to dispute the contribution of many classic projects to the development of the genre - the overwhelming majority of modern strategies are based on the principles and mechanics laid down in the cult imperishable images of the past. We ask you to take positions nominally: any game from the top ten deserves to be at the top of the top of the old strategies. So let's get started.

21. Tropico Series

Would you like to become a dictator? The most real: with a thick beard, a loud title and his own island state. The games of the Tropico series provide such an opportunity: here you need to bring the people entrusted to you to prosperity and at the same time not forget about your interests, setting aside part of the treasury to a separate bank account.

You have to plan city blocks, issue decrees, fulfill (or ignore) the wishes of citizens, confront rebels and foreign armies. It is not easy to please everyone, and even take care of your well-being, but the true El Presidente will not stop at any difficulties.

20. Supreme Commander Series

Game designer Chris Taylor, known for strategy Total Annihilation, approaches the gameplay of his projects on a grand scale: here truly huge armies converge on the battlefield, and the camera soars into the stratosphere, giving the player a view of a large-scale war.

Dilogy (as well as an independent addition to the first part) Supreme Commander tells about the confrontation between humans, aliens and the descendants of terrestrial colonists, who formed a kind of symbiosis of the human race and AI. Battles are built on the classic rock-paper-scissors mechanics, and the dynamics of events are so high that in the heat of battle you will hardly have time to switch between groups of units. Combined with the epic scale of the war, this makes for incredibly addictive gameplay.

19. Europa Universalis series

History, as you know, does not tolerate the subjunctive mood, but the temptation to fantasize about “what would happen if certain events developed differently” is too great. The Europa Universalis series invites players to take control of one of the European countries and lead it through years and entire eras - to prosperity or decline.

Europa Universalis gives you a lot of creativity. Here you can turn some Liechtenstein into a huge empire, create an alliance between countries that in reality have always been at enmity, keep Napoleon from expanding to the east - or act strictly in accordance with the history textbook. Support for custom modifications increases the replayability of the games in the series to infinity.

18. "Perimeter"

An old strategy from the legendary Russian studio K-D LAB, which used the destructible environment before it was mainstream. Players have access to all the joys of terramorphing: the surrounding landscape can be rebuilt at will - level the site for the construction of buildings, dig an impassable moat, and so on.

In addition to the mentioned changes in the relief, "Perimeter" can boast a couple of interesting features. For example, nanomachines, with which you can flexibly transform units from one type to another. Or the Perimeter - a system of protective fields that cover the base with a reliable energy dome. Finally, the setting: the game takes place in the so-called. The psychosphere is another dimension that gives earthlings practically inexhaustible energy, but at the same time materializes human fears and other negative emotions. In general, this game can be called one of the most unusual strategies for weak PCs.

17. Series "Cossacks"

The Ukrainian studio GSC Game World has worked on many franchises, but it is known all over the world for only two - the legendary S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series. and no less legendary "Cossacks". Earlier in our selections, "Stalker" and similar games have already appeared, "Cossacks" we have so far ignored. Well, we are improving.

The Cossacks series was remembered by gamers for a large selection of factions, large-scale battles, careful attention to the historical background, as well as a gradual change of eras, in which participants open access to new buildings, technologies and units. Story campaigns covered certain historical events, and multiplayer allowed countries to clash in battles, which in reality had never fought with each other.

16. Homeworld

15. Ground Control

A strategy that lacks base development, resource gathering, and research. All the player needs to do is fight, trying to destroy the often superior forces of the opponent with a given number of units. By the way, they move from mission to mission, becoming stronger with a set of experience, so it makes sense to take care of your troops.

The Ground Control Dilogy tells about the military conflicts unfolding between global corporations that colonize distant planets, and which, for the sake of the resources located on them, are ready to literally destroy their competitors. At one time, the games looked just fantastic, and even today they do not cause much rejection, thanks to the good detailing of units and a riot of special effects.

14. Series "Blitzkrieg"

Another series of games without building a base, but this time you can at least capture them, which is very useful with a small number of units initially. Blitzkrieg is about World War II, inviting players to look at the conflict from the perspective of all parties involved, including Nazi Germany. At the same time, historical campaigns are created in accordance with real events, so it will not work to think of yourself as the Fuhrer and take over the world - the Reich always loses, and the USSR and the Allies win.

