Sudden Strike 5 transports players to the frontlines of WWII as battles rage across Europe and North Africa. You can command massive arsenals of over 300 authentic historical German, Soviet, and Allied military vehicles and units are at your command, including the iconic Sherman Tank, Messerschmidt Bf 109, and the T-34. The game features immersive real-time tactical gameplay that offers creative challenges for even the most hardened veterans. Players tackle objectives in non-linear sandbox gameplay across a 25-mission campaign where you will need to combine recon, sabotage, maneuvering, and combined unit tactics to achieve victory.
There are three different campaigns which can be played: Axis where you lead the Wehrmacht and Axis forces as they seek to conquer Europe; the Western Allies where you lead the fight for liberation across war-torn Europe and North Africa; and Soviet where you must drive the invaders from the Motherland and turn the tide of the war. During the game, players choose a commander to reflect their style of play. Each commander provides bonuses for certain aspects of the game. Some promote offensive action while others are more defensive.
During a mission, you can take control of individual soldiers or group them together. You can even order them to drop prone and crawl or stand and run towards their objective. There are soldiers with rifles and submachine guns, officers, mortars, machine guns, and even medics who can heal your wounded. Vehicles are also manned by soldiers so you can use your men to capture abandoned tanks and use them against the enemy. As the commander, you can also call in air strikes and other support depending on the mission. Also, during the campaign missions, you often get to decide how you want to conduct the battle. There is not just one way to win.
Sudden Strike 5 has a steep learning curve. While it offers a lot of detail, it is unlike many other WWII real-time strategy games. If you just rush in with your troops, you are likely to be destroyed. Therefore it is best to scout out the enemy and try to flank them while keeping your troops in cover. The campaign games feature tactical pause so you can halt the action and give orders to your troops. I found this very useful since during a firefight, it can get very hectic. Though the game may be tough at the start as you are figuring it out, once you learn how to command your troops, it can be very rewarding to micromanage your forces. You even have to worry about supplies such as ammo for your artillery. I appreciate all of the details in this game and the maps are gorgeous to look at.
Sudden Strike 5 is developed by Kite Games and published by Kalypso Media. It is available for PC on Steam and XBox for PC as well as for XBox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5. It sells for about $50 for the standard game and $60 for the deluxe version which includes exclusive PvP maps and lots of skins for the units. Prices may vary by platform. There is a free demo on Steam that lets you try out the game before you buy it.
Here is a trailer for the game:
