A real-time strategy game (RTS), developed by Blizzard Entertainment and published by Blizzard and Interplay Entertainment. The MS-DOS version was released in 23 November 1994 and the Macintosh version in late 1996. Sales were fairly high, reviewers were mostly impressed, and the game won three awards and was a finalist for three others. There was a CD re-release, namely version 1.21 (CD version), that didn't have the word-from-the-user-manual copy protection of prior versions. The sequel, Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness, became the main rival to Westwood Studios' Command & Conquer series, and this competition fostered an RTS boom in the mid to late 1990s.

Although Warcraft: Orcs & Humans was not the first RTS title to offer multiplayer games, Blizzard's game persuaded a wider audience that multiplayer facilities were essential for future RTS titles. The game introduced innovations in mission design and gameplay elements, which were adopted by other RTS developers.

Blizzards's main emphases in these games were on skillful management of relatively small forces and on development of characterization and storyline within and between games played in the same universe.

Warcraft: Orcs & Humans is a real time strategy game (RTS). One player represents the Human inhabitants of Azeroth, and the other controls the invading Orcs. Each side tries to destroy the other by collecting resources and creating an army. In addition both sides have to ward off dangers from wild monsters, but sometimes can use some monsters as troops. The game plays in a mediaeval setting with fantasy elements. Both sides have melee units and ranged units, and also spellcasters.

Warcraft: Orcs & Humans's gameplay expanded the Dune II "build base, build army, destroy enemy" paradigm to include other modes of game play. These included several new mission types, such as conquering rebels of the player's race, rescuing and rebuilding besieged towns, rescuing friendly forces from an enemy camp and then destroying the main enemy base, and limited-forces missions, in which neither side could make further units, and making efficient use of one's platoon was a key strategy element. In one mission, the gamer had to kill the Orc chief's daughter.

The game also allows two players to compete in multiplayer contests by modem or local networks, and enables gamers with the MS-DOS and Macintosh version to play each other. Multiplayer and AI skirmishes that are not part of campaigns were supported by a random map generator. The game also allowed spawn installations to be made.