Given the lack of resources and buildings for the production of troops, the player must be able to competently dispose of what he has in stock. Therefore, an element of tactics comes to the fore: to frame all units and send them to the enemy means that it is guaranteed that the mission will end in defeat. The Blitzkrieg series is still alive today: moreover, it introduces innovative mechanics in the RTS genre, like a neural network AI that can learn and act unpredictably.

13. Series Heroes of Might and Magic

An iconic series of games that combine the genres of turn-based strategy and RPG. Here gamers will have to explore the map, fight against numerous enemies, as well as extract resources and develop their cities. All this is subordinated either to certain goals, due to plot events, or to the desire to conquer the entire territory on the map in multiplayer.

Each fan of Heroes of Might and Magic has their own memories associated with the series. Sleepless nights trying to punish evil, epic network battles, developing trouble-free battle tactics, arguing (or even fighting) about the superiority of your favorite faction, creating your own maps in the editor - many still play old franchise releases, ignoring the more modern ones projects. By the way, about the quality of the games in the series: the third and fifth parts of HoMM are deservedly loved by the people, while the rest can be bypassed.

12. Stronghold Series

11. Age of Mythology

10. Total War Series

"Total War" from the British studio The Creative Assembly, which today includes more than 10 games and many additions to them. If you want to rule an entire country, participate in large-scale battles, destroy entire civilizations, and all this in different time eras, then Total War is exactly what you need.

9. Star Wars: Empire at War

A Star Wars game developed by Petroglyph Studios (employing the Westwood team behind Command & Conquer).

Experience in creating good strategies did not become superfluous: game makers presented an excellent game that combined a fantastic setting with the usual RTS gameplay. However, there are enough original mechanics in Star Wars: Empire at War: for example, there is no collection of resources, battles are divided into ground and space battles, and some particularly strong hero who can turn the tide of events in the opposite direction can look at the "light". As a bonus, there are excellent (even now) graphics and an impressive variety of locations with unique battle conditions for each.

8. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War

Also space, but unlike the fabulous fantasy Star Wars, it is as dark and bloody as possible. Matching the setting and the game, which is still considered by many to be the best in the Dawn of War series, is brutal, furious and dynamic.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War offers players classic RTS gameplay, but also focuses on tactics. So, here there is the usual building of the base and the collection of resources, but the battles take place with the participation of relatively small squads of units, commanders and heroes who have powerful abilities. As for the plot, everything is as epic and pathetic as possible, missions confront people, space orcs, elves and followers of evil gods (a number of factions join them in additions, each more surprising than the other), and events revolve around powerful artifacts and destructive weapons.

7. Series Age of Empires

A popular series of real-time strategy games in which you can take control of one of the nations and lead it through several eras to prosperity. If you are interested in the idea of ​​the development of a state over several centuries, but do not like the slow pace of Civilization, then Age of Empires may be the perfect option.

In accordance with the rules of the genre, AoE offers to build buildings, mine gold, stone and wood, produce food, train an army and fight enemies. In addition, you need to research new technologies and accumulate resources necessary for the transition between eras - from the Stone Age to agriculture, processing of bronze, iron, and so on. You can test your strengths in single-player scenarios, where the enemy will be AI, and in competitive multiplayer with other players. The series publisher, Microsoft, does not forget about modern gamers, so it prepares remasters of all parts, with updated graphics and new content.

6. Civilization Series

Who among us would not want to take the place of the ruler of any country and bring it to the world leader? The global strategy Civilization makes it possible to do this: here you can choose one of the nations and lead it through several eras - from the Ancient World to the present. Throughout the entire period of your reign, you have to build cities and Wonders of the World, study technologies, discover new territories, conduct diplomacy and trade with foreign leaders, and, if necessary, fight with hostile countries. All this is available in a single player campaign and multiplayer, including on one screen, in hot-seat mode.

The Civilization series has six numbered parts, several add-ons and spin-offs. Of these, the first four parts are suitable for weak computers, but Civilization III is considered the best.

5. Command & Conquer Series: Red Alert

A real-time strategy based on an alternative history, where Hitler was killed before the outbreak of World War II (because of which it did not take place), and the Soviet Union gained immense power and began to conquer Europe. Later, Yuri, a powerful telepath who seeks world domination, also joins this conflict. In Red Alert 3, players will have to join one of the factions (respectively, the USSR or the Allies, and in the third part of the series - also Japan, which also has its own views of the planet) and go through a series of missions with various tasks subordinated to the general plot.

