Computer strategies review. The best PC strategies of all time - review and description

Let's be honest: it was very difficult to distribute the games by position. Many of us have played thousands of hours of old strategy games 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 vast majority of modern strategies are based on the principles and mechanics inherent in the cult immortal films of yesteryear. We ask you to take the positions nominally: any game from the top ten deserves to be at the top of the top old strategies. So let's get started.

21. Tropico Series

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

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

20. Supreme Commander Series

Game designer Chris Taylor, known for the Total Annihilation strategy, 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.

The dilogy (as well as an independent addition to the first part) Supreme Commander talks about the confrontation that unfolded between people, aliens and the descendants of earthly 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 barely have time to switch between groups of units. Combined with the epic scale of warfare, this results in incredibly addictive gameplay.

19. Europa Universalis Series

History, as we know, does not tolerate the subjunctive mood, but the temptation to fantasize about “what would have happened if certain events had 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 room for creativity. Here you can turn some Liechtenstein into a huge empire, create an alliance between countries that in reality have always been at odds, keep Napoleon from expanding to the east - or act strictly in accordance with the history textbook. Support for user modifications increases the replayability of games in the series to infinity.

18. "Perimeter"

An old strategy from the legendary Russian studio K-D LAB, which used destructible environments when it was not yet 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 ditch, and so on.

In addition to the mentioned changes in relief, “Perimeter” can boast of a couple more 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 covering 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 is known all over the world for only two - the legendary S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series. and the no less legendary “Cossacks”. Previously, “Stalker” and games similar to it already appeared in our collections, but we have so far ignored “Cossacks”. Well, let's fix it.

The Cossacks series is remembered by gamers for its large selection of factions, large-scale battles, careful attention to the historical background, as well as the gradual change of eras, within which participants gain access to new buildings, technologies and units. Story campaigns covered certain historical events, and multiplayer made it possible to pit countries in battles that in reality had never fought among themselves.

16. Homeworld

15. Ground Control

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

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

14. Series "Blitzkrieg"

Another series of games without base construction, but this time they can at least be captured, which can be very useful when the number of units is initially small. Blitzkrieg tells the story of World War II, offering players a look at the conflict from the perspective of all sides involved, including Nazi Germany. At the same time, historical campaigns are created in accordance with real events, so imagining yourself to be the Fuhrer and taking over the world will not work here - the Reich always loses, and the USSR and the Allies win.

Considering the lack of resources and buildings for the production of troops, the player must be able to wisely manage what he has available. Therefore, the element of tactics comes to the fore: circle all units and send them to the enemy - which means that the mission is guaranteed to end in defeat. The Blitzkrieg series is still alive today: moreover, it introduces innovative mechanics into the RTS genre, such as neural network AI, which can learn and act unpredictably.

13. Heroes of Might and Magic series

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

Every Heroes of Might and Magic fan has their own memories associated with the series. Sleepless nights in attempts to punish evil, epic online battles, developing fail-safe combat tactics, arguing (or even fighting) about the superiority of their favorite faction, creating their own maps in the editor - many still play old editions of the franchise, not paying attention to more modern projects. By the way, about the quality of the games in the series: the third and fifth parts of HoMM deservedly enjoy popular love, but the rest can be ignored.

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 periods, then Total War is exactly what you need.

9. Star Wars: Empire at War

A Star Wars game developed by Petroglyph studio (which employs the Westwood team that worked on Command & Conquer).

Experience in creating good strategies was not superfluous: game makers presented great game, which combined a fantasy setting with familiar RTS gameplay. However, the original mechanics in Star Wars: Empire at War is enough: for example, there is no collection of resources, battles are divided into ground and space, and some particularly strong hero who can turn the tide of events in the opposite direction may look at the “light”. Bonuses include excellent (even now) graphics and an impressive variety of locations with unique battle conditions for each.

8. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War

It’s also space, but unlike the fairy-tale-fantasy Star Wars, it’s as dark and bloody as possible. Matching the setting is the game, which is still considered by many to be the best in the Dawn of War series - cruel, furious and dynamic.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War offers players the gameplay of classic RTS games, but also pays attention to the tactical component. So, there is the usual base building and resource gathering, but 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 pit humans, space orcs, elves and followers of evil gods (in additions they are joined by a number of factions, each more amazing than the other), and events revolve around powerful artifacts and destructive weapons.

7. Age of Empires series

A popular series of real-time strategies 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 ​​a state developing over several centuries, but don’t like the slow pace of Civilization, then Age of Empires may be an ideal 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, bronze processing, iron processing, and so on. You can test your strength in single-player scenarios, where the opponent is AI, and in competitive multiplayer with other players. The publisher of the series, Microsoft, does not forget about modern gamers, so it is preparing 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 a country and lead it to world leadership? 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 Ancient world until modern times. Throughout your reign, you will have to build cities and Wonders of the World, study technology, discover new territories, conduct diplomacy and trade with foreign leaders, and, if necessary, fight with hostile countries. All this is available in the single-player campaign and multiplayer, including on one screen, in hot-seat mode.

The Civilization series has six serialized parts, several additions 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 alternate history where Hitler was killed before the start of World War II (which prevented it from happening), and the Soviet Union gained enormous power and began to conquer Europe. Later, Yuri, a powerful telepath who strives for 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 plans for 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 captivating satirical story, and the story cutscenes are fun to watch famous actors– Tim Curry, J.K. Simmons and others. As for the gameplay, it is built on the well-known “rock-paper-scissors” principle, but with a rather simplified balance, which often reduces battles to a regular tank rush. However, this can be fixed: fans of the series have improved the balance (and also added new story campaigns) with the help of mods, the best of which is considered Mental Omega for Red Alert 2.

