Tackling a very real war in a video game can be tricky. Do you show the romanticized version, a pulse-pounding adventure against evil? Or do you show something more realistic and grim, with a focus on the brave heroes fighting to survive? In either case, World War 1 marked a period when mechanized warfare began, and bringing this to a game presents its own challenges that games based on later time periods do not. Whether you want reverence for the past or a shot of heroism, here are our picks for the best Xbox Series X/S WW1 games.
#7 Valiant Hearts: The Great War
- Publisher: Ubisoft
- Developer: Ubisoft Montpellier
- Platform: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Android, iOS,
- Released: 2014
PC | Xbox | PlayStation | Nintendo
While Ubisoft has become a bit of a dirty word in recent years, one of the few things the studio got right was tackling Valiant Hearts: The Great War with the respect the subject matter deservesd. Across four chapters, players take command of various characters from multiple perspectives on both sides of the war, both on the front lines and behind them. A side-scrolling puzzle adventure game may sound like an ill-fitting genre at first, but the narrative weight of what the soldiers, nurses, and families had to endure will inspire you to press on until the very end.
#6 Verdun
- Publisher: M2H, Blackmill Games
- Developer: M2H, Blackmill Games
- Platform: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
- Released: 2015
PC | Xbox | PlayStation
For some gamers, historical accuracy is king, and Verdun doesn’t disappoint in this respect. Along with painstakingly recreating guns and uniforms, including their changes over the years, gameplay can quickly switch between gunfire and bayonet-based trench warfare, all on maps based on real French and Belgian battlefields. Each gun also has realistic bullet physics, and only iron sights will help you hit your mark. Frontlines challenges 64 players to take the opposing trench, while Attrition, Rifle Deathmatch, and Squad Defense offer different ways to seize the day.
#5 Tannenberg
- Publisher: M2H, Blackmill Games
- Developer: M2H, Blackmill Games
- Platform: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One,
- Released: 2020
PC | Xbox | PlayStation
While Verdun focuses on the Western Front, Tannenberg brings players into the Eastern Front. Alongside the Russian and German forces is a focus on weather, where rain, fog, and snow set the mood of how dismal and horrifying the conditions of the soldiers must have been so many years ago. While the eight large maps are wider and less claustrophobic than the ones found in Verdun, this just gives more opportunities for foes to outflank you. The good news? It gives you more opportunities too.
#4 Battlefield 1
- Publisher: Electronic Arts
- Developer: DICE
- Platform: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
- Released: 2016
PC | Xbox | PlayStation
While Battlefield 2042 is doing less than great, Battlefield 1 is a good old-fashioned WW1 shooter. Historical accuracy is firmly in the rear-view mirror here, with the focus more on glorious spectacle both in the campaign and multiplayer modes. The story takes you on a world tour across France, Italy, the Middle East, and more, all with fully destructible maps. Multiplayer also boasts 64-player matches, massive vehicles, and Operations mode for rounds across multiple maps to push or defend the frontline.
#3 Isonzo
- Publisher: M2H
- Developer: M2H, Blackmill Games
- Platform: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
- Released: 2022
PC | Xbox | PlayStation
One of the few upcoming titles on this list set to launch on September 13th, 2022, all the historical accuracy from Verdun has been applied to the Italian side of the conflict. This means fighting within the mountains of the Julian Alps. Use dangerous mountain trails to flank, or blow your foes to hell with flares to call in mortars, artillery, and bi-planes to crumble the destructive terrain around them. Sniper shields and trench periscopes can also help defend your position from above or below. Choose your class carefully for the job, and take on mountain warfare.
#2 11-11 Memories Retold
- Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Developer: DigixArt, Aardman Animations
- Platform: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
- Released: 2018
PC | Xbox | PlayStation
Another sensitive entry on our list, 11-11 Memories Retold focuses on two very different sides of the war; a Canadian photographer leaving for the front, and a German technician looking for his missing son. With impressionist-style visuals from Aardman Animations, this puzzle-filled narrative adventure also features the voices of Elijah Wood and Sebastian Koch.
#1 Toy Soldiers
- Publisher: Xbox Game Studios, Accelerate Games
- Developer: Signal Studios
- Platform: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, (Upcoming) Nintendo Switch
- Released: 2010
PC | Xbox | PlayStation | Nintendo
You may have expected a bit of mood whiplash from the title compared to the more somber entries on this list, but this isn’t a box of neon-green plastic toys. This tower-defense strategy game represents WW1 with vintage dioramas. Position your soldiers, artillery, tanks, bi-planes, and machine gun encampments carefully and take control of them on your way to victory. While the other units fight on with AI, you can help take the fight directly to your foes by giving orders or taking on the fight yourself. Upgrade your units as you fight and seize the lands found within a child’s bedroom, libraries, studies, and more. The 2021 HD release also includes the Invasion and The Kaiser’s Battle DLC.
