Computed from player tags · Not ranked by quality
24 games like Halo Wars (2026)
Every game below overlaps with Halo Wars on things players said about it rather than on our opinion of what feels alike. Each entry shows what it matched on, so you can throw out the ones matching on the part you did not care about.
The short version
- Closest match: Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, which both science fiction, war, story-rich, atmospheric and strategy.
- Halo Wars is tagged Strategy, RTS, Base-Building, Multiplayer, Singleplayer, Sci-fi, War, Military by Steam players. Those tags are what the matching runs on.
- 24 games qualify, each with at least fifty player reviews behind its sentiment figure.
How these were matched
Steam tags carry the most weight, because players apply them and they describe how a game feels rather than how it was filed. Souls-like, Atmospheric and Cozy exist as tags and as nothing else, which is exactly the vocabulary this question needs. Formal genres count for less, themes and a shared studio for more.
Tags carried by more than a third of the catalogue are thrown out before matching. Nearly everything is tagged Singleplayer, so matching on it is matching on nothing. That cutoff is computed from the catalogue rather than fixed, so it moves as the catalogue grows.
All 24, closest first
- 1
Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
Why it matched: both science fiction, war, story-rich, atmospheric and strategy; shares 9 player tags including Strategy, RTS and Base-Building; released around the same time (2007).
The year is 2047. A massive nuclear fireball explodes high in the night sky, marking the dramatic beginning of the Third Tiberium War and the long-awaited return of the most groundbreaking Real-Time Strategy franchise of all time
Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars at a glance Released 2007 Studio Danger Close Games Player sentiment 90% positive of 9,333 Price Not listed StrategyRTSBase-BuildingSci-fiWarStory RichAliensClassic
- 2
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Anniversary Edition (Classic)
Why it matched: both science fiction, war, story-rich and strategy; shares 9 player tags including Strategy, RTS and Base-Building; released around the same time (2007).
All of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War in one glorious package. Play the genre-defining classic real time strategy game in all its blood-soaked glory, including four complete campaigns and nine full-fledged factions.
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Anniversary Edition (Classic) at a glance Released 2007 Studio Relic Entertainment Player sentiment 95% positive of 11,931 Price $14.99 StrategyRTSBase-BuildingSci-fiTacticalWarClassicGreat Soundtrack
- 3
Company of Heroes
Why it matched: both war, story-rich and strategy; shares 9 player tags including Strategy, RTS and War; released around the same time (2006).
Delivering a visceral WWII gaming experience, Company of Heroes redefines RTS by bringing the sacrifice of heroic soldiers, war-ravaged environments, and dynamic battlefields to life. Please visit the "Company of Heroes - Legacy Edition" page for additional user reviews.
Company of Heroes at a glance Released 2006 Studio Not recorded Player sentiment 94% positive of 18,707 Price $14.99 StrategyRTSWarMilitaryTacticalBase-BuildingClassicStory Rich
- 4
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009)
Why it matched: both war, story-rich, atmospheric and strategy; shares 8 player tags including Shooter, War and Military; released around the same time (2009).
The most-anticipated game of the year and the sequel to the best-selling first-person action game of all time, Modern Warfare 2 continues the gripping and heart-racing action as players face off against a new threat dedicated to bringing the world to the brink of collapse.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) at a glance Released 2009 Studio Infinity Ward Player sentiment 93% positive of 60,880 Price $19.99 ShooterWarMilitaryOnline Co-OpGreat SoundtrackStory RichTacticalStrategy
- 5
Company of Heroes 2
Why it matched: both war, atmospheric and strategy; shares 9 player tags including Strategy, RTS and Tactical; released around the same time (2013).
Experience the ultimate WWII RTS platform with COH2 and its standalone expansions. This package includes the base game, which you can then upgrade by purchasing The Western Front Armies, Ardennes Assault and/or The British Forces. More info in the "About This Game" section below.
