Learn how to play Stick War, from the core loop of building and pushing to managing your army and upgrading your units.
Stick War is a real-time strategy game about commanding stick-figure armies, and the fundamentals carry across the series — the classic web games, Stick War: Legacy and later titles. This how-to-play guide gives you the essentials, so whether you are opening the series for the first time or brushing up on basics, you can find your feet fast.
Every title shares the same opening beats. You control an army on one side of a battlefield and must defeat an opposing empire on the other. You start by producing and upgrading units, building your economy, and deciding when to push forward. On mobile and PC the controls differ slightly — see the controls guide for the specifics on each platform.
The heart of Stick War is a simple loop: earn resources, spend them on units and upgrades, push your frontline forward, and break the enemy’s defenses. You must balance offense and defense — if you only attack you leave yourself exposed, and if you only defend your opponent out-builds you. Each game you are buying time, units and upgrades, and the side that converts its advantage into a decisive push usually wins.
A strong army is a mix, not a pile of one unit. A durable frontline (like Spearton) shields your ranged and magic damage (Archidon, Magikill), while fast units (Swordwrath) chase down threats. Learn each unit’s job on the unit list and check the tier list for a community ranking.
Upgrades make individual units stronger and are typically fueled by resources plus the premium currency known as gems. How you earn gems varies by game title and update, so treat specific totals as needing verification — the upgrade guide covers priorities and how to spend wisely.
Common questions about this topic.