1. Stronghold
   SpellForce: The Order of Dawn
2. The Ancient Art of War at Sea
   World in Conflict

SpellForce: The Order of Dawn was developed by Phenomic Game Development, a German game studio. It was released between 2003 and 2004.

1. Ashes of the Singularity
   Planetary Annihilation
2. Sins of a Solar Empire
   Dungeon Keeper

SpellForce: The Order of Dawn was developed by Phenomic Game Development, a German game studio. It was released between 2003 and 2004.

1. Cossacks: European Wars
   Earth 2150
2. Company of Heroes
   Anno 2205

Released in 2001, Cossacks: European Wars was developed by GSC Game World of the Ukraine. It is a part of the successful Cossacks series of real-time strategy games.

1. Dark Reign: Rise of the Shadowhand
   Battlezone: Rise of the Black Dogs
2. Warzone 2100
   Command & Conquer

The original Command & Conquer is also known by the title “Command & Conquer: Tiberian Dawn.” It was released in 1995 and has led to a very successful series of games.

1. Hearts of Iron III
   Grey Goo
2. Rise of Nations
   The Lord of The Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth

In Rise of Nations, players are given a choice of 18 different civilizations which they can play through eight ages in world history. The game has spawned sequels but its original version is often named among the best real-time strategy games ever created.

1. League of Legends
   Empire Earth
2. R.U.S.E.
   Dota 2

Often abbreviated as LoL, League of Legends was developed by Riot Games and released in 2009. It has won several awards, including the IGN PC Best Strategy Game award in the Reader’s Choice category for 2009.

1. Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak
   8-bit Armies
2. Warhammer 40,000
   Sudden Strike 4

Warhammer 40,000 is often shortened to Warhammer 40k. It was released in 2004, with it first sequel, Dawn of War II, in 2009.

1. Metal Fatigue
   Myth: The Fallen Lords
2. Total Annihilation
   StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty

Myth: The Fallen Lords got the Myth series started in 1997. Its first sequel was Myth II: Soulblighter (1998) and the second was a prequel titled Myth III: The Wolf Age (2001).

1. Theatre of War
   Men of War: Assault Squad 2
2. Civilization
   Star Wars: Empire at War

Civilization sets players the task of growing their empires from 4000 BC through to the modern era and on to near-future times. It has generated several sequels, with Civilization VI being released in 2016.

1. R.U.S.E.
   Supreme Commander
2. Anno 2205
   Ground Control

R.U.S.E. is set in World War II and its primary storyline surrounds Nazi Germany. It was released in 2010 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, as well as Microsoft Windows.

1. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty
   Offworld Trading Company
2. Age of Empires III
   Halo Wars 2

As the third game in the Age of Empires series, Age of Empires III serves as a sequel to Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings. It was released in 2005, almost 20 years after the original Age of Empires was released.

1. MechCommander 2
   Empire Earth
2. Carrier Command
   Planetary Annihilation

This is the first game in the Empire Earth series. It was developed by Stainless Steel Studios and released in 2001.

1. Act of War: Direct Action
   Battle Realms
2. Metal Fatigue
   Earth 2150

The series also includes Earth 2140 and Earth 2160, with Earth 2150 coming between them. It was released in 2000 and also goes by the full name Earth 2150: Escape from the Blue Planet.

1. Sudden Strike 4
   Ashes of the Singularity
2. 8-bit Armies
   Men of War: Assault Squad 2

Petroglyph Games developed 8-Bit Armies which was released in 2016. The game is meant for Microsoft Windows.

1. Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos
   Company of Heroes
2. Hearts of Iron III
   The Lord of The Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth

The Lord of The Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth is based directly on Peter Jackson's film trilogy, The Lord of the Rings. It is, therefore, ultimately based on J. R. R. Tolkien's epic fantasy novel of the same name.

1. The Ancient Art of War at Sea
   Bokosuka Wars
2. MechCommander
   Dark Reign: Rise of the Shadowhand

The Ancient Art of War at Sea was released in 1987. It comes after The Ancient Art of War (1984) and is followed by The Ancient Art of War in the Skies (1994).

1. Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim
   Ground Control
2. Total Annihilation
   Supreme Commander

Released between 2007 and 2008, Supreme Commander gives players control of an Armored Command Unit (or ACU). This giant bipedal mech is used to build a base after which the player can go through upgrades and take on opponents.

