Get medieval on your foes in the best medieval war games to play in 2015!
Few eras in human history can match the sheer violence and barbarity of the Middle Ages. Which is why, when you’re eager for some serious bloodletting, nothing beats playing these medieval games of backstabbing and butchery.
This article lists the 11 Best Medieval War Games To Play in 2015 – games that will allow you to outwit, overpower, and slay your enemies in the goriest of fashions. Let’s begin with our first entry…
11. War of the Vikings
Raiding and pillaging their way through history, the Vikings are known as some of the fiercest warriors in the Middle Ages.
In the third-person, close-quarters multiplayer action game War of the Vikings, you can either be a badass Viking and assist your bloodthirsty brothers in the sacking of England, or a dauntless Saxon defending his homeland from these Thor and Odin-worshipping brutes. There are five classes to choose from, from the dual-wielding Berserker to the ranged Skirmisher.
Time to bury this in someone's skull!
Melee combat is quite complex, with precise hit boxes and plenty of melee attacks including overhead, right, and left swings. Each of the 5 game modes can accommodate up to 64 players, which is especially awesome if you’ve got a clan. Talk about a whole lot of butchering!
Someone killed Robin Hood
Medieval Hawkeye
10. Stronghold Crusader II
What fan of medieval games hasn’t fantasized about building their very own castle?
Real-time strategy game Stronghold Crusader II simulates the building of impregnable castles. But these fortresses of stone aren’t just for making the landscape pretty; you can cram them with fiendish traps with the express purpose of disemboweling and roasting armies foolish enough to attempt an invasion. And when on the offensive, you’ve got a variety of siege engines that excel at turning your foe’s defensive structures into dust.
Check out my crib!
With the Holy Land as your prize, you play as the Crusader Knight or the Arabic freedom fighter. There are over 25 units, several unique to either faction. Multiplayer allows up to 8 players on the battlefield for maximum savagery.
Simply one of the best medieval war games of our time.
Like a rock concert, only with more blood
Like waves crashing upon rock
9. Age of Empires II: HD Edition
1999’s Age of Empires II: Age of Kings is widely accepted as one of the best medieval war games in history, which is why some enterprising fans saw it fit to reintroduce the classic today in the form of Age of Empires II: HD Edition.
These knights are prepared for any invader!
HD Edition includes the original game and the expansion The Conquerors. They’re both real-time strategy games in the traditional sense, involving resource-gathering, base and army-building, and vast battles. What sets Age of Empires II apart from others in the genre is its historical basis, which has the 18 playable civilizations advancing through the Dark Age, Feudal Age, Castle Age, and Imperial Age. The campaigns have you participating in some of history’s most significant events, such as the invasion of Eurasia by Genghis Khan; the battles for the Holy Land; William Wallace’s fight for Scottish independence, and Joan of Arc’s struggles to free France from England’s dominion.
Medieval games don’t get any better… that is, until their HD Edition provides a slew of new features, enhanced AI, trading cards, and updated graphics!
A fortress within the forest
Protect the farms...
8. The Kings’ Crusade
The Holy Land was the focal point of a lot of carnage in the Middle Ages, which is why many of the best medieval war games, including real-time strategy game The Kings' Crusade, choose to set their key conflicts in this location.
Lead England’s Richard the Lionheart to victory in the Middle East by amassing a formidable force. Choosing the right allies also has its perks. For example, enlisting the aid of the Papacy will lead to improved morale among the troops and cheaper unit recruitment.
Riding off to war
Alternatively, as Sultan Saladin, you must reclaim the Holy Land from the Crusaders. The Saracen’s love for knowledge means they have better technology, giving players access to troop enhancements and legendary deeds for the heroes.
Whatever your choice, you’ll have hundreds of soldiers at your disposal, territories to conquer, and resources to manage and exploit. Sounds like everything you can expect only from the best medieval games!
Marshal the troops!
Marching towards glory or death
7. War of the Roses
From the developers of War of the Vikings comes War of the Roses.
Like Vikings, Roses is a multiplayer action game that has you assuming the role of a single combatant. After choosing to side with either the House of York or the House of Lancaster, it’s off to war! Battlefields are historically inspired and can host up to 64 medieval warriors.
The horned horror
Aside from its deep melee combat, players have many authentic medieval weapons to choose from. Prefer your kills really up close and personal? Stab them in the gut with a dagger. Enjoy splitting skulls in two? Introduce your enemy’s noggin to your battle-axe. Dismember rivals with your broadsword, or execute them from afar with your long bow.
One of the best medieval war games you can play right now!
Let the arrows fly!
Medieval dynamic duo
6. Stronghold Kingdoms
Castle-building goes massively multiplayer in Stronghold Kingdoms. And it’s free, to boot!
This real-time strategy game gives you a persistent online world in which to erect your massive fortresses. You begin with a single village, but by making strategic choices, your settlement will grow with your power and influence.
Build, build, build
There is no one way to enjoy this title, thanks to a huge research tree and the incorporation of various elements (economic, political, architectural, etc.). You can work with a faction of players to take down rivals and defend your realm, or do things solo. You can bring the slaughter to your enemies’ doorsteps, or you can opt for peace and raise sheep within the safety of your walls. You can be a trader, a farmer, or a diplomat. Lastly, a strong social element means you’ll always be interacting with fellow players, which is key to your progress in the game.
