Developer: Westwood Studios Released: 1992 Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty (known as Dune II: Battle for Arrakis in Europe) wasn't the first real-time strategy game ever, but it did pioneer many concepts that make up the genre as we know it today. Before Dune II, real-time strategies were generally only played by very niche audiences, with few standout titles. Resource collection for unit and base building costs, tech trees, a world map for selecting missions and different factions with unique units were all first introduced in Dune II. It really did kick off the entire genre as we know it, while still being remarkably playable in its own right. Literally every real-time strategy that exists today owes a lot to Dune II.
