5 Games Like Age of Empires 

Age of Empires was released in 1997, and it basically created the RTS genre, which is still one of the most popular gaming genres today. The goal is to manage your resources and build an empire from scratch, and players from around the world fell in love with the complexity of the game.

If you remember playing Age of Empires, and you want to enjoy something similar to it, this article will tell you which games to try and why.

Best Real Time Strategy Games to Try

There are many RTS games you can play, but the ones that made it to our list are more focused on empire management and resource gathering than battles (though there is plenty of fighting too.) Here is a list of the best games that resemble the original Age of Empires series.

Age of Mythology

The Age of Mythology is a spin-off from the original Age of Empires game. The dynamics are very much the same since the team behind AoE developed this game too. Instead of a historical setting, Age of Mythology takes place in Atlantis. The story follows Greek, Norse, and Egyptian gods who establish their own civilizations.

You will have to build an army by managing resources and then conquer other civilizations until you become the ruler of Atlantis. You can pick one of the three cultures and use gods with different abilities to defeat other civilizations. It’s a classic RTS game that will keep you glued to your screen for hours at a time.

Sid Meier’s Civilization VI

Civilization is one of the most popular turn-based strategy games that require you to use diplomacy and other tactics to help your empire survive in a world filled with conflict and politics. It is a little more complicated than AoE, as you have to keep many factors in mind to keep your civilization on the right path.

You start with a nomadic tribe and become a world superpower with time. Sid Meier’s Civilization games are known to be very challenging even for seasoned RTS players. The latest game in the series is the best one yet, as it provides a wide range of options and in-depth settings you can tweak to defeat everyone standing in your way. You will have to go to war, use diplomacy, spy on other empires, and much more. It’s not the best game for novices, but anyone can master it with time and dedication.

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StarCraft 2

StarCraft is hugely popular in Asia. Players spend months preparing for tournaments where they try their tactics against one another. The first game in the series inspired its players to develop incredible tactics and a technique that involves hundreds of actions per second (APS). StarCraft 2 is considered to be one of the best eSports games ever.

You can play single-player campaigns to practice your skills, much like you would in AoE, and then you compete with other players online. The setting takes place on a distant world where humans fight for survival, battling hordes of aliens led by a human/alien hybrid. The battles are massive and super-fast, and the game will put your strategic thinking to the ultimate test.

Rise of Nations

In Rise of Nations, you will lead a civilization from the Stone Age to future times. There are 18 available civilizations you will face throughout eight ages of world history. The game is considered to be one of the best RTS titles of all time and for a good reason.

You will need time and proper resource management to evolve your civilization and introduce new tech to dominate your opponents. Of course, it can work the other way around if you don’t evolve fast enough. Your medieval archers could face soldiers with rifles and cannons, and that would be devastating for your settlement.

The winner is the player who conquers all of the other territories. The mechanics of the game are great. The world will keep changing, so you will have to overcome various challenges if you want to survive.

Stronghold Crusader

Stronghold was one of the most iconic RTS games of the early 2000s. Stronghold Crusader is a 2D game that is yet to be surpassed by many modern RTS titles. It puts you in the role of a Crusader who wants to conquer the Middle-East. The story will lead you through incredibly hard battles where you will have to face other European Crusaders like Richard the Lionheart, as well as local rulers like the mysterious Caliph.

Resource management and trade are the key factors in the game. You will have to think fast and make tough decisions in a split second if you want to survive an attack. Stronghold Crusader is without a doubt one of the best and most challenging RTS games you can play, even though it’s 15 years old.

Tropico 5 (Series)

If you like building cities and countries more than destroying them in battles, Tropico 5 is the game for you. It is a builder RTS where you play the role of a dictator of a small island-nation somewhere in Central America.

If you want to stay in control, you will have to face food and fuel shortages, diplomacy problems, and even civil wars. On the other hand, you will also have time to build farms, cities, job sites, ports, and so much more. The goal is to create a working economy from scratch, but you could also play the game as a feared dictator who ruthlessly destroys everyone in his way. It’s all up to you.

Strategic Thinking Is the Key

The titles on our list are all RTS games, and most of them are more complex and complicated than the original AoE title. They are all considered to be the best games in this category, so try them out if you want to build empires and conquer your enemies in battle or with diplomacy.

What is your favorite RTS title? Which of the games on our list did you like the most and do you have any more suggestions to add? Let us know in the comment section.