Saving Your Dollars At The Strategic Level With These Cheap Wargames
I remember, when I started looking into wargames, sometime in late 2016 or 2017, being very scared to try out new games because of how expensive every single wargame was. Everything costs upwards of 40 dollars, with some series, like Combat Mission, going for well over 60 dollars, and War in the East going for something like 70 bucks. Fortunately, with most of those titles coming to Steam, things have gotten significantly cheaper since those primordial times.
Things are even cheaper still during this Steam Autumn Sale. I’m going to go over some cheap wargames that I think might be worth your time. This list won’t be very extensive, and it’s supposed to serve more as an inspiration and something to nudge you in the right direction. If you want to check some in-depth lists, check out my 20 Best Wargames of All Time.
Free to 5 Dollars
winSPWW2 – Free
If you have never played any wargames before and would like to give something a go, just look for winSPWW2, which is a turn-based tactics wargame you can play for free, has hundreds of scenarios and maps, tens of thousands of unit formations, and allows you to generate any scenario you might imagine from 1930 to 1946. If you want to upgrade to the premium version, the only thing you get is high resolution. Pretty amazing deal if you ask me.
Battle Academy – $ 1.49
The friendliest of wargames, according to everyone who has ever played it. If you’re looking for a place to start and don’t mind spending one dollar and 49 cents, Battle Academy a no-brainer. Sell some Steam cards you might have in your inventory and buy it.
Hearts of Iron III – $ 2.49
Hearts of Iron IV might have captured the hearts and minds of the wider gaming community, but for the select few who prefer the series’ previous focus on warfare, the third entry is the way to go. Get the Semper Fi DLC and play it with the Black Ice mod for the ultimate World War 2 experience.
Unity of Command Trilogy Bundle – $ 2.99
Another simple wargame that’s perfect for those of you looking for an entry way into the hobby. A lot of focus on the logistics aspect of things. It might frustrate some of you because the missions are designed more like puzzles and less like strategic challenges for you to figure out on your own.
Steel Division: Normandy ’44 – $ 4.99
When it came out, in 2017, Steel Division: Normandy ’44 was attempting to do something new, and I think it managed to succeed. It’s a real-time strategy wargame at the tactical level set during the Normandy campaign. Imagine if Wargame: Red Dragon went to World War 2 and did infantry combat a lot better.
Atlantic Fleet – $ 4.99
Imagine Battleship, the board game, but you can move your units and do all the calculations to fire on your enemies. Atlantic Fleet is a turn-based combat game, about naval battles on the Atlantic, during World War 2.
Sudden Strike 4 – $ 4.99
It’s a real-time strategy game set in World War 2, a very simple one, but with a ton of content, especially for the asking price of 5 dollars. You know what Sudden Strike 4 reminded me of when I played it? The Codename: Panzers games from the early 2000s.
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