3. Warcraft 3 (2002)

As always, humans have the strongest all-in in the game

Developer: Blizzard Entertainment

Genre: Real-time strategy

Humans and orcs fighting to the death, as it should be

The world of Azeroth, still recovering from the last war, is under attack by a demonic force known as the Burning Legion. Humans and orcs must put aside their past differences and fight for their very survival, joined by the mysterious night elves and opposed by the horrifying undead.

The formula we all know and love (use peasant units to gather resources and build structures that churn out combat units) got expanded in an unexpected way, and it’s a good change. Every one of the four factions has itself a selection of heroes that form the basis of your playstyle and grow in power as they kill stuff. If this isn’t enough for you, some maps also have taverns where you can recruit neutral heroes, giving you even more options.

Warcraft III was impressive back when it came out, but what’s even more impressive about it is its legacy. MOBAs, tower defense games, powerful heroes in RTSes, none of it would exist as we know it today if it weren’t for this game. For that, if for nothing else, you owe it to yourself to at least play a few matches from time to time.