5 – The Last General
This is, quite possibly, the most ambitious title on this entire list of wargames to wishlist in 2025. The Last General is a real-time strategy (RTS) wargame from solo developer Wakety that is generating significant buzz around the strategy gaming community for its wide scope and concept as well as its looks. The Last General puts players in the boots of a commanding general overseeing a vast, dynamic battlefield, from small skirmishes to large battles. This game features maps up to 400 square kilometers, teeming with thousands of units—from armored vehicles and helicopters to artillery and infantry—all simulated in real-time. Imagine Broken Arrow and WARNO, but on an unimaginably large scale. Players will issue high-level strategic orders, drawing battle plans directly onto the map, then watch as their forces autonomously execute their vision, navigating complex terrain and engaging in both open-field and close-quarters city battles. The most interesting part? If you want to take part in the battle, you’ll be able to control individual units! I’m still a bit skeptical about The Last General, but it’s undeniable that I am in equal measure excited to see what Wakety can do. I interviewed the developer last year, so if you want to know more about the man behind the gam, you can read all about it here!
4 – Espiocracy
For strategic masterminds who believe the true battles are fought in the shadows, Espiocracy from Ex Vivo Studios and Hooded Horse is an absolutely essential addition to your 2025 PC wargames wishlist. This soon-to-come-out groundbreaking Cold War grand strategy game shatters traditional military focus, placing you in direct control of an intelligence agency, ready to reshape global events from behind the scenes, which is such a breath of fresh air in my opinion! Espiocracy offers an unparalleled simulation of espionage, allowing you to choose from one of 74 playable countries and lead its intelligence service from the dawn of the Cold War in 1946 through decades of geopolitical intrigue. Forget open warfare; your arsenal consists of agents, propaganda, proxy wars, assassinations, and coups. You’ll manipulate public opinion, support political factions, stoke independence movements, and even instigate wars or shift diplomatic tides through carefully orchestrated covert operations.
3 – Strategos
If Carthage: Bellum Punicum is exclusively going to focus on a specific set of battles from the ancient world, then Strategos is going to be its bigger scope counterpart. Published by MicroProse Software, Strategos is set to be a monumental real-time tactics (RTT) wargame and an essential addition to your 2025 PC wargames wishlist. After a very well-received demo in 2025, the game managed to get the audience on its side due to its realistic approach to offering a large-scale ancient warfare experience, challenging even the most seasoned strategists with its mechanics.
Armies are comprised of thousands of meticulously rendered units from over 120 historical factions and featuring more than 250 unit types. Beyond sheer scale, the game emphasizes deep tactical gameplay, where unit formations, morale, fatigue, and the intricate dance of command and control with messengers running back and forth are paramount. You’ll engage in monumental historical battles like Issos and Raphia, or create your own custom engagements, testing your strategic prowess against a sophisticated AI. With its ambition to capture the essence of tabletop wargaming in a real-time environment, offering a robust historical battle simulator, and a focus on player agency, Strategos is quite possibly going to become the definitive ancient warfare simulation game. If you’re the kind of player who’s looking for an alternative to games like Rome 2: Total War and Field of Glory II, then Strategos might be the game you’ve been waiting for.
2 – BattlePlan
Even though there’s only one small glimpse into this World War II wargame & real-time strategy (RTS) experience, Battleplan is looking to be a unique title like no other we have currently available in the market. Published by Slitherine, I would consider it an essential addition to your 2025 PC wargames wishlist and a high-priority one at that. Officially announced in July 2025 during Slitherine’s 25th-anniversary celebration, this groundbreaking title redefines the genre by focusing on high-level command and unparalleled battlefield simulation in real-time, at an operational level.
The game empowers players to act as a true general and implement grand strategies instead of focusing on micromanaging every little aspect of the battlefield (players can still do that, but with the smallest unit scale being the company, that’s a monumentous task). Following the design decisions of games like Hearts of Iron IV and Ultimate General, Battleplan allows players to “draw” their plans and sketch multi-phase battle plans directly on the map, and then watch it as it all comes together. Your units will autonomously execute your vision and coordinate amongst themselves to make sure your plan comes to fruition. Things like logistics, defensive maneuvers, morale, and experience all come into play. In my opinion, Battleplan is set to be one of the most innovative and immersive new RTS games of 2025. Don’t miss the chance to wishlist this truly unique command experience on Steam.
1 – Task Force Admiral
I’m quite possibly the person who has covered Task Force Admiral: Vol 1 – American Carrier Battles most extensively of any other human being alive, since the game was announced, quite a few years back. I’ve also had the pleasure of having early access to the game in its demo forms several times and I have to say that this WWII naval wargame from Drydock Dreams Games is the definition of a next-generation wargame, if there has ever been one, and it’s set to revolutionize carrier-centric strategy, making it an absolute must-wishlist PC wargame for 2025 for anyone serious about maritime warfare simulation or just enjoy World War 2 strategy games in general.
Task Force Admiral thrusts you into the heart of the Pacific theater in 1942, placing you in the shoes of an American Task Force Admiral. Unlike traditional wargames, which tend to be turn-based and usually take the form of a strategic-level campaign, Task Force Admiral is deeply immersive, very close to the action, a real-time with pause strategy game. You’ll manage entire carrier battle groups in a stunning full 3D environment, launching scouting patrols, coordinating devastating air strikes, and reacting to the ever-present threat of the Imperial Japanese Navy. With over 90 meticulously recreated ship classes and 40 types of aircraft, realistic ballistics, advanced damage modeling, and an intuitive interface that allows both first-person and God’s-eye views, Task Force Admiral promises unparalleled authenticity.
Your 2025 Battle Plan: Gear Up for a Year of Unrivaled Strategy Gaming
The next couple of months to a year have a stacked lineup of excellent wargames for players wishing to don their historical and general caps. From the innovative “Draw Your Plan” mechanics of Battleplan and the deep naval realism of World War 2’s Task Force Admiral, to the groundbreaking VR immersion of The Mighty Eighth VR and the shadowy global chess match of Espiocracy, each game in this list is both unique and innovative in some way and it’s such an amazing thing to see wargames mutate from the old hex-and-counter formula into something more modern, exciting and capable of drawing a whole new audience into this corner of ours.
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