War games are the pinnacle of strategic combat simulations in the digital space, offering the best simulations that model military, political or strategic operations. While many come from the tabletop genre of the same name, others were more associated with military training exercises, with a focus on realism and the reenactment (or re-creation) of real-world scenarios.
Despite the assumptions one might make from reading the title, wargaming is more than pitting two opposing forces against each other and seeing who wins. They explore concepts beyond simple numbers and teach players how to evaluate scenarios, exploring how planning and posture affect outcomes. Wargames are a hyper-evolved piece of several aspects of war in the form of a game – very different from what most people imagine when they talk about games that are about war.
But as with all genres, the lines can be a bit blurred, as some wargames can have much more in common with 4X (Explore, Expand, Exploit, Exterminate) titles than other contemporary wargames, and can range from lighter, fantasy affairs to hyper-realistic. As a genre with a long history dating back decades, there's no shortage of games, but these 11 are some of the very best.
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Steel Panthers World War 2
An encyclopedic description of the conflicts of World War II
Steel Panthers World War 2 covering the combat period 1930 to 1946, it seeks to capture the full range of battles that made up World War II. Although this time period may seem short at first glance, the game contains 872 different scenarios, 34 campaigns, 456 custom maps and almost 8400 photos. A total of 33 nations are represented in the game, with 14 featuring long, scripted campaigns.
The number of things to do and engage with is staggering, and few games have ever come close to the sheer scale of gameplay and historical detail put into Steel Panthers World War 2. When talking about war games with a focus on World War 2, this game should be one of the first that comes to mind.
Advanced Tactics Gold
Infinitely replayable and constantly evolving
Built on the success of the fantastic Advanced Tactics: World War 2, Advanced Tactics Gold is moving forward with the introduction of a new game editor, new features and expanded capabilities. While the base game already features a deep and engaging core of systems and numerous scenarios to play through (including campaigns on the Eastern Front and the Pacific), the real beauty lies in its active community.
Advance Tactics Gold is highly modifiable, with an advanced editor capable of fine-tuning almost every aspect of the game. Thanks to this, the community created countless new scenarios throughout history and even allowed for the presentation of fantasy battles, rather than realistic ones. All in all, Advanced Tactics Gold is a gold mine for engaging and unique wargaming experiments.
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Hex of Steel
Dynamic engagement on multiple fronts
While Hex of Steel It started as a Kickstarter dream and has evolved into one of the deepest and most engaging WWII based war games on the market. The campaigns it entails can go to interesting places, with scenarios dynamically evolving throughout the game. With the huge number of playable nations in the game (45 in total) and countless customizable scenarios, you'll never run out of unique games to play your way through – alone or with friends.
Hex of Steel it also has a very active Discord community and is constantly updated with contributions from the community, providing an ever-evolving set of rules and commitments to participate in. The games can be played with friends online, via split-screen and even cross-platform, and the game mechanics also facilitate alliances.
Heart of Iron 4
Alternative history creates new scenarios
Although Heart of Iron 4 fits more traditionally into the definition of a “Grand Strategy” or “4X” title, its number and depth of combat mechanics lends itself to wargaming. Despite the obvious implementation of other elements outside of combat, Hearts of Iron 4 allows for layered and cerebral gameplay in managing forces, down to economic details and inventory management.
What may set it apart from most of the other entries on this list is its dedication to the presentational aspect of the game; it looks great in motion, with a stunningly designed user interface and active on-screen battle elements. Where some people may be turned off by the more static elements of most wargames, Heart of Iron 4 allows for a brutal reconstruction (or deviation) of World War 2 conflicts using detailed maps, units and equipment. It is only right that it is considered as one of the best nation building games as well.
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Command: Modern Operations
A renewed view of cross-domain operations
Command: Modern Operations moves beyond WWII and into modern conflicts, allowing players to simulate every military encounter from WWII to the present day and beyond. Compared to previous Command titles, Modern surgery it comes with some major improvements to the gaming experience, such as improved maps, including more detailed map layers, and includes extras such as a mini-map. It also features remastered and remastered footage from the original Commandwith the ability to import existing saves and scenarios to continue playing in the new system.
Shock Force 2 Combat Mission
Hypothetical conflicts between NATO and Syria
Like possibly the very best post in the story Combat mission franchise, Shock Force 2 Combat Mission it puts players in a hypothetical conflict between Syria and NATO instead of focusing on actual past conflicts. The scenarios inside can be played either in real-time or in the WeGo hybrid turn-based mode that was introduced in the first Combat Mission game 20 years ago. WeGo allows each player to plan 60 seconds of combat and then watch both sides' commands being executed simultaneously, and its inclusion helps keep the gameplay diverse, allowing players to choose their preferred style.
One of the most unique elements of Shock Force 2 is the implementation of “soft” war factors such as experience, morale, leadership and other elements. This allows for a more detailed view of force management than games that don't account for these factors, as they must be managed as efficiently as your supply lines and equipment.
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Ultimate General: Civil War
From Aquia Creek to Washington, experience the defining conflict of the 19th century
Ultimate General: Civil War is perhaps the most thorough and engaging representation of civil war in the computer warfare space. It takes a more real-time strategic approach to wargaming and allows players to take part in over 50 Civil War battles. The game gives players control over the composition and direction of the army, with the option to fully control units or give them general command.
The maps are also exceptional, with details playing a role in how encounters play out. Topography plays a big role in how battles play out, and the AI is thoughtful enough to take advantage of it as much as the player.
Operational Art of War 4
Use the forces of land, sea and air to dominate your enemies
The Operational Art of War covers the most famous battles from the dawn of the 20th century to the present, including more than 200 combat scenarios in the air, on land and at sea. The supply system has been overhauled and now includes a transition phase between supplied and unsupplied, opening up more strategy in these tricky scenarios.
Another improvement from previous entries is the game's new naval features. Naval unit modeling is greatly improved, units are treated as complex systems that can take damage in combat, and ships have unique parameters. The customizability and depth of all the systems are astounding and allow for a complete wargaming experience.
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Flashpoint Campaigns: Southern Storm
The Cold War turned into a hot one
Flashpoint Campaigns: Southern Storm is one of the few games in the genre that excels in both mechanical complexity and scenario design while being set in a fictional conflict. While all equipment and units are based on historically accurate information from the era, the game imagines a world where the Cold War has turned into a hot war, with the USSR and the US in full military conflict.
Modeled features such as electronic warfare, air superiority, realistic weather, line-of-sight and fire, terrain and altitude, smoke and mines, and human factors such as training, morale and readiness must be considered during gameplay. It is a data-intensive scenario simulator and acts as an interesting thought experiment on how a real war might have played out.
Total War: THREE KINGDOMS
Romance or Records, Three Kingdoms You Must Conquer
Total War: THREE KINGDOMS falls more neatly under the 4X umbrella of games, but its diverse set of combat scenarios and mechanics lends itself well to warlike tendencies. The fantastic balance between quadruple strategy and emergent character-driven narrative makes it one of the most diverse and unique games in the universe, as well as one of the best Total war games, period.
Players must not only manage their troops, supplies and territories, but also shape and understand the relationships between different factions and generals, adding an element of strategy to the game that is often neglected in the genre – personal ideals and preferences. The game also comes with two different modes of play: “Romance” is based on a novel Romance of the Three Kingdomsand generals in this mode get superhuman abilities similar to those in Dynasty Warriors games, while “Records” presents a more historically accurate view of the conflicts.
