Forts (v2024.08.21 & ALL DLC)

Every battle turns engineering into a weapon as rival commanders race to construct precarious hillside strongholds and reduce each other’s work to debris. Forts is a side-view, physics-driven real-time strategy game where walls, braces, reactors, weapon mounts, and resource collectors all form part of a destructible machine. Its colourful, almost toy-box presentation keeps the mood accessible, but the matches quickly become tense when a single well-placed shell can sever a support beam and send an entire gun platform crashing down. Winning is less about building the biggest bunker than recognizing exactly where an enemy fortress is weakest.

Matches begin with a modest base and a constant need to balance economy, defence, and firepower. Players place structural pieces in real time, create protected routes to mines and wind turbines, expand their power network, and research increasingly destructive options ranging from machine guns and mortars to lasers, missiles, and nuclear weapons. Every build has consequences: overextend without proper supports and your own fort may collapse, while careless weapon placement leaves expensive hardware exposed. Commanders add distinctive abilities that encourage different approaches, and the game supports campaign missions, skirmishes, online battles, co-op play, and local multiplayer. The core loop is wonderfully readable—gather resources, reinforce vulnerable points, scout enemy construction, then fire at the one joint that brings the whole plan apart.

What separates Forts from conventional RTS games is the way structural physics makes destruction feel earned rather than cosmetic. A mortar barrage can strip armour away, but a clever shot through a narrow opening can remove the foundations beneath an entire enemy wing; spectacular collapses are as satisfying as any victory screen. Custom map and mod support, varied weapon combinations, and the unpredictable nature of human opponents give it strong replay value, especially in team matches where allies can specialize in economy, defence, or artillery. Fans of Worms-style artillery duels, Stronghold-style construction, or the chaotic engineering of Besiege should find plenty to enjoy. Newcomers can grasp the basics quickly, while competitive players have ample room to master build orders, timing, and precision targeting.