For those who like to think carefully about global solutions and lead huge armies, a genre of strategies has been created. In such games you can become a front commander or the leader of an entire nation. There are also strategies where you need not only to come up with battle tactics for your warriors, but also to develop trade and diplomacy. Such games are an excellent warm-up for the brain. In some of them, the developers embed encyclopedias, detailing the events that occurred in different historical eras. The following are presented best strategies on pc- rating top 10.

10. Anno

Opens the ranking of the best strategies on the PC Anno series of games. The first part (Creation of new world) was published in 1998. In total there are 13 games, covering most modern eras, sometimes including an alternative history. The main focus is on trade and providing their settlers with the resources to increase their social status. For example, having drunk a cup of coffee, an ordinary citizen may become a merchant or a nobleman, depending on the situation. However, the gameplay here is built not only on the economy. In neighboring states, sooner or later there will be a desire to seize the player's wealth. Therefore, it always makes sense to build yourself a couple of extra guns.

Caesar 3 - one of the best economic strategies on the PC, in which the player will rebuild the city to the glory of the Emperor. After the training mission, the developers are offered two options for the further passage - military and peaceful. In the first case, the city will be attacked regularly by barbarians, moreover, a mutiny can suddenly begin. In the second version of the enemy will be much less. In some missions, they will not exist at all, but the requirements for a prosperous settlement there are much higher. If the gamer does not cope with the plan that was drawn up by the game, then the emperor will remove him from the post of governor. The city is very quickly attacked by Roman legionnaires. In case of loss, the player will be sent to the galleys, after which the level will have to be replayed anew. It is worth noting that this legion can be defeated by building a defense.

8. Total War: Attila

8th place in the top 10 best strategies on PC Total War: Attila. In this game there is both a spectacular boevka and a well-implemented step-by-step mode on the global map. The action of Total War: Attila takes place in 395 AD, immediately after the division of the Roman Empire into West and East. The player needs to lead one of the nations and completely capture the entire map. Difficulties begin almost immediately. Europe is under attack by the Huns, and civil wars and barbarians are raging in the lands of Rome. In other words, the Great Migration of Peoples is in full swing. The system of diplomacy is well done and allows you to make various tricky moves. AI is smart enough and may well bring a lot of problems to a novice gamer.

7. Age of Empires 2: The African Kingdoms

Age of Empires 2: The African Kingdoms is in the top ten strategies on the PC - this is an addition to the remake of Age of Empires 2: HD Edition. Compared to the original game, the graphics have been significantly improved and multiplayer is embedded on the Steam servers. Also added new nations and four fully voiced companies. The old classic was revived and was very warmly welcomed by the fans. This remake is considered to be one of the best games of the entire series Age of Empires.

Command & Conquer 4 is the final part of the famous and one of the best games in the strategy genre. Despite the fact that the GSS and the Brotherhood of NOD have joined forces to save the human species, the last stage of the confrontation, the fourth war for Tiberius, is not far off. The developers have overhauled the entire gameplay. Now, in order to receive resources, the player must capture and hold the special nodes that control the growth of Tiberius. Combat units are also subject to change and are divided into classes of attack, defense and support. Fans and critics have ambiguously accepted the game - mainly because of its focus on multiplayer. All other changes were accepted by the public quite loyally.

5. XCOM: Enemy Within

A series of turn-based strategies XCOM is considered one of the best games of its kind. Basically, the plot tells of the struggle of earthlings with aliens. Gamers will lead the organization XCOM and carry out various operations against aliens, which have a strong technological and numerical advantage. Non-subject addition Enemy Within added new tasks, weapons and mech-robots, for the production of which you need to build a special laboratory. The atmosphere of the game allows you to fully immerse yourself in the noble cause of protecting the Earth from aliens.

4. Civilization VI

Continues the list of the best global turn-based strategy Civilization VI. One of the most interesting innovations was new system  cities. Now settlements can occupy several cells and will give serious bonuses to the economy, as well as science. Unfortunately, it is impossible to seize a separate quarter - only the one who seized the center owns the city. The goal of the game remains the same - to lead your nation to victory through diplomacy, culture or military expansion. Nevertheless, the studio Firaxis Games was able to make a quality game, pleasing the fans of the series.

3. Age of Mythology

Age of Mythology opens the top three strategies on the PC. Even ten years after the release, the game has a huge fan base. Developed by Ensemble Studios, the publisher was the company Microsoft Game Studios. Like most of the standard RTS in Age of Mythology, a player needs to rebuild cities, collect resources, and build troops to destroy enemy armies and settlements. The plot of the game is a kind of mixture of Greek, Scandinavian and Egyptian mythologies. Interestingly, the game AI was used in research. Scientists wanted to find out what impact the merging of the emotional model with standard bot scripts has. According to the results, the aggressive version won 25% faster. The only drawback of the strategy turned out to be very monotonous tasks in the company, however this did not reduce its replayability.

Everyone has long understood that Blizzard does not make bad games. Warcraft III at one time was the most anticipated and best strategic computer game on the market, so it is difficult to find a gamer who has never heard of such colorful characters as Arthas, Illidan and Thrall. Well-chosen music allows you to fully immerse yourself in the history of the fantasy world. In addition to the excellent plot, Warcraft has excellent graphics, as well as a map editor, allowing you to completely change the characteristics of units, textures and create your own cut scenes. This led to the creation of many unofficial maps, the gameplay of which is very different from the original game. The most famous example is DotA, which has grown into a separate large project.

1. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty

Strategy genre on this moment  is at the peak of its popularity. This success can be explained by the following reasons: the ability to control entire troops, cities and even universes, stunning graphics and sound, different levels of complexity and unlimited freedom of action. Of course, this is only a small part of all the advantages of this genre. Below is the top 10 strategies on the PC in 2015, which will help you choose only the best games for a pleasant pastime.

As you can guess from the very name, the game is entirely devoted to epic battles, battles and warriors. Here you can feel like a Roman commander and emperor, and a little later you are Napoleon, who treacherously conquers the resisting lands. The abundance of historical weapons will please even the most advanced gamer.

If you are a fan of the Lord of the Rings saga, then the gameplay will be especially interesting for you. After all, here you can use the mods and maps that are closely associated with this epoch-making work.

At the heart of the game “Starcraft”, which ranks ninth in our top strategy of the outgoing 2015, is the plot that revolves around hostilities between the Protos, the zerg, and humans. As the statistics show, since the release of the game to this day has sold over 11 million copies of discs with gameplay.

There are several worlds in the game between which wars also occur. Armies are filled with unique characters that amaze imagination with supernatural forces. By the way, the game was favorably received by most critics.

A person who has never heard of the game "Warcraft", in our time is very difficult to find. And this once again suggests that this gameplay largely determined the future development of such a genre as a strategy. Of course, for the same reason she got not only in, but in the list of the best games of all times and peoples.

The game is truly historical, which is partly reminiscent in its time. popular game  "Dune".

Each character in this game is endowed with special rights and powers, and you must strategically competently direct this force in the right direction, for promising conquests. It is impossible not to mention the abundance of different spells and other magical possibilities, which are so loved by players around the world.

The honorable seventh place in the top strategies on the PC in 2015 was given to the Civilization gameplay thanks to step-by-step actions that cover all eras of humanity, starting from the most ancient times and ending with our days, to which, by the way, is not so easy to reach.

