Games Like 1953: NATO vs Warsaw Pact

What if the Warsaw Pact had attacked NATO in the mid-1980s. Or the other way around? Study this titanic conflict, within its most emblematic theater, Germany and Central Europe. Will you be able to achieve your goals without escalating into an uncontrollable nuclear conflict?

Why similar: Wargame 25.1%, Grand Strategy 20.3% ★, Cold War 20.1% ★, Turn-Based Strategy 12.5%, Strategy 6.7%

Why You'll Like It: This title shares the exact operational scale and Cold War setting, focusing on the potential for a massive European conflict.

You are the commander of either NATO or Soviet forces locked in battle on the ground in 1980’s Central Europe. As commander, it is your task to provide the battle plan orders to your units. You need to know your mission objectives, strength and weakness of both your forces and you enemy, lay of the land, weather, and time of day in order...

Why similar: Cold War 31.4% ★, Wargame 28.5%, Hex Grid 21.2% ★, Strategy 10.9%, Turn-Based Strategy 7.6%

Why You'll Like It: A classic in the Cold War wargame genre that emphasizes the same hex-grid tactical decision-making.

Flashpoint Campaigns: Southern Storm is a grand tactical wargame set at the height of the Cold War, with the action centered on the year 1989.

Why similar: Turn-Based Strategy 30.9%, Strategy 21.5%, Cold War 20% ★, Wargame 17%, Military 9.9%

Why You'll Like It: It offers a highly detailed, turn-based simulation of Cold War combat that mirrors the tactical depth found in the seed game.

CM Cold War is set in the tipping-point years of a conflict that gripped the world for 45 years. Between 1979-1982, both the NATO and Soviet Warsaw Pact militaries began the shift away from industrialized warfare of the early 20th century and towards the modern digital battlefield of today.

Why similar: Wargame 28.7%, Turn-Based Strategy 19.1%, Military 15.4%, Cold War 10.6% ★, Strategy 9.5%

Why You'll Like It: While more tactical, it provides an unparalleled simulation of Cold War military hardware and unit behavior.

Touch the world with your fingertips! Your retro terminal awaits your command, for the balance of power, in this definitive Cold War strategy game. Here you belong; assert your leadership through turn based strategic tit-for-tat, on the brink of mutually assured destruction. Don't let it slip away!

Why similar: Cold War 28% ★, Grand Strategy 20.2% ★, Wargame 15.9%, Turn-Based Strategy 11%, Military 8.9%

Why You'll Like It: It focuses on the political and nuclear tension of the Cold War, capturing the strategic stakes of the era.

A game of diplomacy and war in the atomic age. Safeguard your closest allies and change unfavorable regimes without giving away your long-term ambitions. Every action risks an enemy reprisal, and if nobody backs down from a standoff, we all lose.

Why similar: Cold War 37.3% ★, Diplomacy 12.6% ★, Strategy 11.7%, War 9.2%, Wargame 8.4%

Why You'll Like It: This game focuses on the strategic and diplomatic maneuvering required to prevent or manage a global Cold War crisis.

Defend America from an alternate-universe America using state-of-the-art 1980s military hardware in this intricate and tactical turn-based strategy game.

Why similar: Cold War 25.9% ★, Hex Grid 20.6% ★, Wargame 18%, Military 12.6%, Turn-Based Strategy 8.4%

Why You'll Like It: A turn-based, hex-grid strategy game that features a unique Cold War aesthetic and challenging tactical puzzles.

Twilight Struggle is a two-player game where players play as either the US or USSR during the Cold War. Using actual events from history, players must plan out their strategies in order to obtain world dominance. Play Twilight Struggle and change the course of history.

Why similar: Cold War 32.9% ★, Wargame 22.9%, Turn-Based Strategy 12.5%, Turn-Based 7.9%, Strategy 6.5%

Why You'll Like It: The definitive board-game adaptation that perfectly encapsulates the global power struggle between NATO and the Warsaw Pact.

War in the East 2 is the most comprehensive, most realistic, and most advanced wargame modeling Eastern Front warfare in World War Two.

Why similar: Wargame 34%, Turn-Based Strategy 20%, Strategy 13.7%, War 9.6%, Hex Grid 9% ★

Why You'll Like It: Provides the ultimate deep-dive into operational-level hex-based wargaming for players who enjoy complex supply chains.

Realistic, immersive, breathtaking. WARNO is the ultimate World War III battle simulator from the masters of strategy, Eugen Systems. A Cold War turns decisively hot as you command hundreds of units on a beautiful and brutal battlefield. Outsmart, outfight, and lead your forces to total victory.