Company of Heroes 2 at a glance Released 2013 Studio Relic Entertainment Player sentiment 79% positive of 113,085 Price $19.99 StrategyRTSTacticalWarMilitaryOnline Co-OpBase-BuildingSimulation
- 6
Homeworld Remastered Collection
Why it matched: both science fiction, story-rich, atmospheric and strategy; shares 8 player tags including Strategy, RTS and Sci-fi.
Experience the epic space strategy games that redefined the RTS genre. Control your fleet and build an armada across more than 30 single-player missions. Choose unit types, fleet formations and flight tactics for each strategic situation.
Homeworld Remastered Collection at a glance Released 2015 Studio Gearbox Software Player sentiment 88% positive of 14,159 Price $3.49 StrategyRTSSci-fiClassicGreat SoundtrackStory RichSimulationTactical
- 7
Age of Empires
Why it matched: both war, story-rich, atmospheric and strategy; shares 7 player tags including Strategy, RTS and Base-Building; published by the same company.
Age of Empires, the pivotal real-time strategy game that launched a 20-year legacy returns with modernized gameplay, all-new 4K visuals, 8-person multiplayer battles and a host of other new features. Welcome back to history.
Age of Empires at a glance Released 1997 Studio Not recorded Player sentiment 84% positive of 15,616 Price $19.99 StrategyRTSBase-BuildingClassicStory RichGreat SoundtrackWar
- 8
Age of Empires: Definitive Edition
Why it matched: both war, story-rich, atmospheric and strategy; shares 7 player tags including Strategy, RTS and Base-Building; published by the same company.
Age of Empires, the pivotal real-time strategy game that launched a 20-year legacy returns with modernized gameplay, all-new 4K visuals, 8-person multiplayer battles and a host of other new features. Welcome back to history.
Age of Empires: Definitive Edition at a glance Released 2019 Studio World's Edge Player sentiment 84% positive of 15,619 Price $19.99 StrategyRTSBase-BuildingClassicStory RichGreat SoundtrackWar
- 9
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Dark Crusade
Why it matched: both science fiction, war, atmospheric and strategy; shares 7 player tags including Strategy, RTS and Base-Building; released around the same time (2007).
Deep under the central desert of Kronus, a vast honeycomb of skull-lined tunnels and funeral chambers house the awakening Necron menace. Eons ago, these were the boulevards and squares of a great necropolis built to house the bones of the races who had fallen to the Necrons, and ultimately were where the Necrons themselves retire to...
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Dark Crusade at a glance Released 2007 Studio Relic Entertainment Player sentiment 96% positive of 9,527 Price Not listed StrategyRTSBase-BuildingSci-fiClassicWarTactical
- 10
Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance
Why it matched: both science fiction, war and strategy; shares 8 player tags including Strategy, RTS and Sci-fi; released around the same time (2011).
The last days of man are at hand.. Two years after the Infinite War the once great warring nations now lie in ruins, and humanity’s hope for a brighter future is nothing but a bitter memory. A new, seemingly unstoppable enemy, supported by the zealots of The Order, now seeks to eradicate mankind: UEF, Aeon Loyalist, and Cybran alike.
Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance at a glance Released 2011 Studio Gas Powered Games Player sentiment 97% positive of 14,353 Price $12.99 StrategyRTSSci-fiBase-BuildingOnline Co-OpClassicWarGreat Soundtrack
- 11
STAR WARS Republic Commando
Why it matched: both science fiction, war, atmospheric and strategy; shares 7 player tags including Tactical, Sci-fi and Shooter; released around the same time (2009).
You are the leader of an elite squad of Republic Commandos, your mission is to infiltrate, dominate, and ultimately, annihilate the enemy. Your squad will follow your orders and your lead, working together as a team - instinctively, intelligently, instantly. You are their leader. They are your weapon.
