Your cart is empty.
Keep shopping
Teach on Udemy
Turn what you know into an opportunity and reach millions around the world.
Learn MoreUnity Real Time Strategy: Build Your Own RTS Game
Rating: 4.5 out of 54.5(188 ratings)
3,156 students
Unity Real Time Strategy: Build Your Own RTS Game
Build your own RTS in Unity 6 — smart units, fog of war, dynamic upgrades, and systems that scale as big as your ideas.
Created byGameDev.tv Team, Chris Kurhan
Last updated 11/2025
English
What you'll learn
- Build your own RTS game in Unity, from units to buildings to upgrades and more.
- Design gameplay systems that scale, so your project won’t buckle as it levels up.
- Create unit AI that reacts to player input using behaviour trees (no magic, just logic).
- Set up fog of war to keep your players guessing (and scouting like pros).
- Develop a config-driven setup to add new units fast—no spaghetti code here.
- Use ScriptableObjects to organise your game like a pro dev.
- Hook up an event bus system so your units can talk without yelling across the codebase.
- Craft upgrade systems that run from the editor, not hard-coded chaos.
Explore related topics
Course content
11 sections • 173 lectures • 25h 17m total length
- Welcome to the Course1:39
Chris Kurhan gives you a warm welcome and an overview of what will be covered in this course.
- Initial Project Setup6:27
We’ll install Unity Hub, Unity, install core packages, and set up our base scene.
- IMPORTANT: Unity Security Update0:23
- Community & Support1:33
We introduce the ways that you can get help, support and contribute to the community.
- Accessing Our Projects4:38
Any time we change our project during a lecture we will commit that change to a public source control repository for students to access. In this video, we show you how to access that content.
- Cinemachine Camera7:55
Set up Cinemachine to control our Camera movement.
- Top-Down Keyboard Movement7:46
Using the New Input System we’ll handle keyboard input to move the camera around our scene.
- Camera Zoom14:09
We’ll implement a WarCraft III-style Zoom with Cinemachine and the new input system!
- Camera Rotation6:05
We’ll implement a WarCraft III-style Rotation with Cinemachine and the new input system!
- Mouse Edge Panning12:27
With Keyboard inputs working, let’s add in the ability to move the camera by nudging the edge of the screen!
- Level Bounds7:04
Now that we have a bunch of ways to move the Camera, let’s limit ourselves to our playable area.
- Section Intro0:36
Section Intro - Navigation Meshes, NavMeshAgents, and Player Input
- What is a Navigation Mesh?7:19
Understanding the “new” NavMesh system. Creating our first NavMeshSurface and making adjustments so units can only move where we want them to.
- The NavMeshAgent & Moving on a NavMesh11:56
We’ll cover how to make an AI Unit follow some other unit and review the important configurations of the NavMeshAgent.
- Unit Selection13:04
In this lecture we’ll enable selecting and deselecting of a unit via an ISelectable interface and the URP Decal Projector.
- Unit & Decal Rendering Layers6:03
You’ll learn how to prevent the URP Decal Projector from rendering on certain objects, and we’ll set up some new Physics layers for our Units and Buildings.
- Right Click to Move8:09
By the end of this lecture we’ll be able to issue movement orders to our units and have them move to any point on the NavMesh!
- Drag Selection UI10:37
In this lecture you’ll learn how to implement a click-and-drag resizing UI element that we’ll use later to select units!
- A Slight Detour: The Event Bus14:08
Learn how a powerful design pattern: The Event Bus can help us decouple some of our components and make our lives easier!
- Deselecting Units with the Event Bus4:27
We’ll extend the Event Bus capabilities to support unit deselection.
- Drag Select Multiple Units15:16
Extend the drag-selection UI to also select multiple units so we can issue orders to multiple units at a time!
- Add Units to Selection4:22
Now we’ll be able to add a unit or group of units to our selection by holding the Shift Key.
- Areas and Obstacles9:00
We’ll take a clsoer look at NavMesh Areas, Obstacles, and Modifiers to control pathing of our NavMeshAgents!
- A Method to Prevent Unit Dancing14:46
In this lecture you’ll learn a way to prevent units from “dancing” with one another as they fight to reach the same destination!
- Multiple NavMeshes8:54
Set up a flying unit that operates on its very own NavMesh so it doesn’t collide with the ground units!
