10 Most Historically Accurate World War II Video Games

After experiencing a decade-long lull, interest in games set during World War II seems to be returning to the all-time highs of the early 2000s. Titles and franchises like Brothers in Arms and Medal of Honor may be either gone or reduced to shadows of their former selves, but innovative new titles like Hell Let Loose and classic members of the old guard like Call of Duty are working to circumvent the far-future fetishism of recent years.

Realism and historical authenticity aren’t requisites for a quality game, but when dealing with such a well-known period, attention to detail helps. These games, while not all completely true-to-life, were genuine efforts to recreate the combat and complex underpinnings of World War II.

Post Scriptum (2018)

Far removed from the fast-paced chaos of Call of Duty and outpacing the Battlefield franchise in its emphasis on squad-based play, Post Scriptum is an intensely realistic multiplayer FPS that demands both teamwork and tactical prowess.

Set in the bocage of northern France, victory in Post Scriptum can only be achieved by teams who work as methodically and efficiently as possible. Players must dedicate themselves to their specified roles, and one player opting to adopt a run-and-gun, lone-wolf strategy could spell disaster for everyone else. It may take a few creative liberties, but Post Scriptum is, on the whole, a fine-tuned and intensely immersive World War II experience.

Brothers In Arms: Road To Hill 30 (2005)

Released in the final year of the sixth console generation, Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 was the first in a single-player FPS series meant to highlight real military tactics and environmental realism. It looks outrageously dated by modern standards, but at the time it was shockingly true to the Second World War setting.

While the “real military tactics” pitch boils down to little more than limited command over a small band of soldiers, the game’s attention to detail is undeniable given the hardware on which it was made to run. It’s a bit of a slog to play through today, but World War II aficionados may still find something to enjoy in it.

Call Of Duty: World At War (2008)

Though its depictions of both the Pacific and European theaters were aggrandized to the nth degree, 2008’s World at War remains one of Call of Duty‘s most realistic outings. From the Beaches of the Makin atoll to the bombed-out streets of Berlin, World at War did an admirable job of depicting the tragedy and toll of the war.

More recent interpretations of the Second World War are often driven by larger-than-life characters and less-than-likely circumstances. That’s true of World at War to an extent, but the game evokes a genuine sense of being but one small part in an incomprehensibly vast global conflict.

Medal Of Honor: Frontline (2002)

Though it often featured narratives involving historical battles and military campaigns, the Medal of Honor series could scarcely be touted as realistic. Including acts of heroism in nearly every mission that would be enough to earn a man the title’s titular award several times over, Medal of Honor is more about Hollywood-style set pieces than it is actual warfare.

That said, 2002’s Frontline deserves mention for its depiction of the D-Day invasions. Ripped straight out of Saving Private Ryan, this was a miraculous portrayal of one of the bloodiest conflicts in 2oth-century warfare, and it’s rendered in surprising detail, even on the underpowered game consoles of the time.

World of Tanks (2010)

Having undergone drastic changes since its initial debut in 2010, World of Tanks is one of the most revered free-to-play games of all time. While it has in recent years strayed away from total realism in favor of including things like skins, it remains a detailed and enthralling World War II multiplayer title.

With maps and vehicles based on real battles and actual blueprints and concepts, it’s not as if World of Tanks isn’t grounded in reality to some degree. There aren’t many World War II games that expressly feature tank combat, so for those who enjoy this specific element of World War II combat, World of Tanks is the best game on the market.

Red Orchestra 2: Heroes Of Stalingrad (2011)

The Second World War may have been a bygone gaming trend in 2011, but Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad put a unique spin on proceedings and remains memorable a decade after its initial release.

Focusing on both sides of the Eastern Front, Red Orchestra 2 ditched the arcade gameplay style and modern aesthetics of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3, opting instead for a slower-paced, higher-stakes experience in which a single bullet could put down both the player and the enemy soldiers. Akin to Escape From Tarkov or Hunt: Showdown, Red Orchestra 2 was a thrilling, tactical trendsetter.

Steel Division: Normandy ’44 (2017)

As implied by the name, Steel Division: Normandy ’44 focuses on the allied invasion of France in the final year of the war. An RTS title allowing players to take command over an impressive and varied number of units, the game prioritizes tactical thought above all else.

Fought across thoroughly researched digital approximations of real-world battlegrounds, Normandy ’44 implements systems that all but ensure battles to be long and demanding of every ounce of a player’s attention. There’s also a hefty multiplayer component for particularly enterprising armchair generals.

Hell Let Loose (2021)

Officially released in 2021 after lingering in Early Access, the Team17 published hardcore FPS is a dream for those who covet immersion and realism in their video games. Though it’s not quite on the level of something like ARMA 3, Hell Let Loose does an excellent job of accurately depicting the grim life-and-death struggles of soldiers in the Second World War.

Including battlefields based on actual campaigns in the European Theater, Hell Let Loose plays a bit like a hardcore version of Battlefield V. Requiring communication and dedication to a particular role in a squad, it’s a game for those who place the commodore of battle ahead of lone wolf kill streaks.

Hearts of Iron IV (2016)

The fourth installment in one of the most well-regarded grand strategy series of all time, Hearts of Iron IV is about as hardcore as it gets when it comes to strategy games based on the Second World War. With hundreds of provinces and dozens of factions spread across the Earth, Hearts of Iron IV is uncompromising in its depiction of the global scale of the war.

While battle is certainly at the forefront of the game, logistical planning and leadership are equally important. So finely detailed that it allows the player to micromanage industrial production lines in civilian sectors thousand of miles away from the actual conflict, it’s the sort of game that practically requires a degree in history to truly grasp.

IL-2 Sturmovik (2001)

Meticulously detailed and covering almost all aspects of World War II aviation, IL-2 Sturmovik and its many expansions and variations make up perhaps the most elaborate game series set during the global conflict of the 1930s and 1940s.

Accurately depicting dozens of aircraft from multiple factions and, per Hooked Gamers, utilizing declassified documents to recreate landscapes over which they flew, IL-2 Sturmovik is the be-all-end-all when it comes to flight simulators. The game maintains a dedicated player base to this day, with the latest expansion, IL-2 Sturmovik: Tank Crew, introducing tanks to proceedings.