Fit check
Is Close Combat: Wacht am Rhein worth it for you?
We tell you who should skip it, too.
Play it if you…
Good fit- World War II history fans who want to command American or German forces
- Strategy players who prefer pausable real-time combat and team management
- Scenario creators who want to build “what if” scenarios
Skip it if you…
Saves you a refund- Players seeking turn-based battles rather than pausable real-time engagements
- Players looking for broad empire management beyond tactical warfare and campaign command
- Players who want a fictional setting rather than World War II operations
Our take on Close Combat: Wacht am Rhein
The focus on tactical command and individual soldier behavior leaves less room for broad empire management or abstract strategic play. Its pausable real-time structure also requires attention to unfolding battlefield situations rather than turn-by-turn planning.
What is Close Combat: Wacht am Rhein?
Command US or German forces during the 1944 Battle of the Bulge in a pausable real-time wargame.
The game includes one Grand Campaign with a strategy-level map connected to 64 hand-drawn tactical maps and more than 70 scenarios based on real-world battles, operations, and campaigns. Manage teams while accounting for individual soldiers’ psychological profiles during combat. Campaign systems include weather, turns per day, scoring, supply, artillery and airstrike support missions, battlegroup recycling, and battlegroup retreat or disbandment. A Scenario Editor allows the creation of “what if” scenarios. Expanded modding covers strategic-layer features and campaign details for both German and American forces.
How Close Combat: Wacht am Rhein plays
- 01Two Campaign Sides
- Play as US or German forces during the Battle of the Bulge.
- 02Strategic Campaign Map
- The Grand Campaign includes a strategy-level map and 64 hand-drawn tactical maps.
- 03Scenario Collection
- More than 70 scenarios draw on real-world battles, operations, and campaigns.
- 04Scenario Editor
- Create “what if” scenarios with the included editing tool.
- 05Soldier Psychology
- Individual psychological profiles are represented during combat.
- 06Expanded Modding
- Modifiable campaign elements include weather, turns per day, scoring, supplies, support missions, and battlegroup handling.
Close Combat: Wacht am Rhein compared to similar games
Xenonauts focuses on turn-based squad operations against an alien invasion, while Close Combat: Wacht am Rhein presents pausable real-time World War II battles with US and German forces.
Close Combat: Wacht am Rhein: platforms & release
Is Close Combat: Wacht am Rhein worth it?
It is worth it if: world War II history fans who want to command American or German forces. Skip it if: players seeking turn-based battles rather than pausable real-time engagements.
Where can I download Close Combat: Wacht am Rhein?
Use the Download Now button on this page: it opens Close Combat: Wacht am Rhein's store page, where you can choose how to get it.
What platforms is Close Combat: Wacht am Rhein on?
Windows only.
