Most Beginner-Friendly RTS Games

The launch of RTS giants like Age of Empires 4 brought a wave of excitement for fans of the genre. And the best games to get the first Real-time Strategy experience are numerous. RTS games (or real-time strategy Games) are a very fast-paced version of their progenitors, strategy games. RTS games force the players to adjust and respond in a real-time scenario, unlike normal strategy games. This makes each game very fast-paced and dynamic.

Related

20 Turn-Based Tactics Games That Are Perfect For Newcomers To The Genre

Turn-based strategy games are amazing but they can be intimidating to new players. Here are some titles that are perfect for beginners to the genre.

Posts

With the genre producing a few mainstream releases, newcomers might be interested in taking the plunge, but the difficulty of learning in a competitive culture can deter many. Thankfully, there are plenty of RTS games for beginners to jump into.

Updated on October 1, 2024, by Mehrdad Khayyat: The ability to lead a group of soldiers or people toward victory gives anyone a joyful sense of power, and Real-Time Strategy games are pretty good at implying that feeling to their players. Making the right decision at critical moments when the player doesn't have much time to think is one of the major challenges in any RTS game.

Based on the complexity of the game, there are multiple factors to consider when playing an RTS game, which could be quite overwhelming, especially for newcomers to the genre. However, there are indeed some classic RTS experiences where the developers keep mechanics simple and let the players enjoy the flow without putting a lot of pressure on them.

18 Rise Of Nations

Feel The Sense Of Progression Through Ages

Rise of Nations is one of the greatest RTS games that unfortunately never received a sequel or a remake. The game allows players to choose from a span of 18 nations at the beginning of the game, then start progressing from the ancient ages to the modern times.

Players start an empire barebones with all the ancient tools, but as time passes, they expand their knowledge and invest in science, allowing them to enter new ages and feel the true sense of progression. From the Ancient Age to the Copper Age, and from the Copper Age to the Internet Age, players start to build an army with blades and swords, but in the end, they unlock missiles and ships when enough time has passed.

While progressing through the ages might seem a bit complicated, the gameplay mechanics in Rise of Nations are quite simple, which makes it a fascinating game for RTS rookies.

17 Wargame Series

A Great Starting Point For Combat-Focused RTS

For those who value combat in RTS games more than anything else, Wargame titles could bring a lot of joy. While the Total War series nails it in simulating gigantic wars with old weaponry like swords and arrows, Wargame almost does the same with modern wars where tanks, missiles, and long-range guns dictate the fate of the battles.

While Wargame might seem a little bit complicated in the beginning, it is a good starting point for players who want an all-out warfare simulation without the need to care about people's happiness or any similar side factors. The depth of combat in Wargame titles is magnificent and it will reward players who pay attention to the details.

16 Age Of Empires Series

A Legendary RTS Series That's Always Been Beginner-Friendly

Age of Empires is a classic franchise in the RTS genre and fans of the series were elated to hear news of a fourth entry. Some people feel like it emulates Age of Empires 2 a bit too much for their liking, but this was a small gripe for what was otherwise a brilliant title in every way.

Age of Empires is one of the rare franchises in gaming that delivers top-notch experiences with every single iteration. The game always depicts medieval-era battles with quire simplistic mechanics and controls that feels easy to learn for every newcomer, as there are not too many factors to deal with.

15 Empire Earth

Familiar Age Of Empires Gameplay On Steroids

The gameplay loop of Age of Empires is pretty by-the-numbers and easy to understand. Empire Earth emulates this for the most part, making it easy to see why beginners will find it quite easy to jump into this legendary RTS.

What helps this title stand out is the sheer number of ages players can progress through in the game. People start in the prehistoric age before moving on to medieval times, but that's not it. Players can progress to modern times before progressing to the future too.

14 The Pikmin Series

A Cozy Strategy Game That's Designed To Be Approachable

Despite labeling itself as an RTS, Pikmin doesn't feature a gameplay loop that most people would expect from this genre. Still, despite its unique presentation, it's one of the easier strategy games to get into.

