Best Real-Time Strategy Games for Android (2026)
The best real-time strategy game for Android is Iron Marines. It is free on the US Google Play store. Ironhide's listing says you fight offline real-time strategy battles. There is no ads label. Hero purchases run from $0.99 to $99.99. We opened these US listings on November 12, 2026.
This page is for games where the clock does not wait. Turns live on the turn-based strategy guide. The mixed list is the strategy guide. Clash of Clans is a village timer. It is not on this list.
Jump to: quick picks · comparison · the games · your phone · test offline · left off · related guides · FAQs
Quick picks
| You want | Install this | Price on Nov 12 |
|---|---|---|
| Best free offline RTS | Iron Marines | Free, no ads label, hero shop |
| Best classic RTS you own | Rusted Warfare | $1.99, no ads, no shop |
| Best big campaign port | ROME: Total War | $9.99, Android 12, 4GB free |
Price, ads, and offline proof
An Offline tag is Google's label. A sentence in the About text is the developer talking. They are not the same thing. The Play website did not show a download size for these games. Feral is the exception, and those lines are in the phone section.
| Game | Price | Ads | Extra buys | Offline proof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Marines | Free | No | $0.99 to $99.99 | About text says offline battles |
| Rusted Warfare | $1.99 | No | No | About text says offline multiplayer |
| Iron Marines 2 | $2.99 | No | $0.99 to $99.99 | Offline tag, plus an offline line |
| ROME: Total War | $9.99 | No | No | Offline tag |
| Total War: MEDIEVAL II | $14.99 | No | $6.99 | Offline tag |
| Company of Heroes | $14.99 | No | $3.99 to $12.99 | No Offline tag on the page |
| Northgard | $8.99 shown | No | $2.99 to $6.99 | No Offline tag on the page |
| Bad North | $3.99 | No | No | Offline tag |
| Door Kickers | $3.99 | No | No | Offline tag |
| Mindustry | Free | No | No | Offline tag |
The games
Iron Marines
You drag squads across a planet and finish a mission. Ironhide, the Kingdom Rush studio, built it for a thumb. The About text says "offline real time strategy battles" and "offline combat." That is stronger than a tag alone.
- Good: free. No ads label. 4.7 stars from 129K reviews. 1M+ installs. Teen. Updated October 22, 2026.
- Tradeoff: the shop runs from $0.99 to $99.99 per item. Heroes are the extra spend. The campaign is the part the listing calls offline.
Play page: Iron Marines by Ironhide Games.
Rusted Warfare
This is the old PC shape: base, tanks, and a rush. Corroding Games calls it a pure RTS with no microtransactions. The same paragraph says online and offline multiplayer over wifi and mobile networks. Skirmish and a campaign are in the feature list.
- Good: $1.99. No ads label. No in-app purchases. 4.6 stars from 16.1K reviews. 100K+ installs. Everyone. Offline tag.
- Tradeoff: the last update on the page is September 25, 2024. Treat it as a finished game, not a live season.
Play page: Rusted Warfare by Corroding Games.
Iron Marines 2
The sequel is a paid campaign, not a second free start. The About text talks to people "who love offline RTS." Google also shows an Offline tag. Missions move across planets, still in Ironhide's style.
- Good: $2.99. No ads label. 4.5 stars from 9.6K reviews. 100K+ installs. Everyone 10+. Updated October 22, 2026.
- Tradeoff: purchases still run from $0.99 to $99.99. Buy the first game if you want to try the studio for $0.
Play page: Iron Marines 2 by Ironhide Games.
ROME: Total War
The campaign map is turns. The battles are real time. Feral's About text says both. It belongs on this page because the fights do not wait, and on the turn-based page because the map does. Touch works. The listing also says an Android mouse and keyboard work. It does not mention a gamepad.
- Good: $9.99. No ads label. No in-app purchases. 4.7 stars from 20.9K reviews. 100K+ installs. Teen. Updated March 19, 2026. Offline tag.
- Phone: Android 12 or later, and 4GB of free space, in Feral's text.
Play page: ROME: Total War by Feral Interactive.
Total War: MEDIEVAL II
Same split as Rome: a turn-based map and real-time battles. It costs more, and one extra purchase is $6.99 per item. Use it when you want the medieval map. Use Rome when you want the cheaper clean receipt.
- Good: $14.99. No ads label. 4.7 stars from 11.9K reviews. 100K+ installs. Teen. Updated April 29, 2026. Offline tag.
Play page: Total War: MEDIEVAL II by Feral Interactive.