- Section Intro0:42
Section Intro - Buildings & Units
- Our First Building - The Supply Hut6:24
We’ll venture into setting up some buildings, starting with a simple one - the Supply Hut!
- Unifying Interactions with Buildings & Units3:43
Now that we’re seeing some similarities between Units and Buildings, let’s unify how we interact with them to make our lives easier.
- ScriptableObjects as Configuration10:29
Begin to unlock the power of ScriptableObjects as configuration!
- The Command Post3:53
We’ll set up one of the most important buildings in the game - the Command Post!
- Actions with the Command Pattern12:43
Learn about the Command Pattern by setting up the framework for all the actions our buildings and units will be able to do!
- Command Context10:10
Command-ify the “Fancy Movement” by introducing the Command Context to the MoveAction.
- Show Commands on the UI13:14
Bring those commands up to the UI so the player can see which commands are available to issue to the selected units!
- Issue Commands from the UI14:17
Now we can issue commands to our units by clicking on the UI!
- The Build Unit Command12:17
Buildings will now be able to build units using a new command: the Build Unit Command!
- Building Queue8:01
Building units is one thing, but what about queueing multiple units to be built? That’s this lecture!
- Diving into the UI13:56
We’ll dive into the UI structure and introduce a scalable framework to manage our UI.
- The Progress Bar9:08
One of the key workhorses of any game is a Progress Bar! In this lecture you’ll learn how to make one.
- Showing the Build Progress15:35
In this lecture we’ll hook up our BaseBuilding to the UI and the Progress Bar to show the progress of the current unit being built!
- Cancel Items in the Queue17:16
Add the ability for the player to cancel items in the build queue!
- Even More Buildings & Units6:44
We’ll be setting up all of the units and buildings we’ll be using throughout the rest of the course.
- Section Intro0:47
Section Intro - Behavior Trees
- Using Unity Behavior13:55
Start using Unity’s first party Behavior Tree solution - Unity Behavior to handle our unit movement.
- Custom Nodes in Unity Behavior10:40
Learn how to create custom nodes in Unity Behavior by creating a custom movement node.
- Gatherable Supplies10:43
Set up a scalable framework for defining supplies that can be gathered by workers.
- Unit Commands13:03
Add a “Command” to the Behavior Tree that we can branch on to add new behaviors!
- Gathering Supplies14:52
Extend the Worker Behavior Tree to begin gathering minerals!
- Return Supplies12:28
Extend the Gathering branch of the Behavior Tree to return supplies back to a Command Post.
- Smooth Gathering Movement5:39
Gathering workers will ignore other units and travel back and forth between the GatherableSupplies and Command Post very smoothly.
- Pick Better Gathering Locations5:34
Workers will now pick a more logical place to gather minerals and a more logical place to return them to on the Command Post.
- Pick Only Not Busy GatherableSupplies13:10
Upgrade our Workers to choose nearby GatherableSupplies to gather from if their current target is busy!
- Gathering Edge Cases11:54
We'll clean up some interactions with our gathering and also prevent GatherableSupplies from getting locked!
- Synchronize Animations11:25
Learn how to synchronize what the BehaviorAgent is doing with the Animator!
- Using Behavior Events10:12
Connect what happens in the Behavior Tree to our code with Behavior Events.
- Player Supplies5:38
https://gitlab.com/GameDevTV/unity-real-time-strategy/urts-course/-/commit/43fa910214decfaf24a1abeababee50ebf8b2253
- Using Conditional Branches6:07
We'll start using the Conditional Branch node to make our workers gather more intelligently!
- Returning Supplies11:34
Expand our use of the Behavior Tree to allow Workers to return supplies and go back to gathering with a single click!
- Section Intro0:42
Section Intro - Building Buildings
- Building UI Menus10:40
Implement the ability to override which Commands are available on a Unit so we can have building sub-menus.
- Split Unit and Building SOs11:23
Start supporting diverging needs of our Unit and Building ScriptableObjects
- Placing Buildings13:05
Create a new Build Buildings Command that allows us to place a building anywhere in the scene at runtime!
- Build Building Action10:53
Create a new node for the Behavior Tree: Build Building Action.
