Is Rise of Nations Still Good?
Spoiler: Yes, and Here’s Why.
When Rise of Nations first dropped in 2003, it was an instant classic. A beautiful blend of real-time strategy and turn-based empire management, it captured the hearts of strategy fans with its depth, pacing, and historical flavor. Fast forward to today—two decades and a few hundred modern games later—you might be wondering:
“Is Rise of Nations still worth playing in 2025?”
The answer is a resounding yes—and here’s why.
1. It Blends the Best of RTS and Turn-Based Games
Rise of Nations is what you get when you cross the fast, tactical action of Age of Empires with the grand strategic scope of Civilization. You manage your economy, expand borders, research technologies, and build armies—all in real time. But it doesn’t overwhelm you with speed. It gives you room to think, plan, and develop strategies.
That hybrid style? Still unmatched.
2. The Nation Variety Keeps It Fresh
There are 18 unique nations, each with different bonuses, units, and playstyles. Want to blitz as the Germans? Culturally dominate as the French? Economically boom as the British? Every nation feels distinct, which adds tons of replayability.
Even now, players find new ways to optimize strategies for each nation.
3. The Combat Is Simple—But Satisfying
The battles aren’t overly complicated. But what they lack in micromanagement, they make up for in strategy. Positioning, timing, and tech choices matter more than APM (actions per minute). This makes it accessible to newcomers, but deep enough to reward experienced players.
And yes, launching nukes is still satisfying.
4. The Economy Is Surprisingly Deep
You manage six resources—food, wood, metal, oil, wealth, and knowledge. Balancing them while expanding your territory and upgrading infrastructure adds layers of economic depth rarely seen in modern RTS games. If you’re a builder or a planner, this system is a dream.
Modern games often oversimplify this stuff. Rise of Nations doesn’t.
5. It Feels Big—But Doesn’t Take Forever
In under an hour, you can go from the Ancient Age to the Information Age, conquering nations and reshaping the world along the way. It captures that epic sense of progression—without making you sit through a 3-hour slog. Every match tells a story.
And for campaign lovers, Conquer the World mode still rocks.
6. The Extended Edition Keeps It Alive
The Extended Edition on Steam modernizes the experience with better resolution, multiplayer support, cloud saves, and Steam Workshop integration. It runs smoothly on modern machines and has an active modding community keeping things fresh.
There are even balance mods and quality-of-life tweaks if you want to enhance the base game.
7. The Community Is Small but Loyal
Sure, Rise of Nations doesn’t have a massive player base anymore. But the ones who are still around? Passionate, helpful, and active—especially on Discord and Steam forums. If you want to dive into multiplayer or learn the ropes, you’ll find people willing to teach or team up.
8. It Actually Makes You Think
You can’t brute-force your way to victory. You need to plan ahead. Adapt. Expand at the right time. Know when to rush and when to turtle. Whether you’re playing against AI or real players, Rise of Nations rewards smart decisions over speed-clicking.
In a world full of fast, shallow games, that’s refreshing.
TL;DR – Why Rise of Nations Still Holds Up in 2025
Timeless blend of strategy and action- Unique nations and deep tech trees
- A strong economy system that still challenges players
- Epic progression from ancient to modern ages
- Modernized via the Extended Edition
- Satisfying gameplay that rewards brain over brawn
Final Verdict
Rise of Nations isn’t just “still good”—it’s one of the most well-designed strategy games ever made. If you’re a fan of thinking, building, planning, and conquering with purpose, this game deserves a permanent spot in your library.
Whether you’re returning for nostalgia or discovering it for the first time, Rise of Nations still delivers a masterclass in strategy—loud and clear.
What do you think—does Rise of Nations still hold up? Let me know in the comments!