Why similar: Cold War 28.6% ★, Wargame 24.4%, Military 15.6%, Turn-Based Strategy 11.4%, War 9.5%

Why You'll Like It: While real-time, it is the premier modern simulation of a 'hot' Cold War conflict in Europe.

Strategic Command WWII: War in Europe is a deeply immersive turn based strategy game covering the greatest conflict in modern history!

Why similar: Strategy 68.5%, Turn-Based 31.5%

Why You'll Like It: Though set in WWII, its engine and hex-based logistics are the gold standard for the type of grand strategy found in 1953.

It is 1965 and the US ground war in Vietnam is in full swing. As a US Army commander, wage a counter-insurgency (COIN) war to secure the Ia Drang valley, on the border with Cambodia.

Why similar: Turn-Based 22.7%, Turn-Based Strategy 19%, Wargame 17.7%, Strategy 14.1%, Cold War 12.3% ★

Why You'll Like It: A turn-based strategy game that emphasizes the logistical and counter-insurgency challenges of the Cold War era.

The year is 1983. The world teeters on the verge of destruction as the Cold War tightens its icy grip. East or West: trust no one, question everything. The fate of humanity rests in your hands as you pit spy versus spy in tactical Phantom Doctrine.

Why similar: Cold War 50.8% ★, Turn-Based 19.3%, Turn-Based Strategy 13.3%, Strategy 11.4%, Great Soundtrack 3%

Why You'll Like It: Focuses on the espionage and sabotage elements of the Cold War through a turn-based tactical lens.

War on an Epic scale from Moscow to Berlin – this is War in the East!

Why similar: Grand Strategy 28.9% ★, Wargame 27.1%, Turn-Based Strategy 13.8%, Strategy 10.7%, Turn-Based 10.6%

Why You'll Like It: A foundational operational wargame that offers the depth and complexity expected by fans of the genre.

The first intense conflict of the Cold War, this war is very often forgotten, its very rapid and dynamic but unknown aspect obliterated by months of stagnation following the first year of operations in Korea. Can you make it remembered?

Why similar: Wargame 24.6%, Cold War 23.5% ★, Turn-Based Strategy 16%, Strategy 11%, Military 9.3%

Why You'll Like It: Shares the same engine and design philosophy as the seed game, focusing on a pivotal Cold War conflict.

Arms Race - TCWE is PC strategy game based on the historical conflict between the USA and the USSR

Why similar: Cold War 30.3% ★, Grand Strategy 21.2% ★, Military 11.1%, Strategy 11%, Diplomacy 9.4% ★

Why You'll Like It: A grand strategy game that focuses on the economic and political arms race between the two superpowers.

FIRST STRIKE is a fast paced real time strategy game where you play one of the twelve biggest nuclear superpowers of the world – from known superpowers like the USA to an upstart hellraiser like North Korea – and try to be the last one remaining when the whole world blows to smithereens.

Why similar: Cold War 31.3% ★, Wargame 19.8%, Military 12.3%, Diplomacy 10.9% ★, War 10.7%

Why You'll Like It: Focuses specifically on the nuclear escalation aspect of the Cold War, which is a key threat in the seed game.

Hex of Steel is a refreshing WWII wargame covering all fronts featuring a certain amount of original mechanics. Fight in solo against finally a decent AI throughout Europe, Africa or the Pacific, or against a friend in the cross-platform PBEM or real time multiplayer. Coop is also an option!

Why similar: Hex Grid 22% ★, Wargame 18.5%, Turn-Based 17.1%, Military 12.5%, Turn-Based Strategy 12.2%

Why You'll Like It: A straightforward and deep hex-grid wargame that captures the classic feel of military strategy.

Set during the events of WW2, Strategic War in Europe is a classic turn-based strategy game that combines a deep strategic layer with accessibility and ease-of-use.

Why similar: Wargame 30.3%, Turn-Based 23.1%, Strategy 20.6%, Turn-Based Strategy 19.2%, Historical 6.7%

Why You'll Like It: A turn-based grand strategy game that focuses on the macro-management of military forces.

Panzer Corps 2 is the ultimate Second World War strategy game! Enjoy the time-proven gameplay formula which has been appreciated by millions of players over the years, brought to a whole new level of refinement up to the latest technical standards.

Why similar: Hex Grid 17.1% ★, Grand Strategy 15.3% ★, Wargame 14.3%, Turn-Based 14.1%, Turn-Based Strategy 11.5%

Why You'll Like It: The most accessible and polished hex-based wargame that serves as a great mechanical parallel to the seed game.

