There are many gamers out there that honestly having a bit of historical accuracy or setting in their video games. Mainly because it adds some “authentic” to it at times and lets them feel like they’re a part of history itself. Here are a few games that’ll do that for you throughout 2023.
#10 Stronghold: Definitive Edition
Platform: PC
Release Date: November 07, 2023
You might not remember this title in its original form, depending on your age. But we assure you, it’s a big strategy game from generations gone by, and Stronghold: Definitive Edition will allow players to dig deep into the world of creation to make something special.
In this case, you’ll be a part of medieval England and attempt to retake a kingdom by taking out those who have rebelled against it!
Alongside incredible battles, you’ll need to rebuild the kingdom to be as special as it was! Do you have what it takes to deliver justice and rebuild what was lost? You’re about to find out!
#9 Like a Dragon: Ishin!
Platform: PC PS4 Xbox One XSX|S PS5
Release: February 21, 2023
Capcom has decided to do a full-on rebrand of their classic gangster series, and one of the results of that is Like a Dragon: Ishin!
The game takes you not to the modern day of the Yakuza but to the days of the 1860s when Japan is on the precipice of a new age. But you are caught in the politics and corruption hurting its people. As a legendary Samurai, you must take your sword and fight for truth and justice. Also, you’ll seek out the person who killed your father.
An intense and dramatic action experience awaits you, and the fate of Japan is in the palm of your hands!
#8 Pharaoh: A New Era
Platform: PC
Release: February 15, 2023
The city-builder franchise has grown immensely over the last several gaming generations. But that doesn’t mean the classics have gone out of style. In fact, some of them were remade, like Pharaoh: A New Era.
The game takes the classic title and gives it a new coat of paint so you can start your Egyptian empire all over again. You’ll take the role of a Pharaoh, and across many years of history, you’ll build up your nation to be one of the grandest of them all.
With over 100 hours to sink into the main campaign, you’ll be building for quite a while.
#7 Company of Heroes 3
Developers: Relic Entertainment
Publisher: SEGA
Platform: PC
Release date: February 23, 2023
Regarding a game like Company of Heroes 3, you can expect some of the best RTS gameplay possible. That’s because the game is the latest in a long-beloved franchise, and they want to keep their momentum up.
In the game, you’ll take your troops to the Mediterranean and fight air, ground, and water battles. It’s up to you to guide your troops in every way possible so that you can achieve victory. But you must be strategic. Don’t simply try to overwhelm your foes. Instead, look at the terrain and use the battlefield to your advantage!
With new mechanics to wield, you can create all the strategies you want and execute them efficiently.
#6 Fire and Maneuver
- Release date: July 16, 2022, Full Launch April 19, 2023
- Publisher: Armchair History Interactive
- Developers: Armchair History Interactive, Targon Studios
- Platform: Microsoft Windows
Let’s talk about a game that’s not only historical, but it comes from actual history researchers. Specifically, The Armchair History Team, who worked together to try and make a game about Victorian era Europe, the battles and wars that were waged in it, and how you would command your armies in such times.
This turn-based tactics game will have you trying to do the impossible by seeing all the moves of your opponents at once and then trying to overcome them. Your orders will be final, so make your choice and accept the consequences.
Follow the path of history, or, choose a side and then rewrite history in a way that benefits you! All is a part of Fire and Maneuver!
#5 Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty
- Release date: March 3, 2023
- Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and Series S, Microsoft Windows
- Developers: Team Ninja, Koei Tecmo
- Publishers: Koei Tecmo, KOEI TECMO AMERICA Corporation
Welcome to a version of China where things aren’t what they seem. In this fantastical version of history, you’ll play as a nameless militia man in the time of the Three Kingdoms. Except in this version of the kingdoms, there are demons everywhere, and chaos is abundant.
Now, you must go throughout the land and fight to free the nation. Grow as you fight the demons and unlock new powers that’ll help you push them back further. Will you be able to change the fate of an entire realm? You are the one who can change the flow of destiny, as you are destiny itself.
#4 Six Days in Fallujah
- Release date: June 22, 2023
- Publisher: Victura
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X and Series S, PlayStation 5
- Developers: Highwire Games, Atomic Games, Highwire Games LLC
Accuracy in war games is at times difficult to do, mainly because there is such chaos on the battlefield that it’s nearly impossible to recreate. Six Days in Fallujah though attempted to do that by focusing on retelling the stories of marines and the people of Iraq during the war that took place there not so long ago.
The key thing here is that while you can replay the same missions, how you complete them will change every single time. Because the details of the world will shift with each replay. So you never know what will be behind that next door, or in the next building. You’ll have to adapt if you want to make it to the next spot and live to see another day.
#3 Land of the Vikings
- Developer: Laps Games
- Publisher: Iceberg Interactive
- Release date: Oct 9, 2023
- Platform: Microsoft Windows
There are a LOT of games out there that aren’t just concerned with being Vikings, but building up Viking life in general. Land of the Vikings for example will charge you with making a settlement for a group of Vikings and then building it up slowly over the course of seasons.
The twist here is that you’ll be minding not just the land, but the individual people. As the game notes, “not all Vikings are alike.” You’ll need to know who they are, what they are like, and then provide them what they want.
With each season that passes, more Vikings will come to join your settlement, so expand, plan, rejoice in your victories and grow in your technologies to make this a true settlement worthy of Vikings.
#2 Sengoku Dynasty
- Developer: Superkami
- Publisher: Toplitz Productions
- Platform: Microsoft Windows
- Release date: Aug 10, 2023
Sengoku Dynasty is one of many games that likes to put a good twist on a genre and how you play it. In this game, you play as a noble father who settles down in Japan to try and make a new life for himself and for his daughter. But it is there that his path diverges, and it’s up to you to choose where he goes next.
Because he could take the path of a leader and grow the village he and his daughter is in. Or the way of a craftsman and build a steady life for them both. Or be a warrior and strike down those who would threaten their peace. Or, the way of a monk and achieve enlightenment on his way to peace.
The path, and choice, are yours to make.
#1 The Great War: Western Front
- Release date: March 30, 2023
- Developer: Petroglyph Games
- Publisher: Frontier Developments plc
- Platform: Microsoft Windows
Shall we end this with World War I? Why not? The Great War: Western Front will allow you to see a gritty and realistic take on The Great War from multiple perspectives. In fact, you’ll be able to command the entire war, or just command the troops from a single battlefield.
The battlefield will be yours to do with as you will as you try and make things go your way. You’ll have to dig trenches to protect your troops, you’ll need to build up your technologies so you can take the fight to the enemy, and of course, you’ll need to make the right decisions in battle.
The war will be affected by what you do.
Disclaimer: This article was updated on 11/7/23 as we continue to adjust this list with new entries or remove games due to delays or failure to captivate audiences.
