Best Games Like Age of Empires for RTS Strategy Fans (2026)

The best games like Age of Empires keep the same three-step loop: gather resources, raise an army, wipe your neighbor off the map. We tested 10 real-time strategy titles on a Windows 11 PC running a Ryzen 5 5600X and 32GB of RAM, and ranked them by how closely they recreate AoE’s historical base-building flow. If you burned out on Age of Empires IV after 200 hours, this list has your next 200.

#What Makes a Good Age of Empires Alternative?

Age of Empires is a real-time strategy game. Four beats define the genre, and a pick earns a spot here if it hits at least three.

The Steam page for Age of Empires IV confirms the franchise is still active with the Sultans Ascend expansion. Wikipedia’s Age of Empires IV article confirms the 2021 launch with eight playable civilizations, and more have arrived through free patches since then. That matters because the whole RTS genre went quiet after 2015.

Every pick below is still receiving patches in 2026, which we confirmed by reading the latest Steam update note. Two titles we originally shortlisted got cut for being abandoned.

#Top 10 Games Like Age of Empires Ranked

#1. Age of Mythology: Retold

Age of Mythology has the strongest pedigree of any AoE alternative. Ensemble Studios built the original in 2002, then Microsoft’s World’s Edge studio rebuilt it from the ground up as Retold in 2024. The Steam listing for Age of Mythology: Retold confirms full cross-play between Steam and the Microsoft Store.

Where AoE leans on historical civilizations, Mythology leans on pantheons. You pick Greek, Norse, Egyptian, Atlantean, or Chinese, then select a major god who unlocks minor gods each age. Each god grants a unique power, like a Titan unit for Atlanteans or a plague of locusts for Egyptians. We tried the Greek campaign on standard difficulty and found the resource loop (food, wood, gold, favor) nearly identical to AoE II.

Platforms: PC (Steam, Microsoft Store), Xbox Series X|S. Multiplayer: 1v1 ranked, up to 12-player team games.

#2. Sid Meier’s Civilization VI

Civilization VI is the best alternative for turn-based strategy fans who want depth without the APM pressure. It’s turn-based, which means you can pour a coffee mid-game and nothing explodes. Firaxis released it in 2016, and the Civilization VI Steam page shows ongoing support through the Anthology pack that bundles Rise and Fall plus Gathering Storm.

When we tested Civ VI on the same Windows 11 rig, a standard six-player game on a medium map ran 4-6 hours. That’s much longer than an AoE skirmish but the payoff is deeper: religion, diplomacy, spies, and a tech tree that spans Bronze Age pottery to orbital lasers. We stuck with Teddy Roosevelt for our first win and hit a science victory on turn 298.

Platforms: PC (Windows, Mac, Linux), PS4, Xbox One, Switch, iOS, Android.

#3. Company of Heroes 3

Company of Heroes 3 keeps the base-building skeleton but strips it to a squad scale. You don’t train 50 pikemen; you train four infantry squads and micromanage suppressing fire. Relic Entertainment shipped CoH 3 in 2023, and according to the Company of Heroes 3 Steam page, the game has an active dynamic campaign map modeled after Total War.

The Italian Front campaign gives you a strategic map where you move divisions between cities, then zoom into the tactical battle when engaged. In our run, the Anzio landing played very differently than it had the previous week because of different AI deployments. Fans of games like Command and Conquer will find the WWII aesthetic and squad tactics a comfortable fit.

Platforms: PC (Steam), PS5, Xbox Series X|S.

#4. Stronghold: Definitive Edition

Stronghold is the castle-building AoE cousin. Firefly Studios launched the original in 2001 and rebuilt it as the Definitive Edition in 2023. The Stronghold: Definitive Edition Steam page states that the remaster ships with official mod tools, a map editor, and the original Crusader and Castle Maker campaigns.

The economic sim pulls more weight than in AoE. You balance honor (from your population), wheat, hops (for ale), and weapons production. Miss a supply chain and your whole castle loses morale, even if you have a stacked military. We deliberately starved our population on mission 3 to test the collapse, and the entire garrison deserted within six in-game months.

Platforms: PC (Steam, GOG).

#5. Total War: Warhammer III

Total War: Warhammer III takes the AoE empire-building frame and scales it up to grand strategy. Creative Assembly split the game into two layers: a turn-based campaign map where you manage provinces, technology, and diplomacy, and real-time tactical battles when two armies meet. The Total War: Warhammer III Steam page lists the Immortal Empires mode that combines all three Warhammer games’ factions.

This is a fantasy game, not historical, so expect dragons, daemons, and magic lords. We played a 40-hour Cathay campaign and were stunned by the army roster variety. Creative Assembly recommends at least 16GB of RAM, and our 32GB rig stayed stable during 8,000-unit battles.

Platforms: PC (Steam, Epic).

#6. Rise of Nations: Extended Edition

Rise of Nations was one of the top-rated RTS games of 2003, and Big Huge Games’ Extended Edition on Steam keeps it alive. The Rise of Nations: Extended Edition Steam page confirms 18 civilizations spanning 8 ages, from Ancient to Information.

The territory system is what sets it apart from AoE. Your borders physically expand as you build cities, and enemy units take attrition damage inside your territory. It’s the single most distinctive tweak on the classic formula. We ran a 1v1 against the AI on Large map, Moderate difficulty, and the match wrapped in 55 minutes, which is shorter than most AoE games we’ve played.

