The best WW2 games on PC

Would have loved to see Battlefield 1942 in there, that was one of the classic multiplayer games there was.

Wargamings flagship free-to-play WW2 game is obsessed with tanks, hence the name World of Tanks. It is full of lovely, incredibly detailed artillery platforms and caterpillar tracks for you to drool over before rolling into battle. Hundreds of these glorious machines can be researched, unlocked, and purchased as you gain experience and resources from every tense match.

Though IL-2 Sturmovik is almost old enough to leave school and get a job, it remains one of the best flight sims of all time, particularly those with a military bent.

Silent Hunter III, despite being over a decade old, remains one of the best WW2 games, and allows you to command a U-Boat full of German seamen under the surface of the Atlantic ocean. Freeform missions simply inform you of targets and naval traffic, allowing you to conduct the operation in whatever conniving manner you so wish. You will need to be map savvy; Silent Hunter is a gloriously uncompromising submarine sim, and without solid navigation skills youll be firing torpedoes into the open ocean instead of the side of a Allied merchant ship. Patience is the key ingredient though, as you lurk in wait as your plan slowly comes together.

You have a spy who can steal clothes and disguise himself as the enemy, a secret agent who can distract and drug Nazis, and a battle-hardened Green Beret who likes to get a bit of blood on his hands. You even have a dog, Whisky, and he is both delightful and good at drawing the attention of enemies. Each mission gives you a specific group to use, and then it is up to you how you want to go about completing the main, secondary, and bonus objectives. It is this kind of freedom that makes Commandos 2 one of the best WW2 games on PC.

Far from a Best 10 of all time. Maybe you could argue Best 10 Action/FPS WW2 games. With zero strategy or Commandos games in the mix its far from BEST 10 in general.

Cyberpunk 2077s quests are extraordinarily complicated

Hearts of Iron II is much better than III.

Order of Battle: Pacifictakes the now well-worn Panzer General-style of wargames and manages to do more with than any other of the classic games successors have in a long time. It is an intricate-yet-approachable wargame, with logical rules and a distinct eye for detail.

A few years ago, EA made it free, but it has since been removed from Origin due to Gamespy going out of business, leaving the game without servers. However! There are still places you can download it from, along with community servers, so theres still life in the game yet. But should that life run out, DICE are bringing the 40s back with their next game:Battlefield V.

Men of War: Assault Squad is my favorite modern WW2 RTS.

Call of Duty 2 was a jolt of electricity applied to the WW2 formula when it launched in 2005. Familiar scenes like the D-Day landings were recreated in greater detail, with more drama and a nail-biting sense of vulnerability. And, at the time, it was the best the war had ever looked.

Im surprised that you folks left out World War II Online. Its a little older, but you included BF 1942, so. WWII Online has the largest continuoes ope map of any MMO. It has round the clock warfare on a large scale. no 16 vs 16 matches, but full combined arms. It has been hailed as having one of the best WWII flying simulation experiences out there. There is no other WWII game quite like it, and EVERY WWII gamer needs to check it out. They are even on STEAM now!

Free MMOs: RPGs and other online games

War Thunder naval battles beginners guide: tips and tricks for conquering the seas

Respect for H&D, but i think, it is not the best list.

The pricing model is a bit odd with all the expansions, which offer different theatres of war and the gfx are dated (fixed with mods) but it is much better than CoH if you like a more realistic approach and feels very much like the Close Combat games of yesteryear.

World of Tanks is a game you can dip your toes into, play for a bit, and have fun. On the surface it is simple and arcade-like, but underneath the chassis is the loud, angry engine of something more serious. How vulnerable is the machine gun port of the Tiger II? Where are the soft spots on the indomitable IS-3? What is the effective armour thickness of the T-32s upper glacis? Armour penetration, angles, weak spots this is the stuff you need to know.

While 1946 collects all the pre-2007 IL-2 Sturmovik games and expansions, it also adds nine extra campaigns and lots of lovely jets in an alternate history version of the war that sees Germany and Russia duking it out in the skies in high speed jet battles. The missions are scripted, though you will find dynamic battles in the older games that come with 1946, and youll find yourself on tense bombing runs, foiling deadly raids and getting into plenty of thrilling dogfights.

Each mission is a huge, sprawling thing with a beautifully detailed, liberating map and tricky objectives that require a lot of planning, scouting, smarts and a spot of trial and error. Objectives run the gamut from stealing documents and rescuing spies to blowing up ships and stealing vehicles. Getting in the way of that are countless patrols, guards, minefields and even harsh weather. Luckily, the Commandos have more than a few tricks up their sleeves.

They dont make them like this anymore, and that is a tragedy. Commandos 2 is 17 years old, but remains utterly unsurpassed. It is a puzzle game, essentially. You control a group of operatives behind enemy lines, across ten elaborate, complex, devilishly hard missions.

