Despite existing earlier and still being relevant in modern conflicts, trench warfare is synonymous with the First World War. This is also true of trench combat in video games, which, thankfully, never fully captures the true horrors of battlefields such as Verdun, Passchendaele, and the Somme.
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While some immersive games are able to accurately recreate the aesthetics of trenches, others focus on portraying the logistics, the digging, and ultimately the futility of wars of attrition down in the trenches. Across a few different genres, the following are the best games for trench warfare.
Players should also keep an eye on the progress of Dig In, an upcoming colony sim and management game all about the trenches of World War One.
Verdun
A Multiplayer FPS Set In The Trenches Of The Western Front
To experience trench warfare in first person on the Western Front, Verdun is easily the best option, as historical accuracy and realism are at the forefront of everything. In battles from 1914 to 1918, players can expect accurate uniforms, battlegrounds, and weaponry on top of plenty of trenches. Enjoyed online with other players or offline with bots, the Frontlines game mode promises the experience of going over the top to take enemy trench lines, before defending their counterattack.
The game also does a good job of capturing a fraction of the gore and horror of the First World War, and when players must don gas masks, their vision will be severely limited. If players enjoy Verdun, then BlackMill Games have other World War 1 titles in their series, such as Tannenberg, Izonzo, and the upcoming Gallipoli. These all explore different theaters of war and will at times include trench warfare, but not as much as Verdun on the Western Front.
Warfare 1917
A Nostalgic Trench Warfare Game
Warfare 1917 was originally a browser strategy game that players may remember fondly from their childhood. However, it can now be enjoyed on Steam as part of the Warfare Legacy Collection, with the nostalgia hitting hard. In this game, players choose different troops to send into the trenches, with higher-tier units having a longer cooldown, forcing players to choose between numbers, quality, and niche requirements.
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As the first trench fills up to a maximum of three units, players may send these over the top into no man's land, with the aim of capturing enemy trenches and pushing to victory. Periodically, players can also use artillery and other ranged attacks, and if the butcher's bill grows too long for either side, they could lose via a lack of morale.
Battlefield 1
Gritty & Realistic Graphics With Harrowing Sound Design
Battlefield 1 is easily one of the best World War 1 games, and while many maps or campaign missions focus on more mobile parts of the war, often forgotten about, there is still plenty of trench warfare, all in realistic and gritty graphics. While the base game didn't have as many trench maps as fans wanted, more, such as Nivelle Nights, were released in DLCs, and subsequently merged into Battlefield 1 Revolution, which is the complete package.
Other maps with trenches include St. Quentin Scar and River Somme, while there are parts of the single-player War Stories where players assault trench lines in a tank or fight their way through a trench at night after their plane crashes. While the monotony of trench warfare is not captured, the AAA graphics, sound design, and countless details make for an immersive glance into the gut-wrenching world of 1914-1918.
Foxhole
Fight In Trenches Dug By Other Players In Wars That Last Weeks
Foxhole depicts elements of both World Wars, including trenches, but as with everything in Foxhole, these trenches are dug and manned by real players. In this unique MMO, wars can last weeks or even months, with every last bullet, shovel, and medical supply assembled and transported by players.
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Especially in the early stages of the war before tanks takeover, trenches are a huge part of the game and can be dug almost anywhere, in any shape or direction, and can even be upgraded to provide further protection from artillery. Barbed wire or sandbags can also line the sides of a trench if available, and players can mount machine guns in case the enemy tries to storm. Bayonets or spiked clubs can also be used in the event of hand-to-hand combat, while the injured call out for medics or a shout goes out to don gas masks.
All Quiet In The Trenches
A Turn-Based Narrative RPG Where The Lives Of Your Soldiers Matter
The Great War, as it was initially known, is often described in numbers, but All Quiet in the Trenches is a turn-based narrative RPG that puts individuals and their stories into the limelight. Players take on the role of a German Unteroffizier and are responsible for a group of soldiers whom they will come to know personally if they live long enough. The aim is to keep these men alive, to give them time to grieve and write home, but a superior officer will always be breathing down the player's neck, demanding more.
Other than strategy on the battlefield, such as turn-based trench raids, the Unteroffizier must also handle logistics to keep food, ammo, and medical supplies in good standing. Digging trenches is also part of the anti-war game, and so players will see all aspects of trench warfare, not just the actual fighting.
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