4.Command & Conquer: Generals

A game that has nothing in common except the name with the Command & Conquer series, for which it was criticized by C&C fans. But, if you don't pay attention to this, we got good strategy With interesting story about the confrontation between China, the United States and Middle Eastern terrorists, good balance and a “generals” system, thanks to which players, by accumulating points during a mission, can gain access to powerful abilities such as calling an orbital strike or launching a nuclear missile.

The strategy Command & Conquer: Generals received only one addition, and the sequel, which was developed as a shareware project, was canceled (maybe this is for the better). But fans have not forgotten the game, releasing many mods for Generals that add new campaigns and make changes to the gameplay.

3. Tiberium Command & Conquer series

The original cycle of the C&C series. The overall 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 it is a very valuable resource, as a result of which it becomes the cause of wars between the military-religious brotherhood Nod, headed by the charismatic leader Kane, and the international UN troops united in the Global Security Council.

In addition to its compelling story, Command & Conquer also features well-developed gameplay that would influence the development of the genre for years to come. Alas, not all games in the series turned out to be of equal quality: the successful trilogy was followed by a not-so-outstanding fourth installment, after which no new releases in the franchise followed. But, as always, the fans save the day: if the 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, telling the story of the confrontation (and sometimes cooperation) of three factions - the Terrans (descendants of earthlings), the Zerg (space insects) and the Protoss (a highly technologically advanced race). The parties to the conflict are radically 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 a perfect strategy game in all its components. Here is a plot full of pathos and epic with memorable characters, varied missions and the opportunity to play for each side of the conflict. There is a fascinating multiplayer, thanks to which the game has become a popular e-sports discipline. Finally, the project encourages creative people, allowing you to create your own maps and scenarios in the local editor. Today, StarCraft exists in two editions: the original game, which is distributed free of charge, and the remaster, which has improved graphics, sound and expanded network capabilities.

The WarCraft trilogy takes place in a fantasy universe where there are constant wars between humans and orcs, mixed with conflicts with elves, undead and other races. All games in the trilogy are distinguished by fascinating missions, many of which deviate from the usual base-building of the genre, an exciting plot, as well as interesting characters, among whom even the negative ones have understandable motivations and can evoke sympathy (you don’t have to look far for examples - who didn’t 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). To this day, WarCraft is deservedly considered the standard of the RTS genre, for which it receives first place in our selection.

Special nomination: Dune Series

When talking about old strategies, we cannot fail to mention the Dune series, which had a huge influence on the formation and development of the RTS genre. What can I say - it was Dune II from 1992 that is considered the first real-time strategy (although some dispute this opinion, giving the palm to the game 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 humanity. However, familiarity with the original source is not necessary here: the games have a self-sufficient history, no less interesting than in the books. The gameplay will not be a revelation for a player familiar with strategies: building a base, extracting resources, producing an army and mercilessly destroying enemies. Today, these games no longer stand up to competition with modern projects (and with other heroes in this collection too), but every fan of the RTS genre should know about them.

Indeed, some prefer to turn their attention to shooters, others prefer stealth games, and still others prefer various mob-oriented projects. There will be those who like it step by step options, where every move and every action needs to be thought through extremely carefully. Actually the best turn based games It’s possible to list them on one hand at the moment, since the solutions often come out are quite mediocre and copy each other, but today we will try to select the best turn-based strategies on PC.

Heroes of Might and Magic III HD. A cult game without any exaggeration, which is still held in high esteem by gamers and even relatively recently received a remaster in HD. You have to build your own castle of one of the factions available in the game, develop infrastructure, accumulate unique troops, improve them and conquer all possible resources on the map in order to ultimately defeat the enemy. You can play it for dozens of hours and not get tired of it! Moreover, it is possible to play together on one computer.

Heroes of Might and Magic III HD system requirements:

• System: Windows 7 (SP1), Windows 8, Windows 8.1 (32-bit or 64-bit);
• Processor: Intel Core2 Duo E4400 @ 2.0 GHz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ @ 2.0 GHz;
• RAM: 2 Gb;
• Video card: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT or AMD Radeon HD2900 with 256 MB of built-in video memory and Shader Model 4.0 support
• Disk space: 27 Gb.

Disciples 2. The golden mean in the series, which many people remember with nostalgia. Here, moving around the map is similar to the heroes, but the battles are a little different - you recruit a squad with special abilities, develop fighters and attack from a place without unnecessary movements around the field. The game has a perfectly written lore and interesting gameplay features that will keep you hooked for a very long time!

Disciples 2 system requirements:

• System: Windows XP;
• RAM: 32Mb;
• Disk space: 1.2 Gb.

Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth. A step-by-step classic strategy, where you have to not only develop your state, but do it outside the earth - on new planet in space. You have to choose a ship, a campaign sponsor and a few other features, and then go to distant and unknown space to found a colony and make peace with the rest of the colonizers or go to war against them.

System requirements for Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth:

• System: Windows XP;
• Processor: Pentium II with a clock frequency of 233 MHz;
• RAM: 32Mb;
• Video card: at least 128 Mb;
• Disk space: 1.2 Gb.

Master of Orion. Another extremely colorful and thoughtful turn-based strategy, which became an excellent successor to the 1993 game. There is a lot to think about here and every move is given for a reason. The player is given control of one of 10 races and then needs to lead it to greatness through collecting resources, research, conquering worlds and manipulating leaders.

Master of Orion System Requirements:

• System: Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10 (64 bit);
• Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 2 GHz or AMD Athlon X2 2.2 GHz;
• RAM: 2 Gb;
• Video card: nVidia 240, ATI 4650, Intel Integrated HD3000 or better;
• Disk space: 15 Gb.