The popularity of the game also made a wide choice of heroes, in other words, in this gameplay you can become anyone, just to lead your colony to an economic and political perfection.

Thanks to the eras involved in the storyline of this game, from the very first to the modern one, the legendary game Age of Empires hit the top 10 strategies of last year.

In the process of the game you get into the era of empires, feudal lords, slavery, the Middle Ages and others. The colorful characters who live in each of these eras become the best reflection of the time presented, therefore the historical aspect of this strategy also has a place to be.

The game “Command & Conquer” was ambiguously perceived by critics, which did not prevent it from getting to the top strategies by the end of 2015. The action plot is twisted around a weapon that represents a universal danger to the players. Gamers will also be curious to delve into advanced technologies that have been extensively involved in the project.

Here you can also find an abundance of all sorts of robots, militant octopuses, inadequate soldiers, unusual tanks, and of course, you can’t do without evil spirits, which still strive to interrupt your gameplay.

The basis of the game "Warhammer" became popular. In the center of the gameplay is the whole universe, which occupies the fourth place in the top of computer strategies.

As you progress through Warhammer, the player realizes that his main opponents are Orcs, who are swarming with thousands. But this is only at the beginning of the game, later you will see that the main forces should be directed at space marines who are wreaking havoc.

The success of the game provides a combination of strategy genre as the main guiding action, fantasy, science fiction, history and fundamentals of physics.

Heroes of Might and Magic

"Heroes of Might and Magic" at the moment the world saw in 7 parts. But every gamer knows that success came to this gameplay precisely from the release of part three. She is unique abundance of opportunities for the player.

Two facets of this game helped me to get bronze in the top of strategies for the 2015 PC “Heroes of Might and Magic”: on the one hand, you lead strategic actions to capture castles, heroes and recruitment, and on the other, tactical calculation of troop positioning in battle mode and features of the attack on the enemy's army. I would also like to mention a wide range of actions in the field of magic and a wide variety of armies and monsters.

In the top strategies for PC silver belongs to an exciting game "Cossacks". Against the background of other analogs, which are based on classic gameplay with the construction of cities and towns, farms and mines, the extraction of various resources and the strengthening of political and economic positions, the Cossacks game is unique in its kind. Part of its popularity lies in the fact that you can act not only on land, but also on water. And not every strategy can boast of such opportunities.

The game based on the battles across Europe has become a breakthrough of its time and does not lose ground to this day.

Among the variety computer games  in this genre is difficult to select the best. But if you need to make a choice, then Stronghold is rightfully becoming the leader of the top PC strategies by the end of 2015. First, this game for the first time provided an opportunity for gamers around the world to fight each other online, which provoked an unprecedented influx of players. In addition, the action of scenes occurs in real time. Secondly, the battles of colossal proportions, the feeling of endless power, the medieval setting present gamers with complete freedom of action.

The fascination of the plot is not inferior to the carefully crafted graphics, stunning sound effects and vivid, colorful characters.

TOP10 strategies.

Hello readers sitemirofgames , today we have another rating. The list of rankings includes a series of strategies that are models in this genre, the specific games are not indicated in the rating, because the emphasis was placed on the influence of the entire series on the genre.

1) TotalWar . The first place is taken by the series, which has gained immense popularity around the world, thanks to the precise study of the gameplay. The developers of the series is the British company The Creative Assembly. The series originates in 2000 with the release of Total War Shogun, and the latest at this time is the game Total War: Rome 2, released in 2013. Presently,   It has seven independent games and six additions to them. The game is famous for its scope, on the battlefield at the same time thousands of units, models and animations converge in battle, which are worked out in detail. The strategic part of the game impresses many experts in this genre, inthe game can feel like a real strategist, your every step, every decision can affect the outcome of the battle, the elaboration of the battles is simply impressive.

In second place is a cult series of strategies from Blizzard Entertainment . StarCraft is a real-time strategy game that takes place onplanets of a certain galaxy remote from the Earth, on which the conflict between the trema races for the right to possess resources and the achievement of complete domination flares up. After the release of the first Star Kraft1998, the series collapsed in popularity, it became the best-selling game in 1998 and won in the nomination "The Best Strategic Computer Game of the Year." The story about the fight of the Protoss, Terran and Zerg was highly appreciated by gamers and critics. Excellent game balance, plot and gameplay Starcraft, as well as the ability to play through the Battle.net system, allowed the game to remain relevant to this day. After the release of the first part, StarCraft: Brood War was added, and 12 years later, in 2010, the first part of the StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty sequel trilogy was released, and in 2013, StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm saw the light. is a cyber sport game, it hosts regular championships.

In third place is another representative of developers from Blizzard Entertainment- a series of real-time strategy Warcraft. The series originates in 1994 with the release of Warcraft: Orcs & Humans. The plot of the game told us about the confrontation of people and orcs in the fictional world of Azerot. Each subsequent game beatnext record by the number of pre-ordersand merchantability. The series gained momentum, the army of fans grew, the game repeatedly won in various nominations, the success of the series was simply overwhelming. UniverseWarcraft has grown so much thatBlizzard Entertainment release a series off - multiplayer online role-playing gamewhich has eclipsed all games of a similar genre, and to this day occupies a leading position. Like other games from  supports the Battle.net system, uniting players from around the world.

In fourth place is the series. ”Civilization is a series of games in the genre of a global turn-based strategy, in which the player has the opportunity to take charge of the state, control various areas such as economics, diplomacy, military affairs, etc. The main goal is to achieve world domination , opponents are a number of other civilizations.The game includes a discrete map with cities, buildings, units, diplomacy, trade, as well astechnological tree. The development of the series began in 1991 with the release of the firstCivilization, at the moment the series has 5 independent parts and a lot of mods and add-ons, the last game Civilization V was released in September of 2010. Many parts Civilizations  suffer from various imbalance-related gaming bugs, such as getting technology or units before their historical appearance,however fans forgive these missteps, for the sake of addicting gameplay of your favorite game. The game is regularly recognized as oneof the best representative of the genre.

5) EmpireEarth , AgeofEmpires . Fifth place is occupied by two games at once, in my opinion, very similar on the one hand and unique in their own way on the other. And so about each of them a little more.

Let's start with the series . A series of historical strategies in real time, the beginning of which was laid in 1997. The first game of the series was developed by Ensemble Studios, the publisher made by Microsoft Game Studios. With the release of the first Age of Empires, the series laid its main features. The player was asked to choose one of the available nations and develop it, moving from one era to another. During the transition to the next epoch we get access to the achievements gained in this epoch. In the game there are different types of resources that are required for the construction of certain buildings, different for each epoch. Each era correspond to its own type of units, characteristic of this era.

Another series that also deserves attention - Empire Earth. Empire Land is also a real-time strategy game, like the previous game. Both games have similar features and gameplay.The game takes placefrom prehistory and nanotechnology before the century. The series begins with the release of the first part in November 2001. The game gained success and loyalty of critics, great reviews and the interest of fans made the game famous and in 2005 the continuation of Empire Earth II is released. The game noticeably improved the graphic component, but it simplified tactics, provoking criticism of the players. But innovations keptand a well-developed multiplayer mode, saved the situation and the series gained new fans. In general, both games were very successful and many were waiting for a breakthrough in the genre from the third part and dramatic improvements. In 2007, the long-awaited Empire Earth III was released, which many consider to be a failure, the game received low marks from both gaming publications and players. However, the seriesEmpire Earth has made an invaluable contribution to the development of the genre.

