Summary
- Iconic strategy games from the 2000s are receiving remakes and remasters for modern systems.
- Supreme Commander redefined RTS scale with massive battles and complex gameplay features.
- Rise of Nations seamlessly blends grand strategy elements with fast-paced resource management.
The 2000s are widely regarded as an era during which some of the most iconic video games have released. Strategy games, in particular enjoyed a hay day, of sorts during the 2000s, with many studios coming up with some of the most popular and well-received strategy games in the genre's history. From the cult classics like Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos to challenging and memorable gems like Supreme Commander, plenty of strategy games have been winning gamer hearts worldwide.
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And there has been a resurgence of these games in recent years, with many of the most popular ones receiving remakes or remasters for modern systems. While the remasters are seeing limited success, complete reworks like Age of Mythology: Retold are well-received by players. The good thing is that plenty of strategy games from the 2000s could do with a modern remake on newer game engines.
8 Supreme Commander
A Game That Redefined Real-Time Strategy Scale
Supreme Commander
- Released
- February 20, 2007
WHERE TO PLAY
While Supreme Commander isn't a game that received the same kind of recognition as the Age of Empires or Warcraft titles that released in the 2000s, it's recognized as a cult classic that set new standards and benchmarks for the Real Time Strategy genre through its sheer scale and complexity. Such was its technical brilliance that it was a challenging, CPU-intensive game that required a strong processor paired with a capable graphics card to run effectively, mainly because of the size of its battles.
Players could play God, and control large armies of units on expansive maps, and the tactical elements of the game were also complicated and had a learning curve. It was often compared to the Starcraft series, but it operated on the scale of a turn-based strategy game like the Total War or Civilization series. Blending the best of both strategy subgenres, a modernized remake of the Supreme Commander games would certainly be welcome in this day and age, especially with the advent of much stronger hardware being available, allowing the game to be experienced at its best.
7 Command & Conquer: Generals
A More Grounded Approach to the Command & Conquer Series
Command & Conquer: Generals
- Released
- February 10, 2003
- Developer(s)
- EA Pacific, i5works, Aspyr
- Engine
- SAGE
- Franchise
- Command & Conquer
- Genre(s)
- Strategy, Real-Time Strategy
- Platform(s)
- PC, macOS
The Command & Conquer series is a long running sci-fi Real-time Strategy (RTS) series that gained popularity in the 2000s. While the original 90s game didn't make waves, Command & Conquer: Generals managed to break into the mainstream strategy scene with its realistic factions: the USA, China, and the GLA, a fictional Middle-Eastern militia. By comparison, conventional Command & Conquer: Tiberium trilogy and Command & Conquer: Red Alert games are more fantasy-based, with alien factions and super-advanced technology being used.
EA sanctioned the studio to develop Command & Conquer: Generals 2, which was eventually canceled. While it didn't make waves like some of the biggest RTS franchises releasing at the time, Command & Conquer: Generals was widely regarded as one of the most enjoyable strategy games and has a loyal fanbase which hopes for a revival. Such a revival coming in the form of a modern remake wouldn't be such a bad idea, especially considering the scrapped Command & Conquer: Generals 2 existed at one point, being developed on the Frostbite engine.
6 Rise of Nations
Big Huge Games With a Strategic Masterpiece
Rise of Nations: Extended Edition
- Released
- June 12, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Big Huge Games, Westlake Interactive
- Publisher(s)
- Microsoft Studios
- Genre(s)
- Real-Time Strategy
- Platform(s)
- PC
One of the most revered strategy games from the early 2000s, Rise of Nations seamlessly blends the scale of grand strategy games like the Total War and the Civilization series, with fast-paced resource-management and base-building gameplay from conventional RTS titles like the Age of Empires series. What stands out about Rise of Nations is the manner in which it challenges the player to account for long-term planning like they would on a large scale turn-based strategy game while simultaneously indulging in immediate tactical activity to keep up with their opponents. Furthermore, it gives the player opportunities to explore diplomacy, governance and border management features and advance through the Ancient Age right up to the Information Age.