The best turn-based strategy games on PC

King's Bounty. The legend of the knight. Very similar to the previous position, but with its own unique atmosphere, monsters, history and other features. Unlike heroes, movement outside the battle map occurs in real time, so there is no need to skip moves. There is also a role-playing system thanks to which your character can talk with others and interact with various objects. The battles take place on a hexagonal field in a step-by-step mode.

King's Bounty system requirements. Legend of the Knight:

• System: Windows XP / Vista;
• Processor: Intel Pentium 4 2.6 GHz or better;
• RAM: 1 Gb;
• Video card: NVIDIA GeForce 6800 / ATI Radeon X800 with 256 MB of memory or better;
• Disk space: 5.5 Gb.

Darkest Dungeon. Pretty hardcore toy with step by step actions in a battle where success depends on every blow. You have to gather a group of heroes and then go to several dungeons in turn. Enemies can attack from anywhere, opening certain items on the map imposes positive and much more often negative effects, bosses are ruthless, the torch gradually goes out and this also affects non-heroes.

Darkest Dungeon system requirements:

• System: Windows XP / Vista;
• Processor: Any dual-core processor with 2 GHz;
• RAM: 2 Gb;
• Video card: Any video card with 512 MB of memory (1080p, 16:9);
• Disk space: 2 Gb.

XCOM 2. Are you ready to fight back the aliens and show that the Earth belongs only to people? Well then you should definitely look into this toy. At the moment, all the problems have already been fixed and we are presented with an excellent turn-based toy, which pleases with the number of unique units and interspersed with a role-playing system.

XCOM 2 System Requirements:

• System: Windows XP / Vista;
• Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E4700 (2.6 GHz) or AMD Phenom X4 9950 (2.6 GHz);
• RAM: 4 Gb;
• Video card: Radeon HD 5770 1 GB or GeForce GTX 460 1 GB;
• Disk space: 45 Gb.

Hard West. Do you like interesting stories, cowboys and turn-based games? In that case, welcome! The game combines Western and otherworldly themes with an excellent storyline, or rather eight storylines at once. Demons, shootings, amulets, magic, beautiful graphics, interesting gameplay - all this catches your eye immediately and fits perfectly within one game.

Hard West System Requirements:

• System: Windows XP / Vista;
• Processor: Intel 2 Quad Q6700 2.66 GHz/AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 5000+ 2.6 GHz;
• RAM: 4 Gb;
• Video card: NVIDIA GeForce GT 430/AMD Radeon HD 4670;
• Disk space: 6 Gb.

Total War: Warhammer. A sort of mix of turn-based strategy and real-time strategy in the Warhammer universe. In turn-based mode, you have to manage the state and establish connections, send diplomatic missions or engage in battle - when the battle itself begins, everything goes into real time. Take control of one of the many races and build your perfect state, destroying all enemies in your path.

Total War: Warhammer system requirements:

• System: Windows 7 64Bit;
• Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 3.0Ghz;
• RAM: 3 Gb;
• Video card: AMD Radeon HD 5770 1024MB / NVIDIA GTS 450 1024MB / Intel HD4000 @720p;
• Disk space: 35 Gb.

Divinity: Original Sin 2. Well, the first place rightfully goes to the game, which can be completed in almost any way, the system of variability in quests is so chic and the role-playing system is extensive. These are more than a dozen character options to choose from, subclasses, various combinations of both characters and skills. In fact, you can tell the story for a long time, but it’s better to try it once - the plot here is simply excellent and will not make you sad. Gather a party of up to 4 characters or go on a journey on your own to experience an incredible adventure.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 system requirements:

• System: Windows 7 SP1 64-bit / Windows 8.1 64-bit / Windows 10 64-bit;
• Processor: Intel Core i5 or equivalent;
• RAM: 4 Gb;
• Video card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 / ATI Radeon HD 6XXX or better;
• Disk space: 25 Gb.

There are extremely rare cases when games from consoles are successfully transferred to a personal computer, and when it is the RTS genre, then there are simply a few such games. But still, the computer games company Ensemble took a risk...

Codex of Victory is a turn-based strategy game with stunning hand-drawn graphics, an interesting plot and the ability to play multiplayer. What is also attractive about it is the low requirements for your personal computer system...

The game Endless Legend is a turn-based strategy game in a hexagonal grid, but if you have already played the latest parts of such a famous strategy as Civilization, then you don’t need to explain anything else in terms of gameplay...

The game Life Is Feudal Forest Village is a mixture of genres such as indie, village simulator (like SimCity) and strategy. It is a completely peaceful game, that is, it has no combat component (so far...

We invite you to solve global political problems at the highest levels in the game Realpolitiks. It immediately aroused different opinions among many players, despite the fact that it was published quite recently...

Syrian Warfare is an interpretation of the armed conflict in Syria, which continues to this day. Terrible war continues and many don’t even know about it. Therefore, the game intends to tell and show...

Planar Conquest is the spiritual successor to the game Master of Magic, that is, a turn-based strategy whose goal is quite prosaic - conquest, destruction, plunder and world domination.

Seventh part famous series turn-based strategies were developed in close collaboration with the fan community. The game developers held votes among fans on many key issues, which allowed...

Eador: Imperium is a hefty addition to the main game, so to speak (however, it can be played without the previous version, it is presented as a standalone game).

SteamWorld Heist is a new unique turn-based and driving strategy, and it is also an RPG, which makes it even more interesting and original.

December 2016 gives all fans of tactical stealth real-time strategies - Shadow Tactics - Blades of the Shogun. The plot of the game Shadow Tactics - Blades of the Shogun takes place in Japan during the Ed...

