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Occasionally, the term is applied to the different, but related tactic epitomized by the Tank rush present in the Command & Conquer series since Command & Conquer: Red Alert.

The tank rush differs in the units are neither cheap nor easily produced, but in a sufficient group they can be nigh unstoppable.

Similar to the StarCraft etymology, the term is often altered according to the units involved, such as the Rhino tank rush of Red Alert 2, the Flash tank rush of Total Annihilation, the Samurai Ship rush of Total War: Shogun 2 and the Pitbull rush of Command & Conquer 3.

This alternate application can also be found in many gaming communities.

Some rushes rely on units that may not be cheap or quick to produce but have a particular advantage such as flight or invisibility that requires specialized defenses to counter.

For example, a Protoss player may employ a Dark Templar rush, consisting of the perpetually cloaked Dark Templar unit, against an opponent with no units or structures that can detect cloaked units.

In Red Alert 2, a tactic called a " Rocky Rush " where an Allied player, without the knowledge of their opponent, quickly amasses a large force of flying infantry called Rocketeers is a somewhat common rush.

The strategy relies on the idea that just as many StarCraft players may forget early invisibility detection ability to defend against more conventional attacks, many Red Alert 2 players might not have built any anti-aircraft defenses early in the game in order to defend against tank and engineer rushes more effectively.

If an opponent has sufficient warning of a Rocketeer Rush, it is easy for them to build a defense to counter the Rocketeer rush for a fraction of the cost of the Rocketeers, ensuring victory for the defending player, because the opponent will be left with little money and no way of stopping a ground assault with anti-aircraft support.