Hidden & Dangerous 2 may be an ageing veteran that needs a stick to stay mobile these days, but its tales of silent heroics, undercover operations, and daring strikes have been unmatched in the 15 years since its release.

Combat Mission Battle for Normandy is a superb RTS/Turnbased game. Well worth checking out and virtually unheard of.

You can beat Forza Horizon 4 without leaving the garage

FHSW best ww2 game ever made plus its free has no unlocks no pay to win no grinding no premium fun ? hell yes

Some of the games in there are not really about WW2. WoT has vehicles that were only produced well after the end of WW2. Anyways, Panzer General?

I agree with most games on the list, however, World of Tanks is not a World War 2 game, most tanks arent even from that period, others are made up. Their capabilities and role in real life also have nothing to do with what this game is about.

If you are looking for breadth and realistic details, then COD: WW2 might rub you up the wrong way with its Eurocentric campaign and PPSh-41-toting German soldiers. However, what it does better than all but the best WW2 games is connect the player to the squad they fight alongside, all the way from the beaches of Normandy to the capture of Ludendorff Bridge. It does this by tying health, ammo, and grenade refills to squad members, forcing you to seek out your medic if you are low on health, even if a tank separates you. It is an elegant and organic way of simulating the bonds that form between brothers in arms.

With Battlefield 1942, it felt like the FPS genre was evolving. Until DICE released the first in what would be an enduring series, multiplayer shooters were mostly concerned with the glory of the individual. They were about fast reflexes and kill counts. Battlefield 1942, however, is all about cooperation.

Company of Heroes 2 despite capturing the horror of winter warfare didnt quite hit the same high notes as its venerable predecessor. But with the standalone expansion ofArdennes Assault, Relic reinvigorated the single-player portion of the series, giving it one of its most interesting campaigns and regaining the WW2 RTS games crown.

It is all about the dynamic map. The Ardennes region is one big, constantly shifting warzone, with the Germans attempting to lock down as much territory as possible. Controlling the US forces of Baker, Able and Dog Company all with unique mechanics and strengths players must force the Germans out, bit by bit, in a desperate, bleak campaign. It is not just about winning battles; a victory doesnt matter if it has cost you all your veteran units and left the rest of your force tattered and weak. A Pyrrhic victory spells doom for your campaign.

Such as sloppy article. Matt, did you really play these games? Looks like its copy+paste from old press releases. For example, theres no halftracks or polish tanks in World of Tanks. HoI III is still – after several patches and countless DLCs, a broken mess. HoI II and any of its expansions deserves a place in a list like this, but not HoI III, anyone who actually played it knows this.

World of Warships is the best out of this lot. Still in beta (release is 0.5.4, I think) but its pretty much done. Destroyers and Battleships are fun, the aircraft carriers need some work still though. Gameplay is a little boring with carriers.

COD: WW2 also stands out as one of the best WW2 games because of it relatively recent release. After the glut of World War 2 games that hit PC in the mid-2000s we endured a decade-long drought where all the leaps and bounds made in videogame graphics helped bring other conflicts and settings to life while WW2 games were left behind. In terms of audiovisual fidelity, theCOD: WW2 campaignis almost filmic in quality, whether that is the sumptuous ring that fills your ears every time you reload an M1 Garand, or the unsparing particle effects that give every texture and environment their due depth. Sure, you will have seen and fought theseWW2 battles in gamesbefore, but they have never looked this convincing.

It is also a game that finally succeeds at naval transportation and combat, which is pretty vital considering the Pacific setting means much of your time will be set at sea. Order of Battles approach to naval is exceptionally strong, and makes sailing from port to port as interesting as battles themselves.

I agree with you. every single one of them is amazing. In reality they are the ones that started the CoD series.

Boasting a dizzying number of historically accurate aircraft, tanks, and boats from pretty much every nation involved in the war, this exceptional free-to-play WW2 game offers a great multiplayer experience that neatly sits in the middle ground between complex simulation and arcade fighter. Like a sim, War Thunder has incredible attention to detail that makes it compelling to play. Each machine feels genuinely different and all offer their own challenges. And even when you are not in the heat of battle there are tactics to consider as you stock your hangars with various new vehicles and upgrade them to suit your approach.

With four campaigns across three theatres, the global scope of the war was on display. Like the original Call of Duty, it followed British, American and Russian troops, but also presented the north African campaign for the first time, as the Brits fought across the desert, melting and dying and hiding from tanks.

1946, then, is something very special, because it contains IL-2 Sturmovik, its sequel, and a whole bunch of expansions, which means you get an almost bewildering number of campaigns and richly detailed planes, and by the time you are done with it all, you will be effortlessly pulling off Yo-Yos like a master ace and speeding across the skies in Yaks and MiGs like a natural.

