Best Real-Time Games on Steam
Steam currently has 515 Real-Time games available to download and play. Explore our list of the best picks ranked by Player Score. Our Player Score rankings are calculated directly from reviews left on the Steam store and will be updated in real-time as more players leave their feedback. Real-Time game rankings were last updated on 11/4/2024.
Looking for more? Explore other lists such as:
- Free real-time games on Steam
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- Free Steam games
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1. Stronghold Crusader HD
The highly anticipated sequel to the best-selling Stronghold, Stronghold Crusader HD throws you into historic battles and castle sieges from the Crusades with fiendish AI opponents, new units, 4 historical campaigns and over 100 unique skirmish missions.
Stronghold Crusader HD holds the #1 spot for "best Real-Time game on Steam" with a Player Score of 95. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 18,622 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 18,176 positive reviews and 446 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $9.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Stronghold Crusader HD on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Steam Price | $9.99 |
| Release Date | 10/21/2013 |
| Franchise | Firefly Studios |
| Developer | FireFly Studios |
| Publisher | FireFly Studios |
| Steam App Id | 40970 |
2. Age of Empires II (Retired)
Age of Empires II has been re-imagined in high definition. With the release of Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, this product will not be updated further.
Age of Empires II (Retired) has achieved a Player Score of 94, placing it in the #2 spot for the best Real-Time games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 100,395 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 96,147 positive reviews and 4,248 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $19.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
| Steam Price | $19.99 |
| Release Date | 4/9/2013 |
| Franchise | Age of Empires Franchise |
| Developers | |
| Publisher | Xbox Game Studios |
| Steam App Id | 221380 |
3. Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance
The last days of man are at hand.. Two years after the Infinite War the once great warring nations now lie in ruins, and humanity’s hope for a brighter future is nothing but a bitter memory. A new, seemingly unstoppable enemy, supported by the zealots of The Order, now seeks to eradicate mankind: UEF, Aeon Loyalist, and Cybran alike.
Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance has achieved a Player Score of 94, placing it in the #3 spot for the best Real-Time games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 13,017 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 12,606 positive reviews and 411 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $12.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is not possible to play or run Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance on the Steam Deck.
| Steam Price | $12.99 |
| Release Date | 9/29/2011 |
| Developer | Gas Powered Games |
| Publisher | Square Enix |
| Steam App Id | 9420 |
4. Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition
42 Civilizations, 229 Campaign Missions, Singleplayer, Co-Op, Multiplayer, In-Game Editor, Mods, Cross-play...It is good to be the king.
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition has achieved a Player Score of 94, placing it in the #4 spot for the best Real-Time games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 151,871 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 143,986 positive reviews and 7,885 negative reviews — making it "Very Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $34.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Steam Price | $34.99 |
| Release Date | 11/14/2019 |
| Franchise | Age of Empires Franchise |
| Developers | |
| Publisher | Xbox Game Studios |
| Steam App Id | 813780 |
5. Warhammer® 40,000: Dawn of War® - Dark Crusade
Deep under the central desert of Kronus, a vast honeycomb of skull-lined tunnels and funeral chambers house the awakening Necron menace. Eons ago, these were the boulevards and squares of a great necropolis built to house the bones of the races who had fallen to the Necrons, and ultimately were where the Necrons themselves retire to...
Warhammer® 40,000: Dawn of War® - Dark Crusade has achieved a Player Score of 94, placing it in the #5 spot for the best Real-Time games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 8,542 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 8,249 positive reviews and 293 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $0.00 to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Warhammer® 40,000: Dawn of War® - Dark Crusade on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Release Date | 8/7/2007 |
| Developer | Relic Entertainment |
| Publisher | SEGA |
| Steam App Id | 4580 |
6. Rusted Warfare - RTS
{{An RTS inspired by the classics of the past!}} Making up for it's subpar retro graphics with fun gameplay and modern multi-threaded tech enabling huge battles to run smooth... Featuring singleplayer challenges, skirmish, sandbox, 10-player multiplayer & workshop modding.
Rusted Warfare - RTS has achieved a Player Score of 93, placing it in the #6 spot for the best Real-Time games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 5,446 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 5,270 positive reviews and 176 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $4.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Rusted Warfare - RTS on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Steam Price | $4.99 |
| Release Date | 7/14/2017 |
| Developer | Corroding Games |
| Publisher | Corroding Games |
| Steam App Id | 647960 |
7. Creeper World 3: Arc Eternal
Creeper World 3 is what happens when cellular automata takes over a strategy simulation. Instead of discrete units that attack your base, a fluid-like substance spreads over the terraformable terrain. Your base, your weapons, your strategy... you must adapt them all.