6)Heroes of Might and Magic. In sixth place is an unconditional hit, turn-based strategy with role-playing elements.HeroesofMightandMagic . The first game, released in 1995, marked the beginning of the series. HeroesSword and Magic have become a cult series, acquired a huge army of fans and fans. To date, the game has six parts and ten additions. The series has changed the developer more than once; the fifth part was developed by our compatriots from Nival Interactive. During the game wemanage characters - characters exploring the global mapand at the same time leading the armies. Each character has its own set of skills and magic spells, armies can consist of various mythological creatures, also having their own unique abilities and characteristics. The player is given a global map, which he explores by moving the hero figures for a certain number of moves. Battles inHeroesofMightandMagic  also occur instep mode. SeriesHeroesofMightandMagic  is one of the standards in the genre of turn-based strategies.

7). The seventh position belongs to the series, the prototype of which was the legendary game Dune II. (translated from English- “command and conquer”) - a series of real-time strategies that has become widespread and popular. The series begins with the release in 1995 of the first game, which, thanks to its prostate and intuitive control, was a success andwas highly appreciated by critics.The games of the series were devoted to world wars, for possession of power and resources, namely Tiberius. The gameplay in the game is similar to many strategies: rebuild the base, collect resources, create units, seize territory, destroy the enemy, etc.In addition to the Tiberian theme, the series includes the Red Alert cycle,occurring in an alternate timeline. The cycle is associated with Command & Conquer and is the prehistory of the entire series, it was he who gained immense popularity, especially among the players living in the spaces of the former Soviet Union. Also in the series is a cycleCommand & Conquer: Generals, which in the story has nothing to do with previous games in the series. Summing up, we can say that the whole series has made its invaluable and unique contribution to the development of the genre.

8) On the eighth line is a series of real-time strategy strategies from Firefly Studios-Stronghold. The plot of the series tells us about the Middle Ages, many kingdoms mired ininternecine wars, we have to defend our honor and valor in the battles for life and death. Series  It is an economic and military simulator of a medieval castle and city. The defense or siege of castles is, perhaps, the dominant role in the gameplay of the game. The first game of the series was released in 2001, the developers brought severalinnovation in genre and at the time of the release of the game, they were unique (for example, the characteristic - popularity). Critics and players are well appreciated and accepted the game and the sequel was not long in coming, and already in 2002, Stronghold: Crusader, dedicated to the crusades in the Middle East, came out. The first two games and the addition were two-dimensional, starting with Stronghold 2, the series acquired three-dimensional graphics. Series  undoubtedly one of the best strategies in which the construction of the castle and its development is implemented, the siege of castles and their defense is also implemented at a high level, the gameplay is fascinating and interesting, and the management is intuitively understandable and convenient.

9) Anno. In ninth place series Anno  from German developers. In the entire series, the main focusmade on economy, town planning and trade. The player receives a certain territory under control, in most cases on a desert island, which must be developed, by building various structures, and growing various crops.providing their people with everything they need, creating a merchant fleet, etc. and also to protect their territory from the attacks of pirates or other warring parties. The series originates in 1998 with the release of Anno 1602: Creation of a New World, which was critically acclaimed and well received by the players, the lush graphics and excellent economic model influenced the success of the game. At the moment, the series has 5 independentgames and several additions to them, just in 2013 came to lightAnno Online.

ten). The series is closed by a legend series that could be as loud as the series.TotalWar. And so it will be about the Cossacks, the development of which was engaged in the famous Ukrainian companyGSC Game World (they are also the developers of the famous series) In 2001, the Cossacks came out: European wars, which immediately gained immense popularity due to their dynamism (thousands of units entered the battle at the same time), the developers also carefully considered the appearance of the units, uniform the soldier was recreated with high accuracy, the building was also paid no little attention. In 2002, the game has two add-ons that were also successful. In 2005, the long-awaited Cossacks II: the Napoleonic Wars came out, and in 2006 the addon Cossacks II: The Battle for Europe, the games could not repeat the previous success, however, they are certainly worthy of attention. Unfortunately for fans, the development of the continuation of the series has been stopped, but a huge army of fans is looking forward to the return of the legend.

From the beginning of the 90s to the mid-00s, strategies dominated the minds of the players, receiving a well-deserved honor and respect. Alas, but their golden time has passed: RTS (real-time strategy) cannot compete in entertainment with another Battlefield, with Overwatch dynamics or Witcher 3 plot. Therefore, gamers have to be content with another repetition of the good old classics or wait for the release of the new “Civilization”.

However, not everything is so pessimistic. Our ranking of the best strategies will allow us to establish the most worthy representatives of the genre, as well as learn about the latest releases, which gave some classic strategies a second life. We hope this TOP-10 will be informative. If not: comments and voting at the bottom of the article to help.

Rating of the best strategies

Stronghold was born in the golden era of the RTS - in 2001. At that time, most strategies tried to emulate either C & C or Warcraft, but Stronghold had other plans.

The game had a well-developed economic component. Although the amount of available resources was not far from the standard “wood / iron / gold / stone / food”, an unusual parameter appeared - “Popularity”. It provided an influx of new residents to the city and depended on many factors: taxation, the variety of available food, and entertainment.

To hire soldiers, it was not enough to build a barracks. It was necessary to build buildings that produce weapons. Provide gunsmiths with the right building material. Wait until the lame grandfather, with an imposing walk, delivers a punched bow into the arsenal ... Now you can hire one archer. And so with all types of troops! You can not just put the barracks and "naklatsat" any units - this was preceded by the organization of the full cycle of production of weapons and ammunition. It is not surprising that the game had a number of economic missions that were not inferior in complexity to the military.

  Normal serene morning in Stronghold Crusader

However, the special popularity was won not by the first part, but by its continuation: Stronghold Crusaders, which appeared in the next, 2002. As the name implies, the game was devoted to the confrontation of the Arabs and the Crusaders. Unfortunately, the attack / defense mode of the castle disappeared (the only thing worth paying attention to the first part), but more units appeared, some of which could be hired for gold without producing weapons. For money, only soldiers of the desert were hired, while European soldiers were to be equipped with weapons of their own production.

The game remains popular until now thanks to the multiplayer and the release of the add-on Crusaders Extreme. Also, this is facilitated by a simple but quite diverse system of building fortifications: Stronghold allows you to enclose the castle with battlements and high towers, equip them with protective tools and archers, install additional traps and dig a ditch with water.

The first part of Command & Conquer was released in 1995, becoming at the time a real breakthrough of the genre and making a serious competition to Warcraft and Dune. Many familiar gameplay features at the time looked revolutionary:

• Select and direct a group of units with just one click;
• The presence of neutral units, buildings and other objects with which you can interact (read "carry in the trash");
• The system of separation of units by class. The principle of “rock, scissors, paper” appeared - the first type of unit is effective against the second, but vulnerable to the third, etc .;
• The game began to use video and animated screensavers. Paired with a great soundtrack, they allowed players to “get into” the history of the C & C universe, rather than perceive it as just another nameless chessboard to hone their tactical abilities;
• The presence of only one resource, Tiberius - it is for him that all the wars in the universe of this game are being waged.