Urban Empire is a game created for fans of the strategy genre, namely a city planning simulator. Your reign as mayor of the city will begin back in the 18th century. But besides the usual problems of the city, and economic...

Warhammer 40,000: Sanctus Reach on PC is a long-awaited outlet for all fans who are missing high-quality strategy games in the famous gaming universe.

Alien Shooter TD is a great opportunity remember exactly what short, interesting and enjoyable adventures should look like. Everything in this game is perfect, from the graphics to the music...

Thea the Awakening is of interest to the gaming public because it successfully mixes such diverse genres of computer games as RPG, Rogue and strategy.

Master Of Orion is a remake of the second part “Lord of Orion”; let us remind you that there is the first (this is natural), the second and the third parts. But still, preference was given to part No. 2.

Might Magic Heroes VII takes place between the stories of the previous two heroes, and the game's campaign focuses on the great guardian Ivan Griffin.

Since this is already the second part of +the banner saga 2, it immediately becomes clear from the first episode that the game is not for beginners. For those new to the saga, this is a turn-based strategy game.

The release date has arrived for Sid Meier’s Civilization VI - a turn-based strategy in which you have to create a powerful empire from the chosen civilization. You'll have to put in a lot of effort to maintain...

Hearts of Iron IV is a global strategy, a time period for which we will have the honor of playing for free - the years of the Second World War, as well as the subsequent years of the Cold Wars.

2016/ Repack from Decepticon (711 MB) The legendary “Cossacks” are back! The game is a strategy game that reflects the great battles of the 17th and 18th centuries. A remake of today, one of the best strategies created in 2001...

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First strategies

Strategy is a genre that has captivated the minds of millions of gamers around the world. In such games, the key to success is careful planning and efficient use of available resources. The founder of the genre is considered to be the computer game “Stonkers”, released in 1983. Its gameplay was created by Lawnson and Gibson. In 1993, the beloved strategy game “Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty” appeared on the market. It quickly became popular due to its unconventional gameplay and cool graphical controls.

The very first game to use terrain and 3D units was Total Annihilation (1997). It has two modes: team and single. Ships, submarines, cars, and amphibious aircraft are used as combat units.

Homeworld is the first space strategy game, published in 1999. It is notable for the fact that all battles are fought in three-dimensional space. But wonderful background pictures of space are used as battle cards.

Computer strategies are a good workout for the brain

The newest and best strategies on PC 2015, 2014, 2013, presented here, are of interest to thoughtful gamers who do not like to rush. The popularity of such entertainment is steadily increasing because developers are creating unique computer products. Strategies and RPGs are preferred by those who like challenging tasks. To win, the gamer must show leadership and leadership skills. There is no way to do without such qualities. To successfully complete the mission, the player needs to develop an operational plan and adjust it to the changing situation.

Types of games:

• Historical - they are associated with specific events and facts that occurred in the distant past. For example, “Men of War: Red Tide” tells the story of the exploits of the Marine Corps, and the project “The Truth about the Ninth Company” reflects the January 1988 battle in Afghanistan;
• Space strategies - in them the action takes place in the distant future, and gamers need to manage star systems and galaxies. Prominent representatives of such games are the legendary “Space Rangers HD: Revolution”, “X3: Albion Prelude”. In this direction, there are interesting and old strategies and new projects for the computer;
• Economic strategies on PC - in them you need to manage cities, farms, states. There are many interesting games in this category. For example, “Tropico 3”, “Hotel Tycoon”;
• Turn-based strategies on PC - appeared before the RTS (real-time) genre. In these types of games, gamers take turns taking actions, so they spend more time planning. Popular projects in this category are “Battle Worlds: Kronos”, “Might and Magic: Heroes 6. Gold Edition”;
• Military - they involve fighting between armies. The one who better prepared the troops wins. There are a variety of military strategies you can download to your computer: “Full Spectrum Warrior”, “Catan”;
• Global strategies for the computer - their key feature is the division of the gameplay into components: creating a base, conducting scientific research, construction of new connections or modernization of existing ones.

Only the best strategies

Our team has prepared popular list, and now everyone can download strategy games of all times without registration for free. We have put together a wonderful collection of entertainment for true connoisseurs of this genre. If you are looking for popular PC strategies about war, about knights or about the development of civilization, consider our best catalog of games. It has a lot of interesting things!

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

However, not everything is so pessimistic. Our rating of the best strategies will allow us to identify 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 will help.

10. Stronghold

Stronghold was released during the golden era of RTS - in 2001. At the time, most strategy games tried to emulate either C&C or Warcraft, but Stronghold had other plans. Although critics try to claim that this strategy did not bring anything significantly new to its genre, its fans will argue with this and, in my opinion, they will be right.

Stronghold had a fairly developed and extensive economic component. Although the number of available resources is not far from the standard “wood/iron/gold/stone/food”, the game has introduced such an unusual parameter as “Popularity”. It provided an influx of new residents to the city and depended on many factors: taxation, variety of available food, entertainment (taverns with ale) and other things.

To hire soldiers, it was not enough to build a barracks. It was necessary to erect buildings that produced weapons. Provide the gunsmiths with the necessary building material, wait until the limping grandfather with an imposing gait delivers a hand-planed bow to the arsenal, and only after that can you hire... as much as one archer. And so with all types of troops! It was impossible to simply set up a barracks and “click” 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 military ones.

A typical, serene morning in Stronghold Crusader

However, it was not the first part that gained particular popularity, but its sequel: Stronghold Crusaders, which was released the following year, 2002. As the name suggests, the game was dedicated to the confrontation between the Arabs and the Crusaders. Unfortunately, the castle attack/defense mode disappeared (the only thing worth paying attention to in 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 had to continue to be equipped exclusively with weapons of their own production.