Out in the open sea, theres a sense of dread and vulnerability that you just dont get in Wargamings other titles. Not this severe, anyway. Theres no hiding or running away in World of Warships just plans, some of which will fall apart, and others that could, with some help from your team, lead to a glorious victory.

Hidden and Dangerous 2! Nice choice!

The Second World War is frequently depicted as a violently bloodthirsty, explosive, and ear-drum bursting conflict. But not every element of all-out war is noisy or fast paced. For the quiet, considered, cold-blooded killers out there, there is nothing quite like Silent Hunters unique brand of stealth. Throw out your undercover OSS agents, and submerge yourself in underwater naval warfare.

As much as games like Brothers in Arms and World of Tanks aim for historical accuracy in their weapons, machinery, and locations, they still offer a Hollywood-tinted depiction of the action.Red Orchestra 2removes the filters and offers an unflinchingly difficult simulator shooter. Heroes of Stalingrad recreates battles from the Eastern Front in a Battlefield-like combined arms settings with soldier classes and vehicles. Throwing pray-and-spray, gung-ho attitudes to the wind, Red Orchestra demands strict teamwork, caution, and a considered tactical approach to objectives.

So from massive, free-to-play vehicular battlefields to complex wargames, you are bound to find something below to keep you duking it out for countless hours in our round-up of the finest Second World War games.

This list seems to be missing the pinnacle of WW2 grand strategy – Gary Grigsbys War In The East and the follow up War In The West.

Nice list though, have so many memories of Omaha in Allied Assault. A brutal level.

Random objectives and events can crop up in battles and on the campaign map itself, so no campaign is alike. You might be tasked with assassinating an officer during a mission, or ambushing a convoy on the campaign map, and failure or victory will have a tangible impact on the rest of the war. It is a persistent, savage war, where failure is always nipping at the heels of the increasingly desperate US forces. With details like that, no wonder it is one of the best WW2 games on PC.

The original Call of Duty for me. The first time I made the run up Mamayev hill clutching nothing but a clip of ammunition is still one of my outstanding game memories.

To taste victory time after time, to work your way up the tank tiers and eventually get your name on leaderboards, you need to make a significant investment. It would feel a bit like work if this was not a game about blowing up tanks, which never stops being fun. And with constant updates, new maps, modes, features, and an audience of hundreds of millions of players, you are always learning.

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I wish they would do a new Battlefield 1942 set in world war 2!

Each move becomes a series of puzzles. Objectives need to be reached quickly, with no dawdling. Yet extending your grasp for side-missions can also provide bonuses further down the line. Each decision expands into new opportunities and further questions.

I also wholeheartedly agree with War Thunder being 1 on this list. The picture for the game is rather out of place though (as of this post anyway).

The third of Wargamings WW2 games, World of Warships sees the tried and tested formula of World of Tanks transposed to the sea. It is not just World of Tanks with ships, though, as the switch to naval combat has informed a lot of big changes. These sea battles are slower, more thoughtful, and ultimately more tactical than their land-based counterparts.

Rainbow Six for 1944, Hidden & Dangerous 2 is a tactical squad shooter with all the trimmings were clamoring for in the modern era: permadeath, persistent characters, detailed operation loadout screens, and fully open maps with mission goals to be completed any which way you fancy. Leading a squad of four stiff-upper-lipped SAS officers, there is a fascinating variety of missions that take you to every theatre of the war, from a snowy top secret research base to the dense jungles of Burma.

I tried playing it. The game is NOT friendly to new players, as you can run out of basic riflemen in a match and be unable to respawn, but if you leave the match to try for another one, you lose all rewards from that match. This means that you can wind up having to stay logged into a match that you cannot respawn into, waiting for everyone else to finish, for as long as it takes. Otherwise, you get no progress for playing. No game should penalize new players like this.

The Brothers in Arms games offer some of the best stories in the WW2 niche, filled with personal tales of struggle and camaraderie. Hells Highway, the third in the BiA series, brings the troubles of the 101st Airbornes Matt Baker to a close with a harrowing story that emphasises the relentless loss of life every soldier was forced to endure, evoking the likes of Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers.

World of Warplanes? Dont make me laugh.

It is the hardships of being an individual cog in the machine that makes Red Orchestra compelling. Machine-gunners are vital for covering fire, allowing other players to advance down the field. But holding down the trigger too long causes the barrel to melt and buckle, requiring it to be replaced in a lengthy maintenance animation. Tanks are murder machines when fully crewed, but attempt to commandeer one by yourself and you will find yourself a sitting target as you attempt to aim your cannon. As well as the stresses of being part of a team, as an individual youll have to constantly count your rounds as a complete lack of HUD removes any indication as to what is left in your magazine.

Heroes and Generals is the best but also need to mention Brothers in Arms and Enemy Front.

