Top 5 Best PC Strategy Games

Welcome to my list of top strategy games for the PC. I've enjoyed strategy games for many years now, and I decided to make this list of my favorites to let you know of some good ones, if you also enjoy this type of game. A lot of these are older, and the graphics are a bit dated, but good gameplay makes up for any defects, in my opinion. These are just my selections, and my list is probably different from just about everyone else's. You can check out some other peoples' lists via the links below.

Metacritic - The Best and Worst PC Strategy Games

Best PC Strategy Games of the Past

Age of Empires was the first strategy game I ever bought. In fact, I bought it before my family even had a computer, I was so excited about it! (I knew we were getting one soon, and I didn't want to wait to play it.) It set the bar high in a lot of ways, from the epic campaign to the large number of varied units, to the excellent (for the time) multiplayer options. I also loved how the age system worked, and it was great to get access to better units and upgrades as your civilization advanced. Even after all the sequels and spinoffs in the series, I think the original retains its spot as a classic in RTS history.

While the original Warcraft and Warcraft III were both great games, my favorite in this series is Warcraft 2. The setting for this gmae is so simple, but so great at the same time. I can't exactly put my finger on why, but it just seemed like the perfect game for when I started playing it. The graphics, though they may be a little cartoony by today's standards, make me all nostalgic. I spent many hours in epic battles between orcs and humans, and I loved every minute. I think this title introduced a lot of people to the RTS genre, and it's place in this list, as well as many others, is well deserved.

Stronghold Legends is something of an anomaly in the venerable Stronghold series. The other games are known for their historical settings and general accuracy. This one however, takes a slightly different approach. Stronghold Legends is based on the mythologies of real nations, instead of the nations themselves. There are three factions, each with a few unique units, and all of the great castle-building action that you expect from a Stronghold title. Except with dragons. And wizards. And werewolves. And frost giants. And... you get the idea. This is a really great game, especially if you like castle building games or fantasy settings.

Rise of Legends is a great strategy game with a lot of depth to it. There are three factions, 2 of them magical and one with more of a steampunk feel to it. You can recruit heroes, who are extra powerful units, to help you beat down your enemies. One thing of note with this game is the great soundtrack. The music is all good, and it changes as you move into battle or build additional towns or what have you. This is also one of the few games where the AI is really, really good. Even an experienced player will have trouble with the higher difficulty settings, which is not true of many games.

I know what you're thinking: "Yeah, I saw that game on the shelves, like 10 years ago, but I didn't think anyone bought it." well you're kind of right. It didn't do great commercially, but that doesn't stop it from being one of the best strategy games ever. I really do love everything about this game, from the setting and factions to the gameplay. It's too bad that Cavedog went under, because I would have loved to see a sequel to this game. It was overlooked by a lot of players, but I feel that it really shouldn't have been. The gameplay is realatively simple, with only one resource to manage, but the tactical side of the game is second to none. Added to which is the fact that each faction is completely unique, with it's own strengths and weaknesses, which is not true of many games in this genre. This game is the best.