- Parallel Execution in the Behavior Tree13:43
Start using some flow control nodes that enable parallel execution in the graph so we can design behaviors in parallel!
- Animate Worker While Building7:33
Continue to explore animating the Worker in the Behavior Tree with the flow control nodes.
- Manage Competing Parallel Executions6:41
Manage multiple branches running in parallel to prevent unwanted spillover from the other branch.
- Finalize Building14:36
Polish off the building effect by cleaning up some teleporting and look and feel issues.
- Cancel Building7:53
Allow our Workers to cancel building a building before it is complete.
- Unit Death Event4:05
Handle when units are destroyed and resolve some errors we're experiencing right now when that happens.
- Building Progress8:08
Enhance our building’s knowledge of their progress with a new Building Progress struct so later we can resume building.
- Resume Building12:54
We'll finish out the ability for our workers to resume building a building that's been paused due to another worker's untimely demise.
- Building Restrictions10:12
Add the ability to prevent placing buildings in undesirable locations
- Building Restriction Visuals8:34
Provide visual feedback to the player about whether or not the building can be placed at at their current mouse position.
- Distance Checking Restrictions7:27
Create a new type of Building Restriction that will prevent the player from placing things a little too close together.
- Pay for Buildings7:45
Require the player has enough supplies to pay for buildings and units, and subtract the supplies when building them!
- Refund Building Cancellation3:28
Refund the player supplies when they cancel building a unit in the queue, or cancel building a building!
- Lock Unavailable Commands6:38
Conditionally lock the commands on the UI so the player doesn't think they can execute a command that cannot be executed.
- Lock Tooltips9:40
Show a tooltip on the UI Action Buttons based on the active command for that UI Action Button
- Dynamic Tooltips9:10
Show the cost of a tooltip, improve the positioning, and ensure they don’t show up when there’s no relevant command assigned!
- Single Unit Selected UI11:37
We'll begin dynamically showing more data to the player in our bottom bar such as the single unit selected's name, icon, and health!
- Building Under Construction UI14:03
Start handling the various options of UIs when a building is selected.
- Building Spawn Event4:35
Introduce the Building Spawn Event so our UI can update when a building completes building.
- Increase Health While Building7:52
When a building is being built, it will gain health over the build duration and we'll even show it on the UI!
- Single Unit Commands9:00
Add the ability to restrict some commands to only issue to one unit at a time, like building a building!
- Building Events14:58
Introduce building events into the Behavior Tree to catch some edge cases with multiple workers building.
- Using Sub Graphs14:37
Sub Graphs are powerful tools that allow us to encapsulate behaviors away from our main graphs. We'll implement those in this lecture to declutter our Worker BT.
- Building Edge Cases7:44
We'll go through a polishing pass on building the buildings to ensure a good experience for our players.
- Configure the Buildings11:55
Configure the rest of the building we'll be able to build in this course!
- Section Closing0:29
Section Closing - Building Buildings
- Section Intro0:38
Section Intro - Military Units
- A New Tree for Military Units8:27
Create a new behavior tree and base class for our Military Units.
- Taking Damage4:24
Set up the framework for arbitrary objects taking damage, and ensure our Buildings and Units can both take damage and die!
- Sense Nearby Units9:52
We'll empower our AI with a standardized way of understanding the world around it - Sensors.
- AI Unit Awareness6:29
We'll connect the GraphAgent and the DamageableSensor to one another so our unit AI becomes aware of the nearby IDamageables!
- Attack Configuration6:51
Set up a method to configure our attacks on a unit-by-unit basis.
- The Attack Command5:28
Create a new Attack Command to send our units off to war!
- Attack & Apply Damage13:11
In this lecture our units will start dealing damage to other IDamageables!
- Polish the Attack Behavior7:48
Add some polish to the Attack Target Action we implemented in the previous lecture to make our attacking look and feel much better!
- Attack-Move17:12
Upgrade the attacking behavior of our units to have the attack command be a default-aggressive movement AttackCommand as well!
- The Grenadier4:54
Configure our second military unit, the Grenadier!
- Grenadier Projectile Visualization11:16
Animate a projectile attack from the Grenadier, including an explosion!
- Timing Projectile Damage4:00
Delay applying damage until the grenade makes impact with its target!