1. Age of Mythology
   MechCommander
2. Warzone 2100
   Theatre of War

MechCommander was released in 1998 by MicroProse after development by FASA Interactive. It has a sequel titled MechCommander 2 which came out in 2001.

1. Ashes of the Singularity
   Civilization
2. SpellForce: The Order of Dawn
   Star Wars: Empire at War

Ashes of the Singularity has enjoyed moderate success since its release in 2016. It has an expansion titled Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation, which was released later that same year.

1. Sins of a Solar Empire
   Theatre of War
2. R.U.S.E.
   Sudden Strike 4

Theatre of War’s release began in 2006 and it has since been followed by two sequels, Theatre of War 2 and Theatre of War 3. The game is based on the battles of WWII.

1. Dark Reign: Rise of the Shadowhand
   Bokosuka Wars
2. Halo Wars 2
   Ground Control

Dark Reign: Rise of the Shadowhand was released in 1998 as an expansion pack to Dark Reign: The Future of War, which came out the previous year. The expansion doubled the number of playable factions within the game from two to four.

1. Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty
   World in Conflict
2. Company of Heroes
   Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim

The original Company of Heroes game, which is set during the Second World War, was released in 2006. It allows players to assume the role of either the Allies or the Axis.

1. Metal Fatigue
   Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos
2. Hearts of Iron III
   Grey Goo

Also known as Metal Conflict, Metal Fatigue is a fully 3-dimensional (3D) game. It was developed by Zono Incorporated and published by both Psygnosis and TalonSoft, with release in 2000.

1. Carrier Command
   Act of War: Direct Action
2. Myth: The Fallen Lords
   StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty

Carrier Command was very well received by the video gaming industry upon its release in1988. Its sequel, Battle Command, was released in 1990.

1. Warzone 2100
   Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak
2. Age of Mythology
   R.U.S.E.

The Homeworld series began in 1999 with the release of the first Homeworld video game. Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak (2016) is actually developed as a prequel to that game.

1. Sins of a Solar Empire
   Age of Empires III
2. League of Legends
   Men of War: Assault Squad 2

Men of War: Assault Squad 2 (2014) is a sequel to Men of War: Assault Squad which was released in 2009 as an expansion of Men of War (2009). In total, the original game has had five expansions released, so far.

1. Warhammer 40,000
   The Lord of The Rings: The Battle for Middle Earth
2. Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty
   StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty was very well received in the industry and has become hugely popular since its release in 2010. The game is a sequel to the 1998 original, StarCraft, and is the first fully 3-dimensional (3D) game in the series.

1. Command & Conquer
   Bokosuka Wars
2. Battlezone: Rise of the Black Dogs
   Stronghold

Battlezone: Rise of the Black Dogs (2000) follows Battlezone II: Combat Commander (1999), which itself is a sequel to 1998’s Battlezone. The original inspiration for all the games is a first-person shooter arcade game from 1980, titled Battlezone.

1. Planetary Annihilation
   Grey Goo
2. Company of Heroes
   The Ancient Art of War at Sea

This 2015 game is based on an end-of-the-world scenario called “grey goo” in which self-replicating robots consume all of Earth's living species. The concept has been widely used in works of fiction and is regarded as a basis for the popular Terminator series of films.

1. Battle Realms
   Empire Earth
2. Cossacks: European Wars
   Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos

As the first fully 3-dimensional (3D) game in the Warcraft series, Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos, was met with very positive reviews. The game was released in 2002 with an expansion pack, The Frozen Throne, following in 2003.

1. Carrier Command
   Warhammer 40,000
2. Sudden Strike 4
   Offworld Trading Company

Sudden Strike 4 is the fifth game in the Sudden Strike series. Whereas the original game was released in 2000, this installment was released in 2017 and is the latest game in the series, thus far.

1. Stronghold
   Dungeon Keeper
2. World in Conflict
   Earth 2150

The hugely popular Stronghold (2001) video game has led to the creation of five sequels, to date. The fifth sequel, Stronghold Crusader II, was released in 2014.

1. Rise of Nations
   Halo Wars 2
2. SpellForce: The Order of Dawn
   Dota 2

Released in 2013, Dota 2 is a sequel to DotA (Defense of the Ancients) which was released 10 years earlier. Dota 2 has received critical acclaim and several industry awards.

1. Planetary Annihilation
   Civilization
2. MechCommander
   Star Wars: Empire at War

Planetary Annihilation (2014) was followed a year later by an expansion pack titled Planetary Annihilation: Titans. It was developed by Uber Entertainment with the support of Kickstarter crowdfunding.