C & C turned out to be popular with all the consequences: many gameplay elements diverged from other games, becoming the usual elements of most strategies. In addition to the classic C & C series, which pleases its fans with new releases so far, over time, two “alternative” versions of the universe of the game have appeared. This is Command & Conquer: Generals (2003) and the now very popular Red Allert line of games.

• Red allert

  Tips as they convey fiery greetings to old Einstein

Red Allert deserves a separate article. This game has absorbed an incredible amount of madness and cranberries on the topic of the Cold War and the confrontation between NATO and the USSR. Here is short description  Prehistory of the game: after watching the horrors of the Second World War, in 1946, old Einstein decides to make a time machine and go back in time to destroy Hitler. As a result, the balance has swung in the other direction: Comrade Stalin decides to build his own communist Reich, and Europe, together with its allies, still has to fight.

As far as the game was successful, judge for yourself: 35 million copies were sold worldwide. A record appeared in the Guinness Book of Records stating that Red Allert is the best-selling RTS in the world. In 2000 and 2001, Red Allert 2 and Red Allert 2 were released: Yuri’s Revenge, which still remain the classic choice of oldfags. However, for fans of more modern graphics, there is a third part of RA.

Warhammer is a vast fictional universe, on the basis of which many books, comics, films, computer and board games are built. There are two versions of this universe: Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40,000. In the first case, as the name suggests, Varhammer is faithful to the canons of fantasy and delights Tolkien fans and other "elves." And Warhammer 40,000 creates a mix of fantasy and, pushing the confrontation closer to the stars.

There are about 20 games related to Warhammer 40.000. But only one of them is always associated with the word “Warhammer” by any fan of strategies: this is the one and only Warhammer 40 000: Dawn of War, released in 2004.

Strategies, in the usual sense of the word, there is not much room for it: tactics are at the center of attention. Buildings are built quickly, and there are only 2 resources: energy, for which you need to build generators, and special points that can be obtained by holding checkpoints under the onslaught of the enemy.

The creators of the game, as if from the first minute, declare directly: leave all this fuss with the construction of the base and economic development for nerds. The Universe WH40K was created solely to force paratroopers chained in armor to fight various monsters (from orcs to more exotic creatures). So no long-term economic development is foreseen in it: only battles from the first to the last minute.

  Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 2 seems to have been created for Jeremy Clarkson from “Top Gear”: with a cry of “Power !!!”, the player will disperse all enemies in his path. Tactics? No, have not heard.

In 2009, the release of Warhammer 40 000: Dawn of War 2, which received high marks from players, was meticulously praised by many gaming publications, but ... it suddenly turned out to be not a strategy. Faithful admirers of the first part with horror discovered that the long-awaited Dawn of War 2 began to resemble the Diablo-type RPG more than it did itself 5 years ago. True, this did not prevent the game from finding its fans, who assert that the multiplayer retained all the necessary elements of the RTS and is quite satisfactory.

7. Total War

It's funny that Total War and Warhammer 40 000: Dawn of War are located next door in the ranking of the best strategies, because just in May of this year, Total War: Warhammer was released - the first TW dedicated to the Varhammer universe. True, not Warhammer 40.000, but Warhammer Fantasy - so she, first of all, will appeal to fans of fantasy worlds. However, let's take everything in order - after all, the release of this game was preceded by 9 other parts, which brought TW worldwide fame.

The main distinguishing feature of Total War is the successful combination of step-by-step mode and RTS: the level of each of them is selected separately. The main action takes place on a global map of the world, in which everything happens in steps. But battles are loaded separately and are rapidly developing in real time. Players will have to wisely use the terrain features and various types of units, which allows you to gain an advantage even over superior enemy forces.

The first TW was released in 2000. But the third part of the series, Rome: Total War, which used a three-dimensional engine, brought worldwide fame. As the name suggests, the action took place during the time of the Roman Empire. In addition to the "classical" European nations, the Arab empires (Egypt) and even barbarians were available in the game. Depending on the chosen side, not only units differed, but also the architecture of cities. The popularity of this part of the subsequent TW could not be surpassed.

In 2013, Rome: Total War II came out - initially buggy, but later brought to mind with the help of numerous patches. Probably inspired by “Civilization”, the developers of Rome 2 added the ability to win not only by conquest, but also through culture and trade. However, this is not the only part worthy of attention: Napoleon, Attila, Shogun 2 and the previously mentioned Warhammer are also interesting in their own way.

If I could create a product as successful as Warcraft, I would have been resting on my laurels for 20 years, dropping all the money in some absolutely meaningless way. But the guys from Blizzard are not like this: having broken the well-deserved applause after the release of Warcraft 2, Blizzard set to work on the space RTS. True, as a result, they all turned out to be Warcraft: the beta version was mercilessly criticized and perceived as "orcs in space." Fortunately, the developers listened to the criticism and completely reworked the graphics engine and the setting. So in 1998, the legendary StarCraft was born.

The game features 3 races: Zerg, Protoss and Terran, which are borrowed from the Warhammer Universe 40.000 (tyranids, Eldar, Imperial Guard). However, the similarity is extremely superficial: having appeared into the world, StarCraft went its own way of development - the universe of this game has acquired its own features and now has little in common with Warhammer.

In most strategies, in order to preserve a delicate balance, all nations have the same set of units and buildings + several unique buildings / soldiers who contribute a certain variety but do not fundamentally influence the tactics of the game. StarCraft did not give a damn about these canons. All 3 races are completely different:

• Zerg  far from technology and science, achieve superiority solely by quantity.
• Highly spiritual protoss  are the complete opposite of the zerg: each protoss thinks he is an important person with a rich inner world, so it costs a lot of resources, but also hits, respectively, painfully and heavily.
• Terranes (from the word "terra") represent humans in the game. They are the "golden mean" between the zerg and the protoss.

  The beautiful lights of Star Craft 2 lure the gullible schoolchildren and cause the oldfags to be skeptical

Such striking differences between the races gave the game a significant advantage over the rest of the RTS, gaining its reputation as a “smart” strategy, in which you need not only to produce as large an army as possible, but to think over your actions in advance, displaying strategic and tactical skills. Microcontrol also plays an important role: if the protoss are not particularly demanding of control accuracy, the success of the offensive operations of other races, especially zerg, directly depends on the speed and accuracy of the player’s reaction.

In 2010, StarCraft II was released. Modern graphics and excellent multiplayer allowed the game to regain its former glory and take its rightful place in eSports. Although oldfagi claim that the unique balance of the first SC is partly lost, StarCraft 2 received high marks from a variety of gaming publications (on average, 9 out of 10) and presented it with a second life.

5. Age of Empires

In 1997, the first part of the Age of Empires came out: the same Warcraft, only in profile. Instead of fantasy races, 12 human nations were represented in the game, which could develop from the Stone Age to antiquity. Furora in the gaming world did not make this game, but on the whole was perceived favorably, which inspired its creators to begin work on the second part.

2 years later, Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings was released, which has become truly legendary. She eclipsed not only the first part, but also many of the then "whales" of this genre, having won a decent army of fans. In 2000, the Age of Empires II add-on appeared: The Conquerors, which added 5 new nations to the game with unique units, as well as additional missions and technologies. It was this part of the game that became the most popular in the Age of Empires series. What is the reason for her success?

