When most fans think of Star Wars games, their minds probably don’t immediately jump to the real-time strategy genre. That’s largely due to the franchise’s video games being primarily first-person shooters, role-playing games, and other genres. Still, there are several RTS games in the LucasArts Star Wars library, many of which are excellent. The best, by far, is arguably 2006’s Star Wars: Empire at War, which marked its 20th anniversary in 2026. Despite being ancient by modern gaming standards, Empire at War continues to dominate the Star Wars genre for fans, thanks to numerous updates and high replayability.
What makes Empire at War stand out in the RTS genre is its massive scale, encompassing the entire Star Wars galaxy. The game features three modes and features battles fought in space as well as on the ground. In the former, spaceships of all kinds take to the stars and shoot one another into dust, while in the latter, a variety of vehicles and infantry fight together to take down the opposing force. This wasn’t new to the RTS genre when Empire at War was released, but the scale and complexity of the game’s design ensured it would continue to dominate in the decades after its release.
Star Wars: Empire at War Is the Franchise’s Best RTS
There are a few RTS games in the franchise that are highly enjoyable, including Star Wars: Force Commander, Star Wars: Rebellion, and Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds, but for most fans, they don’t hold a candle to Empire at War. Petroglyph Games developed it for LucasArts, and continued adding content for years after its release. It features a story-based campaign mode, a galactic conquest mode, and a skirmish mode. Galactic conquest is a sandbox campaign mode, where the player takes command of either the Rebel Alliance or the Empire. Other factions exist, and there are different objectives to undertake.
The player must use resource management, strategy, production, and exploration across a 3D galactic map. Players receive funds from the planets under their control via mining operations, and they use these credits to research new technology, build or train units, and establish defenses. Combat involves massive battles with whatever units are available, and gameplay limits the total number of units in the battlespace, leaving the remaining forces in reserve to be used as reinforcements when needed. The game’s story mode is somewhat linear, with missions that progress the narrative.
Playing skirmish mode lets the player go nuts in a more classic RTS style, where they can battle on land or in space after building bases and armies. Gameplay happens in real time, and galactic time is paused only during combat. Several notable characters from the franchise appear throughout the game as heroes, including Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Vader, and Emperor Palpatine, all of whom can use the Force to some degree. It didn’t take long for Empire at War to smash sales records, moving nearly 7 million units while wowing critics and players alike.
Empire at War Remains Popular After 20 Years
Despite being a relatively old game, Petroglyph has maintained support for Empire at War in the years since its release. This includes several updates to fix bugs, streamline performance, and reestablish its servers for multiplayer games. In 2022, the devs added new multiplayer maps, and a patch the following year kept performance stable, while modders continued tweaking the game to add everything from Grand Admiral Thrawn to various elements established long after its release. As players continue to enjoy Empire at War, the game will likely continue to serve as the best RTS in the franchise for years to come.
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