5 Best RTS Games on Xbox Game Pass (2024)

Xbox gamers know there's something special about planning a move, making quick decisions, and seeing it all come to life on the screen. That's the magic of Real-Time Strategy (RTS) games. While these games were once more common on PCs, now Xbox fans are getting more and more of them to enjoy. Thanks to the Xbox Game Pass, there's a whole collection of these games ready to be played. Some are perfect for gamers who've loved RTS games for years, while others are great for newcomers. Want to know which ones are the best? You're in the right place. Here are the five best RTS Games on Xbox Game Pass.

5. Brutal Legend

Brutal Legend is an action-strategy game that puts the player in the boots of Eddie Riggs, a roadie who fights within a fantasy world inspired by rock music. Players lead Eddie on the battlefield where they fight their enemies directly while commanding groups of units to attack, to defend, and conquer. It lets a player call upon new structures and powerful abilities through guitar solos, adding an extra layer of strategy on battles themselves. In short, it actually aims to govern troops, protect bases, and defeat enemy forces with a combination of strategic thinking and smart moves.

The units that one may employ in the game come from a rock theme, such as headbangers and fire-wielding fighters. These units all share many various abilities. The gamers build up their armies, collect their resources, and coordinate their attacks to take down opponents. The battles range from small skirmishes to big, epic fights, thereby ensuring gamers are kept captivated with the combination of action and tactics within this game. In short, Brutal Legend is an exciting game as fantasy, strategy, and the power of heavy metal music are all expressed in every single battle.

4. Halo Wars 2

Halo Wars 2 is a real-time strategy game, which is based on the universe of Halo. The players will be commanding armies against each other in large-scale battle environments. This is about managing your resources to build bases and deploying different units for fighting against the enemy forces. The players gather resources for the buildings they will create and train their soldiers, vehicles, and air units. So, quick decisions have to be made regarding capturing areas, defending bases, and fighting the enemies in real-time.

One of the unique features of Halo Wars 2 includes commanders whom you can choose and deploy in the battle field with their unique abilities. There could be an ability that would deploy troops for healing, or to launch a devastating attack, or boosting the strength of troops. You will have to face challenges through the rich variety in the missions like defend those strategic points, destroy the leadership, and so on. That mix of strategy, unit management, and battlefield tactics made Halo Wars 2 an exciting experience in the world of RTS games.

3. Dungeons 4

In Dungeons 4, the player becomes the evil overlord who is constructing an underground dungeon empire. The basic objective is to expand their dungeon by gathering resources, recruiting minions, and setting up defenses that will ward off invading heroes. The way to do that is by placing rooms, constructing traps, and assigning minions to defend your base. Apart from that, resource balancing is also necessary so that the dungeon is hard and secure against enemy attacks.

Besides this dungeon, the game has other missions to be accomplished above ground in surveying and conquering the lands. These areas yield better rewards but attract more challenging heroes trying to invade. A player has to prepare well in advance to assign minions to specific tasks and will get their victory based on smart timing and coordinated moves to sweep away waves of enemies. Dungeons 4 combines game richness with strategy, providing a thrilling gaming experience for those interested in governing their dark kingdoms.

2. Gears Tactics

Gears Tactics is a turn-based strategy game, set in the gritty world of Gears of War. The player controls a squad of soldiers, moving them around a battlefield to meet their enemies, acquire cover, and complete objectives. Every turn is taken by making important decisions about unit deployment, timing attacks, and using abilities at key moments. The game, naturally, puts emphasis on strategic thinking into every move taken to outsmart others.

The combat is defined as a cover-based play and very good timing of attacks in order to minimize damage done and maximise the impact. The action points for each unit amount to the limitation imposed on the number of moves or attacks possible in one turn. Special skills, such as grenade throwing or melee attacks, help bring newness to it and can often turn the battle around. Objectives vary with each mission so that games do not get old and cause the player to adapt according to specific kinds of obstacles they face.

1. Age of Mythology: Retold

Age of Mythology: Retold lets you delve into the world where mythology and strategy merge together. You may pick gods from the Greek, Norse, Egyptian, or Atlantean pantheons, all differing from each other in one way or another. The godly powers then can upset battle scenarios entirely as storms and earthquakes and monsters take over the battleground as weapons. Players can defend their lands or devastate their enemies by using godly abilities. The ultimate goal is to expand your domain, build a more vibrant civilization, and use mythic powers in order to subdue rivals.

Furthermore, players can command legendary monsters taken from various mythologies, including Centaurs, Mummies, and Cyclopes. These units will give players a far stronger reason to fight in battles and increase the variety of forces used. Additionally, you can play in multi-player mode as well as single-player mode and get an utterly different game experience every time you play it.

So, which of these RTS games on Xbox Game Pass have you dived into? Let us know your thoughts on our socials here.