Whether you're the go-to house for your friends' game nights or you like to venture off to your local game store from time to time, there are plenty of tabletop games from plenty of genres for you to try out. Popular with wargamers and history buffs alike, games focused on the Second World War have always been a popular genre to dive into.
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Some take historical accuracy incredibly seriously, and some are a little more fantastical. Whether you want to focus on moving your squad through a hostile wasteland or you want a stressful look at resource management, here are the best WW2 tabletop games out there.
10 Achtung! Cthulhu
It's far from the more historically focused WW2 game on this list. But there is a lot of fun to be had where Achtung! Cthulhu mixes cosmic horror with the 1940s.
Malignant entities, nazi subfactions, and the ever-present danger of madness all hamper your team of Allied fighters' plans, but you're the last hope at stopping the supernatural war-machine. It's a wacky idea for a game, but one that has had a lot of success over the years. There are plenty of adventures to be had in this game.
9 Blitzkrieg!
Marketed as the "wargame for non-wargamers," Blitzkrieg! is a relatively simple game for when you don't have the time or energy for a long, drawn-out game.
This ease of use translates into a fun game that is easy to handle for practically any group. The rules are simple, and it's easy to look at the unique game board and be able to understand where you rank in the war. Plus, there are some pretty interesting expansions to keep things fresh for some time.
8 The Manhattan Project
With a focus on the nuclear arms race of the 1940s, The Manhattan Project stands out from the rest of the games on this list.
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The focus here is more of a resource management type of game, which is surprisingly a good time even for those who aren't usually into that genre. Balance money, spy-craft, and the occasional air raid to stay ahead of your enemies in this war of brains. Don't push your scientists too hard, though, or you'll end up looking for new ones.
7 Memoir '44
The small-scale combat of Memoir '44 gets you in the mindset to appreciate the struggles of the everyday soldier in WW2, which is exactly the point.
It's simple combat done over a relatively small (compared to some of these games) hexmap. Here, you will reenact various historic WW2 battles from Stalingrad to Burma. There are also plenty of different missions that you can embark on as well. It's a fun and quick game to play, but not one lacking in historical relevance.
6 Undaunted Normandy
One of the handful of WW2 tabletop games, it made the jump to computer games as well. It's easy to see why when playing a match of Undaunted Normandy.
This is a more complex game than most on this list, with different units to keep track of as well as being run deck-based. That's not to say it isn't an enjoyable time; it just may take a bit longer to get into the swing of things.
The tension really ramps up in this game as you and your opponent go head-to-head, trying to push each other back and wipe out the other's deck of unit cards. You wouldn't think a card-based game would get your blood flowing this much.
5 World In Flames
World In Flames is the game to get if you have a very large table and quite a bit of time on your hands.
Seriously though, the map in its entirety is huge, but that just goes to show how much the developers wanted to make a game as in-depth as possible. This is one of the best games out there to play if you want to really focus on tactics. Large-scale conflict, materials, research, and the ever-present pressure of multiple enemies. It's all there for you.
4 A World At War
A World At War is a game where you can feel the amount of research and care the creators took in making every detail of the game.
It's easy to see why it has had multiple reprints now. The name of this game is a mix of historical accuracy and playing your way. It gives you all you need to start off as the army or side of your choosing with the strength and materials that nation would have had at the start of the war.
From there, it lets you play around with history, letting you move named units around on an incredibly detailed map to see how the past would have changed with various tweaks.
3 Risk: WWII
This game has spanned generations and is ultimately one of the easiest tabletop strategy games to get into.
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Risk, and more specifically, the WW2 version of the game, is a great way for people of all ages and abilities to learn strategy games as a whole. It won't be boring to those who've played more complex games, either. Moving different skilled units across the map using a mix of cards and dice is a surprisingly easy and fun time for all.
2 Bolt Action
If you want to dive into WW2 tabletop wargaming in its purest form, look no further than Bolt Action.
Ultimately, it's a simple game to dive into. You just need a flat surface, some dice, a tape measure, miniatures, and knowledge of the rules. Where it gets extreme is the amount of detail and time people take to make historically accurate terrain and miniature units.
It's not grand strategy on a global scale. Instead, you will be moving around a small squad to complete your goals, but that small skirmish-type of gameplay can be a lot of fun.
1 Axis & Allies
It may be one of the harder games to get into, but Axis & Allies takes the cake for the top WW2 game out there. That's why it's been around for so long.
Diverse armies, additional units and challenges to build on, and a game that can last for days; these are just a few things that have called people to play Axis & Allies over the years. It's a dice-based strategy game at its heart, but once you add in the various rules, time-frames, and open-endedness of the game, it can make your head spin.
Once you've got a handle on it, though, you'll feel like a real general moving your units across the globe and making deals with other countries, all while keeping your grand strategy in mind.
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