Fit check
Is Close Combat: Cross of Iron worth it for you?
We tell you who should skip it, too.
Play it if you…
Good fit- WWII strategy fans who want squad-level real-time command
- Players who prefer managing morale and ammunition during battles
- History-focused wargamers who want campaigns based on Eastern Front events
Skip it if you…
Saves you a refund- Players seeking a fast, uninterrupted strategy game may bounce off the pause-and-manage battle flow.
- Those who prefer abstract units may hit a wall when tracking individual soldiers, psychological profiles, ammunition, and cover.
- Players looking for turn-based combat may not fit the real-time structure.
Our take on Close Combat: Cross of Iron
The bounce point arrives when a battle demands attention to individual soldiers, ammunition, defensive positions, and morale at the same time. Players who want to issue broad army-level orders may hit that wall during squad management, while the pause function offers a way to reassess the field.
What is Close Combat: Cross of Iron?
Lead soldiers as a junior officer in pausable real-time battles set on the Eastern Front of World War II.
The game includes battles, operations, and campaigns, including Fuger's Eastern Fury, which covers actions from 1943 to 1944 and can be played from either the German or Russian side. Units have psychological profiles that affect combat, while direct and indirect fire use limited ammunition. Protect teams in buildings, pillboxes, and trenches, and manage squads, weapons, vehicles, and artillery. Seasonal conditions include frozen winter, hot summer, and muddy autumn. An enhanced scenario editor supports custom alternate-history scenarios, and briefings provide historical context and battle guidance.
How Close Combat: Cross of Iron plays
- 01Soldier Psychology
- Combat profiles represent the psychological behavior of individual soldiers during squad-level engagements.
- 02Limited Ammunition
- Both direct and indirect attacks consume ammunition that must be managed during battles.
- 03Defensive Positions
- Teams can take shelter in buildings, pillboxes, and trenches.
- 04Custom Scenarios
- The scenario editor supports creating alternate-history battles.
- 05Eastern Front Campaign
- Fuger's Eastern Fury covers actions from 1943 to 1944 and offers German or Russian play.
Close Combat: Cross of Iron compared to similar games
Xenonauts also centers on small military squads, but uses turn-based combat against extraterrestrials and includes persistent soldiers and technology recovery. Close Combat: Cross of Iron instead uses pausable real-time battles, historical Eastern Front forces, limited ammunition, and German or Russian campaigns.
Close Combat: Cross of Iron: platforms & release
Is Close Combat: Cross of Iron worth it?
It is worth it if: WWII strategy fans who want squad-level real-time command. Skip it if: players seeking a fast, uninterrupted strategy game may bounce off the pause-and-manage battle flow.
Where can I download Close Combat: Cross of Iron?
Use the Download Now button on this page: it opens Close Combat: Cross of Iron's store page, where you can choose how to get it.
What platforms is Close Combat: Cross of Iron on?
Windows only.
