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Game
Game2025
Armored Brigade II
Developer Veitikka Studios
Armored Brigade II revolutionizes real-time tactical warfare in 3D, focusing on the intense combined arms combat of the Cold War era, from 1965 to 1991. Boasting a meticulously researched database and huge real-world terrain maps, this game offers an unparalleled combat simulation experience. From the Steam store page
174 reactions from 2 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky) · newest Sep 14, 2026 · last updated Oct 8, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
90
LovedLoved
154 positive · 18 negative
95% range 84–93%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 154 | 18 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
2 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
224 of 249 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Summary pending — the reactions are listed below.
Reactions
60 of 174 · most liked firstArmored Brigade 2, even in its name, is still confused about what it does I want to enjoy Armored Brigade 2, but there are so many small design decisions that make this game feel like a frustrating experience rather than the wargame that it may have been designed to be. For twenty years I have commanded at every echelon in the US Army, from Platoon to Company to Battalion and this game should be exactly what I need to fill a very large gap in wargaming needs: AB2 appears to be a game…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I had been eagerly awaiting the release of the second part and purchased it immediately upon launch. Overall, it's largely a transition of the game into 3D, with no significant changes to the core gameplay. However, I'd like to highlight a few points: Enhanced Waypoint Interaction: It's now possible to synchronize actions across multiple units. I'm not entirely sure if this is a new feature, but I don't recall it being present in the first game. Tutorial Addition: A tutorial has been…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Life before death. Strength before weakness. Gameplay before graphics.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Why was Armored Brigade II my 2024 Game of the Year? It wasn't because I bought it last year, on Matrix, and was given the Steam key for free. It wasn't because the game shipped stable, well-optimized and space effecient. It wasn't because the game launched with over half-dozen factions and over half-dozen different master maps. Not to mention a bunch of scripted campaigns, and countless scenarios. Partially, it is because Veitikka Studios introduced a whole new dimension to my beloved…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Easily one of the best RTS wargames on the market. It's more complex and less "gamey" than WGRD, WARNO, or Broken Arrow, but far more accessible than Combat Mission. It's not perfect (no resupply, no multiplayer, bland graphics, etc), but if you can get past those things, you're in for a treat. By the way, if you check the negative reviews, you'll see people complaining about LOS visualization and command delay being too cumbersome. Those are SKILL ISSUES. >The game is 3D, and there are…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game finally settles my issues with the Combat Mission series of games aka I really cant recommend them anymore now that this exists. The game in its design is perfect with a clear but challenging game play loop. That loop is as follows what is my objective? How will I achieve it? Execute said plan and then reevaluate and repeat as the battle necessitates. The orders you can issue make sense and work well I so far I haven't run into the classic Combat mission issue of issuing an order but…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I quite liked Armored Brigade 1. It had lots of issues- it suffered from some issues like extremely hard-to-visualize LOS due to the complex elevation maps of the terrain, unit controls that manage to be both imprecise and extremely fiddly, and an AI that's not really good for much more than doing an OK job of holding a position. Still, I love the cold war unit roster and combat, and the command system where you're issuing significantly time-delayed orders and need a good battle plan going in…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Note: My playtime is low because I transferred the game over from Matrix, where I have approximately 10 hours of playtime. I have also played about 100 hours of the first game, again split between Steam and then Slytherine iirc. In short, Armored Brigade II is everything the first game was on launch but with full 3D graphics and many small changes that add up to a significantly more engaging, immersive and authentic Cold War Real Time Tactics experience. For those who have not played the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very interesting war-game but i struggle to visualize LOS and overall deal with the command delay , for me the game is a bit to tedious you would think you could easily visualize LOS where ever you want the unit to move but have to press 3 buttons each time just to do it , you can switch map layers however to get a better oversight. Now aswell , units have no self awareness or preservation you are expected to pre-plan everything for them 10 turns in advance even the angle or set-up of a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I want to like it but like many games made in the past few years there is no way to re-arm/resupply units so i guess the devs just expect you to run your units out and let them die once they expend all ammunition? This is just a big sticking point for me and i thought this game had it. Other than that the game is great but if your peeve is the inability to resupply then ya....
