AI War 2

The apex of multi-threaded, well designed AI combined with a mechanically unique asymmetric guerilla-war RTS. You will not find an experience like AI War 2 anywhere else. Don't worry about having Starcraft-tournament level clicks-per-minute, this RTS focuses more on strategy and tactics and is pausable (having your fleets in the right places at the right times, doing the right things). A word of warning, it takes quite a bit of time to get competent. AI War is brutally hard, and it will punish you hard for small mistakes. The reward of this game requires a substantial time investment, and during that time, expect to get your ass kicked. However, if you want a more chill experience, difficulty is highly customize-able, from "if you win this it is a bug" difficulty to "don't hurt me please"/sandbox difficulty. I cannot stress enough how impressive the multi-threaded AI is in this game, it feels like a human opponent. It probes weaknesses, it withdraws from losing battles and uses those forces to create death-balls to kill you later, it hides strike forces from your recon, it ambushes you when you attack a "weak point", it attacks your weak points, etc. Every enemy fleet runs on a different thread in a different CPU core, making absolutely massive battles more performant than would seem possible, although it will choke a bit if the battles get big enough. You can see some lag in response as overloaded threads call back to the main UI at times when you have 20,000 or more ships engaged (on my system). Another impressive aspect is the sheer amount of customization available to you in starting games, from starmap generation, to each AI fleet's behavior, to starting forces, there are hundreds of dials to tweak. This is a must-buy title for anybody who has the time to invest and who loves strategy.

The tutorial teaches you how to use the mouse to move units, use the build menu to make stations, then it gives up and tells you to figure out the rest by looking up fan tutorials on Youtube. I start a game and the Beginner Tips tell me I should use Science to upgrade my home world. The tips do not tell me how to do this. Nothing in the Science tab does this. So I go to Youtube. I spend a while watching a video that turns out to be useless because it is years out of date, explaining an old version of the game. I find a more recent tutorial by a guy who eventually says he doesn't understand what the game's systems mean. I find a third tutorial, start going through it, and 30 minutes later I still do not know how to upgrade my starting planet with my starting resources. Literally unplayable, 0/10.

I almost never write games reviews on steam. And frankly at this moment I am not in mood to write long detailed review - I want to go back to the game and beat those godd**ed level 8 AIs. =) But I will say this - I have been playing deep strategy games for 3 decades. This (and deep RPGs) are my two favorite genres in computer games. So over the years I've played probably 70-80%+ of games on most "Best strategy games of all times" lists. And this game is certainly in the top 5 or even in the top 3 strategy games I've EVER played, out of hundreds. It's really amazing. And it is also absolutely original - there is really nothing like that out there. And I think it is also criminally relatively unknown, likely because it's just too complex and strange for most major reviewers, and also obviously it doesn't have much eye candy. (although its artwork if totally fine for this type of game) Bottom line - if you love deep, deliciously complex strategy games with very strong (but infinitely customizable for any difficulty level or preference) AI opponents - do yourself a huge favor, stop wasting time by continuing reading reviews, and get this game. It's *really* that good. :) Fair warning - it does have learning curve. It's not a large curve, and it is certainly not a vertical wall, but it is there. Although let's be real - all interesting and deep strategy games have some learning curve, pretty much by definition - they would not be "deep" otherwise. :) Fortunately there are excellent tutorials both within game, as well as many video tutorials on youtube. (in particular, those made by "Strategy Sage" really helped me to upgrade my mastery of this game to beat higher levels of AI)

This game is good. However, the controls and audio-visual feedback are inconsistent at best. Combine this with complexity, and it makes for an abysmal learning process. I will probably still play it. The game IS fun once you learn to double check whether orders have gone through or whether your units loaded correctly given that there's no audio-visual feedback for it from the map. However, the question wasn't "do I like the game?" it was "Would I recommend it to others?" And, given how much I'm fighting with the controls and interface rather than the enemy AI, I really struggle to suggest this game.

It's a NO! tldr; Do you enjoy reading through walls of text before you can play? If not, move on! Because, you won't enjoy this game, unless you like to spend a lot of time, to go through it's tutorials, read through it's superlong manual, spend time studying superlong and unintuitive tooltips which are rather like a mess than an organized structure, and have hours over hours, before you finally figure some of the game and understand what you're supposed to do. I had to go through the tutorials twice, because the game leaves you in a state where you start playing and you're immediately are like "Ok, but... what am I supposed to do now?". It doesn't help you in any way. You would think it's otherwise, because of the few but kinda lengthy tutorials, and because of the beginner tips... that is, if you find them once you go through all the sidebar tabs and read through... long text once again. Unfortunately, all the text is more verbose than necessary and yet is still not to the point or very helpful, nor truely guiding you through like a well designed guide would. 15 hours in the game, and I still don't feel like I've kinda played it... and if you think that is an exception, just have a look at the achievements, where 97% of the 241 plenty achievements are just under 10% of the players. This is a game of high complexity, with a very unintuitive UI design and unit info displays, which require lots of reading and a high curve of learning, even lots of patience. Yet, there doesn't seem to be much of depth in it, as others have pointed out too. Plus, the game makes it very hard to understand, how different units or technologies affect your gameplay or your fleets. After all, it seems, you just gonna take the technology for which you have the most units and you may throw any strategy you expected to figure out, away. Funny, even one guide in the game tells you if in doubt just to do like that. I had already nearly 5 hours with only trying to go twice through the tutorials and still be at a loss how to proceed in an actual game. Or I would had definetely refunded it. Don't get what the developers hype is about... the marketing lets you expect something completely different.

