Top 10 Wargames To Play In 2025

Moving into the year 2025, strategy game enthusiasts will find themselves drawn to the captivating world of wargaming, with its engaging gameplay, deep strategy, and diverse settings – whether historical, fantastical, or a blend of both. Whether you’re an experienced strategist or new to the realm of tactical combat, there’s a wide selection of games launching this year that cater to every taste. From authentic military simulations to imaginative fantasy battlefields, these top 10 wargames promise thrilling experiences for all. In this article, we will delve into the most eagerly awaited and exhilarating wargames set to captivate you in 2025, helping you make informed decisions on which ones to conquer strategically next.

I examined my collection of war strategy games and chose ten titles representing various time periods and diverse gameplay styles. To ensure these suggestions are relevant, I focused on more contemporary games that have undergone recent redesigns or significant updates within the past couple of years. This list offers a broad range of options for those considering starting to play war strategy games in 2025.

Let me know if you agree, or if you think other games should be here!

10 – Second Front

In 2022, Second Front was highly anticipated, but since its launch, I haven’t noticed many discussions about it. It could be just me, however, I firmly believe that Second Front is currently one of the top turn-based tactical war games available. To put it simply, it’s like a turn-based version of Company of Heroes, yet incredibly complex with numerous elements happening simultaneously. The fact that it’s turn-based makes managing everything less overwhelming. It offers an abundance of content, including hundreds of units, dozens of playable maps, and a user-friendly editor for designing custom scenarios!

9 – Scramble: Battle of Britain

Originally left to bake for an extended period without many updates, this game was a surprise hit among aviators and strategy enthusiasts upon its release. Known as “Scramble: Battle of Britain,” it’s a tactical, turn-based dogfighting game that allows you to command a flight squadron. In each turn, you and your opponent make decisions about maneuvers for the next few seconds – whether to bank left or right, climb or dive, or shoot or hold fire. Unlike typical flight simulators, Scramble provides you with time to carefully consider these decisions, as instincts alone may not suffice. Although it’s still in Early Access, being developed by Slitherine, I’m not too concerned.

8 – Scourge of War: Remastered

If Armored Brigade 2 hadn’t debuted towards the end of 2024, Scourge of War: Remastered likely would have ranked among the Top 10 Strategy Games of that year. This game is a textbook demonstration of what a remaster should accomplish – it preserves the core mechanics while enhancing all other aspects for a better gaming experience. The performance has been significantly improved, the draw distance increased, graphics upgraded, HD unit sprites added, and annoying input delays in controls eliminated. Essentially, if you’re keen on leading Napoleonic armies starting from 2025, no other wargame can surpass Scourge of War: Remastered.

7 – The Great War: Western Front

In terms of an authentic World War 1 strategy game experience, you won’t find anything quite like The Great War: Western Front. It was specifically designed from the ground up to deliver just that, featuring unique mechanics and gameplay elements not found elsewhere.

The game employs a campaign map similar to Total War, but it also offers large-scale Real Time Strategy (RTS) battles, which is where you’ll spend most of your time. You’ll be constructing and upgrading a persistent trench network, commanding various units ranging from stormtroopers to infantry, tanks, multiple types of artillery, and aircraft.

The engagements are dynamic, with one side making progress and capturing enemy trenches, only for the defending side to counterattack, and then the roles reversing. This seesaw pattern can continue for some time, and larger battles can last for an hour or more.

6 – Armored Brigade 2

As a dedicated gaming enthusiast, I can’t help but express my excitement about Armored Brigade 2. For me, it’s like taking the original Armored Brigade and upgrading it to a stunning 3D experience. This game has always been one of my top wargame picks, and if you’re seeking a tactical Cold War-era wargame with this level of detail and scale, I don’t think you’ll find a better match at the moment.

The transition to 3D has addressed almost every issue I had with the original game, particularly the difficulty in positioning and moving units from the top-down perspective. Now, you can rely on your trusty eyeball instead of constantly adjusting the field of view tool to figure out what your troops can see. It’s a small change, but it makes a world of difference.

However, if the developers could also fine-tune infantry control, that would be the icing on the cake for me. If they manage to do that, I believe the game will reach a level of perfection that is hard to beat.

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2025-01-12 18:37