Relive Human History With These Unique Games
The study of History runs in my veins, and if you have arrived here, it probably runs in yours too. Or, at least, you have a passing interest in the bygones of Humankind. Video games and History, too, have had a close relationship, with some of the biggest successful titles being based in or around real historical events. From first-person shooters to strategy games and even platformers, an untold number of titles owe their settings to real history, people, places, and events. I wanted to take a look at the most interesting ones you can play right now, and adding a couple of unique choices here and there, you won’t find on any other website or recommendation list. If that interests you, let’s dive into it!
Keep in mind that these are not the most historically accurate or realistic games out there. You could say they’re “authentic”, and are titles I consider that do a great job at portraying their specific historical reality.
10 – Civilization VI
Let’s start with an all-time favorite of mine, and many of you, I’m sure. Civilization VI is, arguably, the best Civilization game ever made. Certainly, it’s the most successful one and the one that’s still the most played today. This is also the game I would advise most of you to pick up if you want to start playing Historical games. Civilization VI is accessible, easy to get into with little to no knowledge, has a staggering amount of content and detail, the depth of an ocean of new things to learn, but the best part of it is the base idea. You pick a Civ, and then take it from the very first moments of Human existence all the way through history until the future, with all the trials and tribulations, triumphs, and victories that entail. Each long playthrough is an odyssey in and of itself.
9 – Hell Let Loose
One of the most famous historical settings in gaming is World War 2, and during the early 2000s, the landscape was plagued with everything from that conflict: shooters, simulators, strategy games, stealth tactics, and even adventure titles. While this ocean of games gave birth to some amazing classics like Medal of Honor, Call of Duty, Company of Heroes, and countless others, it also led to the release of a lot of stinkers, which eventually also led to an overall feeling of tiredness with the World War 2 setting in favor of a more modern setting. Lately, it’s this modern setting that has seemingly grown stale, and there seems to be a resurgence in interest for World War 2 games.
Hell Let Loose is one of the games that rise above the rest by being what I consider to be, in essence, the best realistic shooter ever made for World War 2. It’s one of those squad-based mil-sims that are very on-vogue right now, where the main goal is to cooperate with your squad and team, working together on smaller objectives, to reach a grand victory. Matches are long, weapons are meticulously recreated, firefights can range from small skirmishes to prolonged, desperate last stands, and the 1-to-1 recreation of real World War 2 maps makes Hell Let Loose the best way to experience what those battlefields looked like in real life. The constant updates and influx of new players keep the community alive with a very healthy number of dedicated players, which these games tend to struggle with after a while.
8 – Ghost of Tsushima
I know that the last thing you expected when you entered this article was to see me recommending Ghost of Tsushima, a third-person action game, on a website that’s almost 100% dedicated to strategy and wargaming genres. While this might look weird, please hear me out, and I promise you that this will all make sense. There’s no lack of video games set in Japan, but how many of those are not fantasy, featuring Yokai and godly powers? Not that many. And while I do enjoy my fantastic take on Japanese history (Nioh being a standout), there’s no other game around that captures the feeling of being a Samurai like Ghost of Tsushima. Set during the Mongol Invasion of Japan, players take the role of Jin Sakai and try to desperately fight the overwhelming hordes of invaders on the titular island of Tsushima. It tells the story of how this young samurai became a symbol of hope for the people of Tsushima and Japan as a whole by transforming into this mythical Ghost persona. It’s an emotional tale that manages to be both bleak and hopeful, with plenty of ups and downs, and will have you glued to your screen from beginning to end. Assassin’s Creed: Shadows could only dream of being half as good as Ghost of Tsushima.
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