10 best PC strategies

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Turn-based and real-time, new and classic, realistic and fantastic strategy games for fans of the genre.

1. Warcraft III

A true classic - Blizzard's first 3D game and one of the best strategy games ever.

When it was released in 2002, Warcraft III had it all. Wonderful graphics that, thanks to a unique style, look good even now, addictive RPG gameplay that influenced the entire RTS genre, a chic storyline in a thoughtful universe, and support for mods.

If it weren't for Warcraft III, there would be no DotA or the MOBA genre as such.

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2. XCOM: Enemy Unknown

A tactical PC strategy in which you need to defend the Earth from aliens.

The key to XCOM is the constant need to make tough decisions. Who should you send on a difficult mission: a veteran who will have a better chance of winning, or a newcomer who is not so sorry to lose? Which one should be given more powerful armor or a cannon? Order the fighters to attack the strongest alien or deal with small enemies first?

Every aspect of the game - managing the base, changing the outfit of the characters and the battles themselves - is incredibly addicting.

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3. Company of Heroes

It looks like the most ordinary strategy about the Second World War, but in fact Company of Heroes is one of the most humane war games. This is because a player rarely has more than a few units under his command (unlike a few dozen units in traditional RTS). You worry about the fighters as for yourself and build your tactics in such a way as to ensure their survival.

Thanks to the advanced graphics engine for its time and thoughtful missions, Company of Heroes shows the brutality of the war. No matter how hard you try, people still die - this is the price of victory.

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4. StarCraft II

StarCraft II is the world's premier esports strategy game. Every millimeter of the map, every special ability of the character, every building available for construction - everything is mathematically verified to generate the most exciting matches. It is not without reason that tournaments in the game are held almost every couple of weeks, and the prize funds in them reach $ 700,000.

If microcontrol and multitasking aren't your thing, StarCraft II also has a great single player campaign. It has an excellent storyline about the confrontation of three races and various types of missions. Plus, you don't have to click so much to complete it.

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5. Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak

A prequel to the famous space strategy game Homeworld, set on the sandy planet of Karak.

Despite changing the setting and moving from 3D to 2D battlefields, Deserts of Kharak has managed to keep the spirit of the original. Here, too, there is no base as such, but there is a carrier ship - the most important unit, the loss of which means defeat.

The game has an exciting single-player campaign, each mission in which is linked to the previous one: in any new mission, the player has exactly the same amount of vehicles as remained at the end of the past.

Deserts of Kharak is also a very beautiful game. It is hard not to admire when you see how iron colossus plow the sand dunes.

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6. Supreme Commander

Spiritual successor to Total Annihilation, which enhances and expands on the ideas of the original. In fact, this is a game about unhurried battles of huge robots on giant maps.

Supreme Commander matches rarely last less than an hour. This time is needed to build a base with a balanced economy and prepare enough combat units to destroy the enemy.

Supreme Commander is a large-scale strategy in every sense. The number of fighters on one side sometimes reaches a thousand, and you need to think over the actions at least 10 minutes in advance.

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7. Total War: Shogun 2

It is difficult to choose the best among the games in the Total War series, but Lifehacker settled on Shogun 2. Of all the modern parts, it is perhaps the most integral, concentrated and understandable even for beginners.

In Total War: Shogun 2, the player takes on the role of head of a clan in medieval Japan. The goal is to take over the entire country. To do this, you can use diplomacy, economy and even intrigue - send assassins and spies.

But the main thing is, of course, epic battles, in which it is very important to correctly place your troops on the location.

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8. Age of Empires II HD

In Age of Empires II, the player needs to lead a civilization through several eras: Dark Ages, feudalism, castle era, and so on. You can play as one of several factions such as Japan, Mongolia or the Celts.

The main feature of the game is the combination of resource management with military operations. During the battle in Age of Empires II, it's not enough just to raise an army, you also need to build a powerful economy, building houses, quarries and sawmills, and cultivating fields.

Thanks to this emphasis on the economic component, you can feel like a real ruler leading your country to prosperity.

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9. Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2

Unlike many other parts of Command & Conquer, Red Alert 2 is not dedicated to the confrontation between the GDI and NOD factions, but to the battles between the allies and the USSR.

According to the plot, the games with the help of the Hitler time machine were erased from history, which allowed the Soviet Union to significantly develop its technologies. As a result, in the second half of the 20th century, he attacked the United States.

Red Alert 2 pokes fun at many Cold War clichés. That there is only the Soviet super-soldier Boris, who walks in a hat with earflaps and with an AKM. The classic cut-scenes for the series, filmed in the studio with real actors, were also not without. Only here they are twice as funny thanks to the insane setting.

During battles, however, there is no laughing matter. Especially when you see a pair of Kirov airships approaching your base with dozens of powerful bombs on board.

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10. Civilization V

One of the main strategies of the generation, a prominent representative of the 4X subgenre. In Civilization V, the player must develop his civilization and bypass all the others. To do this, you can use both brute force and diplomacy, technological and economic development.

The gameplay is divided into moves, which is why matches can sometimes last for several hours. Civilization V has a lot of mechanics. It can take a long time to master.

But it's worth it. No game here is like the previous one. And even if you spend several hundred hours in this strategy, it will still amaze you.

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