StarCraft: Brood War

StarCraft: Brood War remains the most exquisitely balanced competitive RTS ever created, a claim supported by its 20-year unpatched professional scene. Blizzard's 1998 expansion became South Korea's de facto national sport, spawning celebrity players and leagues that drew 100,000 live spectators to stadiums. No other RTS, including Age of Empires II, has replicated this feat without constant updates.