8 Age of Empires style games for those who like strategy

Age of Empires is undoubtedly one of the greatest classics of real-time strategy games. After all, Microsoft's celebrated franchise helped found one of the most played genres in the world, known as RTS. Since its release, therefore, dozens of other games in the same style have been produced, in an attempt to achieve the same success. If you are a fan of RTS games, you should certainly know which games we are talking about. Although in many cases they vary in the themes, they are quite similar in the gameplay in relation to the Age of Empires . Below you will find 8 real-time strategy games that can replace the good old Age and that will certainly yield good hours of fun.

1. Age of Mythology

Let's start with the younger brother of Age of Empires . Age of Mythology is a famous spin-off from the classic franchise. Based entirely on ancient mythologies, it allows the player to embark on legends and myths of the Greeks, the Norse and the Egyptians. The main campaign puts you in control of Arkantos, a military man from the city of Atlantis. Your mission is to hunt a Cyclops who is helping Poseidon in an attempt to destroy his hometown. In this you venture into battles and conflicts against the three cultures mentioned above. Like its predecessor, Age of Mythology has quite simple gameplay. It is based on the construction of housing and battle structures, in addition to the collection of resources. This to form an army capable of destroying enemy units and cities. The latest version, Extended Edition , comes with improved graphics. You must play Age of Mythology if:

Interested in ancient cultures and mythologies
Likes games that have legendary monsters and creatures

2. Rise of Nations

Rise of Nations is one of the great successors of Age of Empires . This game sought to distance itself to the maximum from the classic that inspired it, by bringing new game mechanics. There are elements that have been removed from turn-based strategy games, such as the inclusion of Land. In other words, each army has advantages and disadvantages, depending on the terrain it is on. There are 18 civilizations in Rise of Nations . Each has unique and exclusive abilities, which are in accordance with historical characteristics. You can choose from the Aztecs to the Koreans, passing through Turks, Greeks, Portuguese and even Bantos. Another differential of this game in relation to Age and many other RTS is the presence of air units. In addition to land and sea units, there is the possibility to control planes and helicopters. There are a total of more than 200 units throughout the game. You unlock them all after 8 Eras. Finally, one of the biggest highlights of Rise of Nations is its campaign mode. It is very similar to the War board game . It is possible to take bonus cards, in addition to making alliances with enemies. It progresses slowly through the 8 eras, which start in the Old Age and go until the Information Age. You must play Rise of Nations if:

Likes games per shift
Is a fan of board games like War
Are curious about ancient and extinct civilizations

3. Command & Conquer

In terms of theme, Command & Conquer is quite different from Age of Empires . Over the course of more than 20 years of existence, this franchise has released numerous games, but all taking place in an apocalyptic future. You are in a global war after a meteorite fell on Earth, which covered you with precious crystals of high economic value. Command & Conquer's gameplay also differs from Age . You must collect the crystals present throughout the map. Then you must refine them, to obtain the resources of the game. The missions consist of saving allied hostages, capturing enemy buildings and, of course, eliminating your opponents. Despite being as classic as the games mentioned above, Command & Conquer is not an example of excellence in relation to all its games. We therefore recommend that you have fun with the prequel known as Red Alert , which is a great RTS game. You must play Command & Conquer if:

Enjoy futuristic themes
Are you a fan of high technologies
Desire a game with a more modern context and storyline

4. Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth

Nothing better than a real-time strategy game to dive into the universe created by JRR Tolkien. Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle Earth and features four well-known factions: Mordor, Isengard, Gondor and Rohan. In addition, you can have contact with iconic characters from Middle-earth, such as Gandalf and Gollum. Regarding Age of Empires , this game is much simpler in terms of gameplay. There are few military units available, and the variety of buildings you can build is very small. The interesting thing is the campaign mode, which puts you in interaction with the narrative of The Lord of the Rings . You must play Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth if:

For fan of The Lord of the Rings
Enjoying games based on movies or books
Desire a simpler RTS in terms of gameplay

5. StarCraft II

The real-time strategy games in the StarCraft franchise are far from the origins of RTS. The theme is super futuristic, featuring three different races: Protoss, Zergs and Terrans. The main campaign is divided into three chapters. Each is focused on a specific race. Multiplayer mode supports at least 7 players at the same time. Although StarCraft is from the late 90s, it is still widely played on servers around the world. In 2017 it was remastered for PCs. All versions have the same goal: to manage bases to build armies and eliminate enemies. StarCraft 2 was launched in 2010. It initially maintained only the three races from the first game. Some new units were added later, with Fanáticus and Vudu. The focus of this continuation was on multiplayer , which has been optimized. There is now a ranking system that only matches between players of the same level. The famous cutscenes of StarCraft are also present in 2. Now, of course, are more cinematic, as graphically have seen major improvements. You must play StarCraft II if:

You are interested in alien societies
Liking Star Wars , Star Trek and other cultural products of the genre

6. Warcraft III

Of course, Warcraft III could not be missing from that list. One of the most classic RTS of all alongside Age of Empires , it brings, in addition to the Humans and Orcs, the Undead, the Night Elves and the Naga. In relation to previous versions, it brought the addition of heroes. They are more powerful units, capable of evolving their attributes, in the best RPG style. The campaign mode is really huge. You start at Reign of Chaos , which has a prologue with two chapters. Then you go through chapters focused on the game's factions, with the exception of the Naga. The Frozen Throne expansion added four more chapters. The multiplayer mode allows you to play on single player maps , but it also allows you to create, edit and customize maps. You must play Warcraft III if:

Are an unconditional fan of the Warcraft franchise
If you want to start your adventures in the universe created by Blizzard

7. Sid Meyer's Civilization

The Civilization franchise is very similar to Age of Empires , but it is not RTS. The games developed by Sid Meyer are of turn-based strategy. Even so, its presence on this list is fundamental, since its premise is almost the same: to build and evolve a civilization throughout all the Ages of humanity. To date, six franchise games have been released, in addition to numerous expansions. Regarding Age , you should note that Civilization is much more "time consuming" and profound. You are in control of an entire civilization, not just a city. The evolution system is more complex, mainly because you play in turns. In addition, winning in Civilization games does not depend much on defeating enemies. Victory here is more open. The intention is to make its people a people who dominate all technologies, arts and engineering. It is, therefore, a strategy game that requires patience. You must play Sid Meyer's Civilization if:

Have a preference for turn-based strategy games
Want an experience similar to that offered by Age of Empires , but more in-depth

8. Tropico

The games in the Tropico series are somewhat controversial, however they are worth being on this list. The goal is not to build a city and evolve it through the ages and ages of humanity. Nor should you go deeper into a civilization, as in Sid Meyer's games. Your task here is to dominate an island in the Caribbean and become its ruler. Or, if you prefer, dictator. That's right. Tropico allows the player to build houses, plant crops, create armies, build wonders, but all for their own benefit. The entire resource collection system and even the battles are geared towards making your Caribbean island prosper. In this game you start as President of a colony. One of the goals is to become independent in relation to the metropolis, and then make your island prosper. Of course, you don't have to be a legitimate dictator. There are a number of options that allow you to take care of the well-being of the people, giving them better living conditions. You must play Tropico if: