Fit check
Is Close Combat - Gateway to Caen worth it for you?
We tell you who should skip it, too.
Play it if you…
Good fit- World War II strategy fans who want both campaign-level movement and squad-level battles
- Players interested in the British and German forces involved in Operation Epsom
- Strategy players who want historical battlegroups, detailed unit rosters, and custom scenarios
Skip it if you…
Saves you a refund- Players seeking a light strategy game may find the two command layers and varied military units demanding.
- Those looking for a broad, open-ended setting may find the fixed Operation Epsom focus and historical battlefield scope restrictive.
- Players who want fantasy, science-fiction, or nonmilitary campaigns will not find those settings here.
Our take on Close Combat - Gateway to Caen
The listing foregrounds a large historical campaign and a wide unit roster, but the experience remains centered on one Normandy offensive. Its strategic and tactical layers also make it a more involved commitment than a straightforward battlefield command game.
What is Close Combat - Gateway to Caen?
A World War II strategy game covering Operation Epsom west of Caen.
Command forces at two levels: reposition or combine battlegroups on the strategic map, then direct squads in tactical battles. Units use small arms, mortars, machine guns, armored cars, tanks, artillery barrages, and air strikes. The game includes single battles, operations, and a grand campaign across more than two dozen battlefields, with over three dozen British and German battlegroups. Thirty maps depict the Odon Valley, while terrain includes cornfields and muddy conditions. The scenario editor supports alternate scenarios, and multiplayer includes an integrated lobby and matchmaking forums.
How Close Combat - Gateway to Caen plays
- 01Two-Level Command
- Battlegroups are managed on the campaign map, while individual squads are directed during battles.
- 02Operation Epsom Campaign
- Single battles, operations, and a grand campaign cover the British offensive around the Odon Valley.
- 03Thirty Battlefield Maps
- The maps portray terrain west of Caen, including cornfields and muddy movement during rain.
- 04Expanded Military Roster
- The game includes 65 vehicles, 36 infantry units, and 77 weapons, including Churchill, Cromwell, Firefly, Panther, and Tiger tanks.
- 05Combined Fire Support
- Commanders can use artillery and mortar barrages, air strikes, rolling barrages, and concealed dug-in vehicles or guns.
- 06Scenario Creation
- An upgraded editor allows creation of alternate-history scenarios.
- 07Multiplayer Lobby
- Online play includes an integrated lobby and matchmaking forums.
Close Combat - Gateway to Caen compared to similar games
Xenonauts also combines military strategy with control of individual combat units, but uses turn-based small-squad missions against an alien invasion and includes technology recovery. Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation focuses on managing vast armies across a science-fiction galaxy, rather than battlegroups and squads in a historical Normandy campaign.
Close Combat - Gateway to Caen: platforms & release
Is Close Combat - Gateway to Caen worth it?
It is worth it if: world War II strategy fans who want both campaign-level movement and squad-level battles. Skip it if: players seeking a light strategy game may find the two command layers and varied military units demanding.
Where can I download Close Combat - Gateway to Caen?
Use the Download Now button on this page: it opens Close Combat - Gateway to Caen's store page, where you can choose how to get it.
What platforms is Close Combat - Gateway to Caen on?
Windows only.
