The Age of Empires franchise is one of the definitive RTS series that fans have been loving for decades. The games are fairly timeless, and though new games still get made, many fans love returning to great games in the franchise like Age Of Empires 2 despite their age, rather than trying newer games in the franchise or other games that have pitched themselves as similar in the past.

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However, with such an infamous franchise, and with the modern accessibility of the gaming industry, many competitors have given their shot at making something very similar to Age of Empires. Whether they do this to try and make money off the concept or as an homage to a franchise that is much-loved and has a number of great entries, there are still plenty of these clones of Age Of Empires available for fans who’d like to try something a little different.

5 Rise Of Nations

Rise of Nations is one of the strangest RTS games that took a lot of inspiration from the Age of Empires franchise. It also took inspiration from turn-based strategy games, adding features never before seen in an RTS such as influence over certain areas of the map affecting gameplay. Rise of Nations, unlike many other RTS games, did not turn into a franchise after its release in 2003, which is somewhat surprising given the innovative nature of many of the game’s ideas.

For instance, Rise of Nations attempted instead of focusing on one historical period to let players experience all the different periods in human history. Players evolved their civilization over the course of eight separate ages of history while giving players eighteen different options for which of the civilizations they could take control of. There were some definite balancing issues on release, but this didn’t stop Rise of Nations from gaining a cult status that it has retained within the RTS genre to this day.

4 Warhammer 40K: Dawn Of War: Dark Crusade

The Dawn of War franchise has been a very successful offshoot of the Warhammer 40K Universe, providing fans with the chance to experience the way wars are waged in this futuristic setting. It has also been an opportunity to tell some amazing stories over the course of different games, but Dark Crusade took some cues from Age of Empires to give players an even broader view of the Universe. An expansion of the first Dawn of War game, but one that is completely standalone in nature, this entry was a huge standout for Warhammer 40K RTS games.

In Dark Crusade, players aren’t just able to play as the Space Marines. The game is set on the planet Kronus, the homeworld of the Necrons, and it pits seven different factions on the planet against each other as each looks to rule. Players have their choice of seven playable races, a first for the Warhammer 40K Universe which usually picked the Space Marines for players or only gave them as many as two choices. There are many similarities to Age of Empires, including the training of units and creation of new buildings, but less focus on leveling through various ages than in the AoE franchise. Additionally, resources are different and more based on the sci-fi pattern of the Dawn of War franchise, making the defense of resource points more important than the actual gathering.

3 Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds

If players are looking for a licensed game that plays very similarly to Age of Empires, then Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds is an amazing option. Released in 2001, at the height of the Age of Empires franchise's popularity, Galactic Battlegrounds used the same engine as the first two games in that series. Players started with a command center, a scout, and three workers for one of six factions. From there, they had to gather resources, and make new buildings and combat units in order to achieve objectives, usually the destruction of an enemy base, which became a lot more doable with some of the many great cheats available in the game.

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Galactic Battlegrounds featured many great Star Wars aspects, including several campaigns that featured stories based on the various Star Wars films that had been released to that point. This included a campaign where players take control of the Trade Federation as they attack Naboo, one where players control Gungans, and battles from both sides of the Imperial/Rebel Alliance conflict that take place during the original trilogy of Star Wars movies. All of this helps to make Galactic Battlegrounds a good RTS game for newcomers to the genre.

2 Empire Earth

A series of RTS games developed by Stainless Steel Studios, a company founded by one of the original developers behind the Age of Empires franchise, it is no surprise that Empire Earth has a lot of similarities to the style of those games. The first entry was released in 2001 and featured many of the popular elements that helped make the Age of Empires franchise so successful. Not only was the basis a historical RTS where players advanced through ages of history, albeit not being quite as accurate in its historical setting, but much of the gameplay was the same.

Empire Earth featured buildings that players had to construct which would train citizens, the goal was almost always the elimination of the opposition. Unlike the Age of Empires series, there are many different ages of history explored in Empire Earth, with fourteen ages being featured in the leveling system, and over 500,000 years of human history involved in the technologies seen within. Empire Earth hasn't released a new game in years, but the several that exist are still fantastic examples of RTS games similar to Age of Empires, with plenty of flair of their own.

1 Age Of Mythology

The very best “clone” of the Age of Empires franchise is, of course, the spin-off game made by the very same company. Whether players love the idea of a more mythologically based RTS game or not, they should definitely try out this fantastic game. Filled with a great online multiplayer community that is still active today, and a campaign that told a surprisingly excellent original story, Age of Mythology is an absolute must-play for all fans of the original franchise.

With two expansion campaigns containing new races added to the edition of the game currently available on Steam, Age of Mythology is a game that deserves more attention and is filled with a great strategic style while involving units like Centaurs and Fire Giants that players normally wouldn’t get a chance to use in other RTS games, all dependent on which God players choose to follow. The bold mixing of fantasy elements into a genre that normally remains quite historically based made for a hugely fun game that remains an all-time classic for the RTS genre today.

More:Games To Play If You Like Age Of Empires