Games Like First Strike

ICBM is a real-time strategy game of nuclear destruction. Research new technologies, build up your nuclear stockpile and use a combination of ships, planes and missiles to strike at the heart of your opponents’ cities while keeping your population safe from harm.

Why similar: Cold War 28.8% ★, RTS 15.3%, Destruction 15%, Military 12.1%, War 11%

Why You'll Like It: A direct gameplay match that tasks you with managing nuclear silos, research, and global strikes in a real-time strategic environment.

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: Cold War 18.2% ★, Wargame 15.6%, RTS 14.5%, Destruction 8.6%, PvP 7.6%

Why You'll Like It: An expanded iteration of the ICBM formula that adds deeper strategic layers and more complex military engagement options.

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 22.8% ★, Diplomacy 15.1% ★, Wargame 11.1%, RTS 11.1%, Military 9.4%

Why You'll Like It: This is the definitive spiritual predecessor to First Strike, focusing on global nuclear annihilation with a minimalist, high-tension aesthetic.

Nuclear war simulator is a detailed realistic simulation and visualization of large-scale nuclear conflicts with a focus on humanitarian consequences. It lets you design conflict scenarios and estimate the consequences using a population density map and realistic weapons effects.

Why similar: RTS 23.4%, Wargame 23.2%, Modern 23%, Military 15.9%, Simulation 10.6%

Why You'll Like It: Provides a highly realistic and sobering look at the mechanics and consequences of nuclear conflict on a global scale.

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 34.6% ★, Diplomacy 19.6% ★, War 11%, Strategy 8.3%, Tactical 6.9%

Why You'll Like It: A focused strategy game that emphasizes the diplomatic and military pressures of the Cold War era.

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 25.5% ★, Wargame 16.4%, RTS 14.6%, Military 12.7%, War 10.8%

Why You'll Like It: A high-fidelity real-time tactics game that explores a hypothetical 'hot' war between NATO and the Warsaw Pact.

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 41.9% ★, Wargame 17.5%, Military 12%, War 9.8%, Strategy 6.1%

Why You'll Like It: Captures the political tension and brinkmanship of the Cold War through a grand-strategy lens that feels both historical and urgent.

Regiments is a Real-Time Tactics game set in Germany 1989. The Cold War has gone hot, and the inferno is raging. Lead your Regiment through the fires of conflict and the fog of war. Break through the lines, call in artillery, maneuver, feign retreats, stage defenses, counter-attack. Do not relent.

Why similar: Cold War 27.8% ★, Wargame 15.8%, RTS 13.8%, War 10.4%, Modern 9.4%

Why You'll Like It: Provides a intense, real-time tactical experience set during the Cold War that focuses on managing military units under pressure.

Broken Arrow is a large-scale real-time modern warfare tactics game that combines the complexity of joint-forces wargaming with action-packed real-time tactics gameplay.

Why similar: Wargame 21.3%, RTS 18.1%, Modern 17.3%, War 12%, Tactical 6.9%

Why You'll Like It: Features large-scale modern warfare with a heavy emphasis on tactical unit management and high-tech weaponry.

Rise to power as any modern day country in a realistic military, political and economic simulation. Command your country's diplomacy, espionage, and resource management to strengthen your position. Use real-time tactical control of your military to fortify your place as the Supreme Ruler.

Why similar: Diplomacy 15.4% ★, RTS 14.5%, Wargame 14.1%, War 13.5%, Military 10.9%

Why You'll Like It: Offers a deep, modern grand-strategy experience where managing nuclear deterrence is a critical component of national survival.

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 40.1% ★, Military 16.8%, War 15.1%, RTS 9.2%, Strategy 6.8%

Why You'll Like It: Focuses on the naval aspect of Cold War conflict, emphasizing the use of guided missiles and strategic positioning.

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 42.2% ★, Wargame 21.7%, Diplomacy 10.7% ★, Strategy 6.4%, Tactical 5.5%

Why You'll Like It: Though a digital board game, it perfectly captures the global power struggle and the constant threat of nuclear war between superpowers.

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 42.5% ★, RTS 32.1%, Strategy 25.4%

Why You'll Like It: A classic RTS that directly tackles the most iconic nuclear standoff of the 20th century.

Real Time Strategy with a high degree of realism. The game is based on a true story.

Why similar: RTS 20.1%, Wargame 18%, Modern 15.6%, Military 15.5%, War 10.4%

Why You'll Like It: A realistic real-time tactics game that focuses on the harsh realities of modern asymmetric warfare.

