World War 2 is a popular theme in video games. We show you the best World War games that are definitely worth playing in 2020.
World War II serves as a template for many games. The roots of numerous popular series lie in the conflict between the Allies and the Axis powers, and even years later they return to it every now and then.
But it is not only shooters that feel at home in this setting. Strategy games in particular also like to take the conflict as a model to let you relive historical battles as a commander yourself.
In this list we would like to give you an overview of the best current representatives of the genre. Our list does not correspond to a ranking. The games are sorted in their category according to the date of release.
The best World War II strategy games
Commandos 2: Men of Courage
This is what it’s about: The predecessor of Commandos 2: Men of Courage was still called “Behind Enemy Lines”. This is also the starting point of the second part. You smuggle a squad of elite soldiers directly behind the front lines, where these specialists use their special skills. Each mission requires the utmost secrecy and so we sabotage and assassinate our way through the troops of the numerically superior Wehrmacht from 1941 to 1944.
Suitable for whom? In Commandos 2 you don’t command large armies, but a few units – some conflicts are best solved quietly. Compared to its predecessor, the second part adds more characters and nicer graphics, but by now it can only impress with retro charm. The gameplay, on the other hand, was so good that the series created an entire subgenre and inspired games like Desperados and Shadow Tactics. If you like these games and have no problem reloading over and over again, this is the game for you. In 2020, a visually polished version of this World War II classic was released with Commandos 2 – HD-Remaster.
Codename: Panzers, Phase One
What it’s about: Codename: Panzers Phase One takes you through World War II in three campaigns. The graphics, which were pretty in their day, are now outdated, but the exciting missions with numerous scripted sequences are still fun today. Tactical variety comes into play not only through the successful mission design, but also through sophisticated mechanics. With flamethrowers, for example, you can heat up tanks, whereupon the enemy crew must flee from them. Tanks, on the other hand, are better armoured in the front than in the back, which makes positioning enormously important.
Who is suitable for? In addition to the extensive single-player missions, Codename: Panzers also includes a co-op mode and three multiplayer modes. A remastered version is available on Steam, which allows you to play the strategy game on today’s systems without any problems
Company of Heroes 2
What it’s about: In Relic Entertainment’s real-time strategy game, you command partially unarmed infantrymen who – if you’re not careful – freeze to death in the cold of the Eastern Front. And if in the end only one soldier gets through to take control of an anti-tank gun, that’s quite an achievement. It is these atmospheric and morally questionable moments that distinguish Company of Heroes 2, especially at the beginning of the campaign. Later on, however, you also have control over large and powerful armies.
Suitable for whom? Soloists get a campaign consisting of 15 missions with long and varied scenarios that become increasingly bombastic as the story progresses. But Company of Heroes 2 also convinces in multiplayer with hectic and intense battles. These take place against up to seven other human players or the AI. In addition to PvP battles, the “Theater of War” mode also offers various co-op missions for two players. And although Company of Heroes 2 is already a few years old, you can still find numerous players online thanks to an active community.
Men of War: Assault Squad 2
This is what it’s all about: Men of War: Assault Squad 2 covers every imaginable area and phase of the Second World War. From the war of liberation in France, to the bitterly cold tundra in Russia, to the confusing jungle battles in the Pacific. You get it all and can prove your military skills as a general on each side. Actually, the latest standalone part of the Men of War series is not Assault Squad 2, but Assault Squad 2 – Cold War. But here – as the name suggests – it’s the Cold War.
Suitable for whom? What do you get when a developer puts a lot of emphasis on historical accuracy? A complex strategy game that doesn’t care about user-friendliness and challenges with a high degree of difficulty. But those who overcome this hurdle are rewarded with an authentic atmosphere and a wealth of tactical possibilities. You can not only send your units into battle from the bird’s-eye view typical of RTS, but also control them directly. This is especially practical for stealth missions, where you can use the infantry to knock out the enemy’s headlights, for example.
Hearts of Iron 4
What it’s about: The global strategy game Hearts of Iron 4 lets you experience the time around the Second World War from 1936 onwards – from the perspective of any nation. This allows you to re-enact history – or turn it completely upside down. You can do this not only through battles, but also through diplomacy, production, research and economy. All in all, there is a lot of micromanagement on the agenda.
Suitable for whom? Normal strategy is too easy for you? Then you simply have to pick up Hearts of Iron 4. Like most other Paradox titles, the game may not be easy to get started with or have a fancy presentation, but it does have a huge amount of freedom to make decisions. Once you get into the strategy game, you can lose yourself in it for hours on end.
Sudden Strike 4
What it’s about: Although the roots of Sudden Strike lie far in the past, the game series still produces new parts today: Sudden Strike 4 is the most recent part and was released in 2017. However, Sudden Strike doesn’t do that much differently than the forefather from 2000. In three campaigns, you take on the role of the German Reich, the Western Allies and the Soviet Union.
Suitable for whom? Base building is in the background here, instead the game focuses on realistic battles and at the same time places a lot of emphasis on reconnaissance. If you don’t expose your surroundings sufficiently, you’ll quickly end up in an ambush. And due to the high level of difficulty, a few mistakes could already screw up a mission. There are also many critics who say that Sudden Strike does not exude the same fascination as it used to. If you count yourself among them, you can still find the original under the name Sudden Strike Gold today on Steam.
Panzer Corps 2
This is what it’s all about: To ensure that fans of turn-based strategy also get their money’s worth with this article, the next game on the list is called Panzer Corps 2. Contrary to the title, not only tanks are available as units, but also ships and aircraft, for example, which you command across hexes. As in the predecessor, you command only the German side in the campaign, but experience many facets of the war. From the attack on Poland to the Allied invasion of Italy. If you follow certain routes, you can also experience alternative exits and then attack the USA, for example.
Suitable for whom? Panzer Corps and Panzer Corps 2 are, at their core, a very faithful remake of the Panzer General series that began back in the 1990s. Panzer Corps inherits many of the strengths of Panzer General and includes dozens of historical unit types that we send into battle. The battles are often more like puzzles, but offer exciting decisions and strategic moves due to the variety of units and the complex mechanics. In Panzer Corps, therefore, we always feel like a brilliant general moving pieces across a map in a bunker.
Medal of Honor: Allied Assault
This is what it’s all about: It is perhaps the most striking scene in Medal of Honor: Allied Assault. Soldiers stand close together on the boats, the waves hiss, then the first bullets hit. Suddenly the boats stop, the ramp falls and dozens of soldiers collapse in the fire of the machine gun nests. Welcome to Omaha Beach. Medal of Honor stages its campaign skilfully and unadorned. Presentation is paramount, the D-Day mission aims to capture the atmosphere from the war drama Saving Private Ryan.”
Suitable for whom? In the meantime, the graphics have become outdated and can no longer keep up with modern blockbuster games. At the time, however, the presentation did not have to hide from its genre colleagues in any way. If you still prefer a more modern game, you can go for Airborne in Medal of Honor. The last classic spin-off set in the Second World War. However, a VR Medal of Honor with the subtitle Above and Beyond will follow in 2020.
Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway
What it’s about: Not surprisingly, Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway also sends you into the Second World War. And again to the Western Front. However, in the shooter you not only control your character, but also squad members. For example, your colleagues start a suppressive fire on enemies so that you can bypass them and attack from the flank. Historically, the game is based on Operation Market Garden, in which tens of thousands of paratroopers parachuted over two Dutch provinces to bypass the German defence line in the west.
Suitable for whom? Single players will be pleased to hear that Hell’s Highway tells a gripping and emotional storyline. In the course of the campaign, for example, the protagonist despairs at the cruelty of war. Especially in video games, the horrors that soldiers experience during their missions are rarely dealt with in this way. That is what makes Hell’s Highway special to this day. Especially if you’ve probably had enough of the bombast of CoD.
Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad
This is what it’s all about: Finally, no Western Front! Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad makes this promise come true right from the title. Pack your winter clothes, because it’s off to Russia. But unlike most multiplayer shooters, we don’t fight several battles on the Eastern Front, but focus all our energies on the decisive battle for Stalingrad.
Suitable for whom? Heroes of Stalingrad is convincing in all areas. The atmosphere! The realism! The team play! The multiplayer shooter is certainly not suitable for action fans who just want to run to the front and get a few kills. If you’re not careful, a single bullet can kill you. This makes for a steep learning curve, but rewards coordinated action and correct tactics. The slower and more cautious approach benefits above all the atmosphere, which captures the mood of the Second World War well.
Call of Duty: WW2
What it’s about: In Call of Duty: WW2 we experience the war almost exclusively from the personal perspective of the American soldier Ronald Daniels. As part of the Allied invasion army, he lands in Normandy and then fights his way to the Ardennes. We do not experience the world war in its entirety, but are confronted with personal fates and above all Ronald’s experiences.
Suitable for whom? Call of Duty is one of the most iconic brands we associate with World War II in first-person shooters. WW2 once again offers a cinematic campaign and fast-paced multiplayer battles. Narratively, the shooter can’t quite reach the best marks that were partly set by its predecessors. On the other hand, the latest World War II offshoot has many strengths, especially in the multiplayer area, which Call of Duty has only further optimised over the years. Fast action, clever level design and varied game modes.