STAR WARS Republic Commando at a glance Released 2009 Studio LucasArts Player sentiment 96% positive of 17,143 Price $9.99 TacticalSci-fiShooterClassicGreat SoundtrackWarStrategy
- 12
Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion
Why it matched: both science fiction, war and strategy; shares 8 player tags including Online Co-Op, Simulation and Strategy; released around the same time (2012).
Command a space-faring empire in Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion, the new stand-alone expansion that combines 4X depth with real-time strategy gameplay.
Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion at a glance Released 2012 Studio Ironclad Games Corporation Player sentiment 93% positive of 16,339 Price $19.99 Online Co-OpSimulationStrategyRTSSandboxSci-fiBase-BuildingMilitary
- 13
Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30
Why it matched: both war, story-rich, atmospheric and strategy; shares 7 player tags including Shooter, War and Tactical; released around the same time (2005).
Based on a true story. Set during the famous airdrop before the invasion at Normandy, where Sgt. Matt Baker and his squad of 101st Airborne Paratroopers were scattered over the French countryside.
Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 at a glance Released 2005 Studio Gearbox Software Player sentiment 88% positive of 2,173 Price $9.99 ShooterWarTacticalMilitaryStrategyStory RichClassic
- 14
Age of Empires III
Why it matched: both war, story-rich and strategy; shares 7 player tags including Strategy, Base-Building and RTS; published by the same company; released around the same time (2005).
Lead powerful civilizations across the globe, master strategies and tactics, and relive history in co op battles—now remastered in stunning 4K and modernized gameplay.
Age of Empires III at a glance Released 2005 Studio Robot Entertainment Player sentiment 86% positive of 54,758 Price $34.99 StrategyBase-BuildingRTSMilitaryWarOnline Co-OpStory Rich
- 15
Anno 2070
Why it matched: both science fiction, story-rich and strategy; shares 8 player tags including Strategy, Simulation and RTS; released around the same time (2011).
Build your society of the future, colonize islands, and create sprawling megacities with multitudes of buildings, vehicles, and resources to manage.
Anno 2070 at a glance Released 2011 Studio Blue Byte Player sentiment 60% positive of 12,703 Price $19.99 StrategySimulationRTSSci-fiSandboxGreat SoundtrackOnline Co-OpStory Rich
- 16
Total War: MEDIEVAL II – Definitive Edition
Why it matched: both war and strategy; shares 9 player tags including Strategy, War and RTS; released around the same time (2006).
Spanning the most turbulent era in Western history, your quest for territory and power takes you through Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and even onto the shores of the New World.
Total War: MEDIEVAL II – Definitive Edition at a glance Released 2006 Studio CREATIVE ASSEMBLY Player sentiment 96% positive of 36,357 Price $24.99 StrategyWarRTSTacticalMilitaryClassicSimulationSandbox
- 17
Age of Empires III (2007)
Why it matched: both war and strategy; shares 8 player tags including Strategy, RTS and Base-Building; published by the same company; released around the same time (2012).
Microsoft Studios brings you three epic Age of Empires III games in one monumental collection for the first time.
Age of Empires III (2007) at a glance Released 2012 Studio Ensemble Studios Player sentiment 91% positive of 32,254 Price Not listed StrategyRTSBase-BuildingWarSimulationMilitaryClassicOnline Co-Op
- 18
Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood
Why it matched: both war, story-rich and strategy; shares 8 player tags including Tactical, Military and Strategy; released around the same time (2005).
With its unprecedented combination of authenticity, compelling story and squad-based action, the Brothers in Arms franchise has established itself as a benchmark for military action games, receiving the highest average review scores of any console WWII game to date (www.gamerankings.com).
Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood at a glance Released 2005 Studio Gearbox Software Player sentiment 87% positive of 1,155 Price $9.99 TacticalMilitaryStrategyWarClassicSimulationShooterStory Rich
- 19
Battlefield 4
Why it matched: both war, story-rich and strategy; shares 8 player tags including Shooter, Military and War; released around the same time (2013).
