Top 10 Best WW2 Board Games

World War 2 board games are incredibly popular and appeal to a wide demographic. From history buffs to strategic masterminds, these board games allow players to reenact significant events and employ their tactics to secure victory. Here are some of the best WW2 board games out there.

Memoir’ 44

Starting off with a classic, Memoir ’44 is a staple inclusion into any WW2 board game collection. With numerous scenarios to play through, you and your opponent will be trying to secure victory in asymmetrical settings with only the current troops available.

In a round of Memoir ’44, you’ll be choosing a card to play. For the most part, these cards will allow you to control a certain number of units in one of the thirds of the board. This means that you need to think exceptionally carefully about which sector you wish to perform in.

This strange three-lane tug-of-war compartmentalizes the board, but savvy players will switch units between the sectors to flank and surprise their opponent. I’ve played countless games of Memoir ’44, and that’s even without the many expansions there are available to kick things up a notch.

Victory At Sea

The naval theatres of World War 2 typically get neglected when it comes to game adaptations, however, Victory At Sea gives the theatre all the love and attention it needs.

Each naval unit in Victory At Sea is given its own movement properties, weapons, stats, and more, to set every unit apart. In tense naval battle in the Pacific Theatre, players get to indulge in the unique and challenging battle setting of maritime warfare.

For a unique angle in the WW2 board game genre, Victory At Sea is a great pick.

Air, Land, and Sea

Air, Land, and Sea provides a portable, light, yet uniquely interesting game about losing the battle to win the war.

Players will be vying for control over the three theaters, air, land, and sea, through placing matching cards into those theatres from their hand. However, with no card pick-ups, you’ve got to work with what you have to try and win theatres whilst denying your opponents points by withdrawing from theatres you’re losing from early.

This strange three-way tug-of-war rewards early withdrawals, as long as you can back up your claim on the others.

General Orders

The only one on this list, General Orders is a worker placement WW2 game. Both players will take the role of generals as they try to place their units to seize strategic points before their opponents do the same.

A tug-of-war with extra supporting features, General Orders perfectly blends the typical WW2 military genre with the worker placement feature to provide a unique yet familiar experience. There’s more than simply grabbing points, however, as this game boasts different unit types and Head Quarters that also need to be protected.

General Orders preserves the feeling of risk and reward found in typical WW2 games whilst remaining light and fun.

Blitzkrieg!

I have yet to find someone who doesn’t enjoy Blitzkrieg! A fast-paced yet endlessly replayable board game, Blitzkrieg! simulates WW2 in 20 minutes.

Players will be pulling reinforcements randomly out of an opaque bag every turn, and will be using their pool of units to fight in the five different theatres across the globe. Each one is a huge tug-of-war spanning over different battles. As most spaces also grant abilities, choosing between useful bonuses and thwarting your enemy will tear you apart every turn.

Blitzkrieg! is one of those games I can slide across the table and 9 times out of 10 someone will say yes to playing. It’s effortless yet does a fantastic job at being a WW2 game.

Axis & Allies

Axis & Allies is another classic line of WW2 games that allows players to play across the entire globe and engage in brutal world-wide warfare.

With numerous unit types and a great economic system, Axis & Allies 1942 is generally accepted to be the best game of the franchise. It’s not too big and not too shallow, making it great for the vast majority of audiences. The economic and militaristic angles both need to be inspected before making any move.

If you don’t just want to reenact certain battles, and want to take charge of one of the major powers, then Axis and Allies 1942 is for you.

A World At War

If you want to play A World At War, then you’d better be prepared to make it your whole world. With a rulebook the size of an old phone book, A World At War strives to be an incredibly complex and in-depth war game. And it still goes above and beyond.

There are some hardcore board gamers that will relish in the chance to take on a goliath game and play it for many, many hours to come. However, it’s one of those games that you need to break into slowly as it’s incomprehensible to digest all the rules before play.

Although A World At War is stupidly large and complex, I can’t not include it in this list as it’s likely the largest WW2 games the world has ever seen.

Warfighter

Warfighter is a card game that can be played with 1 to 6 players, with no special rules for solitaire play, making Warfighter unique among its cadre already.

There are nine campaigns to be played in Warfighter, but there are other expansions that can help increase that number. In each campaign, there is an AI system that controls enemy movement, and it’s up to all the players to work together to complete their mission without becoming K.I.A.

For a cooperative WW2 game, Warfighter will make an excellent candidate.

Combat Commander

Combat Commander is another WW2 tabletop classic that utilizes both a board and tokens, but is primarily a card game.

Players will be using their cards to make orders to try and secure victory on the field. There are many scenarios from which to play from, with many other expansion packs to play countless games. In Combat Commander, there are also random events to keep each scenario different as players need to overcome new and unexpected challenges.

For those who want an exciting WW2 board game, then Combat Commander and its many expansions are waiting to be played with.

Undaunted Stalingrad

I’m just gonna say it — Undaunted Stalingrad is the greatest WW2 game out there, full stop. You and your opponent will be playing through a litany of scenarios as your actions in each game will influence what battles you play next, and the state of your troops and the board and terrain.

Simulating the Battle of Stalingrad, both players will be playing a campaign that will push their troops and strategic abilities to the brink. As individual soldiers get wounded, permanently killed, or become veteran, the already incredible and innovative Undaunted deck building system is improved and brought to new heights.

With an evolving board that suffers the consequences of your numerous firefights across Stalingrad, there can only be one winner. Yet the whole time, you’ll feel the constant grief and struggle your limited soldiers face. Undaunted Stalingrad is an amazing game that I implore you to check out.

Now that you’ve got a fantastic list of WW2 board games, all you need to do now is check out the ones that look the best.