Top 5 Best World War 2 Games On PC In 2022

World War 2 is the most devastating conflict in the history of our species, and because of that, it has been a common setting for video games. Whether you are looking for the strategy of battle planning, the grittiness of a beach landing, or the thrill of an aerial dogfight... there is probably a World War 2 game to satisfy your craving.

In this article, Gurugamer.com is going to showcase the top 5 best World War 2 games on PC in 2022.

1. Hearts of Iron IV

The Hearts of Iron- series has long been the great-granddad of grand strategy games for me. The 4th installment as a whole is my favorite of them all, and I keep coming back to it from time to time. Sometimes trying different nations and sometimes previously played ones, but with different political approaches. It even has the appeal for me to play the same nation the same way multiple times, trying to learn from previous mistakes and optimizing my performance.

There's so much depth to the game it would take a small book to thoroughly review it, but I'll just settle to saying it has everything that comes to leading a nation through the times of WW2 in it modeled one way or another. The only aspect that remains pretty much abstracted is tactical battles, as your control is limited on division/flotilla/air fleet level, and the only way to affect below that is how you assemble your divisions (what kind of battalions and support companies are included in each division structure) and a little bit by choosing the general in command of the division. You can choose to abstract it even further by letting your generals take care of your large-scale orders on the army level, but I personally prefer to control divisions myself to preserve valuable manpower.

Other than that, you certainly have a number of ways to tailor your nation's actions, and it isn't necessarily easy to approach. But like so many times in case of games with great depth, once you master the game mechanics there is a vast amount of things to keep your interest up. If Paradox games and grand strategy games, in general, are to your liking, in my opinion, Hearts of Iron 4 is one of if not your best bet to play this very frequently depicted era.

2. Company of Heroes 2

Company of Heroes 2 is pretty much my favorite RTS of all time.

The graphics and sound design are top-notch. Love the way the game looks and sounds, and watching the action is a real treat. All the bombs, planes, machine guns, grenades, artillery, light to massive vehicles, and the destructible nature of the maps, all combine beautifully to create dynamic battle scenarios in each match that are just fantastic to behold.. game just feels awesome to play.

I think that the reason why I love COH2 so much is that it doesn't rely on twitch reflexes and micro as much as an RTS like Starcraft 2, for example. I think winning has a lot to do with patience, positioning, and making correct decisions on what action or objective to prioritize at any given moment.

Deciding which points to capture and in what order, giving up positions in order to win key engagements, knowing when to commit to risky dives, and sometimes sacrificing a unit or squad in order to kill a key piece in the enemy army. Knowing when to lose map control in order to save resources for an important unit or playing desperate defense while setting up that ONE KEY BATTLE that turns the tide and flips the balance of power on the map. These big moments are thrilling and it is incredibly satisfying when you pull off a game-changing push that takes you from being completely dominated to suddenly being in a position to hold and win.

3. Call of Duty: World at War

The second best Call of Duty ever made and one of the last good remaining ones. Call of Duty: World at War is not a masterpiece but it is a damn good game. The gameplay is simply COD4 with a different era. It's fun, fast, and arcade. The single player is alright with a couple of interesting characters. Nothing worth praising here but a lot of enjoyment is to be had from the campaign.

Multiplayer is still alive and active. The servers are very fun to play in and have a lot of active players on them. WaW's multiplayer is very fun and solid. It may have a couple of cheap moments like any other COD has. But it is still very enjoyable and can keep you entertained for a couple of hours.

As always I leave the best for last. Zombies! Call of Duty: World at War's zombie mode is one of the best co-op experiences I have ever had. It's fun, the gameplay is solid, there's a story, and it will give you and your friends hours upon hours of entertainment. The game comes with 4 solid maps to play on. Natch Der Untoten, Verruckt, Shi No Numa, and Der Riese. These maps offer great variety and are very fun to play in. Zombies is the biggest and most alive part of this game. With a community that has created thousands upon thousands of custom zombie maps that one can enjoy. Many map makers like ZCT and TMG provide high-quality maps that can be compared to Treyarch's best.

4. Sniper Elite 4

SE4 is the pinnacle of stealth-action shooters. The story is serviceable. The missions are diverse. The environments are enormous. The blending of on-screen action and cut-scenes works without being jarring.

Very large and lively levels, filled with around 100 NPCs on average, sometimes more, sometimes less, endless fun! They often include an interactive environment, filled with explosives, wooden platforms to destroy under enemy feet, and crates to drop on the head of some pesky Italian fascists.

A rarely explored setting in WW2 media: the Italian front. The game delivers even more as it doesn't focus on Southern Italy alone, but also takes the player to the north of the country, with even some snowy levels which contrast nicely against the sunny fishing villages of the South, the DLCs even take you to Santorini (Greece) and a Bavarian town. The Allied Intel feature is not something very important, but it's guaranteed to give you some laughs, or entertain you as the bios of multiple soldiers are sometimes linked. It's always a pleasure to piece together a story by progressing in the levels.

Combat-wise, the game has a large arsenal of rifles, SMGs, shotguns and pistols, with a ton of different gadgets to atomize some poor Germans. The AI is relatively intelligent (but only if you play in other difficulties than Rookie). They flank, change positions during combat, do not have aimbots but aren't poor shooters either, and will always work in groups instead of running in every direction like headless chickens.

Last but not least is the amazing killcam, which allows you to watch precisely what damage you caused to the body of your enemies, now working with explosives, bringing some awesome shrapnel fun.

5. Hell Let Loose

If you're a fan of WW2 games and prefer a slower, more tactical approach to first-person shooters, Hell Let Loose is the right game for you! That's not to say you can't rush the enemy, but the game doesn't reward players wanting to be a one-man army. Teamwork makes the dream work!

HLL is a squad based game much like the Project Reality mod for Battlefield 2 or Squad. The game puts an emphasis on working with your squad and coordinating with other squads to succeed and communication is heavily required in order to achieve this. If you don't communicate and don't work with your squad... you will end up walking for 5 minutes and then getting shot.

The map design in this game is excellent, the maps are based on actual reconnaissance images which make the experience so immersive and authentic. The objectives on the maps are also dynamic and will appear in different locations every game, so no two games will be the same.

>>> Read more: Top 4 Real-Time Strategy Games To Play On PC In 2022