Fit check
Is Thirty Years' War worth it for you?
We tell you who should skip it, too.
Play it if you…
Good fit- Players of historical strategy games who want to command forces in a seventeenth-century European conflict
- Strategy players interested in managing army supply, fatigue, and movement alongside combat
- Players seeking campaigns centered on the Thirty Years’ War rather than a broad range of historical periods
Skip it if you…
Saves you a refund- Players looking for a fast-paced action game rather than a campaign-focused strategy game
- Players who prefer short, self-contained sessions may find the army coordination and campaign management a poor match
- Players seeking a strategy game set outside the Thirty Years’ War may find the historical scope narrow
Our take on Thirty Years' War
The campaign covers a large map and many historical forces, but its scenarios remain focused on one conflict and the years 1618 to 1648. That makes the breadth of regions and units distinct from breadth across eras.
What is Thirty Years' War?
This historical strategy game covers the Thirty Years’ War from 1618 to 1648.
Players lead either the Catholic or Protestant side and coordinate armies across campaigns including Lützen, Nördlingen, and Rocroi. The map has more than 4,600 regions, and the game includes 3 tutorial scenarios and 5 main scenarios. Players manage military, economic, and diplomatic spending, organize units into larger forces, and account for supplies, fatigue, weather, attrition, and fog of war. Regional decision cards and historical events can affect campaigns, while battlefield choices shape combat. The game also includes sieges, naval warfare, prisoners, and more than 80 historical leaders alongside over 160 unit types.
How Thirty Years' War plays
- 01Scenario selection
- The game includes 3 tutorial scenarios and 5 main scenarios covering different points in the war.
- 02Army logistics
- Players manage supplies and fatigue while coordinating army movements and deciding when to fight or retreat.
- 03Regional decision cards
- Cards can trigger events such as contributions and influence how a campaign unfolds.
- 04Historical forces
- The game includes more than 80 historical leaders and over 160 unit types.
- 05Production management
- Spending covers military, economic, and diplomatic activity through assets and production centers.
Thirty Years' War compared to similar games
Xenonauts focuses on small squads defending Earth from an alien invasion, while Thirty Years’ War centers on armies and campaigns in a historical European conflict. Old World follows an empire across generations, with leadership and family decisions, rather than focusing on the Thirty Years’ War.
Thirty Years' War: platforms & release
Is Thirty Years' War worth it?
It is worth it if: players of historical strategy games who want to command forces in a seventeenth-century European conflict. Skip it if: players looking for a fast-paced action game rather than a campaign-focused strategy game.
Where can I download Thirty Years' War?
Use the Download Now button on this page: it opens Thirty Years' War's store page, where you can choose how to get it.
What platforms is Thirty Years' War on?
Windows only.
