Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos had a profound impact on the RTS genre, influencing both game design and the gaming community. Its blend of strategy, resource management, and RPG elements raised the bar for RTS games, encouraging other developers to innovate and experiment with new gameplay mechanics.

The game's popularity also led to the creation of custom maps, mods, and spin-offs, such as Defense of the Ancients (DotA), a popular multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) mod.