Looking for a good WW2 strategy game for PC.

Not really wanting First Person Shooter, but more the strategy side.

I have watched a few beginners guide videos to Hearts of Iron IV, which seems cool, but learning curve looks way steep. I haven't ruled it out, but just wondering how it is starting out and if it is overwhelming.

I also watched a few videos on Men of War 2 which seems to be a cross between strategy and action.

HOI 4 has good reviews, but people say it is way hard to learn, some spending 50+ hours and still not understanding how to do too much.

MOW2 has mixed reviews, mostly due to needing an online connection for all types of gameplay, but supposedly a patch is in the works so a constant network will not be required. People playing it without much history in the genre say it is very fun.

Anybody play either one or have any other recommendations?

HoI4 isn't that hard to figure out. Way easier than the other Paradox games.

It's an awesome game.

Company of Heroes games are fun.

Turn based or real time?

Company of Heroes is good RTS, though a bit micromanagey at times

Probably Real time, but Turned based may be okay if it moves along.

Have played Catan a bunch and used to play Risk as a kid.

Looking for something more in depth than Risk, but not really FPS...

Bought Hearts of Iron IV base game which is $15 for the next week.

Will post how it goes...

I started with Brazil to figure it out and really haven't left. I've played a ton of games but always use them. Lots of cool ways to go about it. Beat the USA one time.

Watch some YT videos for a major country for HOI4. I'd suggest Germany, Russia or France because they don't require you to really play the Navy portion of the game which is still not ideal. Follow the guides and once you've gone through one or two play throughs you'll probably understand the game enough to branch out. I wouldn't recommend starting with GB, US or Japan but they are all a lot of fun once you've gotten the hang of the game.

Also start on the easiest settings. There seems like a lot to manage in that game so you really need to learn the mechanics of it for a few hours before you can apply strategy.

I was thinking about starting with a South American country and then maybe trying to join the Allies in the war when I have my military and equipment ready without hopefully having to worry about getting attacked.

Is that what y'all would recommend?

I have watched about 3 hours of getting started videos from 2 or 3 different Youtubers the last 2 days, so I am understanding the civilian and military factories, trade, making divisions, assigning a general, assigning front lines, etc.

Don't start with a minor country. You'll get really frustrated and you won't really be able to play the game. For what it's worth, I'd suggest starting with Germany. At the end of the day HOI4 is a war strategy game. Italy has the earliest war but it's a crap country in the game and can be frustrating when you're trying to learn the basics. Germany doesn't have any colonies to worry about and has a pretty straightforward path in the game. You'll end up with a bunch of factories fairly quick and a good initial goal when learning the game is to capitulate France.

Might look at the DLC subscription service. I'm not even sure what the base game would look like at this point. If you don't want to play as an Allied major, maybe look at Canada or British Raj (India) since you get involved earlier than you will as a South American country. Also know that I've seen other SA countries join either Germany of Japan even on historical if you as a player join with another South American country.

Some other possibilities would be Portugal or Mexico.

I've got quite a few hours in the game but have never played as Germany, Italy, or Russia. I know its just a game but I think I'd still feel icky playing one of them.

LostInLA07 said:

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Don't start with a minor country. You'll get really frustrated and you won't really be able to play the game. For what it's worth, I'd suggest starting with Germany. At the end of the day HOI4 is a war strategy game. Italy has the earliest war but it's a crap country in the game and can be frustrating when you're trying to learn the basics. Germany doesn't have any colonies to worry about and has a pretty straightforward path in the game. You'll end up with a bunch of factories fairly quick and a good initial goal when learning the game is to capitulate France.

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Agree with this. It's tough to get into a lot of action with the minor countries. Play a major European power and start fighting. Or, play the good ol' USA and start researching and pumping out aircraft carriers to blow a whole through the Japanese Navy so you can land some Marines in Tokyo by late 1943.

There is a sale on right now on the DLCs if you are interested and have gotten hooked already.

I also struggled getting into grand strategy and ended up with HOI4 myself. My advice? Just play it. Don't worry about trying to pick a perfect first scenario. Get in there and mess up and then do it again. You've watched enough to know the basics and that is enough for now. This is absolutely a game of "learn as you go" and even that is misleading because you will never know everything. A true game of fairly easy to start, nearly impossible to master. There is just soooo much nuance and little things sprinkled around this game. Can't tell you how many threads in the Reddit forum of people mentioning something and others all pissed they didn't know about it even with multiple thousands of hours of playtime.

It sounds like you are looking for Axie & Allies for the PC. Great board game.

The best thing about the Paradox games, and HOI4 is no exception is the continual development you see with them. Pretty much every time they release a DLC or have a major update the game becomes even more replayable than a typical strategy game would be.

Gary Grigsby's War in the East 2 for the win.
https://www.matrixgames.com/game/gary-grigsbys-war-in-the-east-2

HOI4 on big sale right now. Got the starter bundle for $25

Look into Foxhole. It's kind of weird and you only control one unit, but the way that every player plays together and the wars take months is super cool. Not the biggest playerbase on the planet but very dedicated and helpful.

damn, this reminds me of a game I tried to play back in 2001 called World War 2 online, it was kind of like this, and the battles went on for months. I cant remember why but either my internet or my PC back then were to ****ty to play reliably, but I had already opened and installed it, so no returns


Apparently it's still alive and now F2P.

Luckily foxhole is pretty easy to run

I wish I could remember the name of the old WWII game I used to play. I had to purchase and install from an independent site at the time. I *think* it was a Paradox game but can't be certain. It was turn based and had artillery fire going on in the background while you were playing to set the mood. It has other cool sound effects when you had a successful hit on armor or blew one up.

It was a hex based game and you had individual armor units but then your solider units were grouped into one hex. Typically platoon level if I recall correctly.

Nothing to go on here that will help much in identifying it but I did love that game.

Could that one be Steel Panthers?


If you don't mind older games, I loved Panzer General. Think you can grab second on GOG.

FtWorthHorn said:

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Could that one be Steel Panthers?


If you don't mind older games, I loved Panzer General. Think you can grab second on GOG.

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Dude I think that's it! Awesome game.

I really like Sudden Strike 4. I used to play this alot. It has campaigns or free play

As for older games close combat was great. Microsoft knows how to ruin a game studio.

Man loaded up HOI4 tonight to try and start it and it is just SO MUCH. Seems more tedious than fun so I refunded it. Maybe I'll stick to XCOM and Civ for my turn based fun.

I started with Brazil. No pressure and you can pretty much dominate everyone in your area. I've honestly play 2 games as not Brazil it's awesome. You can take over all of South America. Invade South Africa. I've take. Over Portugal. I've invaded Mexico. Beat the USA.

Start as Brazil.