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →These are the guys who brought us some amazing Napoleonic and ACW games that gave players the option to "command from the saddle," a sort of playstyle where your view would be sort of locked onto your commander and you would need to rely on couriers to get updates and issue orders. This game features a similar mechanic by checking the "player character" option during mission setup. You also have the option to keep a slight delay between when your orders are issued to when they are executed,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I like a lot about the game but some aspects just kill my enjoyment completely. Command delay seems cool on paper but is rigid and plays out poorly when things get dynamic. formations being key to reducing delay feels needlessly restrictive, limiting dynamic positioning mid fight. Enemy aircraft will stealth snipe your units, even when you prep for them, it'll take forever for AA to lock them and fire. I've watched four missiles do ♥♥♥♥ all to a hind. AA from CAS doesn't seem to work at all.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Bought the game in Nov when it first came out. It had been a blast. Yes the tanks are low res but the gameplay made up for it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game scratches an itch that I've always had. Combined Arms, Cold Era Warfare in all its complexity. Fight small company-level skirmishes to large-scale clashes. It's highly moddable too- so I'm looking forward to people adding some cool mods to this game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →they managed to cram a milsim game with several factions and fully configurable units into a single ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ gigabyte
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Thought this game was cool. AI is broken/dumb. Have fun watching your units get shot at in the middle of a field just a few hundred meters away from where you told them to go despite carefully laying out orders for them to follow.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →pick any place on any map, set weather to an absolutely horrendous winter, set your points to a thousand or so, and now you have twilight: 2000
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I tried to play similar games like this but all of them have way too fast unit speeds, not even close to what could be considered realistic. I bought some of these games for the visuals but always ended up putting them down from the frustration of seeing my units race around the battlefield, drastically reducing immersion. Armored Brigade II is the opposite; units not only realistically move but also take time to process orders or even react (or not react) to orders based on distance from unit…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Been playing since the initial release from Matrix games website, and the game mechanics is much better than the previous game. Company could break down into platoons thus allows better planning without penalties for commanding single units. some equipment such as mortars and AT guns have towed version( though I still prefer the truck mounted 2B11) and new mechanics such as fire back at suspected enemy location rather than sitting around before the enemies are revealed. Although currently…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is an excellent game, it combines the crunchy mechanics of a proper warsim/tabletop esque wargame of things like real world modelling of impact angle and penetration values for tank hits, ammo cook off, muzzle flash, etc. with an accessibility and easy interface that doesn't take you days to learn. It's graphics are simple but stylised and still give great moments, whether it's smoke drifting from a bombardment to hide lines of sight, infantry going prone when suppressed or doing bounding…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →warno/wargame for smarter people
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is not too complicated, and yet does an excellent job of capturing the fog of war and uncertainty present on the battlefield. It does a very nice job of evaluating both the hardware (armor, weapons effectiveness) and software (morale ands training), but allows you to change the software inputs as these are relatively subjective. I like the ability to view terrain, the major upgrade from AB1. The fact that it covers from the 1960s to the end of the Cold War is very impressive, and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you own AB1, then you already have 80% of what AB2 is. Having said that, the remaining 20% you don't have is what makes AB2 a must have for the serious tactical war gamer - in particular the improvements to company formations, the ability to separate dismounts from their rides, and the command and control layer. I'm also getting favourable impressions that the AI has seen some extra work as well. The graphics are completely serviceable and they do their job. My only qualm with the graphics…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Excellent CW game, the ability to fight a random battle and then go to Google street view to look at where your key engagements took place is second to none. Realistic enough, but not too cumbersome to command, this is a perfect game to bridge the gap between WARNO and CM:CW.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Yet again another game i've played more on the forum / site version than on steam, would recommend to anyone who loves war games