Company of Heroes
Squads, cover, and a World War II campaign. Feral brought the PC game over. The US page on November 12 did not show an Offline tag, so this is not the flight pick. Open it on Wi-Fi and test a mission before you travel.
- Price: $14.99. No ads label. Extra purchases from $3.99 to $12.99. 4.6 stars from 24.2K reviews. 100K+ installs. Mature 17+. Updated June 19, 2025.
- Phone: Android 12 or later, and 5.2GB of free space. Feral says to leave about twice that free so the install does not fail.
Play page: Company of Heroes by Feral Interactive.
Northgard
You settle a viking clan, survive winter, and fight in real time. It is shorter than a Total War campaign and prettier than Rusted Warfare. The US page showed $8.99, and the About text opens with "Save up to 70%!" Treat $8.99 as that day's price, not a forever price. There was no Offline tag.
- No ads label. Extra purchases from $2.99 to $6.99. 4.3 stars from 14K reviews. 500K+ installs. Everyone 10+. Updated February 26, 2026.
Play page: Northgard by Playdigious.
Bad North
Small islands. Boats land. You move squads in real time until the run ends. Raw Fury calls it a real-time tactics roguelite. It is a short defense run, not a base-building career. The page has an Offline tag and no shop.
- Good: $3.99. No ads label. No in-app purchases. 4.4 stars from 10.1K reviews. 500K+ installs. Teen. Updated September 24, 2026.
Play page: Bad North: Jotunn Edition by Raw Fury.
Door Kickers
You pause, place a SWAT plan, then watch it go. Time runs during the breach. It is tactics, not a command-and-conquer base. The listing has an Offline tag, no ads label, and no in-app purchases.
- $3.99. 4.1 stars from 21.6K reviews. 500K+ installs. Teen. Updated December 10, 2025.
Play page: Door Kickers by KillHouse Games.
Mindustry
Belts feed turrets, then you send units. Anuken's game is a factory and a tower defense with RTS pieces. It is free, with no ads label and no shop, and the page has an Offline tag. The full tower-defense write-up is on the tower defense guide.
- 4.5 stars from 139K reviews. 5M+ installs. Everyone 10+. Updated October 8, 2026.
Play page: Mindustry by Anuken.
What your phone needs
- ROME: Total War: Android 12 or later, and 4GB free, in Feral's text.
- Company of Heroes: Android 12 or later, and 5.2GB free. Leave more, because Feral asks for about twice that.
- The other games did not print a RAM or file size on the public Play page. Read the number on the Install button on your phone.
- A pad is not listed for these picks. Rome names touch, or a mouse and keyboard.
How to test a real-time strategy game offline
- Install on Wi-Fi. Read the size on the button before it starts.
- Finish one mission, or one skirmish, while you are online.
- Force-stop the app. Turn on airplane mode.
- Start a new skirmish or the next mission. If it asks for a server, it is not a flight game.
- Quit and reopen. The save should still be there.
Left off this list
- War Legends calls itself a mobile online real-time strategy game. The page has ads and purchases from $0.09 to $354.99. No Offline tag. Updated November 11, 2026. That is a live season, not the game to own.
- Mushroom Wars 2 mixes RTS with tower defense. It is free, with ads and purchases from $0.99 to $299.99. 4.0 stars. No Offline tag. Updated October 27, 2026.
- Clash of Clans and its cousins are raid timers. See games like Clash of Clans.
- PC strategy, including Age of Empires IV, is a different machine: best RTS games.
What to do next
- Turns only: best turn-based strategy games.
- Every strategy shape in one place: best strategy games for Android.
- Towers: best tower defense games.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best real-time strategy game for Android?
Iron Marines. On November 12, 2026 the US listing was free, showed no ads label, and said the battles are offline real-time strategy. It has 4.7 stars from 129K reviews and was updated October 22, 2026. Hero purchases run from $0.99 to $99.99.
What is the best RTS on Android with no in-app purchases?
Rusted Warfare at $1.99. The listing shows no ads and no shop, and the description says offline multiplayer. It was last updated September 25, 2024. ROME: Total War at $9.99 is the bigger campaign with no shop.
Is Clash of Clans a real-time strategy game?
No. It is a village builder with raid timers. This list keeps games where you command units while time is moving, such as Iron Marines, Rusted Warfare, and ROME: Total War.
Does Company of Heroes work offline on Android?
The US listing on November 12, 2026 did not show an Offline tag. It costs $14.99, needs Android 12, and needs 5.2GB free. Test a mission in airplane mode before you travel.
How big are these RTS downloads?
The Play website did not show a file size, except Feral's free-space lines. ROME: Total War needs 4GB free. Company of Heroes needs 5.2GB free. Read the Install button for the others.
