There’s something so viscerally satisfying about being inside a giant machine capable of causing mass destruction. Twisted Metal knew this. The mecha sub-genre knows this. And, of course, the military industrial complex knows this too.
Tactical war games and games centered on battlefields will often implement tanks as massive deciders in warfare. Army games tend to really boil down to scissors-paper-rock with mass casualties, though, and just as tanks might counter infantry, there’s always something to counter tanks (anti-tank missiles. It’s in the name!). Some games, however, go above and beyond when determining the power of these metal behemoths, and give the player an incredible sense of scale before sending them on the warpath.
5 World Of Tanks
Tactical Tank-Based Warfare With PvP
Across expansive, rugged maps, World of Tanks allows players to experience realistic, tactical tank warfare. Focusing on these behemoth machines from the mid 20th century, World of Tanks boasts over 600 different tanks to ride and modify to your heart’s content. There are a plethora of factors players will need to account for in order to get the most out of World of Tanks and its highly strategic real-time gameplay, including the positioning of the tank on the battlefield and the individual weaknesses and strengths of each tank.
There’s a slew of customization modules from skins to specific upgrades and reworks for these machines of war. As far as freemium games go, the monetization in this one isn’t too bad, with premium content occasionally trickling down all players through specific events and achieving certain goals in-game. The sheer size and power of some of the tanks in this game will keep players getting into matches for hours.
4 Arma 3
A Gritty And Tactical Military Game
Considered by many as one of the most realistic military sim games available to date, Arma 3 is an incredibly engaging tactical open world title that pulls no punches when it comes to the dangers and perils of modern warfare. One such peril is, of course, the colossal tanks often seen roving the massive open world. These tanks do have their anti-tank counters, but for the most part, ingenuity and strategy are required to circumvent these machines in the open field of warfare.
This multiplayer game will have players huddling together in squads or duking it out in vicious battles across the map, with realistic terrain and changes to the environment constantly shifting the ebb and flow of power between players and their classes.
3 Valkyria Chronicles 4
A Reframing Of WWII On Grand Scale
Valkyria Chronicles as a series has to be one of the most unique JRPG series available on the market today. Based on World War 2 but re-imagined in a fictional continent with the balance of power shifted, it’s always interesting to see utterly fabricated narrative worlds that don’t necessarily fall into a fantasy or sci-fi background. Beyond this, Valkyria Chronicles 4 is the definitive entry in this series, with many quality of life changes to the original title, while keeping the same emotionally compelling narrative.
Tanks are the definitive unit in this game, certainly with their weaknesses, but an un-matchable force against disorganized infantry forces in many battlefields. The story of Valkyria Chronicles 4 and the unique setting are the main draws for players here, but the incredibly satisfying tank combat cannot be missed.
An Explosives-Laden Side Scrolling Delight
Metal Slug is very different from other games on this list, moving away from the tactical side of tanks, but doubling down on the explosive damage they’re able to unleash. The pinnacle of fiery destruction players are able to unleash comes through the titular Metal Slugs, compact tanks that allow complete and utter chaos to be unleashed on the screen. Side scrollers are often defined by what sort of power-ups they offer the player, but it’s pretty hard to top allowing the player to commandeer a massive, missile-pumping tank.
The retro style and incredibly well-detailed graphics are a stand-out here, and in all subsequent Metal Slug titles, allowing the player to equip a broadening array of explosive weapons to blast their way to victory with.
1 Warzone 2100
An Open Source RTS Where Tanks Are Major Units
Warzone 2100 stands out among older strategy titles for a number of reasons. It’s a free, open source title still being updated to this day, for one thing. For another, the huge technology tree means that the types of technology being put to work in this expansive, global sphere of combat is constantly evolving – a product of the game’s constant attention. Unlike a lot of strategy games that are focused on single units coming together to form an army, Warzone 2100 places a very large emphasis on tanks. Tanks will be the deciders of battle, rather than on the ground units like infantry.
This is an underrated gem of a strategy title with incredibly modular and customizable tanks to put to work on this large-scale war for humanity’s fate. Plus, it’s free!
2:43
Next
7 Best Open-World War Games
War is a theme often encountered in video games, and these open-world games excel in their depiction of historical and fictional wars.
