Summary
Not everyone has the free time to enjoy long gaming sessions. Some people can only play for a short time but still want to play games that can be rewarding in such a short timeframe.Real-time strategy gamescan be a good option for these kinds of people, as they tend to feature short, quickly completed mission scenarios.
Some RTS games are traditional, with the player progressing through a series of missions to complete the game. Others are more open-ended, mixing in survival gameplay and specific themes like azombie apocalypse.What all of the RTS games on this list have in common is that they can be rewarding when played in short bursts.
TheCommand & Conquer Remastered Collectionbrings back two of the most beloved C&C games of all time:Tiberian DawnandRed Alert. These games have been updated with better textures and art assets, but the gameplay has been left exactly the same as the original versions.
What makes these older real-time strategy games great forshort play sessionsis the fact that the missions are generally quite short. Modern RTS games often go for long, immersive missions with significant challenges, but these oldC&Cgames harken back to a time when campaigns featured shorter, episodic missions. This is why theCommand & Conquer Remastered Collectionis on this list.
Inspired by Norse mythology,Northgardis a modern RTS that also brings in gameplay from other genres. Aside from RTS action, the game incorporates survival mechanics andcity building. This means managing and securing resources and protecting valuable territory to maintain access to these resources.
The campaign inNorthgardis very structured and easy to follow, but what makes this game great for short play sessions is that each mission or match only takes a maximum of around 45 minutes. This means the game can be played for less than an hour and still be enjoyed.
Iron Harvestcan be loosely described as a dieselpunk game, and this really fits with the historical setting ofWorld War 1. As RTS games go, this is a game that definitely puts the focus on combat and conflict over other gameplay aspects. This is one of the reasons why it is great for short play sessions.
Both the campaign mode and skirmish mode are great for players who don’t have a lot of time to play. Campaign missions are all quite short and well-structured, and skirmish missions can be as short as 15 minutes in many cases.
Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2is set within theWarhammer 40Kuniverse. It is a seminal example of what an RTS game involving space combat should be. Players take part in space battles of truly epic proportions, which need skill and solid tactics to win.
For players who don’t have long to playBattlefleet Gothic: Armada 2, both the skirmish and multiplayer game modes would be a great choice, as they are quite short. The campaign missions are a little longer, but many can be completed within an hour or so.
PC, macOS
Genre
Real-Time Strategy
Whereas every other game in theHomeworldfranchise is set in space,Homeworld: Deserts of Kharakis different. All gameplay takes place on the planet of Kharak as the player attempts to reach the crashed mothership, which was used as a basis for the player’s mothership in subsequentHomeworldgames.
Homeworld: Deserts of Kharakis a great real-time strategy game for players who don’t have a lot of free time. Firstly, the campaign is actually quite short and is structured into a series of small, quickly completed missions. Online multiplayer is also great for short playing sessions, with matches taking less than an hour.
StarCraft 2is one of the most popular RTS games of all time, and it has been one of the games that has been adopted by the esports scene as well. This means that it is still a popular game today. Now, while the campaign mode may not be suited to people who only have a limited amount of time to play, the arcade mode definitely is.
In arcade mode,StarCraft 2matches are played on smaller maps, almost like mini-games. On top of this, the multiplayer matches are usually over very quickly, seldom taking more than 30 minutes, and often much less than that.
As a hybrid RTS,Rise Of Nationsis fast-paced, despite some parts of the gameplay being turn-based. The skirmish mode is great for players who don’t have long to play, but this means missing out on most of the complex gameplay mechanics.
Instead, players can tackle the Conquer the World mode in short play sessions. The turn-based gameplay only takes a short time between individual real-time battles. These battles are all quite short, and can all be completed in 45 minutes or less.
Sometimes, a game comes along that really shakes things up, showing how a well-established genre still has room for innovation.They Are Billionsis such a game. Combining deep and meaningful zombie survival gameplay with frantic RTS action works very well. The game features campaign and survival modes, and the player is free to change their gameplay settings to suit shorter sessions.
What makesThey Are Billionssuitable for shorter playing sessions is that, despite the complexity of the game, much can be achieved in a short time. Even if the player has to save the game after just 30 minutes, they will still have progressed in ways that feel both meaningful and satisfying.
