Company of Heroes has been one of the most beloved series in the real-time strategy genre for over a decade at this point. At a time when strategy games were becoming far more complicated and layered, Company of Heroes offered a fun and accessible alternative that was just as tactical, but also a little more fast-paced due to the shorter scale and scope of the matches and core gameplay.
Each of the games and standalone expansion differ quite drastically in how they play due to the many mechanics, tools, and systems which have been implemented over the years. While they’re all still worth a playthrough for any RTS fans looking to sink their teeth into a new game, it’s undeniable that some entries provide a much more enjoyable experience than others for both newcomers and veterans of the strategy genre, and that’s exactly what this list is going to take a closer look at today.
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5 Company Of Heroes 3
Steam User Reviews: 53% Positive
Company of Heroes 3 is a very divisive game that, for many longtime fans, just did not live up to the tremendously high expectations that were set leading up to its release. The primary issue is the severe lack of content, both in the form of offline and multiplayer modes and maps. With that being said though, the core gameplay is still extremely fun and highly polished, with many of the smaller issues that plagued the first two games, such as multi-vehicle convoy pathing, no longer being a problem.
The maps that do appear are admittedly also quite a bit more layered and interesting than a lot of those found in the previous entries, and there’s been a lot more love shown to vehicles in this game, which is in stark contrast to Company of Heroes 2 where any sort of light truck would be blown to smithereens with only a handful of bullets. Overall though, the lack of content and general innovation makes this game a little more forgettable when compared to its peers.
4 Company Of Heroes 2
Steam User Reviews: 80% Positive
While Company of Heroes 2 did manage to build upon a lot of the mechanics that made the first game so beloved, it did also have a lot more issues that prevented it from being quite as popular as its predecessor. The whole Resource system has been completely overhauled with players now having to form a supply chain which connects directly back to the headquarters. This allows players to block their enemy’s supply chain to sabotage their overall resources, which grants a lot more freedom when it comes to attack strategies, while also adding some more risk and reward elements to the core gameplay.
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Thanks to the new ColdTech weather simulation engine, it also allows for environmental hazards to appear, which makes each battle much more immersive and realistic. Frostbite is an especially big issue in this game, since it can easily wipe out entire squadrons if the player doesn’t move them near a bonfire in time. The campaigns are also a lot of fun, especially Ardennes Assault which features a nice mixture of story and tactical missions, but the frequent glitches and poor cutscenes do let the game down a bit, along with how imbalanced a handful of the units are.
3 Company Of Heroes: Opposing Fronts
Steam User Reviews: 90% Positive
Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts
- Released
- September 25, 2007
- Genre(s)
- Real-Time Strategy , Tactical
The Company of Heroes series has become pretty renowned for its campaigns, which always give a gritty and engaging insight into the Second World War and its many battles, but Opposing Fronts might just have the best stories in the entire series. While there are only two campaigns, they both offer plenty of variation in how they can be played, while also featuring some incredibly deep and complex characters, with the courageous Major General Voss being a particular stand-out. The factions also have plenty of unique attributes and abilities that keep the experience from ever becoming dull or repetitive.
While the British Army excel at setting up strong defensive positions and annihilating vehicles with their anti-tank weaponry, the German Panzer Elite are all about using fast and ferocious vehicles to overwhelm their opponent. Since this is technically a standalone expansion that doesn’t require the original game to be played, it does mean that it’s not quite as long as a full game would be, but this isn’t as big of an issue considering just how fun and addictive the strategic gameplay is.
2 Company Of Heroes: Tales Of Valor
Steam User Reviews: 92% Positive
Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor
- Released
- April 9, 2009
- Genre(s)
- Real-Time Strategy , Tactical
Tales of Valor is another standalone expansion that no one could have expected would end up being as amazing as it turned out to eventually be. What really helped the game stand out was its three brand new multiplayer modes which each provide a thrilling co-op experience for players to jump into. Operation Stonewall for example pits up to four players against a constant barrage of enemies who only become stronger over time, incorporating a horde mode into the game that no one could have ever seen working in a Company of Heroes title.
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There’s also a nice mixture of unique and experimental game modes which help add some variety to the experience, such as Operation Panzerkrieg where each player will control just a single tank that can be enhanced and upgraded throughout the course of a match. Then there’s Operation Assault which is a 3 vs 3 match-up where each player will control their own infantry hero to send into battle. Added to this, the game also features three pretty decent campaigns which are all a blast to play through, but it’s in the unique and addictive multiplayer modes where this game truly shines the most.
1 Company Of Heroes
Steam User Reviews: 94% Positive
Company Of Heroes
- Released
- September 12, 2006
- Genre(s)
- Real-Time Strategy
Despite being released back in 2006, the original Company of Heroes is still considered to be the shining example of the RTS genre, and there are plenty of reasons why it is so beloved. For one, the campaign is absolutely stellar and captivating from beginning to end as it covers multiple different battles from World War 2 while managing to perfectly balance being both fun, and educational. The gameplay is also a lot less reliant on economy, which not only makes it much more accessible for newcomers, but also just helps speed up the pacing of matches in general which became a much bigger issue in future installments.
This also allows for much greater player freedom in terms of attack and defensive strategies, which is always much appreciated in any tactical RTS game. The environmental destruction is also executed extremely well in this game, and its impact on how a gunfight will play out adds that extra level of strategy and immersion that takes the game to a whole different level. Anyone who is a fan of the Real Time Strategy genre really owes it to themselves to try out Company of Heroes if, for some reason, they haven’t already, because it’s truly a gem that many champion as the best of its kind.