The games in the Red Alert series tell a fascinating satirical story, and plot videos delight the participation of famous actors - Tim Curry, J.K. Simmons and others. As for the gameplay - it is built on the well-known principle of "rock-paper-scissors", but with a rather simplified balance, which often reduces battles to a regular tank rush. However, this is fixable: fans of the series have improved the balance (and also added new story campaigns) with the help of mods, the best of which is Mental Omega for Red Alert 2.

4. Command & Conquer: Generals

A game that has nothing to do with the Command & Conquer series other than its name, for which it has been criticized by C&C fans. But, if you ignore this, we got a good strategy with an interesting storyline about the confrontation between China, the United States and the Middle East terrorists, a good balance and a system of "generals", thanks to which players, accumulating points during the mission, can unlock powerful abilities like calling an orbital strike or launching a nuclear missile.

Command & Conquer: Generals only got one expansion, and the sequel, which was being developed as a shareware project, was canceled (maybe for the better). But the fans have not forgotten the game, having released a lot of mods for the "Generals" that add new campaigns and make changes to the gameplay.

3. "Tiberium" series Command & Conquer

The original cycle of the C & C series. The general plot outline is built around tiberium - an alien substance that once appeared on Earth and began to spread across the planet. It heavily pollutes the territory, making it practically uninhabitable, but at the same time is a very valuable resource, as a result of which it causes wars between the military-religious brotherhood Nod, led by the charismatic leader Kane, and the UN international troops united in the Global Security Council.

In addition to the exciting storyline, Command & Conquer also contains a well-developed gameplay that has influenced the development of the genre for years to come. Alas, not all games in the series turned out to be of the same quality: the successful trilogy is followed by not the most outstanding fourth part, after which no new releases of the franchise followed. But, as always, fans save the day: if original C&C games are not enough for you, you can always pay attention to custom mods, among which Twisted Insurrection for Tiberian Sun stands out.

2. StarCraft

The famous space saga from Blizzard, which tells the story of the confrontation (and sometimes cooperation) of three factions - terrans (descendants of earthlings), zerg (space insects) and protoss (a highly advanced race in terms of technology). The parties to the conflict are fundamentally different from each other, but at the same time the developers have brought the balance to perfection, without giving any of them significant advantages.

StarCraft is the perfect strategy in all its dimensions. Here is a plot filled with pathos and epic with memorable characters, various missions and the opportunity to play for each of the parties to the conflict. There is an addicting multiplayer here, thanks to which the game has become a popular esports discipline. Finally, the project encourages creatives by letting you create your own maps and scenarios in a local editor. Today StarCraft is available in two editions: the original game, which is distributed free of charge, and the remaster, which has received improved graphics, sound and expanded network capabilities.

The action of the WarCraft trilogy takes place in a fantasy universe, where there are constant wars between humans and orcs, which are mixed with conflicts with elves, undead and other races. All the games of the trilogy are distinguished by fascinating missions, many of which deviate from the usual for the genre of base building, an exciting plot, as well as interesting characters, among which even the negative ones have understandable motivation and can cause sympathy (you don't have to go far for examples - who did not empathize with the fate of Arthas ?). Not without dynamic multiplayer and an advanced map editor (which at one time served as a tool for creating DotA). Warcraft to this day is deservedly considered the standard of the RTS genre, for which it receives first place in our selection.

Separate nomination: Dune Series

Talking about old strategies, we cannot fail to mention the Dune series, which had a huge impact on the formation and development of the RTS genre. But what can I say - it is the 1992 Dune II that is considered the first real-time strategy (although some dispute this opinion, giving the palm to Herzog Zwei).

The Dune series is based on the plot of the novel of the same name by Frank Herbert, and tells about military conflicts in the distant future that unfold between the ruling Houses of the descendants of mankind. However, acquaintance with the original source is not necessary here: games have a self-contained history, no less interesting than in books. The gameplay, on the other hand, will not be a revelation for a player familiar with strategies: building a base, extracting resources, producing an army and ruthlessly destroying enemies. Today, these games no longer stand up to competition with modern projects (and with other heroes of this collection too), but every fan of the RTS genre should know about them.