Playing video games is a great way to learn history. According to Bob Whitaker, a history professor at Collin College, history-themed video games can make players thirsty for more knowledge. He predicts that educators will pay more attention to games in the future as they are going to become effective study tools.
Historians are increasingly realizing that games play a great role in creating interest in history. As a result, they will collaborate with game developers and gamers in the teaching, learning, and understanding of history through games.
Are you interested in World War II? Would you like to understand this part of human history better? Playing a few World War II games will go a long way in helping you to understand it better.
The following is a list of some of the best WWII video games we have played:
Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond
Released on Dec 10, 2020, Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond features clips from documentaries. The creators of this game interviewed war veterans to understand their experiences, which include missions in Tunisia and Europe.
Once you wear your headset, you can assume the character of a combat engineer who works as a spy for the Office of Strategic Services, an US intelligence agency that existed during the Second World War. It was the same intelligence agency that later became the CIA.
Medal of Honor is among the most popular World War II video game franchises in the world. However, it was created not to entertain but to inform and educate.
Through the Darkest of Times
Developed by Paintbucket Games, a developer based in Berlin, Through the Darkest of Times challenges players to step into the shoes of The White Rose, a resistance group of students who protested against the Nazis. Later, the Nazis executed all the members of the group.
The video game tells the tragic tale of The White Rose. As a gamer, you have to go on non-violent missions that involve creating graffiti and distributing leaflets. As you play, you will learn about the little-known side of World War II and gain an insight into the difficulties and dangers of resisting the Nazis.
Battlefield V
This franchise has enjoyed a lot of popularity over the years mostly because you can play it on gaming consoles as well as PCs. Battlefield V is a first-person shooter game with multiple modes such as Tides of War, Firestorm, and Chaos of All-out War. The experience is that of playing several fun games under one title.
Call of Duty: World at War
Here is another WWII game that is compatible with gaming consoles and PCs. It challenges players to work with one another to survive the war, which is one of the reasons for its popularity.
The game enables you to experience the Second World War with your friends. Along with a standard multiplayer, the game has several missions that allow players to assume the roles of soldiers fighting on vehicles, air, and land.
Hearts of Iron IV
Released in 2016, Hearts of Iron IV accurately depicts the causes of World War II. The game also gives you the choice of either replicating history or creating scenarios that can alter the results of the war. Gamers can use the latter feature to create scenarios that strongly resemble history although this player-created content can be disturbing.
War Thunder
If you want to play a war-themed MMO game without spending a lot of money, you can play War Thunder, a free game that works well on multiple platforms. It starts with the Spanish Civil War and then moves on to the Civil War, but its major focus is on WWII.
The game makes you fight realistic wars on land, sea, and air. You can choose from 1000+ war machines and multiple battle modes.
Moreover, the developers of War Thunder are continuously adding to the game and updating it. For example, the April fool event of 2019 allowed gamers to experiment with UFOs.
Steel Division: Normandy 44
Many WWII games are based on skills and strategies and Steel Division: Normandy 44 happens to be one of them. As a gamer, you can choose from two modes—player vs. player or player vs. artificial intelligence.
The game gets ruthless if you choose the latter, but it is the ideal choice for gamers who love tough challenges. Moreover, it depicts the events of WWII accurately.
Men of War: Assault Squad 2
If you are a fan of war-themed video games, you will be aware of the Men of War series. Assault Squad 2 is the eighth Men of War game, a sequel to Assault Squad.
Assault Squad 2 is an improved version of its predecessor. It has better content, new units, expanded multiplayer, and upgraded graphics. You can take charge of huge battle tanks and go on sniper missions using immersive maps.
IL-2: Battle of Stalingrad
Do you like fighter planes? If so, you must play the IL-2 Sturmovik series of WWII-themed video games. This series is among the best flight simulators of the Second World War fought in the air.
Although not the newest games in the series, Battle of Stalingrad is the best in the series, in our opinion. Its graphics of the aircraft used in WWII are vivid and detailed. You can use innovative game mechanics to simulate blackouts and red-outs, which create an immersive gaming experience.
The game is great for beginners as well as expert players, and you can play it in single-player or multiplayer modes.
Battlefield 1942
The first game in the Battlefield series of WWII-themed video games, Battlefield 1942 enables players to step into the roles of engineer, infantry, anti-tank, medic, assault, or scout. You have to choose either the multiplayer mode and fight against other players or the single player mode and fight against the game’s artificial intelligence.
Battlefield 1942 was among the first first-person shooter games in the industry with a special focus on co-operative gaming. The main mode of the game is “Conquest,” in which you have to collaborate with other players to collect points and win rounds.
Call of Duty 2
One of the best WWII-themed games is Call of Duty 2, a first-person shooter game. It is an improvement of its predecessor, Call of Duty. When it was released, it amazed gamers with its sharp graphics, which created an immersive gaming experience.
Call of Duty 2 was the first game in the series, which allowed players to regain their health. The game is popular because it allows gamers to create custom models and maps and many other mods.