• Diversity of nations.  The Conquerors numbered 18 nations, many of which were quite exotic: Huns, Teutons, Saracens, Celts, Persians, Aztecs, Mayans, etc. In fact, it was this game that laid the fashion for strategies with many different civilizations.
• The possibility of development.  The second "chip", which was first among the strategies implemented is AoE 2 - the transition from one historical era to another. All this was accompanied by a rather extensive tree of technologies, for the study of which it was necessary to build various buildings and waste resources.
• Balance. Of course, the nations differed not only in color and different design of buildings. Each of them had their own bonuses and unique units. Some had an economic advantage, others had stronger cavalry, third class siege weapons, fourth long-range fleets, etc. All this variety was fairly balanced with no clear favorites. As a result, Age of Empires 2 has attracted many fans of online battles.

  As it turned out, a beautiful picture can not replace an interesting gameplay.

In 2005, the Age of Empires III was released. She was not bad, but she was not close enough to the success of her predecessor. As a result, after several add-ons, Microsoft surrendered and, to the delight of fans, returned to Age of Empires 2. In 2013, they released Age of Empires 2: HD edition, and then another 2 add-ons: The Forgotten (5 new nations, including the Slavs) and The African Kingdoms (4 more nations and "African" campaigns). So today AoE 2 continues to evolve and delight fans with new additions.

4. Cossacks

The success of Age of Empires has attracted the attention of many igrodelov: they stopped trying to create their own "Warcraft", switching to the "Age of Empires" (which, undoubtedly, was created under the inspiration of Warcraft). So the guys from the Ukrainian company GSC Game World have created RTS, which conceptually has a lot in common with AoE.

The game "Cossacks", released in 2001, was so successful that in the eyes of many domestic strategists for a long time overshadowed the "Epoch". If you believe "Gambling", then at one time "Cossacks" became the best-selling domestic game (more than 1 million copies).

"Cossacks" continued the idea of ​​numerous gaming nations. In the second addon of the first part, which was called “Again the war”, 20 different countries were available. And if in “Epoch” there was not a single Slavic nation, then in “Cossacks” not only Russia was available, but also Ukraine (which is logical, according to the name and geographical location of the developers). There were also more refined nations, like Piedmont and Saxony.

Unlike other strategies, in “Cossacks” resources were spent not only on the acquisition of units, but also on their maintenance. Hunger began without food, and mercenaries acquired for gold raised a rebellion when the treasury was empty. To use firearms, iron and coal were necessary - without them, the arrows and artillery were defenseless.

Also in the game it was possible to capture some enemy buildings, artillery and peasants (except Ukrainian, with them as usual: the will of abo death). In comparison with the "Epoch of Empires", "Cossacks" seemed more dynamic, allowing you to create an incredible amount of some insane and fearless units - in a network game, the clashes of such hordes looked epic and fascinating.

• Cossacks 2

In 2005, the Cossacks 2 came out: in spite of the high ratings of many gaming publications, the game did not cause the excitement that the first part. Everything was reworked in it: it became more realistic and thoughtful. There are no “controversial” nations, hordes of fearless madmen and upgrades of ancient guns to such a degree of efficiency that even Kalashnikov becomes envious.

The battles in the Cossacks II were forced to take into account the particularities of the terrain, to reload their rifles for a long time and to watch the fighting spirit of the soldiers, who could chicken out and throw themselves into the loose. It sounds, it seems, not bad, but in the network game there was no trace of the former fun.

• Cossacks 3

And on September 21, 2016, the long-awaited “Cossacks 3” came out, which no one dreamed of. And everything would be fine if it were not for the number 3 in the title - everyone expected the continuation of the series, but received a remastering of the first part. The old game was transferred to the new graphics engine, the gameplay is completely taken from the original "Cossacks". Add to this a decent amount of bugs that GSC Game World actively fixed after the release with the help of various patches, and you will understand why many gamers felt cheated. Still, GSC should have announced that the game is a remastered first part. before  release and not afterhim

3. Heroes of Might and Magic

The first part of the turn-based strategy of Heroes of Might and Magic was released back in 1995. Its predecessor was King’s Bounty, which appeared in 1991. But universal love and recognition for HoMM came gradually, covering Heroes of Might and Magic III with a head somewhere closer to 1999.

The action of all the "Heroes" occurs in a certain fantasy universe. There are races, but the player is not tied to them: the hero can conquer the castles of any faction and hire any available units. So, under the same banner, the most mixed and wild brethren can gather: elves and skeletons, centaurs and dragons, people and elementals.

Battles take place on the field, divided into tiles (hexagons). Units of the same type occupy one cell, regardless of their number. The moves are carried out in turn, while the hero looks at this action from the outside, from time to time trying to help his army by casting various spells. Gradually, the hero gains experience, learns new skills and collects various artifacts that make it better and higher.

HoMM IV came out in 2004 and was perceived, to put it mildly, ambiguously: there were too many innovations. The main and key innovation concerned the heroes: from passive onlookers they turned into active participants in the battles who could move, inflict damage and be attacked like other units. Heroes could travel without any troops at all: one at a time or huddled together in a gang of 7 characters. Having pumped up properly, the lonely hero could independently carry out a large army.

There was also a reverse side of the medal: if you managed to kill an enemy hero at the beginning of the battle, you could get a solid advantage. For example, it made sense to organize a sabotage attack on the enemy, put the army leader and retreat - the headless army lost the ability to seize mines and castles, which forced it to retreat and drag the commander’s lifeless carcass home.

All these innovations gave rise to innumerable open spaces for disputes and hollivars: since 6 years have passed since the release of the third part, a new generation of gamers appeared who had never seen “Heroes” before - they liked HoMM4. But those who grew up on the previous parts, have experienced butthur mixed feelings.

• Heroes of Might and Magic V

Disputes between supporters and opponents of the fourth part stopped the release of Heroes of Might and Magic V, which took place in 2006: yesterday's opponents joined their efforts in a general rush to express complaints about cartoon graphics for anime fans. If you close your eyes to the picture, according to the gameplay, “Heroes 5” was a modernized copy of the third part - obviously, the developers did not experiment in order to earn extra money from the nostalgia of fans of the series.

This ends the classic "Heroes" and begins something completely incomprehensible. HoMM 6 and 7 has become a kind of alternative product, so far from the original, that against them even “Heroes 4” look like a kosher model. Therefore, most fans of "Heroes" prefer to play more early versions, from 3 to 5. But the Third HOMMs remain the most popular. Moreover, in 2015, the HD version of this game was released.

2. Civilization

The first "Civilization" appeared in the shaggy year of 1991 and, as they say, was a digital version of the eponymous board game of the early 80s. Since in those days computers were not kept by mere mortals, few were suspicious about the new strategic toy: mainly employees of scientific research institutes and other interesting enterprises.

Nevertheless, the game turned out to be quite successful: what engineer could resist the temptation after a hard working shift to try on the role of Stalin or Gandhi? The presence of Civilopedia, a detailed game encyclopedia favorably distinguished Civilization from other strategies of those times.

• Civilization III

The year 2001 was marked by the release of Civilization III: the first Tsiva with nice graphics. Even now, it looks quite attractive, and in 2001, this picture caused a real delight. The gameplay has also undergone certain changes. In Civ 2, players tried not to collect many units on a single cell, because in the event of an enemy attack and the death of one of them, everyone who was standing in a cage died. In Civ 3, nothing of the kind happened: to clear the cage from the enemies, it was necessary to destroy them all.