You can see where a lot of the series systems began, like the roles or classes, the addition of vehicles like tanks and planes and the importance of controlling the map. There was an even greater focus on combined arms warfare, though. You could be bombarding coastlines with your capital ship while your chum flies around in a bomber, trying to take out manned installations protecting the coast. The scale and diversity was crazy. And the maps let you duke it out in all of WW2s theatres, so you could fight as the British in El Alamein or the Imperial Japanese Navy in Iwo Jima.

World War 2 was a combined arms effort, with land, sea, and air forces offering equally invaluable efforts, and War Thunder truly captures that. It originally threw a spotlight on the wars colossal aerial battles, but soon went on to include land battles through the medium of noisy tank warfare, and naval efforts via its sea-based expansion.

I would add MOH: Allied Assault and Battlefield 1942.

Heroes and Generals is the best ever no contest!

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Air support adds an extra interesting wrinkle. You can hurl the fighters and bombers positioned on your decks at your foes, and suddenly the game starts to feel a bit like an RTS. But one where you are also frantically trying to line up your killer cannons and praying to Poseidon that this time, this time, itll be a direct hit. That is what makes it one of the best WW2 games on PC.

I love that you have Hidden & Dangerous on there. That was an ace game back in the day.

The Original CoD, especially United Offensive, then CoD2 no mods, BF1942 and Secret weapons, Medal of Honor Pacific Assault and Airborne. Also, Battlefield heroes early build. Before it got to goofy and stupid. Red Orchestra 1 and 2. Man do I miss Red Orchestra 1. why did everyone leave all at ones to play 2? I wish there was a server running 1.

Id also throw in A2A/Shockwaves Battle of Britain 2: Wings of Victory (which itself was a reboot of Rowans Battle of Britain). With the BDG patches its easily the most historically accurate WW2 flight sim and the only one where you will actually see bomber formations and dogfights with hundreds of aircraft. Graphically its dated but the attention to historical accuracy and detail is unsurpassed and the AI is also among the best in the flight sim genre. Whats more you get a dynamic campaign which can be played from either side, and if you want you can just play the strategic layer and forget the flight sim bit altogether… which means this is also a strategy game as well!

This fella is right, Men of War: Assault Squad 2 is one of th ebest RTT out there, I would dare say better than CoH.

The level of freedom is comparable to Hitman: Blood Money (there is even the option to strip enemies and steal their clothing), and the lack of enforced silence means when things go belly-up you can crack open the heavy machineguns and simply murder your way out. The controls and systems are all fairly clunky and the AI of your squadmates is never up to scratch, but the thrill of Hidden & Dangerous campaign is absolutely worth pushing through the niggles for.

Missing Medal of Honor: Allied Assault. Man that game was a beast.

Want a broader look at human conflict? Check out thebest war gameson PC.

Men of War: Assault Squad is the best

Despite being over a decade old, COD2 has stood the test of time thanks to the fact that it was one of the first games to add features like regenerating health, so you could focus on the battle and not worry about scurrying around looking for health kits. And with improved ally AI, it really felt like you were leading proper soldiers all of them named rather than mindless models with guns attached to them. Not just one of the best WW2 games, Call of Duty 2 is one of thebest FPS games on PC.

And damn is it grim. Grisly, too. Body parts are blown off, men are turned into bloody bags of meat it is nasty stuff. It does not feel like Hells Highway revels in the gore, though. It feels more like an attempt to present war as a horrible, traumatising scenario that you should be glad you are experiencing on a PC rather than in reality.

Whether youre looking for the grittiness of a beach landing, the strategy of battle planning, the thrill of an aerial dogfight, or intense camaraderie experienced by a band of brothers, theres a World War II game that has something to offer you. And thanks to the new wave of interest in the period, some of these games sport astonishing graphics and modern, punchy gunplay.

Matt, your list is broken. Theres not even one of the Commandos games in there.

Backing up the story is a fantastic FPS game. It borrows the third-person cover system of the Rainbow Six: Vegas games, making the squad tactics a much smoother, effective element. War is hell in Brothers in Arms, and the methodical employment of flanking maneuvers and suppressing fire is the only way youll be able to survive it. Thanks to the tight-knit relationships Hells Highway weaves over its campaign, by the end you will really feel as if you helped pull your comrades through the dirt.

MOHAA should be here, one of the best ever sp and mp

Each round of Red Orchestra 2 is hard work, but like ARMA and other bullet-physic heavy shooting simulations, theres a distinct, unrivalled sense of victory with every point scored. Few WW2 games make you work this hard for a single kill.

Call of Duty, Battlefield, and more are returning to the 1940s, so now more than ever we have to ask: what are the best WW2 games on PC? The most devastating conflict in our long history of fighting over land and ideologies has been distilled into heroic charges, tense dogfights, epic digital wars, and savage battles countless times over, and here you will find the best videogame adaptations of the lot.