The game remains popular to this day thanks to multiplayer and the release of various add-ons (for example, Crusaders Extreme in 2008). This is also facilitated by a simple but quite diverse system for constructing fortifications: Stronghold allows you to surround the castle with high battlements and tall towers, equip them with defensive weapons and archers, install additional traps or dig a ditch with water around the perimeter.

Of course, there is an equally large arsenal of siege weapons, from rams and ladders to catapults and trebuchets, which can fire at enemy fortifications not only with stones, but also... with cows. Add to this the ability to start a fire in the enemy’s city or undermine its economy with the help of hunger: the choice of combat strategy is quite extensive, as for an RTS. This variety made the game quite interesting for online play.

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

• Players could select an entire group of units and command them with just one click;
• There were neutral units, buildings and other objects on the map that could be interacted with (read “smashed into trash”);
• It was in C&C that the system of dividing units into classes, such as “rock, paper, scissors”, first appeared - the first type of unit is effective against the second, but vulnerable to the third, etc.;
• The game began to use videos and animated cutscenes, paired with a cool soundtrack, allowing players to “get into” the history of the C&C universe, and not perceive it as just another nameless chessboard to hone their tactical abilities;
• Another signature feature of Command & Conquer is the presence of only one resource, Tiberium - it is for this that all wars in the universe of this game are fought.

C&C turned out to be incredibly popular with all that it implies: many gameplay elements were spread across other games, becoming familiar elements of most strategies. In addition to the classic C&C series, which still delights its fans with new releases, two “alternative” versions of the C&C universe have appeared over time. These are Command & Conquer: Generals (2003) and the Red Allert line of games that have become very popular.

• Red Allert

The Soviets, as it were, convey ardent greetings to old man Einstein

Red Allert deserves its own article. This game has absorbed an incredible amount of madness and cranberries on the theme of the Cold War and the confrontation between NATO and the USSR. Here is a brief description of the backstory of the universe of this game: after seeing enough of the horrors of World War II, old man Einstein in 1946 decides to build a time machine and go back in time 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 its allies, still has to fight.

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

Warhammer - extensive fictional universe, on the basis of which many books, comics, films, computer and board games are based. 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 science fiction, pushing the opposition 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 there are only 2 resources: energy, for which you need to build generators, and special points that you can get by holding checkpoints under enemy pressure.

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

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

In 2009, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 2 was released, which received high ratings 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 discover that the long-awaited Dawn of War 2 began to resemble a Diablo-type RPG more than it did 5 years ago. True, this did not prevent the game from finding its fans, who claim that the multiplayer has retained all the necessary elements of an 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, it’s not Warhammer 40,000, but Warhammer Fantasy - so it will, first of all, 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 a global map of the world, in which everything happens step by step. But battles are loaded separately and rapidly develop in real time. Players will have to use the terrain wisely and Various types units, which allows you to gain an advantage even over superior enemy forces.

The first TW came out in 2000. But the series' worldwide fame was brought by its third part, Rome: Total War, which used a 3D engine. As the title suggests, the story took place during 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, but also the architecture of the cities differed. Subsequent TWs were never able to surpass the popularity of this part.

In 2013, Rome: Total War II was released - initially buggy, but later brought to mind with the help of numerous patches. Perhaps 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 had managed to create a product as successful as Warcraft, I would have rested on my laurels for 20 years, wasting all my money in some completely senseless way. But the guys from Blizzard are not like that: having received a well-deserved ovation after the release of Warcraft 2, Blizzard got to work on a space RTS. True, as a result, they still ended up with Warcraft: the beta version was mercilessly criticized and perceived as “orcs in space.” Fortunately, the developers listened to the criticism and completely redesigned the graphics engine and setting. Thus, in 1998, the legendary StarCraft was born.

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 StarCraft was born, it followed its own path of development - the universe of this game acquired its own characteristics and now has little in common with Warhammer.

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

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

The beautiful lights of Star Craft 2 lure gullible schoolchildren and cause a skeptical smile from oldfags

Such striking differences between the races gave the game a solid advantage over other RTS, earning it a reputation as a “smart” strategy, in which you not only need to “generate” as large an army as possible, but to think through your actions in advance, demonstrating strategic and tactical skills. Microcontrol also plays an important role: if the Protoss are not particularly demanding on precision control, the success of the offensive operations of other races, especially the 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 past glory and take your rightful place in eSports. Although the oldfags claim that the unique balance of the first SC has been partially lost, StarCraft 2 received high ratings from a variety of 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 splash in the gaming world, but on the whole it was received favorably, which inspired its creators to start working on the second part.

2 years later, Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings was released, which became truly legendary. It eclipsed not only the first part, but also many of the then “whales” of this genre, winning over a decent army of fans. In 2000, the add-on Age of Empires II: The Conquerors appeared, which added 5 new nations with unique units, as well as additional missions and technologies to the game. 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 started the fashion for strategies with many different civilizations.
• Opportunity for development. The second “feature”, which was implemented for the first time among strategies in AoE 2, is the transition from one historical era to another. All this was accompanied by a fairly extensive tree of technologies, for the research of which it was necessary to build various buildings and spend resources.
• Balance. Of course, the nations differed not only in color and different design of buildings. Each of them had its own bonuses and unique units. Some had an economic advantage, others had stronger cavalry, others had excellent siege weapons, others had long-range fleets, etc. All this variety was fairly balanced with no clear favorites. As a result, Age of Empires 2 attracted many fans of online battles.