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game does not belong in modern gaming - because it's too good. I can't even list any real issues, except that I just want more future content!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →In my popular negative review of combat mission cold war, I said that when a better and more affordable series comes along that it will surpass CM and leave it in the dust essentially; This is it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very nice one. The 3D adds so much to it and it's immersion. (never really got into the first one as it ..felt flat. Having a view right from the field adds an insane amount of overview (that most prolly skip and just use the LOS tools instead) Bought it on Matrix store at launch, and just played a quick mission to review it. Only minor complaint, or rather thing on wishlist, would be better and more detailed AAR (what killed what and when, not just number of kills) and more detailed replay,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Like the idea of Combat Mission but hate the fact that it has no AI to speak of, despite how much the grognards will complain about you saying so? Want a quick and fun little strategic simulator that doesn't skimp on details and options? Looking for dynamic campaigns that you can set up and play around with, or do you want to run little sim battles instead? Do you just enjoy the cold war? AB has you covered. ABII is the same game, except in 3D. The jump to 3D has fixed almost every issue I had…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The perfect war game doesn't exi... Oh wait! One of these days we'll get a game like this with the graphics of Warno, but for now, this is the gold standard.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An awesome tactical level wargame with just the right amount of realism. There's a refreshing focus on the big picture and high level orders instead of feverishly microing individual tanks. At the beginning of a match, I order a few mech infanty companies to occupy and defend a critical town and a nearby forest. I also order an armored company to take positions behind a hill at the edge of a map, ready exploit any situations that may arise. Just a few clicks are needed per company. I don't…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game. I am just sad there is no area fire option. I cannot use my armor to suppress suspected enemy positions so that my infantry can advance easier. Other than than, it is a brilliant and realistic RTS.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →coming from armored brigade 1, there arent many differences but the ones that are there are night and day, its honestly insane. ditching the top down perspective was a good move, i always struggled to get into top down strategy games of this nature like close combat and armored brigade, especially when they model terrain height, the 3d perspective does away with this issue and is quite pleasing to the eye honestly, theres some cosmetic changes to make, i wish soldiers with different weapons…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's like Combat Mission but with AI that actually does something on its own and dynamic campaigns. Granted, the level of detail is a bit less, i. e. there is a little more abstraction to most mechanics, but stuff like sensor qualities, individual spotting, communication links and the OOB is all simulated. Definitely check it out if you like slow, realistic tactical strategy games.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The "modern" cousin of Graviteam Tactics: Mius Front/Combat Mission, highly recommended if you love the niche military strategy sim, or just setting up orders and watching the chaos ensue. Infinite replayability honestly
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm totally pro-depth over visuals in wargames, but I struggle to find either here.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Bought this game based on extensive reviews lauding how great it was. Tactically its not too shabby and the flow of battles unwind rather realistically For anyone who's played the Combat Mission series, you're gonna probably be disappointed with this game as the graphics pale in comparison to it though a good dose of re-shade can slightly improve matters. I played this for 7 hours wanting with all my heart to like it but instead found it less enjoyable than expected. It's impossible to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game. Much more enjoyable than Combat Mission Shock Force 2.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Know that this game is nothing like warno, or any other strategy game. Its a unique little child, and that's good. This game strives to be a realistic sim, and I think it does well. Weapon ranges and effectiveness are realistic and not based on balance. The main thing that I enjoyed was that you are able to generate your own battles, with units you've picked, and you can even pick the opponents units, if you want. There are thousands of units to chose from. This game is hard, and that's…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Overpriced ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ made by like three Finnish programmers from a random Lapland wooden shed in their free time, using amazing top-of-the-line tools like MS Paint and basic 3D modelling software straight from the studio of the animators of "Money For Nothing" by Dire Straits. Literally the same game as Armored Brigade 1, except now you have like... a 3D layer? Map looks like a pancake -- smoother than your seedy uncle's bald head. 90% of the missions are the same as the first game, the new 10%…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →gonna be hard to justify this 40 bucks tp the wife... BUT IM GONNA lol so my only complaint is the grid movement, so u cant move ANYWHERE but its close enough not to be too bothersome. i do feel weird paying 40 bucks for a little over a gig of content, but somehow it just works. def a niche game but if its you its you. if ur on the fence i hope this helps. its exactly what u think itll be. basically a grand scale real time combat mission "yes u can do turn based instead" with in a way worse…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great real time wargame I've spent quite some hours on Armored Brigade 1, and am loving everything AB2 has to offer. This is a very good, carefully detailed game, but might not be for everyone. tldr: if you played the Close Combat series you know what this is about. Now, if you didn't, AB2 strives for a level of realism not common in other RTS games, factoring in morale, delay in units receiving orders, ammo, training, terrain, complex maps, cover, etc. Therefore, the