War Thunder starts in WW2 with the Rank I & II units. Games like this, World of Tanks and even World of Warships need caveating slightly because, given their free-to-play nature, based around progression systems, they can actually end up covering several eras. War is hell: But check out our guide to the best WW2 games anyway

All three even appear within the same matches, and there are over 1,700 to unlock and wield. War Thunder gets our recommendation here because it features land (armoured), air AND naval combat, all in one game. We’re folding some free-to-play recommendations into these lists because it shouldn’t always be about super-serious war games or simulations – sometimes it’s nice to just rock around in a Tank or a Helo and blow stuff up. The inclusion of new nations via the Italy-Yugoslavia Nation Pack and the France-Belgium Nation Pack further enriches what’s on offer. The game’s recently been updated with the first iteration of a ‘campaign generator’, giving you the chance to fight a successive series of battles to give you some extra context. This is certainly one of 2018’s stand-out releases, and well deserving of a space on this list. Create your task-force, define your map (using the excellent map generator), and fight it out on the plains of Europe. Set primarily in Europe, Armored Brigade is a ‘Cold War gone hot’ game where you can play as either NATO or Warsaw Pact factions. The campaign generator update added new nations, including France and Yugoslavia We've selected our favourite wargames across different formats and genres that look at combat in the cold war, the modern day and – of course – in alternate-historical versions of both! NATO showdown (that thankfully never happened) has also made perfect fodder for games wishing to demonstrate why we should give peace a chance.

Which is not to say to say the following list of the best of modern warfare games snubs the bad ol' 1900s. The thrills of wielding 21st-century technology, sci-fi-like gadgets and increasingly ultra-deadly weaponry in-game surely account for the words “modern warfare” appearing in the titles of so many digital games nowadays. The destruction and terror of World War Two stands as a terrifying warning from history – but even that globe-spanning conflict didn't feature fleets of satellite-controlled drones capable of firing missiles on the opposite side of the planet at the drop of a hat. Yes, William Tecumseh Sherman was right and “war is hell”, regardless of when in time it happens, but something about laser guided munitions and modern tanks ups the ante for those of us here in the 21st century.

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