Rusted Warfare

About

Rusted Warfare is a real-time strategy game that pays homage to classic RTS titles, featuring over 50 unique units and experimental units for large-scale battles. Its optimized engine handles thousands of units, and it offers modern multiplayer capabilities with cross-platform play, reconnections, and saved games. The game also includes a sandbox editor for creating and sharing custom battles.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

97%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,803 reviews

gameplay47 positive mentions

stability7 negative mentions

Great nostalgia trip for fans of classic RTS games like Command & Conquer and Total Annihilation.
Highly moddable with a vibrant community, offering endless replayability and custom content.
Fun gameplay with a simple resource system, allowing for large-scale battles without performance issues.

AI can be unchallenging and often makes poor strategic decisions, leading to predictable gameplay.
Limited base content and unit variety, which can lead to repetitive gameplay without mods.
Pathfinding issues can cause units to get stuck or behave erratically during battles.

gameplay
133 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
62%
2%
The gameplay of this RTS title is characterized by its simplicity and accessibility, making it easy for players to pick up and enjoy. While the base game offers solid mechanics and a nostalgic feel reminiscent of classics like Command & Conquer and Total Annihilation, many players find that the experience is significantly enhanced through a wide variety of community-created mods that introduce new units, factions, and gameplay elements. Overall, the game provides a fun and engaging experience, particularly in multiplayer, despite some minor balance issues and a lack of depth in the vanilla gameplay.
- “Great unit balancing, fast and effective multiplayer setup, intuitive UI, stable gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is very simple: build a base, gather resources, make sure you don't get overrun and grow an army.”
- “The balance and pacing is fantastic, the units and buildings are interesting and fun, and if you get a bit tired of the base game's units and mechanics after a while, you can install one of the many total conversion mods to bring you entirely new RTS games to mix it up a bit.”
- “The problem with the game is that the gameplay isn't tactical despite all the units presented, and most of the matches end up with hordes of planes erasing the bases of the opposite team.”
- “It's not straight-up better than the classics and doesn't really try to innovate past the basics either, but I do like the more casual mechanics such as a single resource (money), upgrades being applied to production buildings rather than through a complex research tree.”
- “Not terribly in-depth gameplay, not terribly pretty, actually not much going on at all.”
graphics
124 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
68%
4%
The graphics of the game are predominantly retro and pixelated, reminiscent of early 90s titles, which some players find charming while others consider them outdated and simplistic. Despite the low-resolution visuals, many reviewers appreciate the game's smooth performance and ability to handle large numbers of units without lag, emphasizing that the engaging gameplay compensates for the graphical limitations. Overall, while the graphics may not impress, they contribute to a nostalgic experience that resonates with fans of classic RTS games.
- “The graphics look great for pixel graphics, and it means it can run on potato 2005 computers with hundreds of end game troops clashing with hundreds of others at easily 20 fps minimum.”
- “This is a genuinely lovely little strategy game that gleams with inspiration from Total Annihilation, and effortlessly proves that graphics are completely irrelevant when it comes to crafting an addictive and enjoyable gaming experience.”
- “The graphics are quite simple (but charming), which I think will make things a bit easier on modders and there are already a ton of great mods available, really boosting the scope and content of the game.”
- “Graphics look like they're from the 1990s; they really need a sequel with updated graphics.”
- “The graphics are poor, but the gameplay is amazing.”
- “While it may look like a regression from Supreme Commander, especially in the graphics department, I was pleasantly surprised by the simplicity and addictiveness of this little gem.”
story
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
65%
10%
The game lacks a substantial story or narrative, with many players noting the absence of a traditional campaign or lore. While there are enjoyable single-player missions and various game modes, they primarily focus on gameplay mechanics rather than storytelling. Overall, players express a desire for a more developed storyline and additional campaign content to enhance the experience.
- “A surprisingly fun minimal C&C style game with a great community of modders. I really enjoyed the original missions, which have some great fun reveal moments of enemy strongholds and vehicles.”
- “This game offers solid and modern RTS foundations, that are nicely put to practice with missions, challenges, and survival modes. Even at this point, with some effort from the modding community and developers, it can easily have a long and bright future ahead.”
- “Having just completed the campaign, or rather, a smattering of simple missions that gradually ramp up the difficulty and allow the player to figure everything out, I feel I've got a good grasp on this game.”
- “The only thing I'd say is missing is a storyline or a single-player campaign.”
- “No story or lore or anything, it's really just a sandbox.”
- “The campaign (if you can call it that) is severely lackluster, and doesn't keep track of which missions you've completed.”
music
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
45%
17%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising the soundtrack as catchy and fitting the retro aesthetic, while others criticize it for being repetitive and lacking originality. Several users express a desire for more variety in the music, noting that some tracks can become annoying over time. Overall, while the music enhances the experience for some, it detracts from gameplay for others, leading to a polarized reception.
- “The retro art-style, the speed of the gameplay, the enemy AI, the music & sound design... it's just perfect... and the price!!!”
- “The music is amazing, and so many maps and endless gameplay.”
- “Lots of unit variation, fun and catchy soundtrack.”
- “Very poor music (2/10): I basically had to turn off the music to play the game.”
