We all love and know about FPS games, have tournaments worldwide, and most famous Twitch streamers are originally known for playing FPS games and deleting players off the server, but that all was soon disrupted by a franchise that created an entire genre that people worldwide grew to enjoy and love today.
Welcome Age Of Empires, developed by the famous Ensemble Studios and Relic Entertainment in 1997 as the first installment of a franchise consisting of 9 mind-blowing sequels since its initial release.
Age Of Empires brought in a genre that was also new to people, the “Real-time Strategy” genre, which enables you to make strategies using the functions and tools you have been given and conquer other nations or leaders while simultaneously building your country and growing your civilization with the mechanics of the game.
Microsoft is the studio that was heavily invested in this game and took charge of its publication and production from time to time; puzzle and strategy are the two genre of games that most people love to play as it caters to the human mentality of being curious and feeling good when solving a problem given at hand.
Microsoft understood this, and with their marketing, Age Of Empires managed to sell 25 million copies worldwide. Even after more than 2 decades, the franchise is still growing and making money without fail, and this goes to show how impactful the Age Of Empires is.
Age Of Empires II (The Age Of Kings) and & AOE III (Definitive Edition) came out soon after the parent game and were hugely successful. So much so that each of these two games had many DLCs and expansions coming out to give players new content and keep them invested in their game as people were crunching hours on AOE.
Most AOE legacy games scored an impressive 80% or more on the rankings by Metacritic and GameRankings, and several big companies like IGN praised them on multiple occasions and inspired a huge bunch of spin-offs and RTS games that took the market by storm as well. So in this article, we take a look at 37 Games Like Age Of Empires .
Games Like Age Of Empires
Being one of the best-selling strategy games is not easy, and despite having the best AI enemies you can play against in a strategy game AOE has seen many disappointments in terms of upgrading content, and many new-age fans switched from AOE to other games like it who have a different play style, UI, mechanics or even different storyline. So let’s dive into this list and see games that you can switch to if you are tired of playing AOE.
Also Read: 42 Games like Dwarf Fortress That You Will Love To Play
1. Age Of Mythology
This game is not very different from AOE as it is perfect to start off the list, as the same studios developed this spin-off of the original game on Greek Mythology and not actual history.
The story of this game is focused on Greek gods, and you can actually have fun with this one if you are a fan of AOE. For $30, you can play multiple civilizations like Norse, Egyptian and Greek and take your people to war! The best platform to play this one will be on PC.
2. Sid Meier’s: Civilization VI
If you love a challenge and complicated strategy and moves excite you, this game is for you. Civilization six is a strategy game where you have to survive every round with almost 1000+ moves and abilities that you can go through to build a strong and lasting city that can survive the test of time.
The game has a variety of customization properties that can enable the players to reflect the type of civilization they can build on the screen, and the immersive gameplay will never bore you even after playing for hours. The game is available for $35 on the Amazon store and also on Steam.
3. 0 A.D.
Compared to the other games on the list, this one is more time-consuming and competitive. The game begins around 500 BC or 1AD, depending on your choice, and you can farm, research, and develop your army, discover technology, and grow the civilization to compete against other players or the computer.
This game has a good feel to it, and the gameplay is highly addicting. Because the game is open-sourced, it is free to play, and you can build mods if you like.
4. Rise Of Nations
Rise of Nations is a single-player and multiplayer real-time strategy game with historical and fantasy elements. The game lets you be a part of a massively planned and wonderfully made game world with different nations or leaders that you can play as. It is one of my favorite games that I played growing up, and even if you are not a fan of this genre, this is a terrific one to start with.
5. Starcraft 2
Starcraft is a game by Blizzard Entertainment that is inspired by sci-fi pop culture movies like Star Wars and Star Trek, which is focused on intergalactic warfare in an RTS format. The main story of the game is focused on Galactic Warfare between Protoss, Terran, and Zerg, which are the kingdoms you can play in the game. You won’t get bored until you finish the campaign mode, and it’s available on Battle.net for $40.
Also Read: 32 Games Like World Of Warcraft That Will Get You Hooked
6. Empires Earth
Empires Earth provides 500,000 years of mankind that you can play through in fourteen subplots. The game allows players to progress through the centuries of civilization, from spears to the most powerful weaponry known to mankind.
