15 – WarPlan Pacific
For a streamlined but deeply satisfying grand strategy experience, WarPlan Pacific is the ideal choice for the Pacific Theater if you don’t have a lot of experience playing strategy games. This turn-based game captures the essence of the naval war and the island-hopping campaign in a digestible format. It elegantly models the challenges of logistics and production across the vast ocean, making it a great pick for those who want to command entire fleets without getting bogged down in micromanagement. Of course, this laissez-faire approach to game design isn’t without its flaws, and the game might end up feeling a bit too simple after a while. Also, the game has a scenario about the Japanese Invasion of Manchuria, so there’s that for a scenario you very rarely see anywhere else.
14 – Gary Grigsby’s Eagle Day to Bombing the Reich
Quite a ride this has been, uh? First-person shooters, complex wargames, simple strategy titles, now back to another complex wargame! This, right here, boys and girls, is the ultimate strategic air war simulation. Gary Grigsby’s Eagle Day to Bombing the Reich puts you in command of entire air forces, managing everything from pilot experience and aircraft production to the delicate balance of fighter escort range. The game’s WEGO (simultaneous turn) system and unprecedented level of detail make it the definitive title for anyone who wants to master the strategic bombing campaigns over Europe. Ever wanted to know what it was like to conduct and direct the air war? Well, this is your game!
13 – UBOAT
We even have a submarine simulator in this list. How fun! This game might not be the most hyper-realistic submarine simulation out there, but it’s for sure the most immersive. UBOAT puts you in command of a German U-boat, where you must manage every aspect of the boat, from the ballast tanks to your crew’s morale, to their day-to-day tasks, acquiring targets, laying waste to enemy convoys, and conducting yourself as the leader. The game is a mix of crew management, sandbox survival, and submarine sim. Its greatest appeal lies with its grand campaign, where you have to take your U-boat on missions into the wide open ocean, come back, repair and refit, evolve, and do it all over again.
12 – Hearts of Iron IV
As one of the kings of grand strategy, Hearts of Iron IV allows you to take command of any nation in the world and guide it through the entire war. You will manage everything from industrial production and political alliances to grand-scale military campaigns. I still think it’s one of the most friendly games you can play right now, but my saying this in a previous article led to a massive discussion, as some people find it rather intuitive, while others seem to struggle with its mechanics. I personally fall into the field of people who think that wartime production, military, and country politics should go hand in hand in a video game, and they work amazingly well and easily in Hearts of Iron IV. It’s for sure the easiest game to learn in the series, despite its very complex and interconnected system. Proof of that is the massive community of players and vibrant modding scene that built up around it. The game is so sandbox that I would even dare say that if you play HoI IV, you won’t need another grand strategy World War 2 game in your life.
11 – Close Combat 3: Cross of Iron
Now let’s go back in time with the timeless that is Close Combat 3: Cross of Iron, a real-time tactical wargame with a groundbreaking psychological model that became the standard going forward, even to this very day. Every soldier has an individual morale and stress level, making you feel the human drama of every firefight, and that nagging sensation in the back of your mind that, unlike other, more arcade strategy games, your men don’t always do what they’re told, and they’re very reluctatnt to put themselves in harms way just so you can win a fight. The game’s dynamic campaign on the Eastern Front is vast and allows your units to gain experience over time, creating a powerful sense of attachment and making every casualty feel like a real loss. There are several other major entries in the Close Combat franchise, and any one of them would be worth this place on the list (except for the failed Close Combat: The Bloody First; that one is not worth a damn thing).
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