There’s countless more waiting in the wings of Early Access or building their own fanbase just under the radar of the mainstream that are worth pointing out. There have been various contenders to the throne over the years and each has brought their own unique spin on running a township with light or heavy RTS elements on top. Updated February 9th, 2023 by Matthew Mckeown: For Many Age of Empires 2 was their first step into medieval RTS games and it’s a classic franchise that’s aged well and is always worth going back to. So with that in mind, here are some of the best games to check out if you like Age of Empires. Since then, a lot of games over the years have tried to recapture the same lightning in a bottle the original AOE had, some more successfully than others.

It arguably redefined the genre as a whole as it showed that civilization management and combat didn’t have to be turn-based or use a 4x map and its roster was packed with historically accurate units, clothing, and buildings from the various eras and countries it drew inspiration from. RELATED: Best Age Of Empires 3 Definitive Edition Mods

It was a release that was the first experience of a modern (at the time) real-time strategy game for many and it’s a series that has gone on to have an amazing amount of success. When Age Of Empires first launched in 1997 it was a groundbreaking moment for the RTS genre.

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