The 10 Best Real-Time Strategy Games For Turtling

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Introduction

I’ve always wanted to write about a popular strategy in real-time strategy games called ‘turtling.’ Essentially, turtling involves building a heavily fortified base – think layers of walls, overlapping towers, and strategically placed defensive units. Players create a complex network of defenses, often with multiple fallback points, and then wait to see if their opponent can break through. It’s all about building an impenetrable fortress and letting the enemy try to crack it.

I used to spend hours building heavily defended bases in games like Red Alert 2 and Age of Empires 2, creating complex mazes and walls for protection. I recently discovered this habit – focusing on strong defense – is actually quite common and has a name: “turtling.” To celebrate this classic strategy, I’ve put together a list of the 10 best real-time strategy games for players who love to turtle. Let’s dive in!

If you want to check my other lists, you can do it here!

10 – Age of Darkness: Final Stand

Age of Darkness: Final Stand is a challenging game that constantly throws you into tense situations. Similar to They Are Billions, you manage a human settlement, building it up while defending against overwhelming waves of monstrous enemies called ‘nightmares’. These attacks can involve tens of thousands of units, so careful planning and strong defenses are crucial. The game encourages a strategic cycle of expansion, fortification, and further expansion, leading to uniquely designed strongholds. While more defensive options would have been welcome, the game’s campaign is genuinely excellent.

9 – Red Alert 2

Red Alert 2 is seriously one of my all-time favorite strategy games, and a huge part of that is the sheer amount of time I sunk into it as a kid. I remember just messing around for hours building up my bases and creating crazy defenses. It wasn’t the most complicated game out there, but what I loved was how affordable the defenses were, and the cool variety of stuff you could build – everything from simple walls and pillboxes to Patriot missiles, flak cannons, and even Tesla coils! It was a blast experimenting with everything.

8 – Diplomacy is Not An Option

Diplomacy is Not an Option is a base-building game where you create and defend your town against large waves of enemies. Success depends on building strong defenses and holding out against increasingly difficult attacks. It’s a challenging ‘turtling’ strategy game – meaning you focus on defense – and while it might be more intense than some relaxing defense games, it’s a great choice if you want a real test of your strategic skills.

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2026-01-22 17:43