Players must acquire resources to develop structures, expand their populations, and engage in wars to take other countries/kingdoms. The game’s visuals are “OK,” and the mechanics are simple enough for you to learn quickly. The game is available for $6 on GOG.
7. Warcraft III – Reforged
Warcraft is a game series that is regarded as one of the RTS genre’s classics. Blizzard Entertainment, one of the world’s largest gaming firms, created the game. Warcraft, which was released in 1994, was a Record Sale blockbuster video game that won three awards.
You can fight with other people and capture other regions in anxiety-inducing fights. Warcraft III – Reforged, the most recent game in the series, is also playable and can be purchased for $30 on Battle.net.
8. Anno 2055
Anno 2055 provides stunning Real-time Strategic, Building, and Management aesthetics just to delight you; thus, as an alternative to Anno 2070, you should play this game and enjoy an aesthetically comparable yet distinct gaming experience.
Anno 2055 takes you not just on Earth but also into space to help you expand your society. Build items and gather armies to conquer locations and lead your people ahead while keeping them alive. The game has a number of sequels that are very excellent RTS games and are available on Steam.
9. Banished
Banished is a great installment by Shining Rock Software, released in 2014 for windows. This is a unique installment in this list and is very fun to play for a person new to this genre.
This is an RTS game where you, as a player, are banished and have to build your own house and environment and live by yourself in the medieval era where you can start your business and gather resources and prosper to play the game. The game has good sound and graphics that are soothing to the eye and will keep you hooked.
10. Command and Conquer
This is an MMO RTS game by EA that came out in 1995 and is free-to-play and fantasy based, where you have survived by gathering resources and building warfare machines to take possession of Tiberium, an element that dictates the warfare in the game.
The game has a futuristic environment and storyline and immerses you in an intriguing RTS experience. This game has a series of sequels that have done well in recent years, and you should definitely give it a shot.
11. Stronghold Kingdoms
Stronghold Kingdoms’ online mode of MMO RTS system allows you to advance your civilization while honing your military and economic abilities, where you also get to construct your own castle; the game is a great installment by Firefly Studios.
For $20, the game is available on many platforms, including Windows, macOS, and smartphones. The game is unusual in terms of action and music, but it might be a little underwhelming graphically, which never overwhelms you as a player.
12. The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle Earth 2
You can build your base by creating various facilities such as defense, barracks, refineries, farms, and so on, as well as acquire resources. You could enjoy the game in various ways by selecting one of the six available sides.
This is very fun for the fans of The Lord of the Rings; this game will definitely hook you in and take you through the world of LOTR in a stunning manner. This RTS game is available on Windows and Xbox for you to try and fight alongside your favorite LOTR characters.
Also Read: Why Did Frodo Leave Middle Earth in Lord of The Rings?
13. Company of Heroes
Company of Heroes trades a large range of material for a very realistic look at WWII-era ground warfare, and its action is so fast-paced that it’s best suited to an experienced RTS player’s reflexes. The gameplay focuses on frontline warfare and requires you to swiftly traverse the area.
This game is one of the greatest made by Relic Entertainment and performed exceptionally well in audience ratings globally. It is available on numerous gaming platforms for you to play with your friends.
14. Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne
In 2003, Blizzard Entertainment released a fantastic game called “Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne“. It features a combination of real-time strategy and action. This game adds new maps, enhanced gameplay mechanics, and longer campaigns.
It also has two new advanced races and several new auxiliary units. These new races will add to the game’s already great features, such as the Naga race, which will appear in all four main campaigns and has its own weapons, enemies, and allies.
15. American Conquest
GSC Game World has created an enormous real-time strategy game with historical background scoring. The game starts in 1492, when Columbus lands in the Caribbean, kicking off three centuries of conflict between 12 diverse tribes and countries fighting for survival and conquest.
A well-thought-out Diplomacy mechanism lets players form alliances with neutral tribes and trade for products and warriors in order to grow their kingdom and battle with other tribes. You can play it on Windows only, and it’s available on Steam.
16. Pharaoh
This one is another classic strategy game by Sierra Studios that was inspired by the age of Empires and got released in October 1999 for Windows. It was designed and published by Impressions Games.
The game mainly focuses on city-building and growing your kingdom, and the game is focused on the Egyptian civilization, so there is a certain limitation on what you can do.
