When Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard in 2023, it promised that we’d soon begin seeing some of the developer’s biggest games on Xbox consoles and on Game Pass. After bringing Diablo 4 to Game Pass earlier this year, another classic Blizzard series joins Game Pass on November 5, bringing two games and loads of DLC.
Following the success of the Warcraft series, Blizzard Entertainment launched the sci-fi RTS StarCraft in 1998. It went on to become a massive hit, with an even bigger multiplayer scene than Warcraft, and spawned a belated sequel more than ten years later. Both games are now available on Game Pass, with the entirety of their campaign content. That means StarCraft is joined by its incredible Brood War expansion, and its sequel arrives by way of StarCraft 2: Campaign Collection, which includes all of its DLC campaigns in addition to the base game. Before you get too excited, this isn’t a console launch for the StarCraft series. Both games are still only available on PC, so you’ll need either PC Game Pass or Game Pass Ultimate to play them.
Caveats aside, both StarCraft games are still well worth playing if you’ve got a PC. The original StarCraft might feel a little antiquated when it comes to mechanics, but that’s no reason to overlook it. It’s still a solid RTS that any fan of the genre should play at least once, and one whose influences can still be felt today. Its story may be the best reason to get invested, as it goes far beyond threadbare campaigns of its contemporaries, serving up the best tropey, overwrought sci-fi instead, full of double-crosses, surprising twists, and the best cutscenes that Blizzard (circa 1998) could muster.
The picture gets even better with Brood War, which improves on the original’s gameplay while continuing its increasingly convoluted story of three perpetually backstabbing factions locked into an interplanetary struggle. StarCraft: Remastered, the version of the game now on its own Game Pass, updates the graphics of the original and its expansion, though you can alternately play the StarCraft: Cartooned mode, which replaces the original’s art with colorful cartoons by Carbot Animations, the creator of popular StarCraft fan videos.
Once you’ve battled through the Koprulu Sector in the original, you can tackle the excellent StarCraft 2. With the DLC included in the complete edition, StarCraft 2 replicates the original’s structure, following the conflict between the Terrans, Zerg, and Protoss vying for control of their interstellar neighborhood. StarCraft 2 picks up from the story of the original game, with the various alliances formed between the solar system’s three dominant civilizations more complicated than ever.
At times, StarCraft 2 is a standard RTS in the mold of the original StarCraft, but it features much more varied gameplay overall. With 2002’s Warcraft 3, Blizzard experimented with more distinct mission types, which center on small groups of units rather than massive armies, and often featured hero units that are vastly more powerful than regular soldiers. StarCraft 2 builds on that idea, allowing both its gameplay and story to focus closely on its central characters instead of the warring factions as a whole. By moving between giant armies clashing and smaller groups fighting for survival, StarCraft 2 feels far more varied than the original game — or most RTS games, for that matter — while being free to explore more varied objectives than simply crushing your enemies.
Returning to the StarCraft series is a no-brainer for RTS fans. The genre quite simply wouldn’t be the same without the series, and going back to replay it is likely to be a nostalgic treat for the series’ fans. Newcomers also stand to get a lot out of StarCraft, both as an example of how a single series can define an entire style of play and a chance to play two excellent games that are still just as fun as they are important to gaming history.
