Real-time strategy games (RTS) often bring to mind a player who furiously presses and clicks away at their computer, waving his mouse like a fencer competing for Olympic gold. So when a developer makes an RTS game for Android, they need to be creative as the player usually only has a touch screen to interact with the game. Some developers are working on copying the PC experience with creative user interfaces and buttons. Other games are built from the ground up with touch screen control in mind.
There is also the challenge of making sure you can get a decent game on your morning commute. Some of these games solve this by splitting a massive campaign into small chunks, while others offer games that last a few minutes. While some of these games include online multiplayer, check out our list of the best online multiplayer Android games if you’re looking for a purely competitive gaming experience instead.
Rome: Total War
The Total War series is one of the most enduring RTS franchises ever. Rome: Total War is the third game in the series and was originally released on PC in 2004. The Android port for this game is a beautiful example of a complex RTS adapted for mobile gaming. It’s remarkably easy to command hundreds of soldiers from your phone, and it never feels clumsy to play.
Rome: Total War gives you control over one of nineteen factions. During your campaign you will try to conquer Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. While the massive RTS battles are the center of the game, a thoughtful turn-based campaign gives the player room to reflect and plan strategies before their next conquest.
2. Bad North: Jotunn Edition
Bad North gives you control of an island kingdom during the siege of Viking invaders. In an attempt to lead your people to safety, you jump between a series of breathtaking procedurally generated islands and battle waves of ax-swinging looters as you advance through the campaign. Missions are long enough to make the victory feel well-deserved, but short enough to hold your attention.
Before each mission starts, you place your troops around the island and issue orders. No microcontroller here: each device is smart enough to interpret your orders as they feel best. Do not be disarmed by the charming aesthetics, within minutes you will be deep to the knee in Viking blood while frantically issuing orders to defend your country.
Company of Heroes
Like Rome: Total War, Company of Heroes is a PC classic. In many ways, it’s the most impressive RTS port on this list, as it’s a challenging task for developers on any platform to micromaneuver troops while staying aware of the wider battle. Company of Heroes is also not just a direct gateway, many features have been rebuilt for a smoother mobile experience.
The Company of Heroes campaign puts you in the place of the US Army as they move into Europe during World War II. Throughout the campaign, you will interact with a variety of troops and vehicles to reach your goals. In addition to this, it includes a skirmish game mode where you can choose your faction to strike out in one-on-one matches. Even better, 2022 will see it adding multiplayerso you can meet friends and strangers in clashes.
4. Kingdom: Two Crowns
Kingdom: Two Crowns is a minimalist side-scrolling RTS. It is straightforward to learn and play; a quick tutorial teaches players the essentials of building their kingdom before unleashing them. Although brutal at times, it is surprisingly forgiving. Rebuilding your kingdom after each defeat is an essential part of the gameplay loop, so you never feel like you have worked hard for nothing.
When you start a game of Kingdom: Two Crowns, you are greeted with bare bones from a kingdom. After assigning henchmen to perform important tasks such as hunting and woodcarving, you begin to build your defenses. Every night comes with a wave of strangely sweet evil called Greed, whose sole purpose is to plunder your kingdom for all it’s worth. Kingdom: Two Crowns is a slow burning of a game, ideal for a player looking for a more casual approach to the RTS genre.
5. Nordgård
Northgard is reminiscent of games like Age of Empires. Gameplay is about managing your resources to grow your settlement and sending waves of troops to conquer enemy territory. The focus here is on careful management of a few units rather than large-scale combat.
While Northgard includes a campaign that introduces players to the main factions, it is multiplayer where this game shines. You can choose whether you want to play against AI or go into online multiplayer to go head-to-head with other players. Each faction provides a fundamentally different approach to gameplay, and while Northgard is easy to learn, it will take a while before you will regularly achieve victory. Do not let Northgard’s relentless nature deter you, it’s easily one of the most rewarding RTS games available for Android.
6. Plague Inc.
Plague Inc. offers the player a simple goal: to wipe out the world’s population with a deadly disease. But achieving this goal is a big challenge. Plague Inc. is a complex game that rewards planning and careful maneuvering to achieve victory. Failing several times in a row is a transition ritual for newcomers, but when you finally see the last person succumb to your illness, you will be itchy after doing it all over again.
Once you have chosen the type of disease you want to use, you will use the game to research fresh new features for your disease. These are categorized into transmission methods, symptoms, and abilities. Development and implementation of new features must be done carefully. Once your illness is noticed, it is a race against the clock before a cure is developed.
7. Element
Element was designed from scratch to be quick to pick up and play. While the gameplay follows a classic RTS formula (gather resources to build troops to defeat your opponent), the battles are designed to be completed within minutes. But while many games advertise the same advantage, Elements’ strength lies in its flawless execution.
Element is not an easy game. While the options available to the player are kept to a minimum (there are only four types of building / units to construct in a game), it takes some practice to use them properly. While there is a short period of “peaceful” setup, the turning point of a game is often reached in less than a minute. And if you fail, it only takes seconds to get started with a new game.
8. space capsule
space capsule is difficult to define. It’s a base builder, a puzzle, and a tower defense in one. But it’s not the carefully designed gameplay or the relaxing music that got me hooked. Instead, it was when I got upset that one of my anonymous white rectangles was zapped by a flying red triangle. space capsule is elegantly designed, ingeniously executed and knows that you do not need fancy graphics or complex features for a great RTS.
A game of space capsule follows a simple premise: Build your base, investigate monoliths, and defend yourself against murderous triangles. While the focus is on building your base to your liking, your plans will collapse without careful resource management and corridor planning. It is ideal for those who just like to be rewarded for building their perfect base.
These RTS games for Android promise players endless hours of strategy building, base building and rewarding combat. See our list of the best Android games of 2022 when you’re ready to try something new.
Read Next
About the author