If you are interested in Nintendo-style graphics and simple mechanics, then this game is for you to try. Sierra Studios is also coming out with its sequel to this game in February 2023.
17. The Settlers
The Settlers is a classic building-focused strategy game that requires you to mainly build roads and find ways to gather resources and grow your kingdom in the best way possible.
This is the first installment in a series of games that first came out in 1993 and managed to remain popular among its community, and they are releasing a new sequel in 2023 that will totally reboot and remake the original game from scratch. The game is available on windows, and you can download it from Steam.
18. Total War: Shogun 2
Shogun: Total War’s debut in 1999 was a revelation for PC players. Creative Assembly created one of the first games that successfully combined
the depth of classic turn-based games with the speed and intensity of real-time fighting.
Shogun 2 is a stunningly beautiful game with solid gameplay and enough visual appeal to keep players engaged. The game also has multiplayer features, and the studio Creative Assembly did a great job of keeping the game smooth and bug-free for players to fight it out online.
19. Supreme Commander 2
This is a multiplayer RTS turn-based game that lets you build many things for your kingdom and fight it out with other players. The game is made by Gas Powered Games and distributed by Square Enix, which is famously known for many award-winning fan favorites under their name, like the Just Cause series. Rest assured, and this one won’t let you down.
The game has a learning curve, but not once will you feel bored or would want to stop playing as the visuals and the design is enough to keep you in the game.
20. Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds
This game is basically a replication of Age of Empires s that was dipped into the Star Wars franchise by Ensemble Studios in the best way possible.
The economic and combat principles are similar to AOE, but this game contains a lot more troops and unit kinds (air combat, for example), and the multiplayer balance complexity grows rapidly as additional units, and combat levels are added. This is a multi-player too, and can be played on Windows, Linux, or MacOS, and this one is addictive, especially for Star Wars fans.
Also read: 10 Best Games In Star Wars Franchise That You Should Try
21. Bad North
This is a Real-time Strategy game that is very different from others on this list. To start it all, Bad North has a vectorized graphics style and looks and feels calm and easy to play, but it’s not! The entire game is based on army building and fighting to stay alive and conquer lands which are very basic mechanics but can be really difficult with increasing enemy difficulty.
Overall the game is very far away from the AOE or RTS in general, but if you are looking for something to try on your PC that is refreshing, this game is for you.
22. Northgard
This one is made by Shiro Games on Norse mythology and is a turn-based RTS game like Bad North in its core element. You will be the Vikings in this game, and as a player, you have to build your kingdom and army to fight against enemies.
This is not multiplayer but can be played on PC, Nintendo Switch, and Android with consistent smoothness and lag-free gameplay. Shiro Games is known for this style of games, and take my word they don’t disappoint.
23. Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3
An award-winning title by EA Los Angeles, Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 is a prime multiplayer RTS game with a good storyline like Rise Of Nations, which is based on a fictional history and is one of the top entries on this list.
The game was released back in 2008 for PC and Xbox and gained huge popularity in months, but sadly if you want to try it now, you will only be able to play the offline modes as EA has closed its online services in 2022 but kept the game available on their store and Steam. If you like history and want a classic RTS experience, this one is for you.
24. Dawn of Man
Dawn of Man is a massive single-player city-building indie game by Madruga Works, which was released in 2019 on PC and Consoles.
This is not your build-and-fight type game but rather a build-and-progress type; what I mean by that is you can build cities and towns and progress civilization since the invention of fire by humankind with a butt-load of game tools and items and a very user-friendly UI which gives complete freedom over your kingdom.
The has stunning graphics and good scoring, with an online rating to back it up. So if you are into simulations and want to build something that is yours, definitely try this one.
25. Tooth and Tail
Don’t fall for the name; as cute as it sounds, Tooth and Tail is exactly the opposite of what you might imagine at first after reading the name. The game is an RTS multiplayer indie game by a relatively small company Pocketwatch Games, and might be the most hardcore nostalgic-looking game on this list.
You basically command an army of animals that are twisted in the head and are into warfare with blood lust while simultaneously progressing your own kingdom and making it stronger. Play this only if you have played RTS games before, or this one will frustrate you with its steep learning curve and complex mechanics.
26. Frostpunk
This one is a personal favorite of mine because of two big reasons, and one is that this game is set in a post-apocalyptic world with a setting straight out of the movie Day After Tomorrow, where everything is frozen, and humanity has found a way to generate heat on its own.