gameplay is neither…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An excellent cold war combat simulation strategy title that combines just the right levels of macro/micro management, depth in unit statistics and variety, and playability. I really like the simple visual style, for one thing it means you can have hundreds of things going on and it won't tank your PC. The maps and scenario/campaign generation system are great, it has steam workshop support so user made missions are readily available and there's a metric ton of units to experiment with. It's…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Perhaps slightly less tactically dense than Combat Mission but enormously more accessible and more optimized. It is kind of like Combat Mission and GHPC bonded into a low-poly, user-friendly experience. I am really enjoying it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not for me. Some might like the "realism" of telling your tanks 'you're being shot at, move' and it taking them 30-90 seconds to do it, but I don't. Or telling infantry 'you're under an artillery barrage, run out of there' and them taking 30-90 seconds to do it, but I don't. The game tells you to have HQ nearby to help speed up orders. Rubbish. I had a HQ T-72a tank... a HQ unit. It was being fired at... "reverse" I order... "yeah, give me 30 seconds... oh I'm hit and immobilized" That was…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Clunky graphics compared to WARNO, et al, but a pleasure to play. Very versatile system to simulate various orders of battle and equipment across a wide swath of the Cold War. Great, great campaign or scenario generator system given the excellent maps and topography. Keep line of sight in mind. An Abrams or a T80 can kill you from a distance. Lots of fun. I've built a dynamic campaign around an East German motor rifle regiment that I've researched online. Amazing and highly…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I came for the mission editor and stayed for the unit-data in xml files!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An excellent alternative to Combat Mission and Graviteam Tactics. I find it a big improvement on Combat Mission. Although graphically behind Graviteam the UI is far more comprehensible!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pretty much solves all problems I had with the first game, the shift to 3D really made the game Great alternative to games like Combat Mission, much easier to control and generally more intuitive Ai is very competent, though I hope multiplayer comes Highly moddable which is always great for a games longevity My favorite part is the range of decades that you can create your campaigns in Overall I enjoy this game a lot so far and would recommend it even at the price
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game. Highly in depth and takes time to learn. If you like combat mission or CMANO. This is up your alley.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →NOTE: At the moment of writing this review, AB2 has just landed on Steam, hence the very limited played time reported here. I initially bought AB2 from Matrix's store. AB2 adds what the first AB lacked: a 3D world. Despite tools such as height map and LOS ported from AB, the ability to move the camera in a tridimensional environment makes understanding unit positioning, lines of fire and planning tactical decisions much simpler. The graphic is very basic and simple but overall nice. Besides…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is so much fun. It is a little obtuse in learning how everything works but once you do it is an amazing RTS. The sound design is great. There are so many units and it runs amazing even with so many units active. The graphics are low detail but that is apart of the charm.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Starting to see this game as fun. Its little bit like Mius Front but easier to undestand I guess and is smooth like a butter. Maybe Im not in the majority but I really like the retro graphics now. It has probably endless replayabilty.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great abstraction of tactical wargaming. It continues to improve with steady, albeit slow content patches and bug fixes. My hope is for more robust map making and scenario creating tools to be added. I would love to organically string together my own scripted campaign to share via the workshop.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game, never played the original due to work keeping me busy, but saw this one pop up in my recommended and added to the wishlist. After much procrastination, I finally caved and bought it, no regrets. It can be overwhelming at first, some of the commands can be a bit much but After a brief run through the tutorials I understood a little better but as a visual learner watching this short series by 'Example of Play'…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game itself is great but would be thousands of time better with a better AI. Just won a mission and decide to look at the enemies units. The enemy had 12 mortars. Not once did any of my units get hit by mortars at all in the hour long game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Total War is a flintstones vitamin compared to the crack that is Armored Brigade 2.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I haven't been keen on Cold War era wargames, I bought AB1 but never really got on with it. However I decided to give AB2 a try and I am so glad that I did. Apart from the series of available scenarios and campaigns, the self generated scenarios/campaigns with the huge choice of battlefields give an amazing degree of replayability. The introduction of the 3D aspect makes it much more appealing and immersive than AB1. The AI is challenging and battles develop into exciting edge of the seat…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Works great on steam deck.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is the best military simulator I have ever played. Period.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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