20 Wargames To Wishlist In 2025 for PC Strategy Enthusiasts
Armchair generals have been eating well lately, haven’t they? With games like Armored Brigade 2, Scramble: Battle of Britain, Sea Power: Naval Combat in the Missile Age taking the genre to new heights, and a host of Wargame Design Studio titles coming out at a steady pace, we really can’t complain about the lack of titles. However, being a wargamer also means constantly seeking out the next ultimate challenge in strategy, tactics, and realism!
As we move further into 2025, the landscape of PC wargames is evolving with innovation, offering unparalleled depth, historical realism, and cutting-edge immersion by blending the classic formula with other, more approachable genres, particularly real-time strategy (RTS). Many wargames are transitioning to real-time gameplay, and I love seeing it, as it hopefully will bring new blood into the hobby.
This article is your essential guide to the most anticipated wargames of 2025 – titles that are set to redefine what’s possible in strategic gaming. Get ready to update your Steam wishlist as we delve into the top wargames, historical simulations, and hardcore strategy titles that will dominate your gaming hours and test your tactical prowess. Whether you prefer the meticulous detail of hex-based operations, the adrenaline of real-time combat, or the complex layers of geopolitical intrigue, these are the upcoming PC wargames you absolutely need to know about.
20 – Napoleon: Rule of Iron
NAPOLEON: RULE OF IRON is a recently announced wargame from developer and publisher Eisengeist Studio, and stands out amongst the crowd due to its attempt to be a monumental Napoleonic wargame, with a 1:1 scale. This highly anticipated title promises to bring Napoleon Bonaparte’s most legendary battles to life on an unprecedented scale, featuring hundreds of thousands of individual soldiers on screen. There’s a story-driven campaign across 33 battles, and at the highest end of this massive scale, you’ll find the battle of Leipzig, with over 500.000 soldiers. If you’re the kind of player who has ever dreamed of leading the Grand Armée and truly experiencing the scale of 19th-century warfare, this new real-time wargame is one to watch. In fact, it’s out now!
19 – The Mighty Eight VR
There are a few wargames out there whose main goal is to provide the ultimate immersive WWII VR experience. Well, that is about to change with The Mighty Eighth VR, developed and published by the legendary strategy gaming darling MicroProse Software. The Mighty 8th VR will put players in the shoes of a B-17 Flying Fortress crew member during the harrowing strategic bombing campaigns over Europe. It wants players to team up with other friends and players to coordinate and act as a true bomber crew to ensure they fulfill their mission and come back home alive.
You’ll team up with up to nine other players (or AI companions) to manage every critical station of the B-17, from pilot and bombardier to radio operator and multiple gunners. The game is a true co-op experience that emphasizes real-time decision-making under extreme pressure and perfect coordination. Whether you’re responsible for piloting your aircraft, navigation, dropping bombs, or defending your plane against deadly enemy fighters like Me-109s and Fw-190s, each player plays a vital role in the task at hand. While I don’t own a VR headset, I personally love the concept behind this game.
18 – Lines of Battle
Remember what I said about the wargaming genre mixing-up things a bit for 2025? Here’s another example with Lines of Battle. Developed and published by Sophie Games, promises a fresh and engaging take on Napoleonic warfare strategy that demands a spot on your 2025 wargames wishlist. This innovative title stands out by embracing a “simultaneous turn-based” (WeGo) system, a mechanic that fundamentally changes how you perceive and execute tactical decisions on the battlefield, and applies it to a fast-paced competitive multiplayer environment, with ranked play.
This unique approach transforms classic Napoleonic tactics – from flanking maneuvers to grand charges – into a high-stakes guessing game where anticipating your adversary’s moves is as crucial as planning your own. Featuring detailed historical units, competitive multiplayer modes (including 1v1 and 4v4 matches), and a commitment to historical authenticity, Lines of Battle is a Napoleonic wargame you should be keeping an eye on.
17 – Call to Arms: Panzer Elite
I had debated quite a lot whether I should keep this one in this list or not. But then I remembered that this is my list and I don’t care about what the puritan wargamer thinks about what a wargame is. Call to Arms: Panzer Elite is a “WWII tank simulation” and tactical RTS wargame from Digitalmindsoft, set for Early Access release in Summer 2025. This standalone title in the renowned Call to Arms series of real-time strategy games promises an unparalleled level of realism and direct control over a German armored battalion during the pivotal summer of 1944, when the Allies tried to retake France. In my opinion, despite my skepticism about it, I still think this is an absolute must-add to your PC wargames wishlist.
Call to Arms: Panzer Elite directly inserts players into the commander’s cupola, offering both first-person and third-person perspectives as you lead up to five tanks in real-time. Unlike traditional RTS/wargame games, this title focuses on granular control. Engage in realistic tactical combat across meticulously recreated historical battlefields of Normandy, utilizing destructible environments built in Unreal Engine 5 to your advantage. Whether you’re organizing defenses, launching counterattacks, or executing precise maneuvers against Allied forces, the game’s advanced ballistics, armor modeling, and component damage systems ensure a deeply authentic WWII strategy game experience.
16 – Commander: Europe at War
Are you the discerning wargamer seeking a profound and accessible World War II experience? Well, then the recently announced remake of the 2007 classic Commander: Europe at War by Fury Software and Matrix Games is an absolute must-add to your 2025 PC wargames wishlist. This modernized version promises to re-establish itself as the definitive entry point for hex-based wargames, offering an ideal balance of strategic depth and user-friendly design for both veterans and newcomers to the genre.
The updated Commander: Europe at War delivers an expansive WWII grand strategy experience, allowing players to command the entire course of the conflict across Europe, from the Atlantic to the Urals, through six epic campaigns. The remake boasts enhanced 3D graphics, bringing units and the vast hex-based map to life, alongside a more intuitive UI and smarter AI opponents.
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