Therefore, the obvious and the only tactic of warfare in the third Ziva: the creation of the so-called stack - the crowd of disparate units on the same cell. From time to time there appeared a leader who could unite 3 units under his banners. This formation was called an army and was a kind of thick unit with 20HP. With the help of the army it was possible to cut out almost anything.

  The window of the city - the best that was in Civilization III

The brand of the second and third Tsiva was a situation in which a technologically backward unit, having more combat experience, could safely destroy some miracle weapon of the future. For example, in the order of things there was a situation when a spearman with a precise blow tore apart an enemy tank or archer, properly pulling the string, knocking down an enemy bomber. Particularly amused by the fact that the plane was lost equally successfully, not only by an archer, but also by a swordsman. In the following parts, this problem was partially solved, but in the first Zivas such events gave rise to many attacks of hysteria.

In Civilization III there were a number of innovations that migrated to all subsequent games in the series: a variety of resources on the map, the Golden Age, cultural influence on neighboring cities, with which it was possible to assimilate the neighboring settlement, the technology tree (in previous parts I had to memorize or record the sequence discoveries of various sciences).

Another cool innovation that appeared in the Warlords addon is the vassal states. Now, instead of completely conquering negligent neighbors, it was enough to defeat the bulk of the troops and capture several key cities. After that, the enemy agreed to capitulate and became a vassal. Also, the status of a vassal could be granted to a group of their cities on another continent or islands, turning them into a kind of autonomous republic.

The year 2010 came and Civilization V came out. The square cells were replaced by more convenient and practical hexes: with them the borders of the states got rid of the strange linear angularity and became more believable. The accumulation system of a huge number of units on one cell was demolished at the root: now only one military unit could be placed on one hexagon. At the same time they made them more efficient and stronger.

For the maintenance of certain units required to spend strategic resources: horses, iron, oil, coal or uranium. Without having them at hand, the state risked remaining without cavalry, battleships, nuclear weapons and aviation, which not only added realism, but also forced players to carefully manage resources instead of riveting in incredible quantities whatever they wanted.

The tactics of building as many cities as possible also became obsolete: large empires received fines on culture and science, and the population began to show discontent. So there were several different tactics: development through 4-5 cities with a large number of people or building more settlements, but with fewer inhabitants in cities. It became possible to win with only one city (hello from Venice).

Another innovation: the emergence of city-states that do not claim to world domination. Friendship with them brought various bonuses: resources, points of science, culture or religion, units and additional votes in Congress.

It should be noted that many of the functions, as in the previous Tsivy, were added to the addons: religion and espionage, caravans, the ability to adopt various resolutions in Congress and the UN - in the initial version without addons all this was not. Therefore, reading reviews about the game, it is not difficult to trace how the anger of the fans of the series gradually gave way to mercy.

October 21, 2016 was the release of Civilization VI. Among the notable innovations: 2 technology trees, cultural and scientific, which open independently of each other. Cells around cities need to be built up with special areas: scientific, cultural, military, religious, industrial, etc. To build everything just will not work - trite enough cells. Moreover, each wonder of the world also requires a separate tile.

It is difficult to describe all the innovations and features of the Sixth Ziva because of its freshness. But the game has already received the highest ratings of various gaming publications, and the feedback in Steam, by and large, is very positive. And this is despite the fact that usually the first version of Civilization is damp and only with time, with the help of several add-ons, it turns into a masterpiece. But, apparently, the sixth Civilization may become the first representative of the series, which is good initially.

The plot of Warcraft: Orcs and Humans is tied to the confrontation of people and orcs. As in the film, the orcs fall out into the world of people from the portal and between them begins the struggle for a place under the sun. However, the first part attracted not so much attention - all glory went to her sequel, Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness, which came out just a year later. But just look at the changes in the graphics that occurred during this short period! Add to the nice picture interesting videos and a good plot, and that's all - the masterpiece is ready.

  As if “before” and “after” - the year was not in vain

• Warcraft III

But the continuation of the banquet had to wait a long time - as many as seven years. And the first reaction of the gaming community was ambiguous: too many suspicious innovations appeared in the game:

• Three-dimensional engine;
• 2 races escalated to 4 (night elves and undead were added);
• Quite a lot of neutral units and monsters appeared on the maps;
• Heroes were added to the game that accumulated experience, pumped skills and cast all sorts of things (is it not an RPG?);
• Rollers have become even brighter and more beautiful;
• The plot is even more twisted and pretentious.

The top of the evolution of the third part was the release of Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne in 2003, which gave rise to a memorable Dotka (I’m unlikely to open America if I remind you that DotA was created in the usual Warcraft 3 map editor and was not viewed as a full-fledged independent game).

Was Warcraft the founder of the RTS genre? Of course not. Can it be argued that this is the best strategy in the world? I am sure many will disagree with this: C & C and Civilization, HoMM and Total War have solid armies of fans. But, undoubtedly, Warcraft made a significant contribution to the strategy genre and, since it turned out to be in the first place of our rating, it means ... * There should be a life-affirming thesis, but I do not have a single such thesis related to Warcraft. Soryan, boys. There will be options - write in the comments *

Warhammer 40,000 series

Release date:1992-2011

Genre:  Real time strategy

The Warhammer 40,000 series is the most popular and one of the best-selling games. Fans are constantly waiting for release. new game. The most famous is Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War. The player chooses a race (Imperial Guard, Space Marines, Tau, Necrons, Orcs, Chaos, Eldar with each game there are all new races) for which he wants to play, then on the planet or planets chooses a place that wants to seize and fight with the race that owns this ground Warhammer 40.000: Dawn of War enters.

The battle takes place in real time on the ground where the battle takes place. Players capture special points that give influence and build generators that give energy, structures are built on these resources, troops and improvements are made. Each race has its own troops, super units and heroes and abilities. The goal of the campaign is to capture all lands and become the patron of all lands.

Civilization Series

Release date:1991-2013

For civilization to flourish, a player must be able to focus and balance between scientific progress, military buildup, replenishment of the treasury, development of infrastructure and culture, diplomatic contacts and trade with other civilizations. A player can take part in historical events that took place, manage leaders such as Stalin, Napaleon, Ramses II, Catherine II and so on. Which of the best series is hard to say. Someone says that the best part, someone that the fourth. Adherents of the graphics declare that the fifth is the best of this series.

Warcraft III

Release date:July 3, 2002

Genre:  real-time strategy with RPG elements

The game has 4 races: Alliance (people), Undead, Horde (Orcs) and Night Elves. Each race has its own unique heroes who gain experience and a new level in battles. With each level, new hero abilities are revealed. Also, the heroes can buy or pick up items from the killed mobs that improve the combat characteristics of the heroes and the surrounding troops. On different maps  players capture mines with gold and mine wood, build bases and units on these resources and improve their characteristics.

Heroes of Might and Magic III

Release date:February 28, 1999

Genre:Turn-based strategy, RPG

The player travels around the global map with heroes who control mythical creatures, exploring new lands, capturing cities and battling enemies. On the map, the player moves only one hero and can only go some distance or do one or several actions, after which he skips the turn and already the enemies running the computer make their turn. Attacking enemies you move into battle mode, the army of enemies and your army of creatures stand opposite each other, moving the combat units in turn to destroy the enemies. With the development of cities, you can open up new opportunities and spells. Hire troops.

StarCraft II

Release date:July 26, 2010

StarCraft II is the second part of the cult of the first part which was released back in 1998. The second part of the game became the most anticipated game of the year due to the high popularity of the first part and fully met its expectations among the players. Many Russian and foreign gaming portals gave the game scores of more than 9 points out of 10, and received 9.3 points in the rating of players.

The plot of the game and all the action takes place in the distant future, or rather the XXVI century in a remote part of the Milky Way galaxy. The three races of Terran, Zerg, and Protos are opposed to each other. Players mine two types of resources minerals and gas, which is then used to build buildings and hire combat units. The main task is to destroy the enemy base. Each type of units has its own strengths and weaknesses, so to destroy certain types of enemy troops, you must hire troops that destroy them well.

Total War series best Rome: Total War

Release date:2000-2015

Genre:turn-based global strategy, real-time strategy

Total War rus. "Total War" is a series of games that has already seven games and various add-ons. Different games cover different temporal historical periods and states. The most popular and iconic is Rome: Total War, released in 2004, in which actions take place in the period of the Republic from 270 BC. er up to 14 n. er For example, actions Shogun: Total War occur in. Shogun: Total War in the 16th century, where the ruling dynasties confront each other. Empire: Total War - in times of European colonial wars, and so on.

The gameplay of the game is very similar to Civilization. The player controls the troops, cities and settlements on the global point. After all actions are completed, the player misses the turn, after which the competitors managed by the AI ​​make their turn. If you or your enemy attack each other, then you move to a tactical map, where you control all your troops in real mode, attacking them and placing them in convenient positions on the map.

Command & Conquer: Red Alert 1,2,3

Release date:1995-2009

Genre:Real time strategy

Red Alert - a game released in the last century and captured the minds and souls of gamers around the world, it is still played by thousands of people, more than 30 million copies sold. The game takes place in an alternative history, where Allied troops defend Europe from the aggressive Soviet Union. The player can choose one of two belligerents: the Alliance or the USSR. Accordingly, the goal of the game for the Allies is to stop Stalin, until he captured the whole world, and for the USSR to achieve full capture of Europe. Depending on the side chosen, a player’s victory results in one of two alternative endings.

Battles in the game take place both on land and on the water and in the air. Each side can have its own base and can train ground forces, air force and navy. Each side also has unique features. Game mechanics is that now even a simple infantryman can destroy a tank. A tank can easily destroy a machine gun pillbox, a small group of grenade launchers will also easily cope with a tank if it is not covered by anti-personnel equipment or its own infantry, which made it necessary to use various types of troops in combat.

Europa Universalis Series

Release date:  2000-2013

Genre:turn-based global strategy

Continuing a series of global strategies for Europa Universalis. Like the previous games in the series, the third part invites you to lead one of the states of the world. . The essence of the game: to develop national ideas that give the game state certain advantages; With the discovery of new state-owned technologies, it is possible to choose one of the national ideas. The game takes place in real time, but the reaction speed from the player is not required, since at any moment of the game you can put a pause. The game takes place on a schematically depicted map of the world, divided into more than 1500 maritime and land provinces.

The player can take control of any country that existed in this historical period (about 200 states in total). Under his control are the country's economy, the formation of armies and fleets and their management, diplomacy, the introduction of new technologies, the internal policy of the state, the change of state religion and the colonization of new lands.

The peculiarity of the game is binding to the real story (I note that in the third part of the series is no longer tied to the story and the gameplay is more free); there are predetermined for each country historical rulers, each of which has certain abilities affecting the game, existed in fact commanders (such as Suvorov or Napoleon I Bonaparte), pioneers, researchers and seafarers (such as Columbus, Ermak and Fernand Magellan ), as well as historical events that usually occur in the same country and at the same time as in real history (for example, in 1517 an event occurs that gives the opportunity to go into Protestantism)

Company of Heroes 1,2

Release date:  2006

The gameplay of Company of Heroes is very similar to Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War. The player commands entire units of fighters, but there are separate unique units. Each squad has a scale of lives (not an individual fighter) and if at the damage of a squad of life ends, then the whole squad dies. A player can equip infantry units with various weapons, choosing which weapons are most promising in battle. After the death of the detachment remains weapons that you can pick up and equip them with another detachment. This even applies to stationary weapons, such as anti-tank guns, heavy machine guns and mortars.

Each side of the game is divided into three unique areas — infantry, airborne, and tanked by the Americans, and defensive, offensive, and propagandistic by the Germans, promotion in which gives access to new combat units and attacks (for example, attack of attack aircraft). Another important difference is that the units and units in the game have three levels of experience. After the destruction of the enemy, a new level is obtained which increases the damage, speed, health, armor or range of the combat unit, depending on its type.

The game has three types of resources: weapons, fuel and personnel. The personnel are used to build buildings, hire new combat units, both infantry and armored vehicles, fuel, in turn, to build buildings and armored vehicles, and weapons - to provide detachments with additional weapons, such as a grenade launcher, for artillery and air strikes, or for your equipment to receive new opportunities. Replenishment of resources is carried out with the help of control points.

Age of Empires III

Release date:  October 8, 2005

Genre:Real time strategy

Age of Empires III strategy has earned worldwide recognition for its innovative and exciting gameplay. Age of Empires has received great ratings on gaming portals and magazines. A feature of this game is a well-developed artificial intelligence (the opponent controlled by the computer). The player controls one of the powers (Great Britain, Prussia, Holland, Spain, Portugal, the Russian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, France), which went on to conquer the new world (America).

The main action takes place in the colonies, on the map familiar to such games, but now each power has a hometown in the Old World. It serves the sole purpose of helping its colony. The game has three resources: food, wood and money. Which produce various buildings. Transitions between epochs, five epochs: research, colonization, fortresses, industrial and imperial era. Military academy trains, dressing sends soldiers to colonies. The infantry depends on the nationality of the city, the Spaniards will have a rodelero, and the Russians will have archers and Cossacks. The academy is also improving the parameters of the troops.

Battles take place in real time. The maximum number of troops and groups of soldiers allocated to the "frame" - 50 units. Shooting infantry has four formations: the usual rank, which is convenient for firing by a volley, a rarefied formation, reducing losses from artillery fire, hand-to-hand fighting and four of a kind. The melee infantry has three formations, two of the same, proper close combat and four of a kind, and a circular formation to cover the shooters. The cavalry learned three constructions - all the same close combat and square, as well as the offensive mode with reduced speed, but with damage on the area.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown

Release date:  October 9, 2012

Genre:Turn-based strategy, Tactical RPG,

The game is a remake (remake) popular and old game  X-COM: UFO Defense released in the distant 1993. Aliens are attacking planet Earth and they are launching an alien invasion. The game is played on behalf of the commander of the secret international organization XCOM (unit for combating aliens), which has the most advanced technologies, weapons and scientific developments of mankind. It employs the best specialists in the world - the military and scientists. The organization must fight against aliens that threaten the existence of human civilization.

The player is provided with the central base of XCOM, from which the organization is strategically guided: observing aliens' actions on the global map of the world using a satellite network, allocating funding for the development of scientific and technical potential, arming and placing interceptors for destroying flying saucers, and conducting combat operations against alien forces existing fighters in ground skirmishes. The base is presented to the player in the form of an “ant farm” - a cut of the ground, allowing to look at the premises “from the side”.

