War games have always been a delight for gamers since they offer a great degree of authentic gameplay, a diverse arsenal of weaponry, and the pleasure of playing multiplayer matches with friends. There are multiple genres fit for all tastes: first person shooters, strategy and even action-adventures so avid players can choose exactly the style that best suits their preferred gameplay. In perfect accordance with this idea, our Best World War 2 games list features a wide array of titles, each with their unique traits. Each takes you back to period between 1939-1945 when the world was in a state of “total war”
The Saboteur
A neo-noir open world third-person action-adventure The Saboteur is set during World War II in a German-occupied France. While trying to avenge his friend’s death, Sean Devlin is recruited by the French Resistance and his purpose is to continue his quest while also fighting for their cause. Color is a key element of the gameplay, Nazi occupied areas being represent in black and white with the exception of the characters’ irises, city lights, blood, blue symbols of the French Resistance and various German symbols, such as iron crosses, which are bright red. The goal is to weaken the German forces that control the areas and bring hope to people so that the cities will become brightly colored again.
Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45
Depicting the conflict between Soviet and German forces, Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45 is a tactical first-person shooter that concentrates mostly on the multiplayer aspect of the gameplay. A cutting-edge ballistics system both for the small arms and the tank rounds includes bullet drop, flight time and for the tanks: penetration and deflection, proportional to the range and projectile trajectory angle. In comparison to other World War II-based FPS games, Red Orchestra puts an emphasis on realism. The player must keep a mental count of his ammo and the health bar is actually a diagram of the body with reddened sections where your wounds are. Also 16 official maps and 10 community generated ones are available.
Hearts of Iron IV
Hearts of Iron IV is a war strategy video game where the player takes command of his troops and has to deal with research, diplomacy and building structures for the nation that he or she chooses. There are three different ideologies you can choose from: Democracy, Fascism or Communism and you can choose to affiliate yourself with the Axis, the Allies, the Comintern or none at all if you wish to remain non-allied. The complexity of the interface and the in-depth gameplay transform Hearts of Iron IV into a highly intricate World War II simulation that requires hundreds of hours to master. It is a game for the real strategy aficionados and it is twice as rewarding as its level of difficulty.
Watch above video or continue reading:
Call of Duty 2
The second installment of the series, Call of Duty 2 comprises of four individual campaigns, divided into three stories, with a total of twenty-seven missions. The campaign mode can be experienced through the perspectives of four soldiers: one in the Red Army, one in the United States Army, and two in the British Army. From the original Call of Duty title many aspects have been improved, the most notable change being the regenerating health, as well as the icon that indicates a close grenade that is going to explode. The graphic design and the sound effects offer a very immersive experience and because of this reason the game is even now highly appreciated by fans of the genre.
Commandos 2: Men of CourageCommandos 2: Men of Courage is a real-time tactics video game that places the player in control of a squad of commandos and numerous other allies and the goal is to accomplish objectives by sneaking behind the enemy lines. The action takes place both on the Western Front against the Germans and on the Pacific battlefields against the Japanese. Each of the members of the commando has unique abilities and the player has the chance to exploit them when assigning orders during missions. The game has a learning curve that might prove to be difficult but it was appreciated for the AI used which was pretty advanced for that time.
Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30This game is based on the historical Mission Albany where the player has to complete the historically accurate events featuring the 101st Airborne Division. The 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment is the one that was dropped behind German lines on D-Day and the player is in command of one or two separate 1-3 man teams. In some levels the player is provided with a tank instead of soldier teams and the gameplay shifts towards working with heavy firepower and having mobile cover. Brothers in Arms is known for its intuitive command system, stressing on the effectiveness of fire and maneuver tactics, known as the Four Fs actually used by the military during World War II: Find, Fix, Flank, Finish.
Wolfenstein 3DThe pioneer that paved the way for the first person shooter genre, Wolfenstein 3D tells the story of the Allied spy William “B.J.” Blazkowicz as he tries to escape from the Nazi prison, Castle Wolfenstein. The player’s main goal is to traverse through the levels, fighting Nazi soldiers and other armed enemied with the purpose of taking the elevator that will lead to the next level. Weapons and ammunition can be found scattered around the levels or can be collected from dead enemies; weapons include a knife, a pistol, a submachine gun, and a rapid-fire chain gun. Divided into two sets of three episodes, Wolfenstein 3D still remains an entertaining video game, even after 25 years from its release.
Battlefield 1942Five classes of infantry are available in Battlefield 1942: Scout, Assault, Anti-Tank, Medic, and Engineer. Players can also choose to fly different World War II fighter airplanes and bombers, navigate submarines and drive tanks. The gameplay has a more co-operative nature, becoming important not only to kill enemies but also to be able to hold certain control points on the map. The player can choose to join either the Allied forces or the Axis team and the battles take place on one of several maps located in a variety of famous battlefields that are portrayed as close to reality as possible. Like Hal Life 2, Battlefield 1942 has spawned a myriad of community-generate mods.
Medal of Honor: Allied AssaultA first-person shooter, Medal of Honor: Allied Assault is the third installment of the series and it takes the action into the European and North African theatres during the Second World War. The player takes the role of Lt. Mike Powell of the United States Army Rangers and the missions include attacking German bases in Algiers and Norway, taking Omaha Beach by storm on D-Day and rescuing companions behind enemy lines in France. Many of the game levels draw inspiration from Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan decors, the Omaha Beach mission being entirely similar to the one from the motion picture.
Company of HeroesCompany of Heroes is a real-time strategy video game set during the Second World War. It includes two playable factions and the goal is to apprehend strategic resource sectors positioned around the map. Later on, these will be used to construct base structures, produce new units, and overthrow enemies. Most combat takes place through direct, line-of-sight engagements, weapon accuracy and range being factored into the damage calculation. Company of Heroes is the highest rated strategy game of all time and it is has been universally acclaimed for its strong storyline and authentic gameplay.
