20 Best Classic PC Strategy Games

Table of Contents

• 20 Best Classic PC Strategy Games
• 19. Heroes of Might and Magic II
• 18. Master of Orion II
• 17. Shogun: Total War
• 16. Age of Empires II
• 15.The Settlers (1993)
• 14. Age of Empires III
• 13. Command & Conquer: Red Alert
• 12. Company of Heroes
• 11. Dungeon Keeper (1997)
• 10. The Settlers II
• 9. Black & White
• 8. Command & Conquer (1995)
• 7. Sid Meier's Civilization (1991)
• 6. Dune II
• 5. StarCraft II
• 4. StarCraft
• 3. UFO: Enemy Unknown
• 2. Heroes of Might and Magic III
• 1. Warcraft III

1. Warcraft III

In Warcraft III, it wasn't just the setting that was fabulous.

We have already seen peak performance in tactical games and turn-based strategy games. Now it's time has come to present the number one in our ranking, and at the same time the undisputed king of real-time strategy. Here's Warcraft III.

Blizzard and its RTS games have already appeared on our list several times, which shows how much influence the company has had on the development of this genre. With the release of the third part of Warcraft, the developers wanted to refresh the genre a bit, introducing strong RPG elements and further expanding the story background.

They achieved that goal in 2002 by delivering one of the most recognizable games in history. The latest Warcraft featured four playable factions, each of which was completely different. Each of them also featured powerful heroes who wreaked destruction on an ever-increasing scale, thanks to the new skills they acquired.

The story presented in the game is so epic, and the cinematic cut-scenes so good, that they still give you shivers. In 2002, Blizzard showed for the first time that games could match and even surpass major film productions. Then there is the multiplayer, which even today is a niche esports discipline.

Warcraft III is a true icon, but it's also another step in the development of an expansive universe. It is safe to say that it was the success of this game that pushed Blizzard to continue investing in the world it created, and consequently to the creation of World of Warcraft, a milestone of the MMORPG genre. Another very successful esports genre, MOBA, derives from a fan-made mod for the third Warcraft. No matter how we look at the last strategy game from Blizzard's iconic series, we will have to admit that it was a groundbreaking game without which all digital entertainment would look very different today.