In Tactical Combat, the fighters perform up to two actions in turn - dash, shot, throw a grenade, use a first aid kit. Each fighter has only three characteristics: accuracy, will power and health points. After the first advancement in the rank of a soldier receives a specialization. This may be a ground attack aircraft, sniper, heavy infantry or support soldiers.

Homeworld

Release date:  September 28, 1999

Genre:real time strategy

Well-developed graphics and three-dimensional game space - the implementation of six degrees of freedom (you can consider the battlefield, battle fleet from different angles) the movement of game objects and the presence of thoughtful fleet management in three dimensions. Rich and complex plot, gradually revealed directly in the game. In the next game mission, the player receives the fleet with which he completed the previous one.

At the beginning of the game, the player can choose a fleet of two Kushan races, or Taidan: this is not reflected in the further plot in any way, only combat units change. A key feature of the fleet of both the Kushan and Taidan is the presence of the main mother ship, which serves as the main base of operations. The mother ship has its own armament, and a hyperdrive, allowing to overcome considerable space.

The entire space fleet is divided into combat fleet and support fleet. The support fleet includes special ships, such as a collector and a resource controller, a research ship, a probe, an invisible ship detector, and a gravity well generator. The combat fleet is subdivided into classes: Small fighter ships, corvettes, Heavy frigate ships, Superheavy ships, Flagships.

Stronghold Series

Release date:  1993-2014

Genre:Real time strategy

The game system of all games in the series is based on an economic simulator of a medieval city or castle. In the games there are a number of unique parameters, characteristic only for games of the Stronghold series. Thus, in the first Stronghold, the “popularity” parameter was first introduced, affecting the performance and population size. The combat system is standard for strategies - direct management of groups of units. The economic component is one of the main ones in the games of the series. There are quite complex and long production chains. As a rule, in the games of the series, more attention is paid to the economic, and not to the military component of medieval castles.

In all games of the series, except for the Stronghold Kingdoms, there are campaigns (series of plot-related missions) and map editor mode. There is a single campaign in Stronghold, there are several campaigns in other games.

In all games, except for Stronghold and Stronghold Kingdoms, there is an opportunity to play against computer opponents on the chosen map. In the Stronghold and Stronghold 2 there is a siege mode (siege or defense of the castle without economic management). In the first games of the series (up to and including Stronghold 2) there is a free construction mode (keeping the economy without war).

Spore

Release date:  September 5, 2008

Spore game is a simulator of the evolution of life on the planet, as well as a strategy and space simulator. The goal of the game is to develop a creature from a microorganism to an advanced space race. During the passage of the game there is an opportunity to make changes to the creature, improving its characteristics. Also, as it develops, the player will independently create various equipment and buildings, or select ready-made options from the catalog.

At the beginning of the game under the control of the player gets a microorganism living in the aquatic environment. At this stage of the game - In order to survive, the microorganism needs to eat pieces of meat or algae, as well as try not to be eaten by other carnivorous creatures. With eating food, the cell grows and turns into a microorganism. After that, the creature is selected on the ground, where it also develops. Over time, under your leadership will be the tribe, civilization and space that you will need to manage.

Ground Control 1.2

Release date:  2000, 2004

The main goal of the game is the destruction of troops and buildings of the opponent using the features of the relief and the strengths of their own army. Combat units include various types of armored vehicles, airplanes, and soldiers delivered to the battlefield by orbital shuttles. After the start of the next mission, a player cannot call in reinforcements, which requires careful selection of combat units and their configuration before the battle.

The most important element of the game is the requirement for a tactical approach in any situation. Each unit has its distinct strengths and weaknesses. Combat units are combined into units. A player can give orders only to units, although units themselves will fight and take damage separately. There are four categories of units: infantry, armored vehicles, support, and aircraft. The player can choose the configuration of each individual unit before the battle. For example, a Craven tank corps can exist in four configurations: reconnaissance, light, main, and heavy. Each of them has its advantages and disadvantages, so different configurations are suitable for different tasks.

Tiberium Command & Conquer Series

Release date:  1995-2010

Genre:Real time strategy

A series of successful computer games with the highest sales among the series of strategies. The game takes place in an alternate temporary reality, conditionally our modern, in which there is a war all over the world between two global factions - the international UN forces united in the Global Defense Initiative, and the military-religious Brotherhood Nod, led by its charismatic leader Kane, fighting for the possession of an alien substance Tiberium, slowly spreading throughout the planet.

The gameplay of the game is based on the principle of collecting resources to build a base to destroy the enemy. The only source of money (credits) in the game is Tiberius. Another important resource in the game is the electricity produced only by the power stations. The various structures and units produced by the player, together form a technological tree, in which access to technologically more advanced and, accordingly, more expensive structures and units. The base can be protected by various structures, which include as defensive fortifications.

Divinity: Original Sin

Release date:  2014

Genre:Turn-based strategy, RPG,

"Deity: Original Sin" - with a tragic turn-based RPG with a top view. The game takes place in a fictional fantasy universe, where two heroes set off on a dangerous adventure in search of a mysterious order called the Source. Adepts of the Order use forbidden magic and practice sacrifices for their dark purposes. One of the best indie projects lately. The game was made with money from the donations of the players and thanks to this a piece project made with a soul turned out.

The project has a good graphic design, a large and interesting universe, as well as many quests and side quests, but the main feature was the interaction with the outside world. The player can combine various items, use them as barricades and weapons, or use the power of elements. Became the best indie projects according to many gaming magazines.

Cities: Skylines

Release date:  2015

Genre:  Town Planning Simulator

Urban planning strategy with elements of economics and logistics. The game is an advanced simulator in which the player must build a modern metropolis and create the best conditions for a comfortable life of citizens, having limited financial resources and resources.

The game will be able to please with ample opportunities in the construction of buildings, the creation of communications, as well as in the development of the infrastructure of the city. Particular attention is paid to small details such as electrifying houses, laying water and sewage systems, as well as creating good business conditions.

XCOM 2

Release date:  2016

Genre:  Turn-based strategy, RPG

XCOM 2 - step by step tactical strategy  with RPG elements. The game's plot tells about the Earth, which was captured by aliens. The invaders broke the resistance and completely colonized the planet by establishing constant surveillance and control of the remnants of humanity. But on one of the outskirts of the big city, the XCOM organization starts working again. This game was waiting for many, and it was a success. Most gaming magazines have recognized her the best game  year, as well as the best strategies of the year.

Gameplay as in the first XCOM. Swinging the flying base we land on tasks with our squadron and on hexagonal maps in a step-by-step mode destroy all aliens, we gain experience, fighters and swing perks with them. In the process of passing you can try out a large set of alien weapons, level up skills and specializations, as well as fight with the superior forces of space invaders.

Stellaris

Release date:  2016

Genre:  Global space strategy.

Space 4X real time strategy game. The game's plot is to confront extraterrestrial civilizations that explore cosmic depths, colonize new planets, extract valuable resources, and strive for complete domination throughout the galaxy.

The player will be able to choose one of many races, determine political views and main directions in development, and then bring the created civilization to world domination. Key features  Stellaris - generated galaxies and planets, a wide arsenal of warships, as well as the ability to use military force or diplomacy.