The release of Pikmin 4 was a source of great celebration for fans of the series. The combination of platforming, puzzle-solving, and strategy makes for a great time as players gather more of these adorable critters to do their bidding across a series of levels.

13 The Lord Of The Rings: The Battle For Middle-earth 2

The Combination Of A Popular IP And Simple Yet Engaging Gameplay Makes This An Easy Recommendation

The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth 2 is a particularly great choice for RTS newcomers if they're already fans of the Lord of the Rings franchise, as the familiarity that they'll have with units, maps, and movesets will come in handy.

Related

The Best Lord of the Rings Video Games, Ranked

These titles based on The Lord of the Rings immerse players in the most famous Middle-earth adventure.

Posts

However, Battle for Middle-Earth is also a good pick for those not previously interested in Tolkien's universe, as the game is accommodating to beginners with tutorials that impressively manage to be detailed without being overwhelming for those who have never even tried a real-time strategy game before.

12 Sins Of A Solar Empire

A Few Playthroughs Are All It Takes To Understand How To Rule The Galaxy

Sins of a Solar Empire is one of the best-named sci-fi games of the last decade, and despite its hard-sounding title, it's actually one of the best RTS for beginners. Its gameplay is straightforward and reminiscent of Civilization. It's well-balanced and built with easy-to-grasp progression systems, though it might take some getting used to all the technobabble.

It's an older game, too, having been released nearly a decade and a half ago in 2008, and it is likely to run perfectly on just about any modern system.

11 Northgard

A Viking-Focused RTS That's Easy To Learn But Hard To Master

Northgard is a beginner-friendly but hard-to-master recent entry in the RTS genre. It puts the player in control of a clan of Vikings looking to secure their dominance in a newfound world. The colorful (and almost cartoony) graphics make it stand out amongst similar fantasy strategy games.

Most RTS games have a basic campaign mode, like in Starcraft 2 and Halo Wars, and Northgard is no exception. However, there's a lot more to the game than the narrative, and it's as replayable as it is a feast for the eyes.

10 Stellaris

An Excellent Grand Strategy Game Set In Space That's Not That Hard To Get Into

Stellaris is an incredibly deep sci-fi RTS that centers around building a galactic empire from the very beginning. Like many RTS games, Stellaris features a progression system that changes over time, offering players new technologies, powers, and attributes as they continue to expand.

Related

Stellaris Review

Stellaris combines watertight strategic gameplay with a wonderful sense of exploration to create a thrilling and engrossing spacefaring grand strategy title.

Posts

As complex as the game is, it features great tutorials and a variety of difficulties to get to know how the mechanics of Stellaris work. It's by no means a difficult game to grasp, but there are a lot of things going on that can take a little while to properly learn.

9 Total War: Warhammer Series

The Combination Of Total War's Gameplay Loop With The Warhammer Franchise Makes For A Delectable Combination

Total War: Warhammer 3

Display card tags widget

Strategy

Tactical

Display card system widget

Display card community and brand rating widget Display card open critics widget Display card main info widget Display card main info widget end Display card media widget start Display card media widget end

Checkbox: control the expandable behavior of the extra info

Display card community and brand rating widget

Released

February 17, 2022

Developer(s)

Creative Assembly

Franchise

Total War

Platform(s)

PC

Genre(s)

Strategy, Tactical

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

5 Images

Close

Powered by

Expand Collapse

The Warhammer franchise is one of the biggest expanded game verses that spans many genres and forms of media. Thus, it is only fair for newer players to be wary of this title. But players can rest assured that Creative Assembly and Sega's brainchild, Total War: Warhammer 2, is one of the easiest titles for the first RTS experience.

Not to forget the easy entry it gives players into the extensive Warhammer fandom. This series is perfect for all RTS beginners, especially Warhammer fans. The third installment, however, adds a bit more complexity to the gameplay by introducing hero-style leaders that can be upgraded throughout the campaign. So, it might be best to begin with the first iteration.