War Alert: Red Lords is a weird combination between historically-themed maps, futuristic units and cartoonish graphics. But in the mobile gaming industry splicing all that together is just another day at the office. The game spices things up by letting you choose a hero with special perks to aid you in battle and a tech tree from which you can pick things to research.

The goal of all that is, of course, to help you defeat your enemies on the battlefield. Choose the best composition of units and face another player in one of the five available arenas. Each win will help you create an even more powerful army.

Expanse

As the name suggests, the action in Expanse is taking place on another planet. The game’s graphics are a throwback to the original StarCraft and so is the overall feeling of the game. Don’t expect the same level of depth and diversity, however.

There are three different factions to choose from, but in this game, they’re all human and thus look pretty much the same way. It’s not the most exciting or fast-paced game, but if you’re looking for something traditional, Expanse will strike the right nostalgia cords, that’s for sure!

RedSun

RedSun has, unsurprisingly, a more Red Alert kind of vibe and unlike Expanse, its interface doesn’t look like it came straight from the nineties. The premise is very simple: build your base, manufacture as many units as possible and overwhelm your enemy. This being a strategy, you will have to put SOME thought into which units will counter your opponent’s in the best way, otherwise you might be in for a nasty surprise.

If you’re looking for a classic RTS that’s not too complicated or flashy, RedSun will keep you entertained for a while.

Command and conquer: Rivals

Command and conquer is one of the most popular real-time strategy franchises in the world and Rivals is a unique twist on the typical gameplay that’s meant specifically with mobile in mind. It removes a ton of elements like scouting the map and expanding bases, focusing instead only on the battles.

You’re placed in a small arena, where you’re fighting against another player over the control of three key points. If your units are dominating over at least two of them, your opponent’s base will soon be nothing but rubble. Micromanaging units and picking the right lineup at the right time is what matters most in Rivals. The rounds are quick and fast-paced, perfect to fill a few minutes of downtime.

Mushroom Wars 2

Finally, a game that doesn’t include tanks and other heavy machinery. Mushroom Wars 2 is all about your macro strategy rather than controlling individual units. Direct your legions of mushroom warriors to slowly take over the map and the win is yours. That’s easier said than done, however. Your opponent might be a sneaky snake himself and trying to execute a strategic move you’ll never see coming. Actually, you will see it coming but it might be too late to counter it.

Mushroom Wars 2 has a cool and unique design and fun gameplay that will have you hooked for hours.

Rebel Inc. 

Rebel Inc. isn’t really a pure RTS game but its unique gameplay makes it deserving for a mention on our list. In it, your goal is to stabilize a region ravaged by insurgents and bring lasting peace. To do that, you must smartly use your resources to counter threats on multiple fronts. From trying to prevent the country from slipping back into chaos by investing in infrastructure, to fighting rebel forces in the mountains, the game will challenge your strategy skills in plenty of ways.

The game won’t blow you away with graphics but the depth is enough to keep you playing for way longer than you’d expect.

Galaxy Reavers

Back to the sci-fi stuff, but in Galaxy Reavers, the action takes place in space itself. The game is reminiscent of the popular MMO Eve Online but it’s much simplified and with a big focus on exciting battles between cool-looking space ships. You can assemble a fleet of ships from any of the 8 different classes, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. With enough resources, you can then upgrade each craft with the equipment that will fit your playstyle best. After that, it’s time to start conquering star systems!

Galaxy Reavers’ epic scale and visuals make it one of the best space real-time strategies for mobile right now.

War of Kings

War of Kings is unfortunately available only on Android but we couldn’t have passed on it. The game is a jumble of Age of Empires, Warcraft and Warhammer elements, all twisted through the mobile prism. You have different civilizations, you have dragons, you have orcs, basically, all the staples of a fantasy RTS combined into one.

Command hundreds of units and march towards your enemy’s base, but be careful, because a wave of bloodthirsty warriors might be coming your way as well. This game is what you imagine when you hear a real-time strategy and it’s all on your phone!

Boom beach

Boom beach is a more typical mobile game but still has a few RTS elements. You have your island on a map with tons of other players and you’re trying to survive their attacks while constructing buildings and training troops yourself. Once you think it’s GO time, unload your army on your enemy’s beach and get into the fray. Sounds simple, but the number of upgrades and army compositions you can have makes it much more complex than it seems. The list of stuff you can unlock is almost endless, there’s always something more powerful to work towards.

Be careful, though, Boom beach can be a huge time sink, the gameplay is surprisingly addictive.

Art of War 3

And lastly, we have Art of War 3. This is probably the most polished and well-designed real-time strategy game for smartphones. The visuals are clearly not meant to be realistic, but they’re eye-pleasing nonetheless and the effects are on point. You get a great variety of buildings and units and you get to control every aspect of your playstyle just like you would on an RTS game made for PC. The interface is intuitive and easy to use: no tiny icons that are hard to press in the chaos of the battle.

Off the battlefield, there are plenty of decisions to make as well. From the course of your campaign to the upgrades you can make to your units, it’s all in your hands.

Art of War 3 offers the most comprehensive real-time-strategy experience for mobile and it’s a blessing that the game is free to play.