As a long time gamer I've gone through this several times, where my prefered game style switches. It could be action-adventure, scrolling arcade, sports, fps, rts, rpg, etc etc.

Well RPG's have been a big part of it (and sandbox) but lately I'm just not getting the thrill from them like I used to. I know GTA: V is coming out this year, but I'm not pumped up for it. I've had my hand in MMORPG's in recent years but I'm falling out of them again. I have played a lot of Skyrim and took it to its limits in multiple ways and I need to take a break from it to get back into it.

I just don't know where I'm going to turn to next. I recently picked up NHL 12 (used, take that EA!) and I have fun with it because I have no desire for online multiplayer with it (I fell out of love with sports online multiplayer with The Show 2009 (or 2008?...whichever had Ryan Howard on the cover).

I was thinking of getting back into Real Time Strategy. I used to be a big C&C player, but after a while the series was pretty much dead to me (Generals was the last one I played, it was way too easy). Any RTS games out there that have come out in the last few years that someone would recommend that I could pick up for maybe $20-30? Not really interested in multiplayer for something that right now as I want to get my groove back.

Any other suggestions of gaming preferences with a title associated that anyone could suggest would be cool too.

Personally I think C&C3: Tiberium Wars and Kane's Wrath are the best ones to come out of the series.

Didn't even touch Tiberium Twilight

Company of Heroes 2 has some Open Beta on steam try that.

Halo Wars and Age of Mythology.

RTS I would recommend in recent years, not really. Supreme Commander 2 was the last decent one in my opinion and it was nowhere near as good as Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance (still my current favorite RTS). The one I'm watching that has a shot of stealing Forged Alliance's throne for me is Planetary Annihilation, which is due out later this year.

Mine have only switched once and it was not because of genré's but rather because of price and game design.

It was as I was playing Blacksite that I realized a few hours into the game that it was just boring.

Linear levels, same enemies, boring storyline.

I got really turned off by linear games at that point, still am.

When I saw Remember Me's gameplay trailer I could not believe people were actually getting hyped for it.

It was basically just a bunch of cutscenes sewn together with linear, boring and repetitive gameplay.

So that was the one switch I've had where I just all of the sudden got completely turned off by a specific design.

Other than that I've just been losing interest in a lot of genré's and designs over time, but no major switch has happened.

I don't think I will have any more switches happen like that, the only thing that will happen for me is that I will demand quality.

And that demand for quality will become stricter as I age.

I've already noticed it happening, games that I'm sure I'd be interested in 5 years ago I now shun for how they're designed.

So the selection of games I will enjoy will narrow down as I age, but I doubt any switch will ever happen again.

SC2 has always been pretty solid for me, along with the Heart of the Swarm Expansion. But a good number of people will tell you it feels more like a game where it a competition of who can click things the fastest, and while it is true to an extent, it feels pretty good to when you get comfortable and win about half your games.

Edit: Just saw your price range and I'm pretty sure SC2 and HOTS amount to more than fifty dollars when combined, not sure though, and you'll want to pick up HOTS with it as it is the one that gets updated.