World War 2 is undeniably one of the most important parts of human history, carrying with it its fair share of heroic stories and anecdotes that will forever change humankind. As such, it’s only natural for gamers and devs to try and translate some of its elements in board game form - be it in the form of strategy, trivia, or other kinds of board games.
RELATED:Best Games To Play If You Liked Cities: Skylines
However, with more than a hundred board games about World War 2 out there, it can get pretty overwhelming for the casual board gamer to just choose a game to play. As such, just which stand out as the best that people interested in World War 2 ought to try?
Updated June 12, 2025, by Rhenn Taguiam:With video games such as Brave Lamb Studio’s War Hospital and KatHawk Studios’ Alliance of the Sacred Suns paving the way for new World War 2 games for video game fans, it makes sense for board game lovers to want a bit of a physical experience for their WW2 adventures. Thankfully, board games such as Risk, Wings of Glory, and Churchill remain timeless and exciting options for players who want to retell the heroic stories of WW2, as these games allow players to take control of squads, armies, leaders, and even entire factions for victory.
15Risk
Perhaps one of the most popular World War 2 games out there,Risktakes some of the most complex areas of warfare and meshes them together in a neat game that may last at least an hour between two to six players. At its core,Riskinvolves players gathering territory within a political map, wherein they have to spend their turns using their armies to capture empty territory or engage in combat with others to claim their turf.
What’s interesting aboutRiskis how there are a lot of ways to win the game, particularly through objective cards drawn before the start of the game. As such, unique win conditions can have players create and dissolve alliances on a whim, and even simulate world-spanning events such asWorld War 2.
14Wings Of Glory
Although theWings Of Glorywargame features a World War 1 setting, the game has adapted its mechanics to accommodate the wide-reaching aspect of World War 2 as well. Much in the same vein as its original counterpart,Wings Of Gloryfor World War 2 isan aerial combat simulatorin which players have to fight for domination throughout various aerial campaigns within the scope of World War 2.
Unlike other games,Wings Of Gloryactually offers players the opportunity to play fast and loose with basic mechanics and even play in an extremely tactical manner via more advanced rulesets. Expansions inWings Of Glorywill allow players to control various aircraft from various countries, each with its own special abilities and features as well as missions for players to enjoy.
13Up Front
Unlike other wargames that often have a lot of miniatures on the board,Up Frontis instead a card-based wargame. Set in World War 2,Up Frontis created as a card version of the “Squad Leader” franchise of games. However, unlike wargames that typically have terrain and separate units,Up Fronthas everything in card form.
As such, players who commit toUp Fronthave no idea what terrain they’ll be in when they start the game since things from units, weapons, scenarios, and even terrain are deep within the cards present. This makes for an interesting mechanic, as players draw separate Personality cards that have personnel that they’d have to use tosurvive various scenariosand situations from the Action deck.
12Conflict Of Heroes: Awakening The Bar
One of the more compelling tactical wargames about World War 2 would probably have to beConflict Of Heroes: Awakening The Bar, especially with the level of squad-level action it provides. After all, unlike games where players can move multiple units at once to engage in fierce action,Awakening The Barlimits the way players can move their units to emphasize real strategic action.
For instance, players only have limited ways ofmoving their units, wherein they can only have one active unit at a time which can make one single action per turn. This makes things like countering units, flanking, or even mounting defenses and assaults extremely big moves for players. Those who want an extremely suspenseful game that focuses on tactical action might want to giveAwakening The Bara shot.
11Churchill
When one hears of World War 2, they most likely think of extremely-complex wargames and rather fast-paced battles. Not inChurchill, as this game is one of diplomacy and social maneuvering instead. In this game, players take on the role of either Stalin, Roosevelt, or Churchill as they attempt to outpace each other over ten Conferences todetermine the leaderof the Allied Forces and what strategies to use against the Axis Powers.
