Wargames have been around since time immemorial. Back in the day, medieval nobility played war-related board games on massive tables, and in more recent times, we played tabletop games like Risk. Fast-forward to today, and now, countless war-themed video games enable you to build your army and wage battles against your enemies; may they be AI or players around the world.

If you’re a long-time strategy gamer or someone looking for a new wargame to try out, we’ve made a list of titles that will let you unleash your inner commander:

Red Alert

There are three Red Alert games, with each having different themes. The two first games center around the conflict between Allies and Soviets, and the second one has an expansion, Yuri’s Revenge, which has one faction aptly named Yuri. The third game follows the events of the second but deviates from the main games thanks to time travel. In turn, it led to the rise of the Empire of Japan and a different reality.

Red Alert is one of the most notable RTS franchises, and it’s a pity we haven’t had a chance to see the fourth installment.

Total War series

Total War has always been a favorite of many wargame fans. The franchise has been around for more than two decades, and it has tackled both historical and fantasy/mythological settings. Of course, its most popular entry is Total War: Rome though its Warhammer games aren’t far off. It has also tackled the Medieval era, the Sengoku Jidai in Japan, and the Three Kingdoms in China.

Battle Realms

Battle Realms is an old favorite, and we can’t understand why there hasn’t been an attempt to make a sequel. It follows the story of several clans in a fantasy world warring with each other. The Dragon Clan is the noblest and oldest faction, followed by its less honorable derivative, the Serpent Clan. Meanwhile, the Wolf Clan are rather primitive yet are fierce warriors enslaved by the Lotus, a depraved and magic-centric clan.

Warno

Apart from old franchises, new games are vying for your attention. One of these is Warno, a freshly-released World War III simulator. It is set at the peak of the Cold War, with the Warsaw Pact and NATO finally clashing on battlefields across Europe. You’ll take control of various units, ranging from fighter jets to tanks like the German Leopard and M1 Abrams, and attack aircraft like the Apache and SU-25.

Take a look at our Warno review and see if it’s a game for you.

Hearts of Iron IV

Compared to most games in this list, Hearts of Iron IV may not have the explosiveness of Warno or the “up close and personal feel” of Total War, but it’s the deepest and most comprehensive wargame of them all. It’s a World War II simulator where you get to control one of the countries in the tumultuous era and decide whether to alter the course of history. Some of the nations you can play as include Germany, the United States, the USSR, and colonial powers Britain and France.

Like any other Paradox game, it suffers from too many DLCs. Thankfully, it now has a subscription option, much like EUIV and CK2. Check out the Hearts of Iron IV subscription details here.

Foxhole

Foxhole is a little different than the other games on this list. Instead of being a real-time strategy title, it’s more of an MMO experience where two factions fight a persistent online war spanning a certain amount of time. You’ll control a soldier and perform tasks of your choosing. You could become a frontline soldier, duking it out in the trenches, or a logistician and builder, setting up defenses and delivering supplies to the front. Note that winning a war in this game requires cooperation which will be tricky considering there are 120 players per server.

Steel Division II

Steel Division II puts you in command of the clashing German and USSR armies on the Eastern front, letting you command the armored Wehrmacht divisions and the stalwart Russian defenders. You can control up to 600 real-life units, and to achieve victory, you need to seamlessly make your infantry, tanks, and aircraft fight together. The game has 25 historically-accurate battlefields in the Bielorussian front.

Apart from the abovementioned games, there are others that deserve a special mention. These include:

- Wargame: Red Dragon
- Age of Empires franchise, especially the new Age of Empires IV
- Command and Conquer: Generals, especially the Zero Hour expansion
- Stronghold franchise

With this in mind, do you think there are other titles that deserve to be on this list?

Overall, war is always a subject video games will never cease to portray. Players can dive into battlefields command their troops intending to obtain ultimate victory. Every game provides a different layer of depth and tactical elements, giving you a different experience each time.

So, which among the games here are your favorites?