Creeper World 3: Arc Eternal has achieved a Player Score of 93, placing it in the #7 spot for the best Real-Time games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 4,524 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 4,372 positive reviews and 152 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $14.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Creeper World 3: Arc Eternal on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Steam Price | $14.99 |
| Release Date | 3/27/2014 |
| Developer | Knuckle Cracker |
| Publisher | Knuckle Cracker |
| Steam App Id | 280220 |
8. Warhammer® 40,000: Dawn of War® - Soulstorm
The third and final expansion to the genre-defining and critically-acclaimed RTS, Dawn of War. In Soulstorm, two new armies are introduced – Sisters of Battle and Dark Eldar - raising the total number of playable armies to nine.
Warhammer® 40,000: Dawn of War® - Soulstorm has achieved a Player Score of 93, placing it in the #8 spot for the best Real-Time games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 16,661 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 15,889 positive reviews and 772 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $0.00 to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Warhammer® 40,000: Dawn of War® - Soulstorm on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Release Date | 3/5/2008 |
| Developer | Relic Entertainment |
| Publisher | SEGA |
| Steam App Id | 9450 |
9. Airships: Conquer the Skies
Construct mighty steampunk airships and fly them into battle, waging war and conquering the skies!
Airships: Conquer the Skies has achieved a Player Score of 93, placing it in the #9 spot for the best Real-Time games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 5,641 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 5,417 positive reviews and 224 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $24.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Airships: Conquer the Skies on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Steam Price | $24.99 |
| Release Date | 8/16/2018 |
| Franchise | David Stark |
| Developer | David Stark |
| Publisher | David Stark |
| Steam App Id | 342560 |
10. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Anniversary Edition
All of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War in one glorious package. Play the genre-defining classic real time strategy game in all its blood-soaked glory, including four complete campaigns and nine full-fledged factions.
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Anniversary Edition has achieved a Player Score of 92, placing it in the #10 spot for the best Real-Time games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 10,554 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 10,035 positive reviews and 519 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $34.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is not possible to play or run Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Anniversary Edition on the Steam Deck.
| Steam Price | $34.99 |
| Release Date | 8/7/2007 |
| Developer | Relic Entertainment |
| Publisher | SEGA |
| Steam App Id | 4570 |
More Real-Time Games
Explore even more rankings for the 100 best Real-Time games available on Steam.
| Image | Name | Actions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 690 | 10/21/2013 | 95 | $9.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 2,274 | 4/9/2013 | 94 | $19.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 447 | 9/29/2011 | 94 | $12.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 11,979 | 11/14/2019 | 94 | $34.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 238 | 8/7/2007 | 94 | ??? | Steam Charts | |
| 127 | 7/14/2017 | 93 | $4.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 118 | 3/27/2014 | 93 | $14.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 592 | 3/5/2008 | 93 | ??? | Steam Charts | |
| 34 | 8/16/2018 | 93 | $24.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 74 | 8/7/2007 | 92 | $34.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 415 | 6/12/2014 | 92 | $19.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 608 | 5/8/2014 | 91 | $29.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 158 | 6/12/2012 | 91 | $19.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 11 | 11/11/2015 | 91 | $9.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 10 | 4/11/2012 | 91 | $14.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 3 | 1/27/2014 | 90 | $1.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 38 | 4/27/2018 | 90 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 139 | 8/20/2015 | 89 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 248 | 1/5/2012 | 89 | $39.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 21 | 4/24/2018 | 89 | $17.99 | Steam Charts |
Soures & References
Steambase has best-in-class data powered directly by Steam, our data partners, and in-house experts. Reviews and rankings are enriched, analyzed, and updated in real-time to ensure we surface the most up-to-date insights. Learn more about the Steambase approach to data collection and our review methodology.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, November 4). Steam Store. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, November 4). Stronghold Crusader HD on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, August 29). Age of Empires II (Retired) on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, November 17). Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, November 19). Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, November 16). Warhammer® 40,000: Dawn of War® - Dark Crusade on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, November 18). Rusted Warfare - RTS on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, October 16). Creeper World 3: Arc Eternal on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, September 28). Warhammer® 40,000: Dawn of War® - Soulstorm on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, November 18). Airships: Conquer the Skies on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, November 15). Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Anniversary Edition on Steam. Steam Store.