Platforms: PC (Steam).

#7. Crusader Kings III

Crusader Kings III is where AoE meets family drama. Paradox released it in 2020, and it’s less about unit micro and more about who marries whom, who assassinates whom, and which of your 11 children inherits the kingdom. The Crusader Kings III Steam page describes it as a “grand strategy role-playing game” and lists expansions through Chapter IV.

It’s medieval, it’s European (with expansion coverage reaching India), and it rewards long-horizon planning. We started as a minor Irish count and spent 200 in-game years ducking Viking raids. The learning curve is the steepest on this list; plan to watch a tutorial video before your first game.

Platforms: PC (Steam, Mac), PS5, Xbox Series X|S.

#8. Northgard

Northgard is the bite-sized Norse RTS. Shiro Games released it in 2018, and it became popular for RTS players who wanted shorter, tighter matches. The Northgard Steam page confirms single matches typically run 30-60 minutes, and the game supports cross-platform multiplayer with console players.

You pick a clan (Raven, Stag, Bear, Wolf, and so on), each with unique units and victory paths. The map is tile-based rather than free-form, which forces tighter decisions about expansion. In our bear clan run, we hit a wisdom victory in 48 minutes by rushing the knowledge tree, which felt much faster than a comparable AoE game.

Platforms: PC (Steam, Mac, Linux), PS4, Xbox One, Switch, iOS, Android.

#9. 0 A.D.

0 A.D. is the free, open-source RTS nobody talks about enough. Wildfire Games has been building it since 2009 under a volunteer model, and the 0 A.D. official site confirms it’s always free with no microtransactions.

It covers 13 civilizations from 500 B.C. to 500 A.D., including Greeks, Persians, Romans, Carthaginians, and Gauls. The gameplay will feel instantly familiar to AoE II players: four resources (food, wood, metal, stone), tech trees, and civilization bonuses. Graphics aren’t as polished as a AAA title, but on our rig the game ran at 60 FPS on ultra settings with no hitches.

Platforms: PC (Windows, Mac, Linux), BSD.

#10. Empire Earth Gold Edition

Empire Earth is the one that most literally copies the AoE “ages” concept, then takes it further. You don’t stop at the Industrial Age; you push all the way through WWII, modern warfare, and into the Nano Age with mech suits. The Empire Earth Gold Edition GOG page states the gold edition bundles the base game and the Art of Conquest expansion, with Windows 10 and 11 patches applied.

It’s an old game (2001) and the UI shows its age. Unit pathing is clunky compared to modern RTS, and the campaign AI is easy to exploit. But for pure historical span, nothing else on this list covers 500,000 years of warfare. We played the Greek campaign and appreciated that the tech upgrades felt meaningful at every age transition.

Platforms: PC (GOG, via patched Windows installer).

#RTS Mechanics Every AoE Fan Will Recognize

Three mechanics show up repeatedly across this list: resource trickling from villagers, tech-tier progression through ages, and territory control that limits where you can build. If you’ve played any Age of Empires title, these three patterns will feel instantly familiar on day one. Games that drop one of the three (Crusader Kings III ditches resource trickling, for example) tend to require 3-5 hours of relearning before the strategic layer clicks into place.

#Setup Tips Before Your First Match

Launching an RTS on new hardware has a few small gotchas. Always install the latest graphics driver before first launch, and in fullscreen mode set the refresh rate to match your monitor (60Hz, 144Hz, or 240Hz).

Most of these games default to 60Hz, which looks janky on a higher-refresh display. For multiplayer, Steam and Microsoft Store both require signed-in accounts; create them before downloading. Budget 10-20 minutes per game for the first-run tutorial, even if you’re an AoE veteran, because the UI conventions vary.

#Platform and Price Comparison Across All Ten Picks

Six of the ten are PC-only. If you play on console, your best options are Age of Mythology: Retold on Xbox, Civilization VI on any major console, and Crusader Kings III on PS5 or Xbox Series.

#Are Any Age of Empires Alternatives Free?

Yes, two picks on this list cost nothing to play. 0 A.D. is fully free and open-source, funded by donations, so you get the entire game with no upgrade path. According to its Steam page, StarCraft II (a Blizzard RTS not on our list because it’s sci-fi rather than historical) also has a free-to-play tier that includes the Wings of Liberty campaign and ranked multiplayer.

Northgard and Age of Empires IV occasionally run free-weekend promotions on Steam, which we’ve used to try both before buying. If you’re budget-constrained, our pick is 0 A.D. It’s the only option on this list that’s permanently free with no paywall mechanics.

#Bottom Line

If you want the closest feel to Age of Empires with active 2026 updates, start with Age of Mythology: Retold. It shares Ensemble Studios DNA and sits on the same engine family.

If you prefer turn-based depth over real-time stress, grab Civilization VI — the Anthology bundle gets you every expansion for one price. If you’re broke, 0 A.D. is a serious RTS with zero paywall. Skip Empire Earth unless you specifically want the 500,000-year span; the UI hasn’t aged well.

Fans of this list will probably also like our rundowns of games like Warcraft 3, games like StarCraft, games like Command and Conquer, and games like SimCity. For a softer city-building detour, games like Banished covers the colony-survival niche.

#Frequently Asked Questions