Summary
- Real-time strategy games emerged and evolved alongside the growth of internet gaming and MMOs.
- Age of Empires, Sid Meier's Civilization 2, and more were influential RTS games of the 1990s.
- These games introduced innovative gameplay mechanics, combined historical realism with fantasy elements, and paved the way for future RTS titles.
Real-time strategy games were some of the first to test the limits of what consoles and computers could do when it came to progression, design, and multiplayer options. Video games went online when the RTS genre was riding a wave of popularity, and they evolved neatly with the evolution of internet gaming and MMOs.
The genre of RTS games didn't start in the 1990s, but many of the best games in this category were launched in this era. Most of them were so popular that they started a series of games or a whole franchise that continues to the present day.
6 Age Of Empires
The Best Of Early Grand Strategy Games
Age of Empires
- Released
- October 13, 1997
- Developer(s)
- Ensemble Studios
- Platform(s)
- PC, Microsoft Windows
- Genre(s)
- Real-Time Strategy
The original Age of Empires was one of the first RTS games that combined ancient historical realism with fantasy or player-driven settings. The DLC that followed in 1999, two years after the game's initial release, the popular The Rise of Rome expansion pack, set the tone for later titles.
Age of Empires offers both solo-player campaigns along with multiplayer options for up to eight players. Players can choose from a few ancient civilizations that include the Greeks or Babylonians, among others, and there's even a random map generator for those who want a less realistic setting.
5 Sid Meier's Civilization 2
Real-Time Strategy In 4X
- Released
- February 29, 1996
- ESRB
- e
- Developer(s)
- MicroProse
- Publisher(s)
- MicroProse
- Engine
- LORE
- Multiplayer
- Local Multiplayer
- Franchise
- Sid Meier's Civilization
The Civilization franchise is one of the biggest in both gaming in general and in the RTS genre. Although this wasn't the first game in the franchise, it was the one that determined what future games in the series would look like, especially those that use the 4x resource basis, and it was so easy to play and learn that it drew new players into the genre.
Every Civilization Game, Ranked
Here are all of the purely Civilization games of the franchise, ranked by their scores and main strengths.
Players choose a nation and leader, but they can change any of the names they want instead of using the pre-determined ones for important people and major cities. The winner is the first player to build an intergalactic spaceship powerful enough to visit and colonize Alpha Centauri.
4 Dungeon Keeper
Build And Manage A Dungeon Instead Of An Army
Dungeon Keeper 2
- Released
- June 30, 1999
- Developer(s)
- Bullfrog Productions
- Publisher(s)
- Electronic Arts
- Platform(s)
- PC
Dungeon Keeper wasn't only one of the earliest and best RTS games of the 1990s, it put a new twist on a genre that mostly relied on conventional maps and large-scale battles. This game was about building and managing a dungeon instead of a fort, castle, town, or army.
Players aren't playing as the adventurers who are there to conquer the dungeon, either, but more like the Dungeon Master in a D&D game that's trying to stop those heroes from succeeding. It's not all serious, with a lot of self-aware jokes and dark humor integrated into the progression and gameplay.
3 Command & Conquer
The RTS Game That Set The Standard
Command & Conquer Remastered
- Released
- June 5, 2020
- Publisher(s)
- Electronic Arts
- Franchise
- Command & Conquer
- Developer
- Petroglyph
- Platform(s)
- PC
Westwood Studios took some of the best ideas from their previous RTS title, Dune II, and used that as a foundation for Command & Conquer. This was the game that every RTS game wanted to emulate in the 1990s, and the popularity of the IP has carried it through several different development and publishing studios.
Command and Conquer Remastered Collection Review
The Command and Conquer Remastered Collection applies updates that make its content feel fresh, but the same can't be said for all its mechanics.
The franchise is set on an alternate history Earth that includes a contaminant named Tiberium, which, aside from being toxic, has the power to be a devastating weapon. Battles ensue over who controls the world's Tiberium for either good or ill, with one side represented by the Global Defense Initiative and the other by the mysterious Kane and his followers, the Brotherhood of Nod.
2 Warcraft II: Tides Of Darkness
The Game That Elevated Blizzard To Greatness...
Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness
- Released
- December 9, 1995
- Developer(s)
- Blizzard Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Blizzard Entertainment
- Franchise
- Warcraft
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows, Linux, Sega Saturn, macOS
Orcs and Humans got this ball rolling, but the Warcraft RTS series took that ball and ran with it, right into the world of MMORPGs in the 21st Century. It was partly out of love for the Warcraft RTS games that the online version of the game was so successful.
Not only did players have to organize and build an army, along with developing their bases and resources, but they also had a storyline to follow and a special hero character to bring onto the battlefield. These heroes still make appearances in the various versions of the MMO incarnation, although they've changed a lot since their introductions more than two decades ago.
1 StarCraft
...And The Game That Kept It There
StarCraft
THE ONLY ALLIES ARE ENEMIES.
THREE UNIQUE ALIEN SPECIES
Whether you command the nomadic Terran, mysterious Protoss, or voracious Zerg, you must devise totally unique strategies to master the specialized units, abilities, and technologies of each.
MULTIPLE THEATERS OF BATTLE
Engage in a deadly mix of space combat, planetary assault, and covert base infiltration. Command Ghost Espionage Agents, Wraith Stealth Fighters, Protoss High Templars, and Zerg Defilers as you seek to conquer the galaxy.
REVOLUTIONARY SPECIAL EFFECTS
Real-time light sourcing, true line of sight, and an advanced translucency engine combine for incredible visual effects and unparalleled tactical realism.
INTENSE INTERNET COMPETITION
Challenge players worldwide with FREE access to Blizzard's Battle.net gaming service. Up to eight players supported for head to head, allied, or team play. Enhanced features include worldwide player rankings, tournaments, and challenge ladders.
UNEQUALED CAMPAIGN EDITOR
Construct individual missions or entire campaigns with unrivaled ease! Set victory conditions, customize speech & sound, and create unique heroes while building enormous single and multiplayer worlds complete with your own story lines.
Warcraft II, both in development and publicity, and its utilization of multiplayer and online play, which was just exploding at the time, ensured its extreme popularity. Modern eSports and online tournament play, however, owe a lot to the impact and innovation that StarCraft brought to the gaming world.
The Best RTS Games To Play If You Love Starcraft
Many StarCraft fans soon find themselves looking for something similar to play. Here are the best games to scratch that itch.
StarCraft was a bit late to the party, joining in the last few years of the 90s, but that doesn't keep it from being one of the greatest RTS titles of the decade. Not only did it take everything great about the games that came before in the genre in terms of structure and design, but it used a unique science-fiction setting to do it.