Games with a historical setting

Some games are set in a specific historical period, usually a period of time particularly enjoyable for gamers such as the midde ages, the discovery of the Americas or the second world war. Historical games take a step further and try to be more faithful to the time period they are set.

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Colonization

DOSWindows 3.xLinuxMac OS1994protected MicroProse Software

Sid Meier's Colonization is Civilization’s scrappy, historically charged cousin. You start with a tiny ship and a dream: exploit the New World before the other European powers do. Grow crops, trade with natives, rebel agains...

Columbus Discovery

DOS1992 Gamos

Columbus Discovery (1992, DOS) is a history-flavored point-and-click adventure where you, as a pixelated Christopher Columbus, set sail to "discover" lands that are already very much discovered. Expect slow pacing, earnest educati...

Command HQ

DOSMac OS1990 Ozark Softscape

Before Command & Conquer, there was Command HQ (1990, DOS/Mac)—an early RTS that said “what if we made World War III playable?” It’s global domination meets real-time tactics, minus the explosions and p...

Computer Diplomacy

DOS1984 Avalon Hill

Do you enjoy betrayal, backstabbing, and pretending to be a global power while actually being terrible at geography? Computer Diplomacy is the digital version of the classic board game, where alliances are fleeting and wars are fo...

Conflict

DOS1990 Mastertronic

Conflict is a turn-based war game where you get to play Commander-in-Chief and yell at your virtual generals when things go wrong (which they often do). It's part military sim, part lesson in frustration, with menus nested inside ...

Conflict: Korea

DOS1992protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.

Step into the Korean War with Conflict: Korea, where you command UN forces and discover that even in strategy games, North Korea is a problem. It follows the same system as the rest of the Conflict series: cold interfaces, hot war...

Conquest of Japan

DOS1992 Impressions Games

Feudal Japan gets the wargame treatment in Conquest of Japan, a strategy title that mixes historical context with tactical ambition. You manage provinces, wage war, and occasionally wonder why your samurai keep rebelling. The grap...

Conquest of the New World (Deluxe Edition)

DOSWindows XP/98/951996protected Quicksilver Software

Conquest of the New World (Deluxe Edition) invites you to discover new lands, build colonies, and occasionally “accidentally” wipe out entire civilizations while smiling politely. It’s part strategy game, part hi...

Cossacks: Back to War

Windows XP/98/952002protected GSC Game World

Cossacks: European Wars

Windows XP/98/952000protected GSC Game World

Cossacks: European Wars is a real-time strategy epic that lets you command armies so big you’ll lose track of half your soldiers. Set in the 17th and 18th centuries, it’s a mix of historical battles and freeform conque...

Cossacks: The Art of War

Windows XP/98/952001protected GSC Game World

An expansion to the original, Cossacks: The Art of War refines, expands, and generally cranks up the chaos. New units, new campaigns, and more ways to accidentally bankrupt your nation while trying to outmaneuver your enemies. It&...

Crisis in the Kremlin

DOS1991protected Spectrum HoloByte

Crisis in the Kremlin lets you step into the shoes of a Soviet leader during the late 1980s, facing the impossible task of guiding the USSR through economic collapse, political unrest, and the ever-present threat of the Cold War g...

Crusade in Europe

DOS1985 MicroProse Software

Crusade in Europe is a detailed World War II strategy game that lets you take command of the Allied or Axis forces during some of the war’s most famous campaigns. It’s not about flashy graphics or explosive sound&mdash...

D-Day: The Beginning of the End

DOS1994 Impressions Games

D-Day: The Beginning of the End is not your average “storm the beach” simulator—it’s a grand strategy title that drops you into the nerve-wracking planning and execution of the Normandy invasion. You’...

Darklands

DOSLinuxWindows XP/98/95Mac OS1992protected MicroProse Software

Darklands is what happens when medieval Europe gets even darker than it already was. This 1992 RPG drops you into the Holy Roman Empire, but don’t expect knights in shining armor—expect alchemy, witch trials, and demon...

Das Boot: German U-Boat Simulation

DOS1990protected Artech Studios

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to sit in a metal tube underwater while depth charges rain from above, Das Boot: German U-Boat Simulation has you covered. Released in 1990, it’s slow, methodical, and deepl...

Dawn Patrol

DOS1994 Rowan Software

Take to the skies in Dawn Patrol (1994), a flight sim that remembers when aerial combat meant fabric wings and machine guns bolted onto wooden planes. Set in World War I, it’s less about speed and more about finesse—do...

Decisive Battles of the American Civil War: Vol. 1

DOS1988 SSG Strategic Studies Group

Released in 1988, Decisive Battles of the American Civil War: Vol. 1 is as straightforward as its title. You get historical accuracy, a serious strategy engine, and about as many graphical flourishes as a tax form. Yet the depth i...

Decisive Battles of the American Civil War: Vol. 2

DOS1989 SSG Strategic Studies Group

By 1989, SSI doubled down with Vol. 2, offering more battles, more maps, and the same demanding mechanics. If you enjoyed the first, you’ll feel right at home; if you didn’t, this won’t change your mind. The seri...

Decisive Battles of the American Civil War: Vol. 3

DOS1992 SSG Strategic Studies Group

By 1992, Vol. 3 wrapped up the trilogy with even more complex scenarios. At this point, the series had become less of a game and more of an interactive textbook—though that’s not a criticism if you’re the type wh...

Defender of the Crown

DOS1991protected Cinemaware

Step into the shoes of a medieval lord in this 1991 DOS strategy game. Engage in jousting tournaments, siege castles, and vie for control of England. It's like playing Risk, but with more swords and less diplomacy. Conquer territo...

Empire Deluxe

DOSWindows 3.x1993 White Wolf Productions

Empire Deluxe is a classic turn-based strategy game that was originally released in the early 1990s. Developed by Mark Baldwin and Bob Rakowsky of White Wolf Productions and published by New World Computing, it is a successor...

Empire II: The Art of War

DOSWindows XP/98/951995 White Wolf Productions

Encyclopedia of War: Ancient Battles

DOS1988 Cases Computer Simulations

Fields of Glory

DOS1993protected MicroProse Software

Flying Corps

DOSWindows 3.x1997protected Rowan Software

Frontline

DOS1990 Cases Computer Simulations

Galleons of Glory

DOS1990 Broderbund

Galleons of Glory is an abandoned educational historical simulation game developed and published by Broderbund in 1990. As Magellan your mission is to circumnavigate the world while managing your crew and ship.