North Africa 1943. Lead your forces to victory in the most intense WW2 battle!

Why similar: Hex Grid 23.3% ★, Turn-Based 19%, Turn-Based Strategy 15.2%, Strategy 12.9%, Military 10.7%

Why You'll Like It: A hex-grid strategy game that shares the top-down, turn-based aesthetic of the seed game.

Master grand tactical combat as a Cold War force commander in this data-rich simulation. Plan and issue orders in asynchronous WEGO turns, leveraging real-world maps and complex features like Electronic Warfare and Air Assaults to outthink your enemy.

Why similar: Cold War 35% ★, Wargame 31.5%, Turn-Based Strategy 16.2%, Strategy 10.4%, Top-Down 6.5%

Unity of Command II is the sequel to one of the most critically acclaimed strategy games of all time; a game critics called 'the perfect gateway' into computer war games.

Why similar: Turn-Based 17.5%, Grand Strategy 17.1% ★, Wargame 15.6%, Hex Grid 15.3% ★, Turn-Based Strategy 9.2%

Why You'll Like It: Renowned for its focus on supply lines and logistics, which are critical components of the seed game's design.

Order of Battle: World War II is a breath of fresh air for all strategy fans. It is a game that takes wargaming to a new level by upgrading every single game element and rebooting the genre for a new generation of players.

Why similar: Wargame 22.3%, Turn-Based 21%, Hex Grid 18.6% ★, Strategy 13.9%, Turn-Based Strategy 13.4%

Why You'll Like It: Features a robust hex-grid system with a strong emphasis on unit specialization and supply lines.

A turn-based strategy game where you can experience WWII campaigns and explore alternate history scenarios made by the community.

Why similar: Cold War 22.1% ★, Wargame 16.9%, Hex Grid 15.9% ★, Turn-Based Strategy 11.2%, Military 10%

Why You'll Like It: A turn-based wargame that simplifies the complexity of military command into an engaging strategic experience.

Cuban Missile Crisis is a real-time strategy game combined with a global turn-based tactical mode, thrusting gamers into a world ravaged by the military-political confrontation between the USA and USSR in 1962.

Why similar: Cold War 54.3% ★, Strategy 45.7%

Why You'll Like It: A strategy game that directly tackles the most iconic flashpoint of the Cold War era.

Addictive yet chill. An immersive Cold War sandbox. Revive the Cold War in this classic strategy game—easy to pick up, yet challenging and deep, offering endless replayability.

Why similar: Cold War 34.6% ★, Grand Strategy 24.6% ★, Turn-Based Strategy 14.3%, Wargame 8.5%, Strategy 5.6%

Attack at Dawn is a WWII strategy game that mixes the ease of real-time action with the depth of operational gameplay, all on beautifully crafted North Africa maps. Plan your strategy like Rommel or Montgomery and better the real history.

Why similar: Turn-Based 19.3%, Wargame 18.3%, Grand Strategy 18.3% ★, Hex Grid 11.8% ★, Military 7.8%

Why You'll Like It: An operational wargame that balances tactical movement with strategic planning on a hex-based map.

A turn-based WWI Grand Strategy game. Rush to field new modern weaponry and survive the horrendous attrition battles. Join the global conflict between the Great Powers of the age and forge a new world order for freedom or tyranny.

Why similar: Wargame 21.8%, Grand Strategy 21.3% ★, Turn-Based 17%, Turn-Based Strategy 11.1%, Military 7.9%

Why You'll Like It: Provides a grand strategy experience that emphasizes the logistical and diplomatic challenges of early 20th-century warfare.

Lead the CIA or KGB in a turn-based global strategy. Influence nations, run covert ops, and win the Cold War without firing a shot.

Why similar: Cold War 27.2% ★, Turn-Based 14.3%, Turn-Based Strategy 13.1%, Grand Strategy 12.4% ★, Wargame 10%

Why You'll Like It: A niche strategy title that explores the Cold War conflict through a turn-based, hex-focused lens.

A sardonic take on nationalism and the Cold War though a minimalist and fast paced RTS. Scheme your way through a highly replayable campaign, or conduct some "diplomacy" on your "friends" in multiplayer.

Why similar: Cold War 25% ★, Grand Strategy 24.5% ★, Wargame 22.6%, Diplomacy 13.7% ★, Military 4.9%

Tank Operation: European Campaign - is a turn-based, tactical war game with a dozen nerve-racking historical scenarios on the various battlefields of World War II. As an allied general you fight right on the frontline to defeat the Third Reich with all its destructive potential.