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

Age of Empires III was released in 2005. She wasn't bad, but she didn't come close to the success of her predecessor. As a result, after several addons, Microsoft gave up and, to the delight of fans, returned to Age of Empires 2. In 2013, they released Age of Empires 2: HD edition, and then 2 more addons: The Forgotten (5 new nations, including the Slavs) and The African Kingdoms (4 more nations and “African” campaigns). So today, AoE 2 continues to develop 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" and switched to "Age of Empires" (which was undoubtedly inspired by Warcraft). So the guys from the Ukrainian company GSC Game World 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 domestic strategists it overshadowed "Epoch" for a long time. If you believe "Gaming Mania", then at one time "Cossacks" became the best-selling domestic game (more than 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 “Epoch” there was not a single Slavic nation, then in “Cossacks” not only Russia, but also Ukraine was available (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 acquiring units, but also on their maintenance. Without food, famine began, and mercenaries, purchased for gold, rebelled as soon as the treasury was empty. To use firearms, iron and coal were needed - without them, riflemen 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). In comparison with the “Age of Empires”, “Cossacks” seemed more dynamic, allowing you to create an incredible number of some crazy and fearless units - in network game the battles of such hordes looked epic and exciting.

• Cossacks 2

In 2005, “Cossacks 2” was released: despite the high ratings of many gaming publications, the game did not evoke the same enthusiasm as the first part. Absolutely everything in it has been redesigned: it has become more realistic and thoughtful. No “disputed” nations, raids by 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 you to take into account the terrain, reload your guns for a long time and monitor the morale of the soldiers, who could become cowardly and rush into chaos. It sounds like a good idea, but in the online game there is no trace of the former fun left.

• Cossacks 3

And on September 21, 2016, the long-awaited “Cossacks 3” was released, which no one had even dreamed of. And everything would be fine if it weren’t for the number 3 in the title - everyone was expecting a continuation of the series, but they received a remastering of the first part. The old game was transferred to a new graphics engine, the gameplay was completely taken from the original “Cossacks”. Add to this a decent number of bugs that GSC Game World actively corrected after release using various patches, and you can understand why many gamers felt deceived. Still, GSC should have announced that the game is a remastering 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 somewhere closer to 1999.

The action of all “Heroes” takes place in a certain fantasy universe. There are races, but the player is not tied to them: the hero can conquer castles of any factions and hire any available units. So the most diverse and wild brethren can gather under the same banners: 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 cell, regardless of their number. The moves are carried out in turns, while the hero looks at this action from the outside, 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 came out in 2004 and was received, 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, cause damage and be attacked like other units. Heroes could travel without troops at all: alone or in a gang of 7 characters. Having pumped up properly, a lone hero could independently take out a large army.

There was also the other side of the coin: if you managed to kill the 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, kill the leader of the army and retreat - the headless army lost the opportunity to capture mines and castles, which forced it to retreat and drag the lifeless carcass of the commander home.

All these innovations have given rise to countless opportunities for controversy and hollivars: since 6 years have passed since the release of the third part, a new generation of gamers has appeared who have never seen “Heroes” before - they liked HoMM4. But those who grew up on the previous parts experienced mixed feelings.

• Heroes of Might and Magic V

The debate 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 fans. If you close your eyes to the picture, the gameplay of “Heroes 5” was a modernized copy of the third part - obviously, the developers did not experiment in order to make money on the nostalgia of fans of the series.

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

2. Civilization

The first “Civilization” appeared in the shaggy year of 1991 and, as they say, was a digital version of the board game of the same name from the early 80s. Since in those days ordinary mortals did not have computers, few people suspected the 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 to try on the role of Stalin or Gandhi after a busy work shift? The presence of the Civilopedia, a detailed gaming encyclopedia, distinguished Civilization from other strategies of that time.

• Civilization II

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

• Civilization III

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

Therefore, the obvious and only tactic of waging war in the third Civ: creating a so-called stack - a crowd of motley units on one cell. From time to time a leader would appear who could unite 3 units under his banner. This formation was called an army and was a kind of thick unit with 20HP. With the help of the army it was possible to cut out almost anything.

City Window - the best thing in Civilization III

The signature feature of the second and third Civs was the situation in which a technologically backward unit, having more combat experience, could easily destroy some miracle weapon of the future. For example, it was normal for a spearman to tear an enemy tank to shreds with a precise blow, or for an archer to shoot down an enemy bomber with a properly drawn bow. Particularly amusing was 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 partly solved, but in the first Civs 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 the help of 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, acquired a three-dimensional image. Players who were accustomed to the third Civa were wary of the unusual graphics, which were so different from the previous part. Religion and espionage appeared in the game (the Beyond the Sword addon), and aviation actions became more realistic: planes carried out raids from the city and could not be shot down by some harsh spearman. The problem of accumulation of a large number of units on one cell was partly solved precisely by aviation or artillery: all units in the stack received damage from their attack.

Another cool innovation that appeared in the Warlords addon is vassal states. Now, instead of completely conquering negligent neighbors, it was enough to defeat the bulk of the troops and capture several key cities. After this, the enemy agreed to capitulate and became a vassal. Also, vassal status could be granted to a group of its cities on another continent or islands, turning them into a kind of autonomous republic.

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

The maintenance of certain units required the expenditure of 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 players to carefully manage resources instead of riveting in incredible quantities whatever they wanted.

Tactics for building as much as possible more cities also had its day: large empires received fines for culture and science, and the population began to show dissatisfaction. So several different tactics emerged: developing through 4-5 cities with more population, or building more settlements, but with fewer inhabitants in the cities. Victory became possible with just one city (greetings from Venice).

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

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

Civilization VI was released on October 21, 2016. Among the notable innovations: 2 technology trees, cultural and scientific, which open independently of each other. Cells around cities must be built up with special areas: scientific, cultural, military, religious, industrial, etc. It’s definitely not possible to build everything - there won’t 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 Civa due to its freshness. But the game has already received the highest ratings from various gaming publications, and reviews on Steam are, by and large, very positive. And this despite the fact that usually the first version of Civilization turns out to be somewhat 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 that is good from the very beginning.