Number two is the stunning graphics and sound of the game, which will immerse you in it as long as you play it. The game has a unique losing condition which I won’t spoil as 11 Bit Studios really impressed many fans of this genre by just the mechanics alone. This game is not easy to play and never frustrating enough to leave or get bored.
27. Surviving the Aftermath
A unique installation by Iceflake Studios; if State of Decay was an RTS management game, this would be it. The setting of the game starts from a Post-apocalyptic world where humanity is in ruins with a handful of survivors who care to take it forward and start anew, you are the leader of this group, and you have to build, provide food, and shelter and manage your small community and help it grow while fighting off evil around you.
If you love this setting, then you should try this one as soon as you can, the gameplay is very enjoyable and easy to learn, and the graphics are pleasant to look at and work with.
28. Cities: Skylines
This is a city-building single-player game by Colossal Order which was released in 2015 and still holds popularity among the community. You basically get to build your modern-day city from scratch, including health care facilities, drainage, offices, roads, etc., in a manner where people are happy and economically functioning.
If you are those building addicts who spend a lot of time in Minecraft, this one is 100% for you to try. The game is not multiplayer and available on Steam, console, and Nintendo Switch. The graphics are stunning, and the UI is very new player friendly, so you don’t require any prior knowledge of this type of game to play this.
29. Tropico 6
Winning the best Sim/Strategy gaming award, Tropico 6 is the 6th installment in the Tropico series by Limbic Entertainment, which was released in 2019.
The game is not your typical building simulator as there is a multiplayer feature along with politics and economics, which spices things up and makes the game very interesting and complex for hardcore gamers. It is available on consoles and Nintendo Switch and can be enjoyed by friends too.
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30. Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak
Developed by Blackbird Interactive, this is a real-time strategy game that has a generic build to it compared to other RTS games like AOE. The game begins in the deserts of Kharak (a fictitious location), where you build your army and set out to conquer new lands and kingdoms.
The game is multiplayer and looks stunning because the Unity engine and the Blackbird Interactive studios made it every bit fun and addictive for players of all ages.
31. Legends of Honor
Legends of Honor, developed by Good Game Studios, begins with a full tutorial that encourages you to learn how to gather resources, build structures while forming a good defense of your city, and prepare for an invasion.
This game is your typical MMO RTS, but you can only play in your browser, thus limiting the game on various aspects such as complexity, graphics, databases, and scoring. So if you want to casually play an RTS game without going through the hassle of purchasing, downloading, etc., this game is for you.
32. Illyriad
Illyriad, developed and published by Illyriad Games, LTD, has no specified goals and allows players to enjoy completely limitless gaming. The game transports the players to a fantasy-based setting and challenges them to create a community from the ground up.
The main attraction for me is the game’s competitive choices, where you build your kingdom just to show off to other players, or you can directly go against them in tournaments which is a nice addition to this genre in general.
33. From Dust
From Dust is a game that is as interesting to watch as it is to play; it’s a fantastic spoof of the traditional niche genre of God games, and you won’t be disappointed once you start playing it.
The game is designed by Ubisoft and is available on multiple platforms as well as the chrome browser, but it never compromises on quality and gameplay. You will definitely enjoy this one for a long time as it is addictive and rewarding for players if you put in the work.
34. Grand Ages: Medieval
In Grand Ages: Medieval, designating assets and building enterprises could be an engaging gameplay mechanic. It is your responsibility as the leader of a modest settlement to lead your people from a small civilization to a magnificent Empires .
35. Terra Militaris
Snail Games’ Terra Militaris is a free-to-play browser-based historical MMORTS to give you the chills. The game is a free Real Time Strategy game that can be accessed via any PC or Mac browser, and it has been distributed to over 20 nations globally.
36. Praetorians
The game is set in the ancient Rome Empires , and you can enter the game world by choosing your side. Create your army, train them with standard weapons, and go to war. This is one of Kalypso Media’s greatest efforts, and as an Indie game, it outperforms several high-budget entrants.
37. Goblin Legion HD
This is for dedicated mobile players who want to enjoy MMORTS and play with friends. Goblin Legion HD has many legions, races, and weapons to play with, and you can build your army to go against your friends or online against other players.
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