The best RTS games without grinding

For many players, their gaming time is limited due to other interests or responsibilities, so for them, it's almost always better to get straight to the good stuff, skipping all the busy work along the way that can bog down a game. This is doubly true for strategy games.



Whether it's games that focus on new gameplay with small progression systems, or RTS games that challenge the player's speed and split-second decision-making, there are plenty of incredible games out there for gamers looking to skip the grind.


5 Steel Division 2

Blitzkrieg to victory in this WWII strategy game

As perhaps the most popular and faithful attempt to simulate large-scale World War II battles where the player can make microscopic command decisions on the fly, Steel Division 2 it deserves praise for how much it engages in simulation while having an innovative morality system.


With battles that can include over 1000 individual units, an incredibly in-depth strategic layer and amazing historical accuracy, WWII simulation doesn't get much better than Steel Division 2. The best of all? No grinding is visible.

4 Company of Heroes 3

Stage your way out of hell

Although it had a bit of a rough start, Company of Heroes 3 quickly becomes a fantastic tale of redemption, offering one of the best tactical team-based games on the market. The revered franchise allows the player to take control of a World War II team tasked with various missions on many fronts of the war, using even more interesting factions.

Being one of the most modern strategy games with little to no polish, Company of Heroes 3 it builds on all its predecessors and delivers a graphical delight. This is perfect for longtime fans of the strategy genre or those who want to get their feet wet but don't know where to jump in.


3 The Age of Mythology

Do epic battle with creatures of myth and legend

while The Age of Mythology enjoyed a recent remake in Age of Mythology: Toldits controversial design decisions mean it's probably best to stick with the original, even though it wasn't released until 2002. However, it holds up nicely as a strategy game that's all about making decisions in the moment. with zero grinding.

The Age of Mythology innovated from its historical predecessors and decided to infuse the RTS genre with mythological creatures and perks. Playing as Norsemen, Greeks or Egyptians, players can build a battle force full of strange creatures and abilities powered by a selection of gods, creating a fascinating and unique experience when those forces collide with each other on the field.


2 Warcraft 3: Reign Of Chaos

The best story in all RTS

Widely considered to be one of the best RTS games ever created, Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos took everything the RTS genre had done up until 2002 and perfected it, resulting in an amazing gameplay loop set in an infamous campaign that sees the birth of one of the most prolific MMOs of all time, World of Warcraft.

While its gameplay is strong, it's hard to overstate how brilliant a story the fall of Arthas leading to the rise of the Lich King is. Any players who are fans of epic fantasy stories, even those who don't like it World of Warcraft MMO, definitely should give Warcraft 3 a chance for his campaign if nothing else. While the recent remaster made solid strides to recover from its terrible release, playing a pre-Refired the patch still provides the best experience.


1 Age Of Empires 2

The greatest of all time

Nothing beats the original. Although far from the first RTS, Age of Empires 2 perfected the RTS genre to such an extent in 1999 that it's still played to this day, thanks in part to a fantastic 2019 remaster that was extremely faithful to the source and worked flawlessly upon release.

Players take control of a variety of historical civilizations and are placed on an even larger variety of large-scale maps to see them through – not to mention the game's brutally challenging campaign mode. With a multitude of game modes, even more ways to strategize, and a still-vibrant multiplayer community, Age of Empires 2 it's the platonic ideal of a zero-smashing strategy game that still holds up to this day.


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