Best RTS Games
Command, conquer, and build. From open-source thousand-unit slugfests to the original StarCraft, the strongest real-time strategy games in the PlayBound catalog.
14 games · every one clears the PlayBound Bar
1
OpenRA
Classic RTS campaigns, rebuilt around modern multiplayer.
350 MBFREERTS · Strategy
GenreRTSStrategy
FeaturesControllerOnline MultiplayerMods
2
Beyond All Reason
Thousand-unit RTS battles that melt GPUs and minds.
2.2 GBFREERTS · Strategy
GenreRTSStrategy
FeaturesOnline Multiplayer
3
0 A.D.
Ancient warfare, stunningly rendered, forever free.
3.0 GBFREERTS · Strategy
GenreRTSStrategy
FeaturesControllerOnline MultiplayerMods
4
Zero-K
Physics-driven RTS where terrain is a weapon.
1.3 GBFREERTS · Strategy
GenreRTSStrategy
FeaturesOnline MultiplayerCo-Op
5
Warzone 2100
Design your own tanks. Then design better ones.
550 MBFREERTS · Strategy
GenreRTSStrategy
FeaturesControllerOnline Multiplayer
6
OpenHV
Pixel-art science-fiction RTS where miners reshape the economy and every battlefield demands another rematch.
650 MBFREEStrategy · RTS
GenreStrategyRTS
FeaturesOnline MultiplayerMods
7
StarCraft
Get It FreeThree perfect factions. One timeless test of nerve and speed.
8.0 GBFREEStrategy · RTS
GenreStrategyRTS
FeaturesOnline MultiplayerMods
8
OpenTS
Open-source reconstruction of Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun.
1.7 GBFREERTS · Strategy
GenreRTSStrategy
FeaturesOnline MultiplayerMods
9
Dune Legacy
Arrakis without the archaeology: classic Dune II campaigns, modern RTS controls, skirmishes, maps, and multiplayer in one compact standalone install.
50 MBFREEStrategy · RTS
GenreStrategyRTS
FeaturesControllerOnline MultiplayerMods
10
Ground Control Anthology
Pure battlefield tactics, with the expansion and no base-building tax.
4.0 GB$5.99Strategy · RTS
GenreStrategyRTS
FeaturesOnline MultiplayerCo-Op
11
Ground Control 2: Operation Exodus
Fast, drop-in real-time tactics with the community network restored.
4.0 GB$5.99Strategy · RTS
GenreStrategyRTS
FeaturesOnline MultiplayerModsCo-Op
12
Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds Saga
Ensemble's Age of Empires II engine retooled with blasters, shields, and the full weight of Star Wars lore.
1.2 GB$2.99RTS · Strategy
GenreRTSStrategy
FeaturesOnline MultiplayerModsCo-Op
13
Stronghold Crusader HD
Build the castle, feed the people, then discover your friend brought horse archers.
850 MB$1.99Strategy · RTS · Simulation
GenreStrategyRTSSimulation
FeaturesControllerOnline MultiplayerMods
14
Seven Kingdoms: Ancient Adversaries
A classic RTS where armies, markets, spies, and grudges all share the same map.
80 MBFREEStrategy · RTS
GenreStrategyRTS
FeaturesOnline Multiplayer
Questions
What is the best rts games?
PlayBound's top pick is OpenRA — Classic RTS campaigns, rebuilt around modern multiplayer. It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux.
Do these games clear the PlayBound Bar?
Yes. Every game in this collection has been tested, played, and assessed against PlayBound's published criteria — worth playing, worth what it costs, and respectful of the player's time.