Few medieval games this ambitious in scope are as well-executed as Stronghold Kingdoms!
The one ring
This place looks busy!
5. Mount & Blade: Warband
When medieval games come to mind, you usually think massacres of epic proportions. Action role-playing game Mount & Blade: Warband offers exactly that, and more.
After customizing your character, you explore a sandbox world riven by strife. Your choices are legion; you can join one of six warring factions or start your own; muster a bandit army; or offer your services as a mercenary. As you rise in power, you’ll be rewarded your own fiefdom, and, consequently, larger armies and more brutal technologies. Lords can be persuaded to become your vassals, or you can grant your companions lands, thereby turning them into vassals.
Marching to the drums of war
Combat lets you command troops in battle, and features nice touches such as shields stopping arrows even when you’re not in a defensive stance, and soldiers with low morale fleeing for their lives. Meanwhile, multiplayer paves the way for large scale slaughter.
But the game isn’t just about carpeting the lands with your enemies’ entrails. For instance, if you’re one for romance and poetry, you can marry for love instead of political gain.
Innovative, complex, and chockfull of variety, Mount & Blade: Warband is one of the best medieval war games of our time.
Riding the pale horse
Here comes the cavalry!
4. Chivalry: Medieval Warfare
Few medieval games can match the intensity of Chivalry: Medieval Warfare.
This multiplayer-focused action game has players raiding villages and laying siege to castles, as well as fighting each other in some of the grisliest battles you’ll ever experience. The deep combat system involves precise control of attacks and blocks, while over 60 savage weapons, from javelins to broad swords, means you can skewer, dismember, and mutilate to your heart’s content.
Blood and steel
And when you’re feeling particularly medieval, you can use siege weapons like ballista and catapults to flatten enemy fortresses’ walls, crack their gates open with battering rams, or burn your foes to a crisp with boiling oil.
Several game modes offer challenges such as one-on-one duels to the death and team matches, as well as unique quests such as killing a king or defending a location.
One of the best medieval war games in existence!
Close quarters carnage
A good day to die
3. Anno 1404
Let’s move away from all that medieval-style butchering for a while and engage in some city-building!
Set in the Late Middle Ages, Anno 1404 tasks you with creating and managing your fiefdom. This means managing the economy, planning and expanding your settlements, exploring and finding islands to colonize, trading, and building farms and factories to sustain your people. Constructing impressive monuments, such as an Arabic mosque or Gothic cathedral, also play a key role in the game.
A scene from Pirates of the Caribbean?
Of course, conflict can’t be completely avoided, so you’ll have to fight off A.I. factions both on land and at sea. And as the game progresses, you’ll find yourself laying waste to opposing armies and invading your enemies’ lands.
If you enjoy building side by side with destruction, Anno 1404 is one of the best medieval war games you can play.
Sunny port
Wonders to build
2. Crusader Kings II
Cutting throats and bathing in the blood of your enemies your thing? You’ll get a kick out of Crusader Kings II.
You’re given a single dynasty to take to the top between 1066 and 1454. To help you do that, you’ve got your usual tools of the trade: military, religion, trade, assassinations, etc. You can even marry off your children to maintain political alliances, which in turn can produce offspring with advanced attributes certain to further your endeavors.
Lands to conquer
But there’s a plethora of other unique systems at play. Tax laws? Gender laws? Intrigue? Your character believing he’s possessed by demons? It’s incredibly complex, making it one of the best medieval war games in existence.
People to exploit
A view of conquest
1. Europa Universalis IV
What better way to end this list than with an epic grand strategy game that begins at the closing of the Late Middle Ages?
Europa Universalis IV gives you the entire world as your playground, from the verdant jungles of the Amazon to the arid wastes of the Sahara. Victory can be achieved through a variety of methods, from bloody military conquest to trade dominance. Alliances can be made and broken.
Dominating your neighbors
Religion and technology play vital roles in your efforts. Additionally, you’ll be participating in historical events such as the Discovery of the New World, the French Revolution, and the Protestant Reformation. So it’s as educational as it is exhilarating!
Europa Universalis IV remains one of the best medieval war games to play, especially if you’ve got world domination in mind!
They will soon be food for the sharks
A world shrouded in the darkness of war
Honorable Mention:
We love us some Medieval II: Total War, a war game boasting 22 factions (including the Holy Roman Empire and England); bloody conflicts involving Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East; and gripping strategy that has hundreds upon hundreds of troops hacking away at body parts in enormous blood-soaked battlefields. It was released in 2006, however, so despite its awesomeness, it didn’t make the cut in the top 11.
How about you, fellow gamers? Care to share with us your best medieval war games?
And if you’re hungry for medieval games but with more magic and elves, check out our 11 Best Fantasy War Games To Play in 2015 list.
If you enjoy the nitty-gritty of what it means to be a general, our 10 Best Military Strategy Games to Play in 2015 article is for you.
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10 Best Strategy War Games to Play in 2015
