As much as I love classics such as Command and Conquer or Total Annihilation, there’s only one true pick when it comes to the best RTS games of all time. StarCraft 2 and its predecessor are sublime strategy games unlike no other, whether you’re playing through their expansive, inventive campaigns, stomping computer opponents in single-player or co-op skirmishes, or taking on the world in competitive multiplayer. Now, you’ll finally be able to experience them in all their glory via Microsoft’s Game Pass library. As Tychus would say: “Hell, it’s about time.”
The original 1998 StarCraft and its Brood War expansion set a new standard for what RTS games could be, both in their campaigns and their competitive multiplayer. But it was with StarCraft 2 that the series really pushed the bar. Originally released as three standalone games – Wings of Liberty, Heart of the Swarm, and Legacy of the Void – Blizzard eventually brought them all together into one immense package packed with stuff to do.
If you’re a competitive RTS fan, I probably don’t need to sell you on StarCraft. But if you’re mainly a single-player strategy game enthusiast, I really can’t recommend them enough. Their campaigns are essential, packed with boundless mission variety and meaningful upgrades that allow you to adopt your tactics in dramatic fashion. You can even adjust the game speed to your liking, so if you struggle to keep up when it all kicks off then there’s nothing to fear.
The StarCraft games will always be deeply important to me, cementing my enthusiasm for the genre and encouraging me to branch out from my early fumbles with their single-player modes into blasting through enemy CPUs in co-op, and eventually to the wilds of the multiplayer ladder. Their three incredibly distinct factions were a revelation in asymmetric design, and learning each feels almost like playing three completely separate games.
While the likes of Stormgate and Tempest Rising are working hard to bring back that brand of classic RTS, I’ve always quietly held out hope for new StarCraft. While there’s no indication of that yet, this latest move from Microsoft has me praying that perhaps – just perhaps – we might not have seen the last of the Terran, Zerg, and Protoss.
StarCraft Remastered and StarCraft 2 will join the Xbox and PC Game Pass library on Tuesday November 5. You’ll be able to play them as long as you have an active subscription.
If that’s not enough to keep you busy, take to the stars in the best space games, or look back to the days of old with even more classic PC games you can still play in 2024.
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