80
Headquarters: World War II is an excellent game for WWII enthusiasts and strategy aficionados alike. It provides a great amount of tools for players to use on the battlefield, in addition to plenty of options to tailor the experience to their needs. Some UI and interface issues diminish the experience a bit, it will still provide many hours of enjoyable warfare for fans of the material.
96
I have really been enjoying Headquarters: World War II. The difficulty options are perfect because I tend to find these days that I enjoy the storytelling of games more than the tough grind to success. If on the other hand you are all about the thrill of a hard won victory… you can certainly choose a punishing difficulty level. The unity variety and importance of using those differences to your advantage makes this far more engaging than many of the other “generic” World War II RTS games. Certainly consider grabbing a copy for some historically inspired RTS action.
80
The mechanics and interface of Headquarters: World War II recall old wargames from the 2000s, such as Battle Academy, while the visual spectacularity and wide environmental destructibility refer to contemporary RTS approaches. This combination ensures a compelling gaming experience, perfect for lovers of historical strategy games. There are some rough edges on both the technical and gaming fronts, yet the Starni Games formula is able to satisfy those looking for a challenge set during the Second World War.
10
We came late to this game, about two years after its initial launch, but our first impressions (patch v1.4) were stunning. Each battle plays in an evening, offers the perfect blend of tactical complexities and snappy fun, local hotseat is a charm - even my daughter is now learning about the Ardennes 1944 events through the latest DLC campaigns. We live in Belgium and both the architectural details of the housing assets as well as the hue of the ambient lighting reflect the reality of what our Ardennes region still looks like today. This is the kind of game I wish would grow to rival the scope of Steel Division's rich historical scenarios and broad unit roster, would love to acquire sequels or expansions for other theatres of the war, and covering a broader set of nations.
9
Excellent for what the developers intended.
HQ:WW2 is exactly what I expected when I purchased it. Think of this as a more modern version of Close Combat series, by which I mean better graphics, and some interesting terrain physics. In terms of realism, we are not at the level of Combat Command, which has superior battle accuracy, but dated graphics. Yes there is not great replayability, but the notion that this deserves a refund for the work put in by the developers is unwarranted. Game development takes time and companies have to pay the developers, so it should be no surprise that games cost more than when I first bought Panzer Leader when I was young. Slitherine publishes many good games, HQ:WW2 is one of them. It's not perfect, but nothing is, so it's up to you if you can afford $40 for a few hours of throwback entertainment.
4
My review is for value. Less than a week after installing, it's time to uninstall. No real replay value as a solo player. 3 very short, 9 battle "campaigns". German one follows history so no matter how well you fight each battle, no impact of the final loss.. No random campaign generator. The game was fun, but way too short. Cannot play both sides of all the battles. Once and done for me Beautiful game? Yes
Great modeling of the units, Yes
Fun to play, very much. Replay ability solo, non existent. The battles are very small and it's clear the AI is specificity tailored to each set piece battle. In solo play, the skirmish mode fails as the AI is no match I foresee additional content being sold for the game as a way to get far more money for content that should have been there to began with. While I enjoyed the very limited content, I would ask for a refund on this one
Headquarters: World War II
Released On:
Apr 11, 2024
Metascore
Generally Favorable
78
User score
Mixed or Average
7.2
My Score
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All Platforms
Metascore
Generally Favorable
78
89% Positive
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
11% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Apr 19, 2024
96
I have really been enjoying Headquarters: World War II. The difficulty options are perfect because I tend to find these days that I enjoy the storytelling of games more than the tough grind to success. If on the other hand you are all about the thrill of a hard won victory… you can certainly choose a punishing difficulty level. The unity variety and importance of using those differences to your advantage makes this far more engaging than many of the other “generic” World War II RTS games. Certainly consider grabbing a copy for some historically inspired RTS action.
Apr 12, 2024
85
Headquarters: World War II features tense engagements and nice tactical scenarios, despite the familiarity of the Overlord campaign. The three factions feel suitably different in terms of units and approach. Players will be challenged by a wide range of combat scenarios. The game also gives players the tools to create their own battles, both against the computer and other humans, and has a good editor. I hope Starni Games uses the same system to cover less well-known World War II operations. Headquarters: World War II is a compact and engaging wargame with plenty of attention to detail.
