Civilization V gives players the means of feeling like a king of queen. Players will build large scale cities and spread their influences across the land. Will you focus on discovering new and unexplored lands or will you create large scale armies to fight any threat? The choice is yours in Civilization V. Now then, rule the land whichever you want to engrave your name in the annals of time.

The Total War series gives players a unique way of controlling war and how a battle plays out. While Civilization V is less geared towards war, it does allow players a similar freedom of choice. Civilization V plays out in a turn based manner where players must make decisions each turn. This will lead to players gaining new lands, building new cities and or gaining stronger armies. Civilization V might not be a typical RTS by definition but it does contain elements of gameplay found in Total War and for that we definitely feel it’s a solid way to start off our list of games like Total War.

Have you ever wanted to control some of the most famous warriors from the legends? Are you prepared to control characters like Joan of Arc or the infamous Genghis Khan? Well then, you’re in luck as Age of Empire II HD Edition is the title for you. Play in one of several campaigns to build your armies and conquer the lands. With updated visuals, gameplay and sound Age of Empires II HD Edition is the RTS you’ve been wanting to play.

When Age of Empires first release back in 1999 it was quite well received. Like some of the Total War games, Age of Empires II HD Edition gives players armies from the dark ages to control over. The fact that the story mode allowed you to choose several heroes to play as really gives Age of Empires II HD Edition some longevity. The amount of detail that Ensemble Studios—the creators of Age of Empires II HD Edition—put into this game is just mind blowing and you’ll notice it as soon as you enter your first skirmish. We knew that we had to have Age of Empires II HD Edition on our list of 6 Games Like Total War.

Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos acts as a prequel title to the Warcraft franchise. In Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos we are introduced to the Burning Legion and what they wish to accomplish in the world. Dreaming of their potential onslaught an orc leader known as Thrall heeds the dream as a message to prepare for war. With his massive orc army, Thrall begins to get ready for the battle that will lead the series to its proper beginnings. If you’ve ever wanted more Warcraft lore and wanted to see where the series began proper, you’ll want to play Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos.

It’s safe to say that most RTS players know about the incredible Warcraft series. However, with Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos being 15 years old now it’s very possible that someone may have not even realized it existed. Similar to the Total War series, Warcraft III; Reign of Chaos gives players a large scale army and tasks them to defeat their enemies either on a single player campaign or multiplayer. Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos may be an older title but seeing as how you can still hop online and play against others shows that this RTS title is loved just as much as the Total War series.

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty takes place 4 years after the Brood War has finally come to a climax. With the power being held within Kerrigan’s hands instead of using it to seal the fate of the Koprulu, she instead backs off. This move left the Protoss the means of regaining strength. Meanwhile the once powerful Dominion forces have found their forces diminished. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty’s story will focus on the remaining powers and what each side wishes to do in order to gain control of the galaxy.

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty has always been the shining example of how to do a RTS game right. Once more fans will get to enjoy playing as three factions—the Protoss, Terrann and Zerg—in various campaigns or online. Like Total War, StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty puts heavy emphasis on giving you the means of controlling armies and giving you freedom to command them as you see fit. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty looks incredible and plays just as well. Seriously, you can’t consider yourself a RTS player if you haven’t at least tried out StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. We’re not being serious with that line but you’re missing out on one of the best RTS games ever if you don’t give it a shot.

Soviet General Nikolai Krukov of the Allied Nation alongside Colonel Anatoly Cherdenko are facing defeat in World War II. With their backs to the wall they decide to do the unthinkable. Both men are able to acquire a time machine and thus are able to rewrite history. However, as Nikolai and Anatoly are about to learn, their altercation has had dire consequences. The war hasn’t ended but now has shifted to being a three way battle for world domination. Who will win now is up to you in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3.

Total War has been around in the RTS world for quite some time but equally Command & Conquer has been as well. What we here at Honey’s Anime always loved about Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 is the epic story and great RTS gameplay. Cutscenes aren’t your run of the mill in game graphic scenes but instead uses real life actors and actresses—some of which are quite famous—to explain the story presented. Even now Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 happens to be one of our favorite RTS games of all time and we know we aren’t alone in that thought process. If you haven’t tried it out yourself and you love games like Total War, then we highly recommend picking this up as soon as possible.

Taking place nearly three decades after the first Halo Wars, Halo Wars 2 focuses on a new story. The Spirit of Fire has been deemed a lost ship but in reality has been floating in space for years. The onboard AI has become rampant—a term to explain an AI living too long after their inception—and the ship’s crew who were in cryosleep awaken. Captain James Cutter and Professor Anders along with the crew, find themselves at the so called Ark. It is here that the Halo Rings were created and it seems like an alien race has invaded the ark known as the Banished. If the crew wants to survive to see about going home, they will need to fight against the leader named Atriox and somehow win.

We have no arrived at our final entry in our 6 Games Like Total War list with Halo Wars 2. The first Halo Wars title was a large departure from the Halo series focusing on RTS mechanics over FPS gameplay. Halo Wars 2 is no different but developers 343 Industries and Creative Assembly listened to the fans of the first entry and made sure to implement better designs in Halo Wars 2. With an awesome story and some incredible RTS gameplay, Halo Wars 2 is a must own for those who love not only the Halo franchise and want more out of it but for those who need a solid RTS title to enjoy.