Embrace unrivaled destruction in Battlefield 4™. Revel in the glorious chaos of all-out war packed with rewarding, tactical challenges in an interactive environment.
Battlefield 4 at a glance Released 2013 Studio DICE Player sentiment 85% positive of 81,609 Price $39.99 ShooterMilitaryWarTacticalStory RichOnline Co-OpStrategyGreat Soundtrack
- 20
Half-Life: Opposing Force
Why it matched: both science fiction, war, story-rich and atmospheric; shares 7 player tags including Classic, Sci-fi and Shooter.
Return to the Black Mesa Research Facility as one of the military specialists assigned to eliminate Gordon Freeman. Experience an entirely new episode of single player action. Meet fierce alien opponents, and experiment with new weaponry. Named 'Game of the Year' by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences.
Half-Life: Opposing Force at a glance Released 1999 Studio Gearbox Software Player sentiment 95% positive of 28,900 Price $4.99 ClassicSci-fiShooterAliensMilitaryStory RichGreat Soundtrack
- 21
Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition
Why it matched: both war, story-rich and strategy; shares 7 player tags including Strategy, Base-Building and RTS; published by the same company.
Lead powerful civilizations across the globe, master strategies and tactics, and relive history in co op battles—now remastered in stunning 4K and modernized gameplay.
Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition at a glance Released 2020 Studio World's Edge Player sentiment 86% positive of 54,770 Price $34.99 StrategyBase-BuildingRTSMilitaryWarOnline Co-OpStory Rich
- 22
Rome: Total War - Collection
Why it matched: both war, atmospheric and strategy; shares 7 player tags including Strategy, RTS and Classic; released around the same time (2007).
Control and conquer the greatest empire ever known to man.
Rome: Total War - Collection at a glance Released 2007 Studio CREATIVE ASSEMBLY Player sentiment 95% positive of 16,717 Price Not listed StrategyRTSClassicTacticalWarGreat SoundtrackSimulation
- 23
X-COM: UFO Defense
Why it matched: both science fiction, atmospheric and strategy; shares 7 player tags including Strategy, Classic and Sci-fi; released around the same time (2008).
You are in control of X-COM: an organization formed by the world's governments to fight the ever-increasing alien menace.
X-COM: UFO Defense at a glance Released 2008 Studio MicroProse Software, Inc Player sentiment 95% positive of 3,992 Price $4.99 StrategyClassicSci-fiAliensTacticalBase-BuildingSimulation
- 24
Total War: EMPIRE – Definitive Edition
Why it matched: both war, atmospheric and strategy; shares 7 player tags including Strategy, Military and War; released around the same time (2009).
Command the seas, control the land, forge a new nation, and conquer the globe.
Total War: EMPIRE – Definitive Edition at a glance Released 2009 Studio CREATIVE ASSEMBLY Player sentiment 91% positive of 38,055 Price $24.99 StrategyMilitaryWarTacticalRTSGreat SoundtrackClassic
Common questions
What game is most like Halo Wars?
Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, on the evidence we have. It both science fiction, war, story-rich, atmospheric and strategy. That is a statement about overlap, not a promise you will like it as much: two games can share every tag and still feel different to play.
How is "similar to Halo Wars" decided?
By overlap on the tags Steam players applied to each game, the formal genres, the themes both sit in, and whether the same studio made them. Tags carry the most weight because players write them, so they describe how a game feels rather than how it was filed. Tags carried by more than a third of the catalogue are ignored: matching on "Singleplayer" is matching on nothing. Every entry below shows exactly what it matched on.
Are these ranked by quality?
No. They are ordered by how much they overlap with Halo Wars. Where two games overlap equally, the better received one goes first, but that only moves a game a place or two. Each entry shows its own player sentiment so you can weigh that separately.
Do you get paid for these recommendations?
No. The order is computed from tag and genre overlap and nothing else. No placement here can be bought, and a game appearing high on this page is a statement about resemblance rather than an endorsement.