12 Games Set In World War 2 (That Aren’t Call of Duty: Vanguard)

Call of Duty: Vanguard isn’t for everyone. Luckily for history buff gamers, World War 2 is a popular setting for shooters and strategy titles.

Call of Duty: Vanguard came out on November 5th and will undoubtedly rule the sales charts and make Activision tons of money. However, some might be averse to playing the newest entry in the long-running franchise. Maybe players don’t want to shell out the money for a full game or don’t feel comfortable giving money to a company currently in the middle of a massive sexual harassment lawsuit.

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Fortunately, there are plenty of other games people can play that take place during World War 2 that are not Call of Duty: Vanguard. Most are first-person shooters, but one of them changes things up by being an RTS. For World War 2 history buffs, here are a couple of great choices.

Updated on January 31, 2022, by Jason Wojnar: Now that the dust has settled on Call of Duty Vanguard, most agree that it is one of the weaker entries in the series, especially when compared to 2019’s Modern Warfare.

With the publisher Activision now a part of Microsoft, the series’ future might be radically different from before. Some theorize that annual entries might even go away. Because Vanguard might not be the World War II game fans were hoping for, this list is here to offer some alternatives.

12

Call Of Duty 2

The franchise started out in World War 2 and only changed the setting for the fourth entry, Modern Warfare. Of the three original titles, Call of Duty 2 is often considered the highlight. It was a launch title for the Xbox 360 and never came out on PS3.

The multiplayer, while radically different from the world-changing Modern Warfare, is beloved by those who were around for it. Even though the series has returned to World War 2 periodically in games like World at War and Call of Duty: World War 2, none have reached the same standard set by Call of Duty 2.

11

The Saboteur

The Saboteur is an open-world action game set in a unique environment and has an interesting gameplay twist to distinguish itself from similar titles. Players have to liberate the map from Nazi control by committing acts of sabotage and inspiring the local population to rise up.

The areas controlled by the fascists are depicted in black and white and turn into full color once they are liberated.

10

Valkyria Chronicles

This Japanese turn-based strategy game from Sega does not directly take place during World War 2, but its setting is directly inspired by the conflict. The gameplay is a mix of turn-based mechanics with some real-time elements.

The story is surprisingly touching and is filled with memorable characters. There are several sequels and spin-offs, though they do not star the same cast. The original came out in 2008 but was re-released in 2016 for the PS4, making it quite easy to access on modern consoles.

9

Medal Of Honor

This franchise started on the original PlayStation. There were few FPS games on Sony’s first console and even fewer that took place in real-world settings. One of the most venerated entries is Allied Assault for the PC.

Console players have Medal Of Honor: Frontlinefor the PS2, Xbox, and GameCube. A recent reboot took the action to modern times. The first of these had a decent single-player mode but had stellar multiplayer. The sequel of the reboot did fare as well, however. Developer Respawn Entertainment brought the action back to World War 2 for the VR exclusive Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond.

8

Hell Let Loose

The newest game on the list, Hell Let Loose, is a multiplayer shooter consisting of one hundred players per battle. It is not as chaotic as other large-scale shooters, however, and instead aims for immersion and historical relevance.

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Teams are divided into squads, with proper teamwork and strategy being vital to victory. Players also have little health, being taken out after just a couple of shots. While it lacks any narrative, the developers aimed for historical accuracy and used satellite imagery to accurately recreate the maps.

7

Wolfenstein

The newer Wolfenstein games do not take place in World War 2 — they are set in an alternate history where the Nazis won the war — but the older games are set in the time period. Even still, they involve numerous science fiction themes. Even before Wolfenstein 3D, there were two stealth games in the early 80s called Castle Wolfenstein and Beyond Castle Wolfenstein. These days, the best titles to play would be the newer titles of the last generation and their standalone expansions.

The sci-fi tech in these games might make players think these are comic book interpretations of the war, but the recent games have a surprisingly dour and poignant story. Developer Machine Games is hard at work on an Indiana Jones game, but fans are hoping a third Wolfenstein title is in the works too.

6

Red Orchestra

The Red Orchestra series is focused mostly on multiplayer. The sequel includes a single-player mode, but it was largely forgettable and was heavily criticized for its lack of originality. It seems co-op and PvP are where this series’ strengths shine.

As the name implies, the maps are primarily based on the eastern front. Even though the most recent game in the franchise is ten years old, it still sees regular activity.

5

Brothers In Arms

Before innovating on the FPS genre with the looter-shooter Borderlands, Gearbox Software made a name for themselves with the Brothers in Arms franchise. These FPS games were more grounded than the studio’s later output.

The franchise has unfortunately been dormant for many years, though some fans would love to see it come back. There was a game called Brothers in Arms: Furious 4 in development, which was to use a more exaggerated art style. It was eventually canceled, however.

4

Sniper Elite

The Sniper Elite franchise takes a more subtle approach to the World War 2 conflict than many FPS games do. Players control a single soldier sneaking into enemy territory, completing missions using their trusty sniper rifle.

The series is notable for its gruesomely detailed violence, and some kills even use X-rays to make players more severely feel the impact of shots.Some of the entries also include cooperative missions, allowing another friend to get in on the fun.

3

Company Of Heroes

Company of Heroes zooms out a bit to give players an isometric view of the action. This is because Company of Heroes is an RTS, rather than a shooter like most World War 2 games.

The first game in the franchise follows the American army, while the sequel takes the action east to put players in control of the Red Army. Company of Heroes 2 came out in 2013, and a third title is only just now set to be released in 2022.

2

Day Of Defeat: Source

Day of Defeat is one of the several popular titles that started as a mod for Half-Life. Though it did not become as popular as games like Counter-Strike or Team Fortress, it still had its fans.

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Even though the game is over fifteen years old, it still has a small community of active players. The Source engine does not look quite as good as it did all that time ago, but graphics are not as important if the gameplay is great.

1

Battlefield 5

These days, it often feels like Battlefield and Call of Duty are in competition with each other. When Call of Duty went back to World War 2 with Call of Duty: World War 2, Battlefield came in a bit later with Battlefield 5.

The prior entry in the franchise took place in World War 1, so it makes sense for the sequel to represent the second world war. The game received good reviews, but it did not reach the same heights as other triple-A shooters. The series tried to return to some of its classic glory with Battlefield 2042, a multiplayer-only title, but technical issues led to an underwhelming reception.

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