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Rise of Nations received an upgrade in 2014 with the release of Rise of Nations: Extended Edition which slightly improves visual quality while bundling the Thrones & Patriots expansion and adding Steamworks support. It's still relevant and playable on Steam in 2025, and a modern remake of this game would definitely perform well if its handled by Microsoft the way Age of Mythology: Retold was.
5 Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos
Because Warcraft 3: Reforged Was a Poorly Handled Remaster
Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos
- Released
- July 3, 2002
WHERE TO PLAY
Pretty much everyone knows the Warcraft series, thanks to the phenomenon that is World of Warcraft. But the original strategy games remain cult classics that are appreciated by a large fanbase of nostalgic gamers around the world. It's a series that played a catalytic role in Blizzard's meteoric rise as a developer. With a deep lore that rivals some of the best fantasy stories out there and tight-knit gameplay with diverse races and unit types, Warcraft became so iconic that it inspired many similar games, as well as subgenres like MOBA games. In fact, DoTA, one of the biggest esports in this age was birthed as a custom game in Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos.
Blizzard released Warcraft 3: Reforged in 2020 as a modernization with updated visuals and several new features. While it received mixed reviews from critics, fans of the series absolutely hated it, especially because it lacked the extra features it promised, and the community felt the visual upgrades were worse than the original. Regardless, Warcraft 3: Reforged proves one thing. A proper remake of the series would bring it back to its heyday.
4 Company of Heroes
The Award-Winning Strategy Game Could Do With Some Love
Company Of Heroes
- Released
- September 12, 2006
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Relic Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- THQ
- Franchise
- Company of Heroes
- Genre(s)
- Real-Time Strategy
- Platform(s)
- PC
The original Company of Heroes, released in 2006, remains one of the best-received strategy games in the genre's history. Not only was it incredibly popular with hardcore strategy gamers, it also won PC Gamer's Game of the Year award in 2006 and enjoyed success at LAN tournaments as a competitive strategy game. The way it delivered an etched-out and well-designed RTS game in a fictional World War 2 setting stood out the most.
The first game was so good, it spawned a successful franchise, which also included a film adaptation in 2013, and two sequels. While the sequels are fairly popular, neither of them holds up to the charm of the original. Considering Company of Heroes 3 released recently in 2023, a remake of the original using the latest sequel's engine would be an excellent idea, akin to the Mafia series.
3 Soldiers: Heroes of World War 2
The Real-Time Tactics Game That Spawned the Men of War Series
Soldiers: Heroes of World War II
- Released
- June 30, 2004
WHERE TO PLAY
- Platform(s)
- Windows
- Genre(s)
- Strategy
The Real Time Tactics genre of games takes inspiration from grand strategy games and infuses elements of micromanagement and action into them. Soldiers: Heroes of World War II is one of the best examples of this genre, being one of the first games to implement 3D visuals into the genre. While the game itself wasn't as popular as mainstream strategy titles at the time, it went on to inspire some of the best RTT titles like Men of War: Assault Squad 2.
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It drew many comparisons to Company of Heroes, while being a lot more realistic in terms of World War 2 combat mechanics and individual unit control. While Company of Heroes is much more of an RTS title with an emphasis on macro management and resource hoarding, Soldiers: Heroes of World War II is a lot more hands on with its combat, but just as strategic in terms of resource management and tactics. Its sequels, Faces of War and Men of War ended up enjoying a lot more popularity, but it would be nice to give the original game some recognition with a modern remake.
2 Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends
The Perfect Steampunk Strategy Game Deserves Some More Attention
Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends
- Released
- May 9, 2006
- Platform(s)
- PC
Building on the success of Rise of Nations, Big Huge Games developed and released Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends, a unique Real Time Strategy game that infuses elements from Rise of Nations with a steampunk theme. While it certainly didn't receive the kind of attention Rise of Nations received when it released, it had its own charm and was largely considered an underrated gem of an RTS by anyone who played it.
It had massive scale, with a unique integrated base-building system. It also did away with civilian units because of this, the base building aspect did not require them and instead relied on adding "districts" to the player's city for additional research and military unit spawning. A single military unit was usually a group of soldiers, further expanding the scale of its battles. All of this backed by gorgeous visuals and an incredible soundtrack. With a strong marketing campaign and a remake on a modern game engine, Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends could just end up receiving the love it so deserves.
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