RTS Games Online: Gather, Build and Command Units
Updated
RTS stands for real-time strategy: you gather resources, build up an army and give orders to many units at once, and the other side does the same without waiting for your turn. Below is what the term covers, and browser games that use the loop, from full mining economies to lighter games where you only deploy units.
What RTS means
Wikipedia's article on real-time strategy describes the genre as managing resources and commanding units to achieve objectives continuously in real time, with no turns. It lists resource gathering, base building, technology and indirect control of units as the typical parts. You mostly scroll the screen and give orders with the mouse, and dragging a box selects every unit inside it.
| Part | What it means in play |
|---|---|
| Real time | Everyone acts at once and the clock does not wait for you |
| Economy | You gather resources such as gold to pay for everything else |
| Base building | You place structures that train units or defend the camp |
| Units | You give orders to troops instead of steering one hero |
| Selection | You pick one unit or a group, often by dragging a box |
| Micro and macro | Micro is orders to single units in a fight, macro is the economy and the big plan |
Gather, build and command
The full loop: workers earn, the money buys units, and the units push the enemy back.
- Battle of the Match Man puts you in command of the Stick Kingdom's army. You train miners to collect gold first, then spend the income on shields, archers, barbarians and mages, build a defense tower from the stones the miners bring and upgrade every unit and building. It plays with a click or a tap.
- Stickboy War has you mine gold, hire miners, shielders, archers and explosive units, and upgrade them to break through enemy gates and capture castles. It has 10+ campaign levels, and each level introduces new units. You tap or click to hire and place units and drag to position your army.
- Wars Island Management asks you to forge an army from scratch: build and train troops, fortify defenses, manage resources, develop new technologies and launch attacks on rival armies.
- Army Command sets one goal, to capture the enemy flag by building your soldiers and stations. It plays with the mouse.
Select a crowd and send it
Here the skill is in picking the right units and sending them together.
- Oib.io lets you select one unit with a left click, several by dragging, or all of them with the space bar, and send them with a right click. WASD or the arrow keys move the camera. You spawn, regroup and split your army and protect your queen, and you can rally to allies or rule alone on the map.
- Age of Defense 3 is a real-time strategy game about a war between cavemen. Select units with the left mouse button to send them out, scroll the map with A and D or the arrow keys and lead your people to the enemy base.
- Takeover is a real-time strategy game in which you lead one of 3 nations in the battle for the Rivadis Empire. It has a built-in tutorial.
Deploy units from cards and lanes
Some games trim the economy and keep the fight: you pick the unit and you pick the moment.
- Battle of Orcs and Clash of Skulls call themselves real-time strategy unit deployment games. You destroy the opponent's base by deploying units, and you tap cards to do it.
- Armour Crush is a tank deployment game. Deploy at least 3 tanks to advance on the enemy base, dragging cards on desktop and mobile.
- Jungle Fight gives you an army of animals with unique abilities. Choose a skill, tap a lane to release the animal onto the board and drain the opponent's health.
- Evolution Era starts in a primitive society and moves through the ages as you upgrade your skills and warriors. Summon units to defend your base and send them against enemy strongholds.
Tower defense, where towers do the fighting, has its own guide: tower defense tips.
Habits that win RTS games
- Build the economy first. In Battle of the Match Man you train miners before units, and in Stickboy War you mine gold before you hire an army.
- Send groups, not single units. Oib.io lets you select a whole group at once.
- Match the unit to the moment. The description of Battle of Orcs says to try different combinations of units and pick the right ones at the right time.
- Use the selection keys. In Oib.io the space bar selects all units, and a ctrl-click adds or removes one.
- Keep a guard at home. Stickboy War tells you to defend your camp, and Oib.io tells you to protect your queen.
- Upgrade what you already have. Battle of the Match Man asks you to upgrade every unit and building, and Stickboy War has an upgrade system for its units.
RTS games FAQ
What does RTS mean in games?
Real-time strategy. You manage resources and command units continuously in real time instead of taking turns.
What is the difference between RTS and turn-based strategy?
In an RTS everyone acts at the same time. In turn-based strategy players take turns, so you can think as long as you like. Both kinds are compared in strategy games online.
Are there multiplayer RTS games online?
Oib.io and Jungle Fight are in the multiplayer games category, and their descriptions talk about allies and opposing players. The other descriptions above do not mention other players.
Can I play RTS games in the browser on a phone?
Several of them. Battle of Orcs and Clash of Skulls are played by tapping cards, and Armour Crush lists mobile controls. The site works in the browser of a phone, a tablet and a computer.
Castles to build and defend are in kingdom games online, and more armies to command are in the strategy games collection.