1.Warcraft

By a large margin, Warcraft, one of the founders of the RTS genre, whose achievements became the standard for dozens and hundreds of subsequent games, climbs to the first place in the ranking of the best strategies. It should not be surprising that C&C and StarCraft could not get close to Varych: his influence on the gaming industry cannot be overestimated. Dota, World of Warcraft, board and card games, and now a full-length film - all this was born only thanks to the game from Blizzard, which was released back in 1994.

The plot of Warcraft: Orcs and Humans is tied to the confrontation between humans and orcs. As in the film, orcs fall out of a 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 - all the glory went to its sequel, Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness, which was released just a year later. But just look at the changes in the schedule that have occurred in this short period! Add interesting videos and a good plot to a pleasant picture, and that’s it - a masterpiece is ready.

As if “before” and “after” - the year was not in vain

• Warcraft III

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

• 3D engine;
• 2 races grew into 4 (night elves and undead were added);
• Quite a lot of neutral units and monsters appeared on the maps;
• Heroes were added to the game, who accumulated experience, upgraded skills and cast all sorts of things (why not RPG?);
• The videos 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 gave birth to the memorable DotA game (I’m unlikely to discover America if I remind you that DotA was created in the regular map editor of Warcraft 3 and was not considered as a full-fledged independent game).

Previous topic

We will start our top of the best in the strategy genre with the already forgotten but revolutionary game Spore. Don't be fooled by the cartoonish graphics, because the scale of the legendary Sid Meier's game is a true No Mans Sky from the world of strategy. At its core, Spore is a God simulator. In strategy, we create civilization with our own hands and bring it from an embryonic cellular state to a super-race freely roaming the vast expanses of space.

The main feature of Spore is that each stage of civilization development in the game offers unique gameplay:

• Cell. The initial stage of evolution in a game where the fittest survives. We wallow in the primordial soup and eat other cellular organisms
• Creature. Let's get out on land, create cool Frankensteins and feast on the inhabitants of the land world
• Tribe. At this stage, “The Dispute” resembles the usual construction strategies like Age of Empires: we collect resources, build armies and raid rival tribes in the game
• Civilization. As you might guess, this time the game offers gameplay in the style of Civilization strategies: we are expanding into rival powers. Both the force method and the ability to conquer cities through diplomacy are available
• Space. Let's go through the thorns to the stars. the main objective last stage strategy – reach the center of the galaxy (thousands of randomly generated star systems included)

So why does Spore, with all its scale, take last place in the top 10 best strategies? The problem is that in an attempt to provide the player with as many interesting mechanics as possible, the developers did not bring any of them to a competitive level.

9th place: Command and Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars

If you like classic strategies with construction, then you should pay attention to the Command and Conquer series, based on the mechanics of the cult strategy Dune 2. When reviewing the entire variety of projects in the series, we give preference to Command and Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars. The game skillfully sits on two chairs and for newcomers to the real-time strategy genre it will offer colorful graphics and clear gameplay. And the oldfags will be satisfied with the interesting gameplay, with an overall simplicity that gives enormous scope for tactical maneuvers, thanks to the varied equipment and soldiers.

Tiberium Wars is particularly rewarding with its story and Hollywood polish oozing from every crevice of the game. The strategy comes from those bearded times when the RTS genre was at the forefront of the mainstream. Therefore, Electronic Arts was not afraid to pour colossal resources into the game and shoot long cinematic videos with the involvement of Hollywood stars. Thus, playing Tiberium Wars is the best choice for fans of single-player projects who, in fact, do not particularly like to build a base and understand other intricacies of strategies.

8th place: Supreme Commander

Against the backdrop of the expensive and spectacular “Tiberium Wars” in 2007, Supreme Commander was completely undeservedly lost, which at first glance aroused skepticism due to:

• Mediocre graphics
• Cumbersome and inconvenient interface
• Slow gameplay

But even with all the complaints, Supreme Commander often finds itself in the top 100 strategies. The reason lies in the same scale that attracts attention in single-player strategies. Forget about skirmishes with tiny squads, in Supreme Commander you have to play with hundreds of fighters and the enemy in the game is always ready to send a new army of soldiers, which turns the strategy into a dynamic massacre on a planetary scale.

No one forgot about tactics either, and most often the field of action has to be reviewed from a bird’s eye view, which is why the gameplay resembles a strategic version of chess. Don't forget about the opportunity to play online.

7th place: Stronghold

Our top of the best strategies on PC continues with the cult Stronghold. The game was released almost 20 years ago and is still not losing popularity, forcing gamers to flood search engines with queries like “Recommend a game like Stronghold.” Another thing is that it is quite difficult to find a similar game, since Stronghold on PC is in many ways a unique genre vinaigrette among strategies, which combines both single large-scale wars with base construction and city ​​building simulator with state management. Moreover, all aspects of the game organically complement each other.

Taking the scepter of a monarch in your hands and ruling a small town in the Middle Ages, you can achieve total domination by both dictatorial and peaceful means. Workers and military personnel alike demand both healthy food and a gentrified city where there are always cool options for leisure. What to do if resources are minimal and the smell is preparing a new rebellion against the king? Take charge of the torture chambers and suppress the uprising. Only you can decide what kind of person you will go down in the history of the game.

6th place: Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War

The developers at Relic have a reputation as masters, each project making a huge contribution to the development of modern strategy games. Among the rich portfolio of developers, we especially note Dawn of War, created based on a universe that skillfully combined the future and fantasy. It is thanks to the skillfully chosen universe that the Dawn of War strategy allows you to create brutal battles where each fighter can show his strength in both long-range and melee combat.

