A real-time wargame on the Eastern Front
Close Combat: Cross of Iron puts you in the role of a junior officer leading your men in real-time battles across the Eastern Front of World War II. It is a pausable real-time wargame, so you can stop the action, look at what is happening, issue orders, then let it run again. The series is built around historical accuracy, with soldier psychological profiles that reflect how real troops behave under fire. Team management matters: every man in your teams counts, and keeping them alive and effective is the core of the game. Battles, Operations and Campaigns come with in-depth briefings tied to actual events, giving you hints about what to expect before you commit. The campaign Fuger's Ostliche Wut, or Fuger's Eastern Fury, covers actions between 1943 and 1944 and can be played as either German or Russian.
Fighting through the seasons
Your soldiers face the frozen winter, the hot dusty summer and the muddy autumn, and conditions shape how the fighting goes. You command direct and indirect fire with limited ammunition, so ammunition discipline is part of every decision. Buildings, pillboxes and trenches can be used to protect your men, which makes positioning and cover worth thinking about before you advance. The game includes hundreds of specialized squads, weapons, soldier types, vehicles and artillery, all recreated to match historical realism. As you deal with an unforgiving enemy you earn promotions, and the scenario editor lets you build your own "what if" scenarios when you want to test an idea rather than follow a historical briefing.
Playing together and before you start
Online PvP is available, so a group of friends can face each other directly rather than only fighting the artificial intelligence. Between matches you can compare how your squads held up, which positions worked, and where the ammunition ran out. Before starting, expect a game that rewards patience: pausing to read the briefing, checking your teams, and choosing cover will do more for you than rushing. The singleplayer side offers a large amount of Battles, Operations and Campaigns to work through, while the editor gives your group material to set up custom matchups. Come in ready to manage people as much as terrain, and to treat each soldier as someone worth bringing home.