20 – Gary Grigsby’s War In The West
Now, let’s start the top 20 with the most detail-oriented strategists. Gary Grigsby’s War in the West is a monumental operational wargame covering the entire Western Front from 1943 to 1945, and if you’re looking for the ultimate strategy game at this level, look no further. Just click on the link, buy the game, and start your year-long process of learning it before you can even attempt to pull off a D-Day. This title offers an unparalleled level of historical accuracy and logistical depth, modeling individual units, the strategic air war, and complex supply chains. It’s a game that demands meticulous planning and rewards a deep understanding of military strategy, providing hundreds of hours of challenging gameplay for those who want to command at the highest level.
I would recommend this only to experienced strategists and wargamers, or those of you who really want to play a game of this scale and have the necessary time to invest into learning it.
19 – Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa
Do not be fooled by its wargaming look, for Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa isn’t anything close in terms of complexity and detail when compared to War in the West. Instead, it’s a whole different experience that blends wargame and RPG, and one that’s celebrated for its unique focus on the political human element of command. One often hears of Reddit-level historians and werhaboos arguing on how they would have done better, but forget that the process of decision-making has a lot of people involved, and each one of those has unique career ambitions and personal preferences that might not align with what you’re trying to do, even if you think that’s the correct strategy.
Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa forces you to navigate a minefield of conflicting personalities and political agendas as a German commander on the Eastern Front. Your decisions, from how you allocate fuel to which officers you support, have a direct impact on the success of your campaign, adding a layer of tension and immersion that is unparalleled in the genre.
18 – Second Front
A love letter to classic tactical board games, Second Front is a modern digital adaptation of hex-and-counter combat built very closely to the tabletop game Squad Leader. It perfectly captures the tense, moment-to-moment decision-making of small-unit combat with a highly detailed simulation that models everything from unit fatigue to weapon malfunctions. The game’s powerful scenario editor is easy to get going and create unique experiences with, tailored to what you might be looking for. There’s also a lot of player-made scenarios already available online. In my Second Front Review, the game was called “A Magnum Opus despite its flaws”, and I still think that holds true. It’s a magnificent tactics game, that, in my opinion, is only held back by a complex turn-structure and an art style I’m not very much a fan of.
17 – Strategic Command WWII: World at War
There aren’t a lot of options out there for strategy games that cover the whole conflict aside from Strategic Command WWII: World at War, a simple wargame that strikes a perfect balance between accessibility and authenticity. It doesn’t have the detail of monster wargames, and it’s more of a game of Risk with extra steps. As the Supreme Commander of your faction (Axis or Allies), players will command the entire coalition, making high-level decisions about research, diplomacy, and production on a massive world map. You read that right, you won’t be playing as a single country, but as the entire forces of the Axis or the Allies, making for a very singular experience, and allowing for a lot of experimentation. It’s a fantastic choice for players who are just starting out playing strategy games. It’s also cool for players who are looking for a grand campaign that might last them a while, but won’t scramble their brains with the minutest of details.
16 – Sniper Elite 5
Hell yeah, boys, Sniper Elite is here! This one I bet you never expected to see, but if you’re a long-time reader of the website, you know I am a massive fan of the series! It’s not realistic, it’s not strategic, but it’s surely a masterclass in tactical stealth and creative assassination. The latest title in the series, Sniper Elite 5, places you in the role of an elite sniper behind enemy lines and unleashes you in the game’s large, sandbox-style levels, letting your tactical creativity run wild, taking down unsuspecting enemies, while the iconic X-Ray Kill Cam delivers a visceral payoff for every perfectly executed shot. It’s mostly just dumb, stealth fun, but every game in the series is super fun and enjoyable. It’s what I call a lazy Saturday kind of game, where your family is out, and your Saturday afternoon is free, but you have dinner out, so it’s a great time waster. You know what I mean, right?
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