Become the leader of any contemporary country in this streamlined real-time grand strategy game. Use diplomacy, espionage, military and economic power to deal with other nations, while tackling issues such as terrorism, financial crises and medical epidemics, all in an effort to achieve global domination!

Why similar: Diplomacy 66% ★, Strategy 22.4%, War 6.7%, Simulation 5%

Why You'll Like It: Allows you to manage a modern nation-state, where nuclear diplomacy and global influence are key to staying in power.

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: RTS 55.1%, Strategy 14.7%, War 6.4%, Multiplayer 5%, Wargame 4.7%

Why You'll Like It: A classic-style RTS that delivers high-octane combat and base-building mechanics in a modern military setting.

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: Cold War 26.6% ★, Wargame 25.5%, War 16.1%, Strategy 10.9%, Military 9.7%

Why You'll Like It: A detailed wargame that explores the tactical and political complexities of the Korean conflict.

Armored Brigade is a real-time tactical wargame, focusing on realism and playability. In Armored Brigade the Cold War has turned hot, and Europe is once again torn apart by conflict. An "Iron Curtain" divides the Western Powers gathered together under the NATO banner from the Soviet Union

Why similar: Cold War 24.8% ★, Wargame 18.7%, Strategy 13.7%, RTS 12.9%, Simulation 12.7%

Why You'll Like It: A deep, tactical wargame that simulates the intense ground combat expected during a Cold War escalation.

Call to Arms offers an innovative mix of real-time strategy and 3rd, as well as 1st person controls. Set in the time of modern warfare, the game offers realistically modeled vehicles and heavy weaponry. Command your troops to victory or fight by yourself in the 3rd or 1st person action mode.

Why similar: RTS 21.3%, Military 20%, War 15.2%, Strategy 11%, Modern 9.5%

Why You'll Like It: Offers a unique blend of RTS and direct-control action, allowing you to experience modern warfare from the ground level.

Tomorrow's War Is NOW Ripped from today's headlines, Act of War: Direct Action™ is a frightening tale of suspense, international intrigue and geopolitical military conflict. This real-time strategy experience puts you squarely in control of counterterrorist forces and delivers a first look at tomorrow's war.

Why similar: RTS 39.9%, Military 13.6%, War 13.4%, Destruction 13%, Strategy 6.5%

Why You'll Like It: A fast-paced RTS that focuses on modern military technology and global conflict scenarios.

Use the radio to give commands to the soldiers on the battlefield. Keep track of the situation based on their voice reports only. Lead US platoons to clash with Vietcong in a realistic, innovative approach to the RTS genre. Make hard choices in a narrative driven experience, and face the outcome.

Why similar: Cold War 28.7% ★, Wargame 16%, RTS 14.3%, War 12.4%, Military 11.9%

Why You'll Like It: An experimental simulation that forces you to manage a war through radio reports, emphasizing the fog of war.

A fastpaced, military tug-of-war game with minimal micromanagement. Choose and deploy from a mix of specialized military units to overwhelm the enemy. Experiment with a huge variety of unit compositions, synergies, abilities, and upgrades to lead your army to victory!

Why similar: Wargame 22.2%, RTS 19.8%, Destruction 14.4%, Military 13.7%, War 10.2%

Why You'll Like It: A fast-paced, auto-battler style RTS that emphasizes quick decision-making and unit deployment.

The legendary Men of War RTS series has reached the cold war era. Take command of U.S. or Soviet soldiers, controlling vast armies with the military decisions down to you. Claim victory in dynamic singleplayer and co-op campaigns or challenge fellow strategists in online multiplayer!

Why similar: Cold War 31.8% ★, RTS 17.8%, Strategy 16.8%, Simulation 13.8%, War 13.2%

Why You'll Like It: Combines granular unit control with the specific aesthetic and technological era of the Cold War.

Carrier Command 2 is the real-time strategy game that puts you in command of a futuristic carrier capable of deploying a vast array of aircraft and amphibious units. Compete against AI or human players and hop into every single vehicle to take matters into your own hands!

Why similar: RTS 20.9%, Wargame 19.2%, War 18.2%, Military 13.5%, PvP 9.6%

Why You'll Like It: A complex simulation of naval and aerial warfare that requires careful strategic planning and resource management.

A tactical immersive sim. You are underground with nothing but missiles. Design ballistic weapons, hunt billion-dollar radars with 20,000-dollar drones, flood the enemy with cruise missiles, or reach hypersonic technology. Welcome to asymmetric war.

