Fit check
Is Gary Grigsby's War in the East worth it for you?
We tell you who should skip it, too.
Play it if you…
Good fit- Historical wargamers who want Eastern Front operations at division and brigade scale
- Strategy players who prefer long campaigns with logistics, production, weather, and leadership systems
- Players seeking AI, email, or server-based multiplayer rather than only local matches
Skip it if you…
Saves you a refund- Players seeking short, lightweight matches may find the large campaigns and 10- to 25-turn scenarios too involved
- Players who prefer direct tactical combat may not want a system focused on weekly turns, reports, logistics, and command structure
- Players looking for fantasy, science-fiction, or non-historical settings will find the game centered on the 1941–1945 Eastern Front
Our take on Gary Grigsby's War in the East
The game trades immediate accessibility for operational detail. Weekly turns, extensive reports, command ratings, production, supply accounting, weather, and detection rules make each decision part of a large system rather than a quick tactical exchange.
What is Gary Grigsby's War in the East?
Command German or Soviet forces across the Eastern Front in a turn-based World War II strategy game using 10-mile hexes and weekly turns.
Campaigns and scenarios cover 1941 through summer 1945, with battles involving thousands of units and a database of roughly 4,000 units. Supply, fuel, ammunition, fatigue, morale, experience, weather, terrain, leadership, production, and reconnaissance affect operations. Players can face the AI, observe AI-versus-AI games, or use traditional play by email and server-based PBEM+. The game includes five major campaigns, 11 scenarios lasting 10 to 25 turns, an editor with CSV import and export, detailed reports, aircraft management, historical commanders, and optional rules for winter blizzards and Soviet combat doctrine.
How Gary Grigsby's War in the East plays
- 01Eastern Front Map
- The theater begins 100 miles west of Berlin, reaches the Urals, and spans from 150 miles north of Leningrad southward to Bulgaria and Baku.
- 02Campaign Selection
- Five major campaigns begin in 1941, 1942, 1943, or 1944 and continue through summer 1945.
- 03Scenario Variety
- Eleven scenarios range from 10 to 25 turns and present different strategic and operational challenges.
- 04Logistics Management
- Supply personnel, fuel, ammunition, vehicle and squad losses, and delivery modifiers are tracked during play.
- 05Commander System
- More than 500 historical commanders have promotion rules and eight rating fields covering attributes such as combat and political skill.
- 06AI And PBEM
- Games support AI opponents on either side, AI-versus-AI simulation, traditional play by email, and server-based PBEM+.
- 07Scenario Editor
- A full-service editor provides CSV data import and export.
- 08Weather And Detection
- Weather zones, river ice, randomized or fixed patterns, fog of war, and unit detection levels affect operations.
Gary Grigsby's War in the East compared to similar games
Xenonauts focuses on controlling small squads against an alien invasion, while Gary Grigsby's War in the East covers German-Soviet operations with division-sized maneuver units, support formations, logistics, and campaigns through 1945. Old World centers on leading an empire across generations, including marriage, heirs, and long-term political management; War in the East instead models a fixed historical conflict through military campaigns and scenarios.
Gary Grigsby's War in the East: platforms & release
Is Gary Grigsby's War in the East worth it?
It is worth it if: historical wargamers who want Eastern Front operations at division and brigade scale. Skip it if: players seeking short, lightweight matches may find the large campaigns and 10- to 25-turn scenarios too involved.
Where can I download Gary Grigsby's War in the East?
Use the Download Now button on this page: it opens Gary Grigsby's War in the East's store page, where you can choose how to get it.
What platforms is Gary Grigsby's War in the East on?
Windows only.