- “The music is repetitive and lacks originality, and while the pixel art style can look good - the gameplay needs to make it work otherwise the whole product feels cheap.”
- “The music tends to get annoying very fast, so I have turned it completely off.”
optimization
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
76%
14%
10%
The game is highly praised for its exceptional optimization, allowing smooth performance even with large numbers of units and on lower-end hardware, including older devices like a MacBook Air. It supports multi-core processing, ensuring that players can enjoy extensive battles without lag, and is also very moddable, enhancing its replay value. Overall, users report a streamlined experience with no significant performance issues, making it a great value for its price.
- “Game is smooth as butter, very good optimization. Most of the time, games like this rely on one core of the CPU, and many troops or enemies can struggle most CPUs, but from what I saw, the engine is optimized to work with multi-core.”
- “With an active workshop community constantly creating more units and mods, this game is among the best RTS games I have played. It can run smoothly on my 10-year-old MacBook Air even with dozens of mods installed.”
- “The game is full of content with the ability to mod it and allows you to play cross-platform multiplayer either online or LAN. The game is heavily optimized and allows for battles with thousands of units.”
- “The game is full of content with the ability to mod it and allows you to play cross-platform multiplayer either online or LAN. The game is heavily optimized and allows for battles with thousands of units, and by thousands, yes, I mean it!”
- “The graphics are simple, yes, but it helps a lot with performance and when making custom units.”
- “Very optimized.”
replayability
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
33%
11%
The game boasts exceptional replayability, largely due to its extensive mod support and active community, which allows for endless customization and new gameplay experiences. Players appreciate the variety of ways to engage with the game, ensuring that it remains fresh and enjoyable over time. Overall, it is frequently described as offering unlimited replay value, making it a standout choice for those seeking long-term engagement.
- “This game is really good, and the very large mod support via workshop makes it infinitely replayable.”
- “The community support, coupled with the game's purposeful easy integration of mods, gives it almost infinite replayability for me.”
- “Extremely fun, challenging AI, easy controls, and very simple to learn; the amazing mod support adds literally hundreds, if not thousands of hours of replayability to it.”
- “While not remarkably stunning in terms of graphics, Rusted Warfare more than makes up for it by its scale, replayability, challenge, and many explosions.”
- “This game has withstood the test of time, thanks to its replayability, constant updates/patches, and its community.”
- “From the simple concept, there is a lot of replay value, and the modding community is huge for this game.”
stability
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
64%
Overall, the game's stability is generally positive, with most users reporting smooth performance on various systems, especially with the 64-bit version. However, there are notable issues with AI pathing, leading to glitches that can trap units and create movement problems, particularly in larger battles. While some players experience minor stutters and bugs, these do not significantly detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- “Runs great on any computer.”
- “Thanks to a next day response from the developer, I was informed about a 64-bit version of the game which runs great with about 10 mods.”
- “I got some huge maps from the Steam Workshop, 10,000 unit cap, and it runs great.”
- “The AI pathing is terrible; setting patrols simply glitches out the unit seemingly half the time.”
- “Some glitches with pathing result in builder units getting trapped very easily and becoming useless. Pathing for groups of heavy ground and sea units also becomes quite unwieldy, with them getting stuck on each other, jammed between islands, choke points, etc.”
- “The game glitches and stutters and shows weird messages while playing sometimes.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
Players consistently express that grinding in the game is excessively time-consuming, likening it to needing a "second life" to manage the demands. Some find the grinding tedious and question whether it is an intentional design choice or a potential oversight.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “That's pretty tedious; I'm not sure if the game was actually designed like this and has any purpose, or if this is a bug.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely appreciated, with players finding it consistently funny, especially during multiplayer sessions with friends. The chaotic gameplay and custom maps contribute to a lighthearted atmosphere, making even challenging moments enjoyable and entertaining.
- “1v1v1v1v1v1v1v1v1v1 is very funny times.”
- “Love this game, it's so funny!”
- “Some of the most fun gameplay I've seen in a while. Custom maps add plenty of life into the game. The single-player is fine, but it's not my kind of genre for single-player. I highly suggest playing with friends as there's always something funny and stupid, and you're pushing back the painfully hard and impossible bots.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The monetization model of the game is praised for being free of ads, microtransactions, and DLC, providing a straightforward experience without the typical pitfalls of mobile gaming. Players appreciate the absence of intrusive advertising, enhancing overall enjoyment.
- “There's no microtransactions, DLC, or any of the useless stuff!”
- “The game offers a fair monetization model that respects players' time and investment.”
- “I appreciate that the game doesn't pressure you into spending money to enjoy the full experience.”
- “Even with a thousand units moving at the same time, the advertisements are overwhelming.”
- “The advertising is relentless and intrusive.”
- “It's refreshing to find an Android game without ads!”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of Rusted Warfare is praised for its unique style that evokes nostalgia for the early Command & Conquer titles, while also offering a fresh experience. Players appreciate the game's engaging environment and the modability that enhances its overall ambiance.
- “Brilliant little game, nice atmosphere, editors, and modability all around.”
- “Rusted Warfare feels almost like the first two C&C titles, but has its own style and atmosphere.”