Battlefield 5
What it’s about: The latest Battlefield shows the 2nd World War from many sides. At release, the focus was still on the battles between British and German soldiers. Both on the Western Front and in Africa. In the meantime, however, the battlefields have been expanded to include more maps, and after a few months, the Pacific War was added as a service update, where the roots of the series lie with Battlefield 1942.
Suitable for whom? Of course, the strengths of the current Battlefield lie primarily in its epoch-making multiplayer. Here, a true battlefield feeling is created, as the battles are fought on huge maps and we can fall back on tanks, guns or air force. In addition, Battlefield has offered destructible environments for years, which creates an incomparable atmosphere, especially in the world war.
Hell Let Loose
What it’s about: Hell Let Loose shows the Second World War exclusively on the Western Front and even here only the battles between the German Wehrmacht soldiers and the US privates. The setting is limited to France and the German West, with battle maps that take us to Normandy or the Hürtgen Forest.
Suitable for whom? Hell Let Loose is the godfather in this list of first-person shooters that have a greater historical claim than the competition. In other words, which are not primarily about dynamic battles and epic moments, but which try to depict the world war more strategically and also more realistically. Hell Let Loose achieves this by having battles that surpass even Battlefield in scale. Each soldier has a defined role during the battle. In addition, targets must be chosen strategically and cleverly. Of course, this requires teamwork and good communication. Those who organise themselves with other players early on will have much more fun than lone wolves.
War Thunder
What it’s about: In War Thunder, you fly around on dozens of maps with hundreds of Allied and Axis planes, destroying ground targets and other fighters. The planes differ greatly in their flight behaviour and armament depending on the model. You have aircraft from 1928 to 1948 at your disposal, but the battles are more oriented towards the war years, although with all the locations. From the Pacific to the Eastern Front.
Suitable for whom? Originally, War Thunder only featured aircraft combat, ground vehicles were taken over by the AI. In the meantime, however, you can also join the cavalry and even the navy to take control of tanks and cruisers. If you like it realistic, you can fly in simulator battles. Here you only control from the cockpit perspective, the flight behaviour is more difficult. War Thunder is a Free2Play game, but some aircraft can only be obtained for a paid premium currency.
World of Tanks
What it’s about: As the name suggests, World of Tanks is all about tanks. Over 400 tanks from the largest nations of the Second World War are represented in the game, divided into classes. Light tanks are the fastest and are used for reconnaissance, but they quickly lose out in combat. Heavy tanks are more useful, but chug along rather slowly.
For whom is it suitable? World of Tanks is clearly aimed at multiplayer players who enjoy the detailed simulation of tanks. In the battles, two teams compete against each other with 15 tanks on each side as standard. The game is very tactical. With update 1.0, the developers have visually reworked their game. The models are richly detailed, the sound design is powerful and creates a dense atmosphere. World of Tanks is Free2Play, but some tanks can only be unlocked with paid premium currency.
IL-2 Sturmovik
What it’s about: In IL-2 Sturmovik you experience the Second World War from the air. The first part of the series mainly revolves around battles on the Eastern Front. There you fly both Luftwaffe and Soviet Army aircraft. In addition to dogfights, you also regularly destroy ground targets in the course of the campaign.
Suitable for whom? The graphics are now getting on in years, but together with the realistic flight feeling they stood out at the time of release. In addition, IL-2 Sturmovik came up trumps with detailed reproductions of aircraft. The game gained particular popularity through its online mode, in which up to 100 players could compete against each other simultaneously. The series has spawned around a dozen sequels covering different scenarios. The most recent include Battle of Stalingrad and Battle of Moscow. Battle of Stalingrad, by the way, is based on an adapted engine from Rise of Flight, another successful flight simulation, but set in World War I.
Silent Hunter 4: Wolves of the Pacific
This is what it’s all about: If you’re looking for tanks, planes and ships, you should have no trouble finding them in this article. But where are the submarines? They’ve gone underground, of course, and here they are, in Silent Hunter 4. The first part of the series was released back in 1995, and there have been four sequels in the meantime. In the fourth part selected by us, you control the submarines of the US Army and fight with the Japanese for supremacy in the Pacific.
Suitable for whom? Basically, it’s up to you how realistic you want to experience Silent Hunter 4: On an easy level, the AI takes over many tasks for you, but if you want to play a pure simulation, you can also do without any help. Either way, you will need some time to get used to the game – and patience. It takes many hours until your submarine has sailed from Pearl Harbor to Japan. Thanks to a time-lapse function, however, you can skip the idle time. From a technical point of view, Silent Hunter has always set new standards in water representation.