- Area of Effect Damage11:50
We'll enhance our Grenadiers (and other units) to be able to apply Area of Effect Damage!
- Create the Air Transport5:18
Circle back around to creating the Air Transport, which will have some interesting behaviors soon!
- Unit Transport Configuration4:47
Prepare for units loading into other units with the new Transport Config SO!
- Load Units Behavior Tree7:43
Set up the Behavior Tree component of loading units into an Air Transport.
- Load Unit Command11:19
Give the player the ability to click Load Unit and select which unit should be loaded into the Air Transport!
- Load Into & Hidden Commands13:20
Add the ability to hide commands from showing on the UI, allow units to be "loaded into" an ITransporter, and a related small movement refactor.
- Load Multiple Units9:31
Update the AirTransport's Behavior Tree to support loading multiple units instead of only 1 at a time!
- Unload Units9:37
Add the ability to our Air Transport to unload all the units currently loaded inside!
- Unit Transport UI11:47
Add a new Unit Transport UI to show which units are currently loaded inside the selected Air Transport.
- Unit Load & Unload Events6:02
Update the UI when units are loaded & unloaded with 2 new events.
- Polishing & Clean Up11:59
We'll clean up some of the small issues that slipped through the cracks as we implemented a lot of new functionality in this section!
- Section Closing0:31
Section Closing - Military Units
- Section Intro0:24
Section Intro - Unit Ownership
- Unit Ownership9:42
Add in the concept of Ownership to units, so our units stop attacking each other, but still attack enemy units.
- Event Bus Channels Per Owner10:55
Introduce the concept of Ownership to the Event Bus to allow more targeted channels for events, per Owner.
- Owners on the Player Input & UI3:08
Continue to support the Ownership concept on the Event Bus, this time adding support to the PlayerInput and the UI!
- Track Supplies Per Owner10:24
Ensure that as the player, we only receive updates on Supplies when the SupplyEvent is our own.
- Section Intro0:37
Section Intro - The Tech Tree
- Tech Tree Scriptable Object11:38
We’ll set up the fundamentals of a Tech Tree in a ScriptableObject.
- Unlocking Dependencies9:41
Start unlocking Dependencies in the Tech Tree on Building spawn!
- Lock Commands with Unmet Dependencies5:21
Block the Player from building Units or Buildings that have not been unlocked in the Tech Tree!
- Upgrade ScriptableObject8:41
Create the base Upgrade ScriptableObject that will allow us to modify arbitrary properties on AbstractUnits!
- Research Upgrades15:20
Create a new Research Upgrade Command and implement researching upgrades end to end!
- Multi-Tier Upgrades6:11
Weapon and Armor Upgrades typically have multiple levels. In this lecture you’ll learn how to support these in our system.
- A More Responsive UI8:46
Make the UI more responsive to events, like the BuildingSpawnEvent and UpgradeResearchedEvent.
- Apply Upgrades16:54
Using the Upgrade Scriptable Object, we’ll apply any change to any value on any object that we specify in the Inspector!
- Generify Property Access13:03
Generify the way we access properties we want to upgrade to make it much faster and easier to create new types of modifiers!
- Safeguard Base Configurations9:07
Implement “Runtime Sets” to isolate upgrades to our own units, and prevent accidental changes to the base SO configurations.
- Handle Losing Dependencies6:21
Set up the TechTreeSO to support when key UnlockableSOs are lost.
- Show Dependencies on the UI11:01
Update our Tooltips to show the required tech upgrades to build a unit or building!
- Multi-Building Research Locking8:50
Lock upgrades at ALL Buildings if that upgrade is already being researched!
- Section Intro0:56
Section Intro- Simple Fog of War
- Fog of War Camera Setup12:21
We’ll encode the world into a Render Texture using a Camera so later we can render the fog of war.
- Render the Fog10:16
Start rendering the Fog of War on the Main Camera so we can’t see where our units can’t see!
- Keep Track of Explored Locations11:25
Using a new Render Texture and Render Feature, we'll "remember" where what our untis have seen in the Scene.
- Merge Visible & Explored Fog8:15
Combine the Explored and Currently Visible Fog of War Textures into a single display to get that true RTS Fog of War look and feel!
- Softer Fog13:53
Blur the Render Texture output in a Shader to hide some of the pixelation at the edge of our fog.