Why similar: Cold War 32.7% ★, Wargame 19.7%, Military 15.3%, War 14.3%, Strategy 5.8%

Why You'll Like It: A tactical wargame that emphasizes the use of long-range weaponry and missile strikes in modern combat.

3 Days War is a unique multiplayer strategy war game. Integrating the mechanics of RTS+4X, it allows dozens of players to engage in a three-day real-time strategy competitionon. Commanders, use your skills, strategies, games and even deception to become the ultimate winner!

Why similar: Cold War 32.2% ★, RTS 17.8%, Wargame 16%, War 9.8%, Military 9.7%

Why You'll Like It: A modern RTS that focuses on rapid, high-stakes military engagements in a global context.

Cold War turns hot in 1953: massive hex strategy with nukes, supply, and sabotage.

Why similar: Cold War 31.5% ★, Wargame 20%, Military 12.3%, War 10.8%, Diplomacy 10.8% ★

Why You'll Like It: A grand-strategy wargame that explores the early Cold War period with a focus on historical military doctrine.

Real-time dynamic tactics with the strong focus on squad positioning and collaboration. Connect to the warzone from your home PC and orchestrate modern military operations from the Drone Perspective.

Why similar: Wargame 18.4%, RTS 16.7%, Modern 16.4%, War 13.6%, Military 11.9%

Why You'll Like It: Focuses on the modern reality of remote-controlled warfare and the strategic use of drones in combat.

A massively multiplayer real-time strategy game pitting hundreds of players against one another. Over one million nuke each other every month.

Why similar: Wargame 18.1%, RTS 17.8%, War 16.6%, Military 13.3%, Tactical 10%

Enter the war-torn world of Veá, where sci-fi and fantasy collide in Liquidation, an immersive RTS. Lead your armies and harness powerful abilities in a high-stakes battle for Quenrium, the mysterious substance that holds Veá’s fate.

Why similar: RTS 20.2%, Wargame 16.9%, War 15.7%, Military 13.5%, PvP 8.5%

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 22.4% ★, Diplomacy 20.6% ★, Wargame 15.1%, RTS 14.9%, Tactical 6.7%

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 47.8% ★, Wargame 32.6%, Strategy 10.8%, Top-Down 7.8%, Singleplayer 1.1%

Real-Time Strategy/Wargame. From World War II through the Cold War and into the future, re-live or re-imagine the tensions and crises of our recent history! Guide your nation through the era of your choice in Campaigns, Scenarios, and Sandboxes, as you make every effort to become Supreme Ruler!

Why similar: RTS 15.3%, Wargame 14.7%, Cold War 14.2% ★, Modern 13.8%, Military 12.5%

Conquer the stars in this straightforward multiplayer real-time strategy game from the creators of First Strike and become a Stellar Commander!

Why similar: RTS 12.4%, Destruction 11.9%, Wargame 10.7%, Modern 9.7%, War 9.2%

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 22% ★, RTS 22%, Military 14.4%, Wargame 13.4%, Strategy 8%

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 52.7% ★, Diplomacy 25.9% ★, Strategy 8.5%, Simulation 7.5%, Atmospheric 4%

Commander in the ranks. Soldier at heart. Choose a faction and deploy and command your army into massive physics-driven WWII battles to the last man standing. Destroy everything on sight with an insane amount of units that will behave tactically.

Why similar: War 41.4%, Strategy 23.1%, Simulation 19.3%, Action 7.9%, Multiplayer 5.8%

Element is a realtime strategy space game for people who don't have time to play realtime strategy space games. Generate energy, mine element, build attack and defence units, and destroy the enemy while maintaining a balance between earth, air and water.

Why similar: RTS 24%, Destruction 17.8%, Wargame 17.4%, War 17%, Strategy 6.4%

Modern-warfare RTS/sandbox game inspired by the real conflicts in the Middle East. Fight a counter-insurgency war, protect the civilian population, casevac your wounded and decide how the world sees your struggle. And remember - no one gets left behind.

Why similar: Military 20.3%, RTS 17.8%, Wargame 14.7%, War 11.8%, Modern 11.5%

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

Why similar: Cold War 34.1% ★, Diplomacy 17.7% ★, Military 11.5%, War 10.7%, Modern 9.8%

A new type of RTS with elements from 4X, Wargame, and Real-Time Tactics. Draw commands and execute a superior strategy to defeat your opponent, focusing on high-level decisions rather than constant micromanagement.

Why similar: Cold War 24.2% ★, RTS 21.7%, Wargame 14%, War 10.4%, PvP 9.6%

AfterWar is a simple yet feature-rich strategy game for everyone.