Main features of Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War:

• Shifting the emphasis from base building to tactical battles
• Each unit has a morale scale, which requires careful attention to military battles
• A list of 9 unique races (including the Soulstorm expansion) with transport and attack units that require different tactical approaches from the player
• Realistic animation and selection of juicy finishing moves
• An epic universe and a cool opportunity to crush a heretic with the steel fist of a dreadnought. For what? For the glory of the Emperor!

Even taking into account that the Warhammer 40,000 series of games already includes 3 projects, each of which offers interesting and unique approaches to gameplay, it was the original Dawn of War that became a kind of “GOST” in and deservedly falls into the best PC games among strategy games.

5th place: Total War Shogun 2

Our gaming strategy rating would be completely inappropriate if we did not mention the great (no, seriously, just look at how large-scale the battles are here) and popular games from the Total War series. All releases of the series combine several important features: colossal battles involving several thousand fighters, realistic and faithfully recreated historical eras, cool graphics and the division of the game into a strategic (with the seizure of territories, diplomacy and other moments familiar to Civilization) and a tactical part in real time.

Total War is still the most alive, but the series showed itself best in Shogun 2, which touches on the stage feudal wars in Japan. The game is as welcoming as possible to beginners, but for those who like to play thoughtfully, Shogun 2 offers the most sophisticated strategic part. A separate pillar is the mechanics of generals, who can unite in dynastic alliances in strategies, occupy administrative positions and generally pretend that they are controlled not by a computer, but by a real player.

4th place: StarCraft 2

Approaching the top of the rankings, it's time to remind you of the existence of Blizzard, which creates the most popular strategies in the world. But this is the case when popularity does not harm the quality and depth of games at all. The original Starcraft was able to build and refine the gameplay foundation for the entire strategy genre, offering several unique races and units, each with both weaknesses and strengths.

The strategy sequel, Starcraft 2, announced 9 years later, did not bring significant innovation and was released over three separate games:

• Wings of Liberty
• Heart of the Swarm
• Legacy of the Void

Starcraft 2's place in the top strategy games is due to its consistent quality among modern Blizzard creations and its status as a “game for everyone.” The strategy is recommended to be played both by gamers who prefer single-player battles with cool graphics and an impressive plot, and by real online maniacs who play online, are able to make a hundred clicks per second on the computer mouse and know simple ways, how to destroy an enemy base in five minutes with five builders.

Important note: since 2017, the games of the Starcraft 2 trilogy have become completely free and this is the best gift for everyone who loves computer strategies.

3rd place Sid Meier's Civilization VI

Over its almost 30-year history, the Civilization series has gained a reputation as a true forge, tirelessly producing the best turn-based strategies on PC. The gameplay core for all strategies is the same: we take on the role of God, who is building a civilization from its very foundations to the creation of a superpower. Don't confuse Spore, where all game elements are rudimentary. Civilization focuses solely on the human species and offers such rich and complex gameplay that strategy newcomers can easily become dizzy with the abundance of possibilities.

So why did we include Civilization VI in the top ten? best games of all time on PC in the strategy genre? It's simple: the game not only acquired new graphics and retained the concept, where we are engaged in capturing territories, developing transport infrastructure and leading historical powers through a dark stone Age and the Middle Ages into the happy (or not so happy) future of the 22nd century, but also methodically developed all the elements of the strategy.

Old fans of Civilization VI will be pleased with:

• Advanced AI computer opponents who now act according to their historical prototypes
• Branched tree of technologies
• The ability to win with one religion
• Updated system of generals and great men

But for newcomers to the series there is only sad news: the game has become even more complex, confusing and clearly not designed for gamers who love easy construction strategies to kill a minute or two of time.

2nd place Heroes of Might and Magic 3

We can perfectly imagine how you might already be tired of the old and hackneyed cliché like “timeless classics.” But what can you do if these are the words that are best suited to describe the third part of the great “Heroes”. The popular fantasy game will soon celebrate its second decade since its release, but still remains the standard entertainment for fans of turn-based strategies.

The formula for success is, as always, simple and ingenious:

• 8 unique races
• Excellent balance
• Easy and uncluttered gameplay
• And a colossal scope for tactics due to numerous, seemingly insignificant nuances

An important difference from previous parts: the abundance of role-playing elements. The hero is no longer just an extra. As befits any commander, he takes an active part in the battle thanks to the ability to use magic and try on unique items that allow him to strengthen the army. And add to this the need to build your own state, look for valuable resources and travel through the game world full of dangers and you will get a legal and cool drug.

In addition, to play with friends there is no need to go online - just one computer and a company of friends who know a lot about computer strategies are enough.

1st place: Warcraft III

Admit it, you’re probably not at all surprised by the leader of our top best strategies? To confirm the cult status of Warcraft 3, it is enough just the fact that 16 years later, strategy is still one of the world's main cyber disciplines and gives gamers hundreds of thousands of dollars for prizes. But standard gameplay elevated to the absolute level with the construction of bases, unique races and units working using the “rock-paper-scissors” technique is only half the success of the third “Warcraft”.

Another point is the epic storyline with one of the best plots in the history of strategy, presented using the usual spectacular videos for Blizzard. The story of Artes’ desertion is truly interesting to follow, and the overall plot with a dozen colorful characters twists so quickly that after completing the strategy you just want to give the highest rating and throw money at the monitor just to see the continuation of the intriguing story. But Bllizard remains deathly silent. However, the king of strategies, Warcraft 3, is still before us and nothing will stop us from spending another dozen happy hours in Lordaeron.

See even more high-quality computer games in the selection and in.