RELATED:Lore-Rich Games To Play If You Love The Souls Series
While the game focuses on historical gatherings that occurred from 1943 until the end of World War 2, players engage in some form of alternate history through the discussion of various issues. These are also divided into categories in the game, such as strategic warfare, politics, clandestine operations, production, and offensives. Being able to debate on these matters through the mechanics of the game definitely adds a lot of control to otherwise-unexplored mechanics of politicking in games.
10Victory At Sea: Battle For The Pacific
It’s not all the time that a board game is released that is set in the seas, andVictory At The Sea: Battle For The Pacificpushes warship simulation by taking place in the Pacific Theater, arguably one of the most pivotal parts of World War 2. In this game, players can take on the role of iconic warships from the US Navy, the Imperial Japanese Navy, the German Kriegsmarine, the Royal Navy, and many others in this heated sea battle simulation.
What perhaps setsBattle For The Pacificapart fromother maritime gamesis its in-depth mechanics. Each ship possesses its own traits, weapon systems, and even directional properties. Moreover, the game takes realism into account, as ship actions - from movement to firing to reloading - happen across parts of a round.
9B-17 Flying Fortress Leader
Just because a game is about World War 2 doesn’t mean it has to be played with a lot of players. In the case ofB-17 Flying Fortress Leader, players take on the role of a B-17 Leader commanding the Eighth Air Force during the European Theater of Operations. As commanders, players need to conduct various missions with their Bomber Groups, ensuring they reduce Germany’s ability to wage war from the skies.
In terms of gameplay,B-17 Flying Fortress Leaderis pretty much a strategic solo game, with players being in charge not just of their missions but of their team’s planes and pilots as well. Aircraft have certain skills and abilities for specific missions, and groups can progress from Newbies to Ace pilots. Moreover, Commanders can be assigned to provide teams with certain skills - provided they don’t get killed.
8Memoir ‘44
Sometimes, the best board games come in the form of simple mechanics with enjoyable gameplay, and this is exactly whatMemoir ‘44does. Set in 1944,Memoir ‘44details the many battles related to the historic D-Day invasion in the form of a card game. More specifically,Memoir ‘44emphasizeshow important communication is in combat, as the game simulates the breakdown of comms on the battlefield.
When played,Memoir ‘44is set on a hex grid battle map divided into three flanks. However, instead of players outright commanding their troops, they instead use Command Cards that instruct how many troops they can move and where, as well as Tactic Cards that instruct what sort of actions can be done in a turn. This “limiting” aspect of gameplay adds a level of thrill that makesMemoir ‘44a simple yet equally complex take on wargaming.
7Combat Commander
In a more straightforward take on the squad aspect of warfare liesCombat Commander. At its core, players select a particular scenario and engage in conflict, with players winning depending on how fast they secure their objectives. Unlike other wargames,Combat Commanderhas relatively easy-to-learn rules suitable for solo play and even one-on-one matches.
RELATED:Best Stealth Games That Aren’t Assassin’s Creed
Its simplistic approach to cardboard pieces and tiles also makes for agreat simulation of unit planning, and the Fate card system adds an element of spice as it surprises players with advantages and disadvantages to their current scenario.
Players who want a more grassroots-level simulation of World War 2 battles might appreciateAdvanced Squad Leaderfor its tactical-level focus. Instead of a massive wargame that holds the fate of entire countries at the hands of players,ASLinstead focuses on squad management. This is where things get a bit intense, as players do need the ASL Rulebook and various modules to tinker with the game and include scenarios, units, and other mechanics as they desire.
This is becauseASLreally deep-dives into what squads can do based on a wide variety of situations. Thanks toASL’s “semi-simultaneous” system, players can do a number of actions based on what other players are doing. Thanks to the geomorphic map boards for the game,ASLcan simulate any number of scenarios from World War 2 and other theaters of war. Moreover, squads can be modified and improved based on armaments, equipment, and other traits, achieving a somewhatrealistic iteration ofX-COM.