1. Men of War: Assault Squad 2
   Total Annihilation
2. Anno 2205
   Age of Empires III

Anno 2205 (2015) is the sixth game in the popular Anno series. While this game and Anno 2070 are set in the future, the others, so far, are set in the not too distant past.

1. Offworld Trading Company
   Supreme Commander
2. Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak
   Command & Conquer

Offworld Trading Company was released in 2016. It was developed by Mohawk Games and published by Stardock for both Microsoft Windows and OS X.

1. Dota 2
   Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim
2. 8-bit Armies
   Rise of Nations

Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim was released in 2009. It served as a sequel to Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim (2000).

1. Theatre of War
   Dark Reign: Rise of the Shadowhand
2. League of Legends
   Age of Mythology

The Age of Mythology series is a spin-off from the Age of Empires series, with the original Age of Mythology being released in 2002. While Age of Empires is based on actual events in history, Age of Mythology is inspired by elements of Greek, Egyptian and Norse mythology.

1. Cossacks: European Wars
   Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty
2. Battlezone: Rise of the Black Dogs
   Ashes of the Singularity

The Dune franchise began with the 1965 science fiction novel, “Dune,” by Frank Herbert. While there have been several game adaptations, Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty is considered the most popular, by far.

1. Myth: The Fallen Lords
   Metal Fatigue
2. Dungeon Keeper
   Act of War: Direct Action

Act of War: Direct Action was released in 2005 and includes a detailed story by bestselling author and retired US Air Force captain Dale Brown. Its successor, Act of Aggression, was released in 2015.

1. 8-bit Armies
   Anno 2205
2. Bokosuka Wars
   Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak

Released in 1983, Bokosuka Wars is considered a forerunner in the tactical role-playing game genre. It is a successful combination of both the strategy game and role-playing game formats.

1. World in Conflict
   Cossacks: European Wars
2. Grey Goo
   The Ancient Art of War at Sea

Released in 1983, Bokosuka Wars is considered a forerunner in the tactical role-playing game genre. It is a successful combination of both the strategy game and role-playing game formats.

1. Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty
   Total Annihilation
2. Age of Empires III
   Dota 2

Total Annihilation (1997) was the beginning of a successful series of games. It won numerous awards and in 2004, was selected by GameSpy as the #1 real-time strategy game of all time.

1. Warzone 2100
   Battlezone: Rise of the Black Dogs
2. Supreme Commander
   Myth: The Fallen Lords

Pronounced “Warzone twenty-one hundred,” this video game was originally released for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation in 1999. It has since been made available on various other platforms.

1. Rise of Nations
   Earth 2150
2. Battle Realms
   Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim

Battle Realms was released in 2001, followed by the expansion, Battle Realms: Winter of the Wolf, in 2002. It is the first game for creators, Liquid Entertainment, who are later credited with developing Max Steel (2014) and Thor: God of Thunder (2011), among others.

1. Stronghold
   Star Wars: Empire at War
2. Command & Conquer
   The Lord of The Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth

Within the Star War franchise, Star Wars: Empire at War (2006), occurs between Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith and the original film known simply as Star Wars but later renamed Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. It is very popular but just one in a long list of video games in the franchise.

1. Act of War: Direct Action
   Battle Realms
2. Sins of a Solar Empire
   Warhammer 40,000

Positively reviewed, Sins of a Solar Empire was released in 2008. It was closely followed by three expansions: Sins of a Solar Empire: Entrenchment (2009); Sins of a Solar Empire: Diplomacy (2010); and Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion (2012).

1. Civilization
   Ground Control
2. SpellForce: The Order of Dawn
   Age of Mythology

Developed by Massive Entertainment, Ground Control was initially released in 2000 for Microsoft Windows. A sequel, Ground Control II: Operation Exodus, was released in 2004.

1. League of Legends
   Offworld Trading Company
2. Hearts of Iron III
   Carrier Command

Hearts of Iron III’s gameplay is based in World War II. It was released in 2009, following Hearts of Iron and Hearts of Iron II, released in 2002 and 2006, respectively. Another sequel, Hearts of Iron IV, came out in 2016.

1. Dungeon Keeper
   Empire Earth
2. Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos
   Halo Wars 2

Development of Halo Wars 2 is credited to both 343 Industries and Creative Assembly. This popular 2017 game is a sequel to 2009’s Halo War.