Best Fantasy RTS Games

The RTS genre was one of the most popular genres in gaming, especially on PC, throughout the 90s and early 2000s. Games like Warcraft, Starcraft, and the game that arguably started it all, Dune 2, created a boom in the genre that lasted a long while.

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Despite a long hiatus, the RTS genre is beginning to pick up popularity once more with anticipated releases of games like the indie strategy games, Cataclismo and the much-awaited Dungeons 4, as well as the already released popular remasters in the Command & Conquer and Age Of Empires franchises. However, many RTS games traditionally follow modern and/or historical themes, and the few of them that step outside these boundaries tend to fall into the category of mythology (such as Age Of Mythology and the more recent Northgard). These RTS titles focus exclusively and intentionally on themes of fantasy, offering a variety of experiences from small indie titles to iconic franchise sequels.

8 Thronefall

This minimalist RTS game features a wonderfully simplistic aesthetic and stripped-back gameplay that takes the often complex mechanics of RTS games and makes them accessible for everyone while remaining engaging for those already acquainted with the genre.

Thronefall tasks players with manually controlling a hero character with a basic attack and ability and managing an economy in order to efficiently build and defend a small kingdom. Players can build a variety of units to help them defend from the waves of enemies, giving them basic orders with intuitive controls.

7 Kohan 2: Kings Of War

This retro RTS game features six distinct fantasy races, each with its own unique strengths and weaknesses; the race a player chooses to play can even affect their economic decisions, as each of them needs some resources more than others.

Furthermore, Kohan 2: Kings of War features factions that each have their own benefits, with certain races being able to choose between specific factions. The variety in races and factions helps to build out the world of Kohan 2 and take advantage of its distinctive fantasy setting.

6 Dungeons 3

This fantasy strategy game combines RTS mechanics with the base-building gameplay of the old-school classic, Dungeon Keeper. Dungeons 3 is arguably one of the best games to interpret the design of Dungeon Keeper, not only because it recreates the joy of dungeon building, but because it innovates by adding a second layer of gameplay.

In Dungeons 3, players have to worry about building and defending their dungeon from heroes while simultaneously mounting attacks on the world's surface, which is where the majority of the game's RTS mechanics come into play. Furthermore, players are forced to engage with the surface in order to complete objectives. Those who may have already played Dungeons 3 can look forward to the upcoming and much anticipated Dungeons 4.

5 Stronghold Legends

This latter entry in the revered Stronghold series added fantastical elements to the traditionally medieval RTS games in the franchise. Stronghold Legends includes three playable factions with their own distinct sets of units, including frost giants and werewolves.

Furthermore, the game takes inspiration from medieval folklore by including the Knights of the Round Table, as well as campaigns centered around King Arthur, Siegfried, and Vlad Dracula. Stronghold Legends still features the "castle sim" gameplay of its predecessors, but the fantasy elements help inject the game with some much-needed whimsy.

4 Dungeons & Dragons: Dragonshard

Although it was released to critical acclaim back in 2005, Dungeons & Dragons: Dragonshard rarely gets much love in the modern era, despite its innovative dual-layer design that likely influenced the design of games such as Dungeons 3.

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Dragonshard has players going through the motions of a traditional RTS on the game's surface, but in order to get valuable resources, players must take small parties of elite heroes down into the dungeons below the map, offering a completely unique and dynamic RTS experience that manages to capture elements of the tabletop game.

3 The Lord Of The Rings: The Battle For Middle-Earth 2

Fans of fantasy games are more than likely fans of - or at least highly aware of - the iconic franchise of The Lord Of The Rings. Be it Tolkien's original series of books or Peter Jackson's faithful film adaptations, fans of The Lord Of The Rings will be right at home in this RTS sequel.

The Battle For Middle-Earth 2 features both a good and evil campaign, as well as talented voice work (including some members of the original cast) and an engaging narrative that fans are sure to enjoy. The game also features six playable factions that allow players to command a variety of Tolkien's iconic fantasy races.

2 Total War: Warhammer 2

This sequel innovated and built upon the already solid foundations laid out by Total War: Warhammer to create one of the most polished and expansive experiences in the Total War franchise, with its extremely distinct factions that all encourage a variety of playstyles.

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Being one of the only Total War games to take place in a fantastical setting, Total War: Warhammer 2 is a rare treat that will satisfy fans of the original and arguably surpasses it, debatably making it the best game in the trilogy.

1 Warcraft 3: Reign Of Chaos

This third entry in Blizzard's revered series of Warcraft RTS games is arguably one of the best, with its engaging narratives supported by talented voice work, cartoony 3D visuals that debatably still hold up today, and fast-paced gameplay.

Outside of Warcraft 3's iconic fantasy races and solid story, it's an engaging traditional RTS with varied gameplay that has aged quite well. Warcraft 3 was extremely innovative for its time, with its high-fidelity graphics and intuitive UI (something that many RTS games of the time were sorely missing), and it remains one of the best fantasy RTS games to date.

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