User score
Mixed or Average
7.2
56% Positive
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
22% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
22% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
Nov 30, 2025
10
We came late to this game, about two years after its initial launch, but our first impressions (patch v1.4) were stunning. Each battle plays in an evening, offers the perfect blend of tactical complexities and snappy fun, local hotseat is a charm - even my daughter is now learning about the Ardennes 1944 events through the latest DLC campaigns. We live in Belgium and both the architectural details of the housing assets as well as the hue of the ambient lighting reflect the reality of what our Ardennes region still looks like today. This is the kind of game I wish would grow to rival the scope of Steel Division's rich historical scenarios and broad unit roster, would love to acquire sequels or expansions for other theatres of the war, and covering a broader set of nations.
Aug 10, 2024
9
Excellent for what the developers intended.
HQ:WW2 is exactly what I expected when I purchased it. Think of this as a more modern version of Close Combat series, by which I mean better graphics, and some interesting terrain physics. In terms of realism, we are not at the level of Combat Command, which has superior battle accuracy, but dated graphics. Yes there is not great replayability, but the notion that this deserves a refund for the work put in by the developers is unwarranted. Game development takes time and companies have to pay the developers, so it should be no surprise that games cost more than when I first bought Panzer Leader when I was young. Slitherine publishes many good games, HQ:WW2 is one of them. It's not perfect, but nothing is, so it's up to you if you can afford $40 for a few hours of throwback entertainment.
Jul 25, 2024
80
Headquarters: World War II is an excellent game for WWII enthusiasts and strategy aficionados alike. It provides a great amount of tools for players to use on the battlefield, in addition to plenty of options to tailor the experience to their needs. Some UI and interface issues diminish the experience a bit, it will still provide many hours of enjoyable warfare for fans of the material.
Apr 18, 2024
80
The mechanics and interface of Headquarters: World War II recall old wargames from the 2000s, such as Battle Academy, while the visual spectacularity and wide environmental destructibility refer to contemporary RTS approaches. This combination ensures a compelling gaming experience, perfect for lovers of historical strategy games. There are some rough edges on both the technical and gaming fronts, yet the Starni Games formula is able to satisfy those looking for a challenge set during the Second World War.
Apr 17, 2024
80
The way the video game industry treats World War 2 is terrible. Headquarters: World War 2 is a good, fast-moving and tactically interesting strategy game. But it is yet again treading over the same selective memory of World War 2, and doing so without a critical or contemplative eye. As well-made as it is, it’s not really doing much to help it stand out from the million other WW2-based games where you get to shoot Nazis as American and British soldiers.
Apr 11, 2024
80
Headquarters World War 2 is a seemingly poor strategy game, which opens up to beautiful gameplay as soon as you start a new game. A title to try if you love games similar to XCOM.
Apr 11, 2024
55
Decent tactical battles, which however quickly become boring, have no greater connection and fail due to camera and AI problems.
Jun 25, 2024
4
My review is for value. Less than a week after installing, it's time to uninstall. No real replay value as a solo player. 3 very short, 9 battle "campaigns". German one follows history so no matter how well you fight each battle, no impact of the final loss.. No random campaign generator. The game was fun, but way too short. Cannot play both sides of all the battles. Once and done for me Beautiful game? Yes
Great modeling of the units, Yes
Fun to play, very much. Replay ability solo, non existent. The battles are very small and it's clear the AI is specificity tailored to each set piece battle. In solo play, the skirmish mode fails as the AI is no match I foresee additional content being sold for the game as a way to get far more money for content that should have been there to began with. While I enjoyed the very limited content, I would ask for a refund on this one
SummaryHeadquarters: World War II is a fast paced turn-based strategy covering the Battle of Normandy in the three plot-driven campaigns and a number of skirmishes. Choose your side, form your force, assign heroes, level up your units, and use Headquarters skills to overcome the enemy.