Why similar: Hex Grid 17% ★, Wargame 15.3%, Strategy 14.4%, Military 11.1%, Turn-Based Strategy 10.1%

ICBM: Escalation is a grand RTS where you command armies, develop cutting-edge tech, and wield devastating weapons. Conquer enemies with conventional forces or nuclear firepower. With new modes like Standoff and Conquest, the game offers deep strategic layers in a global warfare setting.

Why similar: Grand Strategy 25.8% ★, Wargame 24.9%, Cold War 22% ★, Military 9.4%, War 6.9%

Hexarchy is an innovative, fast-paced, historical 4x strategy game where you use cards and deckbuilding to make your decisions. Single-player and online multiplayer.

Why similar: Hex Grid 20.4% ★, Grand Strategy 20% ★, Turn-Based 16.5%, Turn-Based Strategy 11.7%, Military 11.3%

Set during the early events of World War 2, Fall Weiss is a new successor to the Panzer General

Why similar: Wargame 53%, Strategy 47%

The Great War is a turn-based grand strategy game based on the epic struggles of the WWI era. Experience the battles of attrition and punishing artillery barrages. Play as any nation of the period as the modern world of industrialized warfare replaces an age of kings with a struggle of ideologies.

Why similar: Grand Strategy 32.2% ★, Turn-Based 13.5%, Turn-Based Strategy 13.2%, Military 13%, War 11%

Unity of Command is an innovative and refreshing operational-level wargame that covers the entire 1942/43 Stalingrad Campaign on the Eastern Front.

Why similar: Wargame 22.5%, Turn-Based 20.7%, Turn-Based Strategy 17.3%, Strategy 12.1%, Grand Strategy 8.6% ★

Strategic Command WWII: World At War is your chance to re-fight the 20th century’s greatest conflict, from Poland to China, Normandy to the Pacific, on a map encompassing the globe.

Why similar: Turn-Based 28%, Strategy 20.8%, Hex Grid 18.7% ★, Wargame 17.4%, Grand Strategy 15.1% ★

Time of Wrath gives a fine piece of wargaming for every fan of WW2 era. This strategy allows players to take control over any country during World War 2 era in Europe and North Africa theater.

Why similar: Turn-Based 59.7%, Strategy 40.3%

Every war has its Generals. Take command of an army during World War II and lead them to victory. Strategize your way through many scenarios and real historical military campaigns of past generals.

Why similar: Hex Grid 26.9% ★, Wargame 17.5%, Turn-Based Strategy 13.8%, Military 11%, War 10%

Real-Time Strategy Game. Guide your nation through the most violent era in modern history. Play massive campaigns as one of the principal nations, set-piece scenarios of famous battles, or set your own victory condition and play as any nation in the world in Sandbox mode.

Why similar: Grand Strategy 23.7% ★, Wargame 18.4%, Hex Grid 12.6% ★, Turn-Based 11.8%, Military 11.3%

Nations At War series is a dynamic platoon-level combat computer game based on the award-winning board games of the same series name. Nations At War series centered on armor, artillery and infantry combat during World War 2.

Why similar: Wargame 24%, Turn-Based 19.4%, Hex Grid 18.4% ★, Military 14.5%, War 11.5%

Strategic Command WWII: War in the Pacific is a turn-based strategy game. It offers a comprehensive experience of the Pacific Theater, challenging you to achieve victory in one of history's greatest conflicts.

Why similar: Wargame 31.3%, Turn-Based Strategy 20.3%, Strategy 13.8%, Military 13.6%, War 9.6%

Demise of Nations is a 4X turn-based grand strategy wargame covering the rise of Rome till the fall of modern civilization.

Why similar: Hex Grid 24.2% ★, Grand Strategy 23.5% ★, Turn-Based 15.1%, Turn-Based Strategy 14.1%, War 7.6%

Ground Pounders is a turn-based, strategy wargame. Inspired by classic strategy games like Panzer General, and steeped in the lore of the Sword of the Stars universe, Ground Pounders offers a new generation of gamers an updated taste of turn-based strategic warfare.

Why similar: Hex Grid 26.9% ★, Turn-Based Strategy 26.6%, Strategy 24.5%, Turn-Based 22%

Crush the Confederates near Petersburg and Richmond in 1864. Bring peace to a nation divided.

Why similar: Hex Grid 21.3% ★, Wargame 20.3%, Turn-Based 15.6%, Grand Strategy 12.2% ★, War 9.7%

Inspired by the 1983 cult classic film, Wargames, DEFCON superbly evokes the tension, paranoia and suspicion of the Cold War era, playing on the fascinating aspects of psychological gameplay that occur during strategic nuclear warfare.