Why similar: Diplomacy 23.6% ★, RTS 17.2%, Modern 15.5%, War 14.8%, Multiplayer 6.9%

As the leader of a nation, dispatch and control your team of characters all around the world to destabilize your enemies and establish your supremacy. All methods are fair game: hacking, sabotage, political interference, military strikes, corruption, treachery, assassinations, data theft…

Why similar: Diplomacy 29.3% ★, RTS 21.2%, Wargame 20.2%, Multiplayer 6.7%, PvP 5.6%

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 19.5%, Modern 13%, Military 12.9%, War 11.1%, Cold War 9.7% ★

Command the sky in a tense real-time strategy simulation where you manage a nation's air defenses. Analyze radar contacts, scramble interceptor jets, and make split-second decisions to protect your airspace from hostile threats.

Why similar: Cold War 47% ★, Wargame 21.2%, RTS 16.4%, Strategy 6.4%, Top-Down 4.7%

Fly near-future aircraft with immersive physics across dynamic battlefields, facing land, air, and sea threats. Wage war against AI or rival pilots using an array of advanced weaponry, including tactical and strategic nuclear weapons capable of annihilating anything in your path.

Why similar: Wargame 26.5%, War 23.4%, Military 22.3%, PvP 13.8%, Simulation 6.8%

Explore war-torn post-apocalyptic landscapes and take fight against enemies using various weapons in this FPS/RTS hybrid.

Why similar: RTS 37%, Tactical 16.2%, Strategy 15.6%, Multiplayer 13.3%, Top-Down 8.8%

Easy to learn, hard to master. A simple & free RTS game.

Why similar: RTS 22.2%, Wargame 19.2%, Military 12.1%, Strategy 10.7%, War 10.2%

Geopolitical management game with real-time shifting borders and a streamlined gameplay, designed to minimize all burdensome chores while allowing an absolute strategic control, from military recruitment and deployment, to diplomatic and economic management.

Why similar: Diplomacy 27.2% ★, RTS 18.5%, Military 18%, War 15%, PvP 7%

Command modern military armies by zooming out and issuing orders to large formations, or zooming in to issue orders to individual squads and vehicles. Waronoi is the real-time strategy war game.

Why similar: RTS 23.5%, Wargame 21.7%, Military 15.2%, War 12%, Strategy 10.4%

War Room is a realistic strategy, taking you straight into the heat of the war in Afghanistan.

Why similar: RTS 22.2%, Military 17.8%, War 17.3%, Wargame 14.1%, Tactical 10.6%

Firmament Wars is a multiplayer strategy game with fast-paced real-time warfare. Build a wall, fire cannons, and launch missiles on your way to victory! Select from 7 government types and compete with up to 8 players on a variety of maps! Go forth and conquer!

Why similar: RTS 19.8%, Wargame 16.4%, War 15.7%, Strategy 14.9%, Fast-Paced 14.7%

Command your own fortress in FTL-like real-time battles! Crush the enemy fortress with unrelenting bombardment or seize it with carefully executed invasion.

Why similar: Strategy 62.7%, Simulation 30.9%, Singleplayer 6.4%

8-Bit Invaders! is a fast-paced, retro Real-Time Strategy game for the PC. Control the military might of the Galactic Marine Corps or Invade with the devastating power of the Cranioids! Mine, Build, and Fight your way to victory! Conquering the Multiverse was never so easy.

Why similar: RTS 31.5%, War 14.6%, Military 12.6%, Strategy 11.8%, Multiplayer 9.3%

This Long Term Strategy Game lets you take control of the armed forces of your nation. Become responsible for its military expansion, technological research and economic development. Form alliances and wage total war for global dominance on the battlefields of World War 3.

Why similar: Wargame 30%, Diplomacy 27.6% ★, RTS 20.3%, Strategy 11.7%, Simulation 5.3%

Take command of your hand-tailored fleet of space warships and use realistic radar, electronic warfare, advanced movement controls in 3D space, and precision targeting to outmaneuver and outwit your opponents in a simulation-heavy tactical space game like no other.

Why similar: Diplomacy 23.3% ★, RTS 17.4%, War 15.7%, Military 14.6%, Tactical 9.2%

Engage in massive combined arms battles, create and curate combat missions in real time, and shape your experience with endless community mods. Deploy into the Cold War and experience the most authentic and immersive military sandbox ever created.

Why similar: Military 24.9%, Cold War 19.5% ★, War 16.1%, Tactical 8.9%, Multiplayer 7.8%