Bonus:
Sniper Elite 3 has a hitler killing mission.
The Saboteur
A neo-noir open world third-person action-adventure The Saboteur is set during World War II in a German-occupied France. While trying to avenge his friend’s death, Sean Devlin is recruited by the French Resistance and his purpose is to continue his quest while also fighting for their cause. Color is a key element of the gameplay, Nazi occupied areas being represent in black and white with the exception of the characters’ irises, city lights, blood, blue symbols of the French Resistance and various German symbols, such as iron crosses, which are bright red. The goal is to weaken the German forces that control the areas and bring hope to people so that the cities will become brightly colored again.Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45
Depicting the conflict between Soviet and German forces, Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45 is a tactical first-person shooter that concentrates mostly on the multiplayer aspect of the gameplay. A cutting-edge ballistics system both for the small arms and the tank rounds includes bullet drop, flight time and for the tanks: penetration and deflection, proportional to the range and projectile trajectory angle. In comparison to other World War II-based FPS games, Red Orchestra puts an emphasis on realism. The player must keep a mental count of his ammo and the health bar is actually a diagram of the body with reddened sections where your wounds are. Also 16 official maps and 10 community generated ones are available.Hearts of Iron IV
Hearts of Iron IV is a war strategy video game where the player takes command of his troops and has to deal with research, diplomacy and building structures for the nation that he or she chooses. There are three different ideologies you can choose from: Democracy, Fascism or Communism and you can choose to affiliate yourself with the Axis, the Allies, the Comintern or none at all if you wish to remain non-allied. The complexity of the interface and the in-depth gameplay transform Hearts of Iron IV into a highly intricate World War II simulation that requires hundreds of hours to master. It is a game for the real strategy aficionados and it is twice as rewarding as its level of difficulty.Watch above video or continue reading:
Call of Duty 2
The second installment of the series, Call of Duty 2 comprises of four individual campaigns, divided into three stories, with a total of twenty-seven missions. The campaign mode can be experienced through the perspectives of four soldiers: one in the Red Army, one in the United States Army, and two in the British Army. From the original Call of Duty title many aspects have been improved, the most notable change being the regenerating health, as well as the icon that indicates a close grenade that is going to explode. The graphic design and the sound effects offer a very immersive experience and because of this reason the game is even now highly appreciated by fans of the genre.Commandos 2: Men of CourageCommandos 2: Men of Courage is a real-time tactics video game that places the player in control of a squad of commandos and numerous other allies and the goal is to accomplish objectives by sneaking behind the enemy lines. The action takes place both on the Western Front against the Germans and on the Pacific battlefields against the Japanese. Each of the members of the commando has unique abilities and the player has the chance to exploit them when assigning orders during missions. The game has a learning curve that might prove to be difficult but it was appreciated for the AI used which was pretty advanced for that time.
Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30This game is based on the historical Mission Albany where the player has to complete the historically accurate events featuring the 101st Airborne Division. The 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment is the one that was dropped behind German lines on D-Day and the player is in command of one or two separate 1-3 man teams. In some levels the player is provided with a tank instead of soldier teams and the gameplay shifts towards working with heavy firepower and having mobile cover. Brothers in Arms is known for its intuitive command system, stressing on the effectiveness of fire and maneuver tactics, known as the Four Fs actually used by the military during World War II: Find, Fix, Flank, Finish.
Wolfenstein 3DThe pioneer that paved the way for the first person shooter genre, Wolfenstein 3D tells the story of the Allied spy William “B.J.” Blazkowicz as he tries to escape from the Nazi prison, Castle Wolfenstein. The player’s main goal is to traverse through the levels, fighting Nazi soldiers and other armed enemied with the purpose of taking the elevator that will lead to the next level. Weapons and ammunition can be found scattered around the levels or can be collected from dead enemies; weapons include a knife, a pistol, a submachine gun, and a rapid-fire chain gun. Divided into two sets of three episodes, Wolfenstein 3D still remains an entertaining video game, even after 25 years from its release.
Battlefield 1942Five classes of infantry are available in Battlefield 1942: Scout, Assault, Anti-Tank, Medic, and Engineer. Players can also choose to fly different World War II fighter airplanes and bombers, navigate submarines and drive tanks. The gameplay has a more co-operative nature, becoming important not only to kill enemies but also to be able to hold certain control points on the map. The player can choose to join either the Allied forces or the Axis team and the battles take place on one of several maps located in a variety of famous battlefields that are portrayed as close to reality as possible. Like Hal Life 2, Battlefield 1942 has spawned a myriad of community-generate mods.
Medal of Honor: Allied AssaultA first-person shooter, Medal of Honor: Allied Assault is the third installment of the series and it takes the action into the European and North African theatres during the Second World War. The player takes the role of Lt. Mike Powell of the United States Army Rangers and the missions include attacking German bases in Algiers and Norway, taking Omaha Beach by storm on D-Day and rescuing companions behind enemy lines in France. Many of the game levels draw inspiration from Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan decors, the Omaha Beach mission being entirely similar to the one from the motion picture.
Company of HeroesCompany of Heroes is a real-time strategy video game set during the Second World War. It includes two playable factions and the goal is to apprehend strategic resource sectors positioned around the map. Later on, these will be used to construct base structures, produce new units, and overthrow enemies. Most combat takes place through direct, line-of-sight engagements, weapon accuracy and range being factored into the damage calculation. Company of Heroes is the highest rated strategy game of all time and it is has been universally acclaimed for its strong storyline and authentic gameplay.
Bonus:
Sniper Elite 3 has a hitler killing mission.