Why similar: Cold War 33.3% ★, Wargame 21.7%, Military 15%, Diplomacy 13.2% ★, Top-Down 6.7%

The new reference in RTS at its best! The Wargame series returns to duty, larger, richer and more spectacular than ever before. In Wargame Red Dragon, you are engaged in a large-scale conflict where Western forces clash against the Communist bloc.

Why similar: Cold War 30.6% ★, Wargame 24.9%, Military 21.8%, Strategy 14.4%, War 8%

Napoleon's Eagles is the classic board game War & Peace for computer. Be Napoleon – or stand against him – in a series of short scenarios that cover the epic battles of the age, or in a multiplayer-only grand campaign that may – or may not – end on the field of Waterloo.

Why similar: Wargame 24.4%, Grand Strategy 23% ★, Turn-Based Strategy 14.9%, Military 10.5%, War 10%

From the lead designer of Cold Waters, Sea Power lets you control NATO and Warsaw Pact forces in modern naval conflict campaigns. Use your advanced naval weaponry and sensors to respect rules of engagement and defeat the enemy forces in a tense fight for initiative and air/naval supremacy.

Why similar: Cold War 48.5% ★, Military 22.2%, War 14.2%, Strategy 10.8%, Wargame 3.3%

Take Command and Secure Victory in the Great War! Commander – The Great War features a Grand Campaign covering the whole war from the invasion of Belgium on August 5, 1914 to the Armistice on the 11th of November 1918 in addition to 16 different unit types including Infantry, Cavalry, Armoured Cars and Tanks, Artillery, and much more!

Why similar: Wargame 25.8%, Grand Strategy 23.3% ★, Turn-Based Strategy 17.7%, Strategy 16.9%, Turn-Based 10.8%

Create your own nation in Millennia, a historical turn-based 4X game that challenges your strategic prowess across 10,000 years of history, from the dawn of humanity to our possible futures.

Why similar: Grand Strategy 21.1% ★, Turn-Based 15.9%, Hex Grid 13.2% ★, Turn-Based Strategy 12.4%, Diplomacy 9.5% ★

Command distinct factions in a desperate struggle for power and resources in Tempest Rising - a classic RTS set on Earth after a nuclear war.

Why similar: Strategy 49.5%, Wargame 16.1%, War 12.6%, Military 11.2%, Great Soundtrack 5.1%

A tactical scale strategy game that invites the players to take command of the Allied or German forces in an epic struggle for the control of Western Europe during World War Two.

Why similar: Grand Strategy 17.4% ★, Wargame 16.1%, Turn-Based 15.3%, Hex Grid 10.6% ★, Military 10.3%

Armored Brigade II revolutionizes real-time tactical warfare in 3D, focusing on the intense combined arms combat of the Cold War era, from 1965 to 1991. Boasting a meticulously researched database and huge real-world terrain maps, this game offers an unparalleled combat simulation experience.

Why similar: Grand Strategy 25.7% ★, Wargame 24.6%, Cold War 22.2% ★, Military 8.6%, War 8.3%

Crisis in the Kremlin is a global real-time political strategy about the Socialist world in its final decade. Shape the fate of the world as you manage economy, foreign relations, and domestic policy. Engage with countries across the globe, using diplomacy or even proxy wars to expand your reach.

Why similar: Cold War 38.3% ★, Grand Strategy 27.6% ★, Diplomacy 11.2% ★, Strategy 8.1%, Historical 8.1%

Warring States : Tactics is a turn-based battle strategy game set during the Warring States period of Ancient China. The Warring States period is one of turmoil in China, where various feudal states struggle for control of all of China.

Why similar: Turn-Based 28%, Wargame 17.9%, Hex Grid 14.9% ★, Turn-Based Strategy 13.8%, Strategy 10.3%

Engage in epic simultaneous turn-based combat in this fusion of cards and turn-based strategy. Assemble your regiment, claim your territory, and lead your forces to triumph!

Why similar: Hex Grid 26.5% ★, Turn-Based 24.2%, Turn-Based Strategy 13.8%, Wargame 13.3%, War 11.8%

Tempelhof, Berlin, dawn of 8th April 1949.A major armed conflict is brewing between the Western powers and the Soviet bloc. The Red Army has been growing ever stronger since the end of World War II. With the growth of their army the Soviets realize that they hold the advantage, and are only waiting for the right moment to attack.

Why similar: Cold War 48% ★, Strategy 21.1%, War 19.6%, Great Soundtrack 6.5%, Atmospheric 3.8%