- Unit Sight Configs8:22
We’ll add the ability to control how far units can see with a Unit Sight Config.
- Sight Ownership1:50
In this lecture we’ll prevent units not owned by the Player from carving the Fog of War.
- Determine Unit Visibility9:02
Using the Fog of War Render Texture data we’ll determine each not owned unit’s visibility status.
- Hide Units in the Fog5:05
When a unit is no longer within the active visibility, we’ll hide them!
- Hide Buildings in the Fog3:23
When buildings are no longer within the active visibility, we’ll hide them!
- Hide Supplies in the Fog8:52
When GatherableSupplies are no longer within the active visibility, we’ll hide them!
- Placeholders in Explored Areas9:34
When structures are hidden, we’ll generate a placeholder model so the Player can see a snapshot of the last time they viewed that area.
- Placeholder Removal10:24
Ensure we remove the building placeholders when the building dies and is visible, or only when it’s revealed again.
- Block Clicks on Invisible Objects7:02
Block clicks on objects that are not in the active visibility so they can’t accidentally issue attack or gather commands on objects in hidden areas!
- Unit Fog Amnesia10:30
Make units “forget” about units that have become invisible, so they can’t interact with units they can’t see!
- Clean Up9:16
Clean up some sneaky bugs related to unit deaths and fog visibility.
- Prevent Building in the Fog10:01
Prevent the Player from building in the Fog of War by enhancing the Building Restrictions.
- Section Closing1:03
Section Closing - Simple Fog of War
- Section Intro0:27
In this video (objectives)…
Section Intro - Minimap
- Show the Minimap5:35
In this video (objectives)…
We’ll do some Unity configuration to get a realistic, dynamic display for our minimap and show it on the UI!
- Unit Minimap Display7:29
In this video (objectives)…
Show units and buildings on the Minimap.
- Show Camera Bounds on the Minimap8:15
In this video (objectives)…
Show where the Camera is and what it can see on the Minimap.
- Hide Undiscovered Supplies7:06
In this video (objectives)…
Show where the Camera is and what it can see on the Minimap.
- Move the Camera with the Minimap10:43
In this video (objectives)…
Allow the Player to click on the Minimap to move the camera!
- Right Click on the Minimap9:02
In this video (objectives)…
Allow the Player to right click on the Minimap to issue commands!
- Issue any Command on the Minimap5:55
In this video (objectives)…
Allow the Player to issue any command by left clicking on the Minimap.
Requirements
- To get the most out of this course you'll need an intermediate understanding of C# and a good grasp of using the Unity Editor.
Description
Ever dreamed of making your own real time strategy game but got totally pwned by the complexity? You’re not alone. RTS games are beasts—but this course is here to help you tame 'em.
You’ll build out a full RTS from scratch—units, buildings, upgrades, fog of war, the whole lot. You even get a starter project with models and a level, so you can hit the ground running.
Wanna make your units act less like chaos goblins? You’ll build behaviour trees that respond properly to player input.
We’re talking powerful coding stuff too—event buses, ScriptableObjects, config-driven systems—big tools that make your game scalable and pro-level tidy.
Sick of hard coding every single stat or upgrade? We’ve got your back. You’ll make a fully editable system where new units and upgrades can be added in a flash.
Struggling with scaling your projects or levelling up your dev skills? This course shows you how to build smart systems from the get-go, so your game grows with you.
If you’ve already got a decent handle on Unity and C#, and you’re keen to go deeper, this course is perfect for you. RTS fans and future AI masterminds, you’re gonna love it.
You’ll need an intermediate knowledge of C# and to be comfy using the Unity Editor—but don’t worry, we’re not gonna spawn you into a boss fight with no gear. So if you get stuck, think of us as your support crew—arming you with the tools and tips to win the fight your way.
And yep, like all GameDev tv courses, you get access to our awesome forums and teaching assistants.
By the end, you won’t just have code—you’ll have the bones of your very own RTS game.
So, what are you waiting for? Let’s get building!
Who this course is for:
- If you're interested in making a Unity RTS game, then this is quite literally THE course for you!
- Equally, if you're looking to learn how to make complex Game AI - sign up now.
- And if you're already an intermediate C# / Unity dev and you're looking to expand your skillset, you're totally in the right spot.