As a realistic real-time tactics game with a huge variety of units and weapons, Armored Brigade is hard to beat. Getting into Armored Brigade is quite the hassle, though, as it suffers from the typical simulation wargame issue of clunky UI, graphics, and controls that will be sure to intimidate many and make the learning curve steeper than it needs to be. Safe to say, Armored Brigade nails the nature of combined arms warfare to a tee and will challenge players in their ability to synergize disparate units into a cohesive force, even more so than in Möbius Front.

In a way, this game is like a far more realistic version of Eugen Systems’ Wargame Red Dragon (more on that later), which comes with a few perks, but also annoyances.Īrmored Brigade invites players to take command of varied formations from different nations with an emphasis on mobile units and maneuver warfare that’s characteristic of this era of military development. Tactics games are some of the most popular in Cold War strategy gaming and this extends even to simulation wargames, such as Armored Brigade. It’s Phantom Doctrine’s setting, though, that really makes it stand out as a Cold War game and, as a result, is one of the best spy-focused strategy games on the market. Unfortunately, several moles sabotaged some components of the gameplay, mostly in the technical department with a myriad of bugs and glitches making the tactical gameplay unintentionally funny at best, and immersion-breaking at worst. More impressively, the game sports an in-depth and compelling strategic layer that lets players manage their agents, investigate cases, and expand their network, all giving Phantom Doctrine a distinct spy thriller feel that sets it apart from strategy games of similar genres. Phantom Doctrine can best be described as an XCOM-like turn-based tactics game with a greater emphasis on stealth and player freedom of choice in approaching objectives and missions. Phantom Doctrine puts players in control of a special operations task force pursuing its own goals amidst rising global tensions. Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo SwitchĪlongside the arms race and ideological conflicts, the Cold War is best known for the mass expansion of organized espionage and counterintelligence operations. Publisher: Good Shepherd Entertainment, UF Games However, for players really looking for a challenge that will push them to their limits in unit control and tactics, Möbius Front is an excellent choice.ĭeveloper: CreativeForge Games, Forever Entertainment The game’s greatest strength, the AI, while making each scenario a mind-boggling affair, is also its greatest weakness as it’s perhaps so punishing in its aggression and bonuses that it may lead to frustrating restarts and a feeling of gruelling repetition. You’ll command a variety of forces – from tanks and helicopters to infantry and artillery across a number of puzzle-like scenarios, a la Unity of Command 2, complete tactical objectives, and delve deeper into this multiverse mystery.

Players will take command of US troops stationed in Europe standing guard against a potential Soviet invasion, but instead, an alternate universe US invades Europe and sends the troops on the ground into chaos. Why not go all the way and have multiple universes clash on the battlefield in a Marvel comics-style Secret Wars crossover? Zachtronics’ Möbius Front does exactly that. There are few if any truly historical combat-centric Cold War games as it luckily never became hot, so most games with military action are literally alternate history.

Strategic war games on pc