Honestly the game was amazing in concept but struggled even with a good PC due to poor coding for years and years. Enjoyed the early game, and the mid game and then the end of every campaign was so slow it took days to run because of how lagged the whole endevour was. The tech and coding have caught up to an amazing standard. I can now play any concept I can create from start to finish without a massive lag drag. Multiplayer has become way more stable over time. Its hard to believe but in 2026 some companies still seem to care about their product and coding.

AI War 2 is a deeply systems-driven strategy game that deliberately challenges conventional real-time strategy expectations by placing the player in a position of overwhelming inferiority. Developed and published by Arcen Games, it is built around the idea that humanity has already lost the war, and what remains is a long, careful struggle for survival against a vastly superior artificial intelligence that controls nearly the entire galaxy. This core premise defines every mechanic, pacing decision, and strategic tension throughout the experience, resulting in a game that values planning, restraint, and adaptability far more than rapid expansion or brute force. From the opening moments, AI War 2 establishes itself as a game about thinking several steps ahead rather than reacting in the moment. You begin with control over a single world and limited forces, surrounded by AI-controlled planets bristling with defenses, fleets, and surveillance systems. Expansion is possible, but never without consequence, as every aggressive action raises the AI’s awareness and response level. This creates a constant push-and-pull between the need to grow stronger and the risk of provoking catastrophic retaliation. Unlike traditional RTS games where expansion is always beneficial, here it is often wiser to strike selectively, capture only what is necessary, and leave large portions of the galaxy untouched until the right moment. Strategic depth is the game’s defining strength. The galaxy map functions as both a battlefield and a puzzle, with each planet offering different resources, threats, and strategic value. Players must decide which technologies to unlock, which ship types to emphasize, and how to deploy specialized units like hackers, saboteurs, and mobile defenses. Every campaign feels different due to randomized galaxy layouts, variable AI personalities, and optional factions that introduce new pressures and opportunities. This ensures that no single strategy dominates, and success comes from understanding how systems interact rather than memorizing optimal build orders. Combat in AI War 2 unfolds in real time but is framed within a broader strategic context that discourages constant micromanagement. Large-scale fleet engagements can involve thousands of units, yet the game encourages players to think in terms of positioning, timing, and logistics rather than precise control of individual ships. Defensive structures, chokepoints, and layered responses matter as much as raw firepower. When battles are won, they feel earned not because of fast reflexes, but because of careful preparation and intelligent decision-making long before shots were fired. The artificial intelligence itself is one of the game’s most compelling features. Rather than acting as a predictable opponent, the AI adapts to player behavior, reinforcing weak points, launching counterattacks, and escalating its responses as it perceives greater threats. This creates an ongoing sense of pressure, where the galaxy never truly feels safe. Even periods of relative calm carry an undercurrent of tension, as the AI continues to build strength and probe for opportunities. The result is a persistent feeling that time is always against you, reinforcing the game’s theme of fighting a desperate, asymmetric war. The learning curve, however, is undeniably steep. AI War 2 throws a dense web of mechanics, statistics, and systems at the player, often with minimal hand-holding. The interface prioritizes information density over elegance, and new players may initially feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of options and terminology. Tutorials and tooltips help, but mastery requires patience and a willingness to experiment, fail, and learn from mistakes. This complexity is a barrier to entry, but it is also what gives the game its longevity and depth for players willing to invest the time. Visually, the game is functional rather than flashy. Ship designs, effects, and planetary views are clear and readable, but not cinematic. This minimalist presentation serves the gameplay well, ensuring that critical information is always visible even during massive engagements. Sound design is similarly restrained, focusing on feedback and atmosphere rather than dramatic flair. While the presentation may feel austere compared to big-budget strategy titles, it reinforces the game’s identity as a thinker’s strategy experience rather than a spectacle-driven one. Narrative in AI War 2 is largely emergent, arising from the player’s actions and the AI’s reactions rather than scripted events. There is no traditional story arc with characters and cutscenes; instead, the narrative is the campaign itself. Every hard-fought victory, narrow escape, or devastating loss becomes part of a personal war story shaped by choices and consequences. This approach makes each playthrough feel personal and memorable, especially when long-term plans finally come together after hours of careful maneuvering. Ultimately, AI War 2 is a strategy game that rewards patience, foresight, and intellectual engagement more than almost any of its peers. It is not designed to appeal to casual players or those seeking immediate gratification, but for strategy enthusiasts who enjoy grappling with complex systems and outthinking a relentless opponent, it offers an exceptionally rich experience. Its uncompromising design, combined with its unique premise and immense replayability, makes it one of the most distinctive and mentally demanding strategy games available on PC, standing as a testament to what focused indie development can achieve when depth is placed above convention. Rating: 8/10

I change this if u fix multiplayer

Absolute masterpiece. My only problem with the game is that I took too long to give it a try and that I just can't ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ put it down. 11/10 will spend a half hour paused pondering my next move again. and again. and again. and again. Oh and I've barely scratched the surface. There is so much ♥♥♥♥ and all of it terrifies me

Its like the friendliest RTS you've ever played, everything is explained in detail, there's a million different options, its such an exciting game to get into.