# StarCraft II 32 Hacker News commenters recommended StarCraft II and 18 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 10 of 13 months. **Verdict:** Recommended for its deep strategy, strong campaigns, lasting competitive play and free-to-play multiplayer. Critics cite demanding execution, always-online requirements, and a small current player base. ## Why people recommend it - Enduring popularity and acclaim (4 comments): "they'd probably be correct given how its still played so much today" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46205525)) "there is a reason Starcraft is such a cultural phenomenon" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49700273)) "perhaps to this day the best RTS ever made" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49637980)) - Runs well, including on Linux (3 comments): "StarCraft 2 worked, oddly enough, run from Steam as an external program." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46797763)) "Even Starcraft2, run through proton, works well." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47614821)) "Starcraft 2 and diablo 2 both work very well" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47614550)) - Balance patches and design improvements (3 comments): "SC2 achieved this with balance patches - Blizzard paid close attention to the meta and when it got stale/boring, they adjusted things" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48639106)) "SC2 always had smoother patching and better programmed "flocking" behavior." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49702781)) "SC2 was more successful in taking out APM and "Deathball" mechanics" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49700440)) - Responsive controls (2 comments): "No lag that I could discern. The multiplayer also worked just fine, although the matchmaking system seemed to think I was an expert level player" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46799212)) "I love this super responsive controles and its the only thing i will settle for in terms of controles" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49234903)) ## What people warn about - Always-online and server connection requirements (3 comments): "The always online model was heavily hamfisted by Activision Blizzard who wanted to launch their esports ambitions with SC2" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47110582)) "you have to go all the way through the internet even if you sit right next to each other" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47108438)) "you even needed to connect to their servers to play the fucking single player campaign" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47113518)) - Hard to execute, demanding play (3 comments): "I found that StarCraft 2 multiplayer wasn't fun at all if you weren't nearly giving yourself an anxiety attack trying to perfectly execute a laundry list of moves as fast as possible." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49717300)) "the intense loathing we had for how incredibly difficult Blizzard had decided to make it to actually play the game you had paid for" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47109398)) "controlling units was too difficult: the only thing I could do is to send entire army to fight." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48622849)) - Needs constant meta and patch study (2 comments): "once you're studying various metas rather than having fun you need to take a step back and reevaluate" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46801244)) "in SC2, I have to be caught up on the latest balance patches to appreciate anything" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46207585)) - Patches introduced bugs and changes (2 comments): "Starcraft2's problem was that it was 3 separate games with incredible patches that completely changed everything." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49700196)) "game breaking bugs introduced into StarCraft 2 in recent patches" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48922486)) ## Alternatives hackers recommend - [Beyond All Reason](https://hackerapproved.com/p/beyond-all-reason.md): 76 recommend - [Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness](https://hackerapproved.com/p/warcraft-ii-tides-of-darkness.md): 51 recommend - [Total Annihilation](https://hackerapproved.com/p/total-annihilation.md): 48 recommend - [StarCraft](https://hackerapproved.com/p/starcraft.md): 36 recommend - [0 A.D.](https://hackerapproved.com/p/0-a-d.md): 30 recommend ## Where to get it - [Visit the official site](https://starcraft2.blizzard.com/en-us/) ## Cite as Hacker Approved, "StarCraft II", https://hackerapproved.com/p/starcraft-ii/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).