Best Games Set In The Napoleonic Era

The Napoleonic Era is generally regarded as the period of French and European history when Napoleon Bonaparte ruled France from 1799-1815. Naturally, the volatility of this period has led to the development of many Napoleonic Era games, covering a variety of genres.

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Games set slightly before or after Napoleon’s official reign are also great options for fans of the time period, as the world does not drastically change overnight. All of these games set during the Industrial Revolution will provide players with the atmosphere they are looking for after falling in love with the Napoleonic Era.

Updated March 2, 2024 by Joe Grantham: After all the excitement surrounding Ridley Scott’s Napoleon cinematic epic, many gamers will be looking for Napoleonic video games to sink their teeth into after their trip to the movies. Thankfully, this time period of endless wars and political masterstrokes makes it the ideal setting for engaging games and strategic experiences.

The best Napoleonic War games pay incredible attention to historical details and offer players the chance to take on the role of Napoleon himself or the enemies against whom he fought. After all, one of the best aspects of historical games is the opportunity to create an alternate history. Other games not directly linked to Napoleon or his wars, but set during his reign, can also be great options for fans of the era, especially if they manage to thoroughly immerse players. Both of these types of Napoleon-based games have been added to this list to further expand on the great selections available for players looking for a gamers set in the Napoleonic era.

12

Wars Of Napoleon

Steam Reviews: Mixed

• Release Date: December 3, 2015
• Platforms: PC

Wars of Napoleon is a comprehensive strategy game that allows players to take on the role of Napoleon or one of his rivals, such as the British Empire. While there are some politics involved in the game, the emphasis is on the wars themselves. The details surrounding the logistics of waging war and organizing vast armies are rather impressive, but other aspects of the game do unfortunately bring it down.

For example, the AI enemies are not too smart and players can struggle to become immersed when the enemy makes unfathomable decisions. The game is also known to crash all too often for many players, even years after release. However, if players are able to avoid these problems and have a deep love for the era, it is still a great option to scratch that Napoleonic itch.

11

Victory And Glory: Napoleon

Steam Reviews: Mostly Positive

• Release Date: March 17, 2016
• Platforms: PC

Fans of strategy board games and the Napoleonic era are the perfect audience for Victory and Glory: Napoleon, which is actually the brainchild of an acclaimed board game designer. In this grand strategy game, players take on the role of Napoleon and his French Empire, while the AI plays as Britain and its various allies.

The gameplay revolves around the recruitment and movement of both armies and navies, ultimately culminating in huge battles that are capable of defining the war. Despite there being no co-op or multiplayer mode, the game has great replay value, as there are six different starting dates set throughout the Napoleonic Wars, and the AI never plays the same way twice. The event cards also help to bring the world to life, both thanks to their content and beautiful design.

10

Imperial Glory

Metascore: 69

• Release Date: May 17, 2005
• Platforms: PC, macOS

Despite being released in 2005, Imperial Glory is a great turn-based strategy game with real-time battles that features 3D graphics that were arguably ahead of its time. The turn-based nature of the game allows for proper planning and strategy and can be more welcoming to new players of the strategy genre who can take their time.

Furthermore, warfare is not just contained to the battlefield, as players can engage in epic naval battles too. This was a major highlight at release, but nowadays, many strategy games allow players to take to the sea. As some of the other Napoleonic games on this list take place on a 2D map, Imperial Glory is a good option for those who want to get into the thick of things, with more realistic small-scale environments.

9

Cossacks 2: Napoleonic Wars

Metascore: 73

• Release Date: April 4, 2005
• Platforms: PC

Whereas some Napoleonic video games focus on the political landscape of 19th-century Europe and the large-scale wars fought between Napoleon Bonaparte and his enemies, Cossacks 2: Napoleonic Wars zooms in further to the individual battles themselves.

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While the graphics of this 2005 game are certainly outdated, the gameplay still holds up when players engage in real-time battles, and the immersive troop morale system certainly helps with this. However, players interested in strategy games with great real-time combat would be better served with Napoleon: Total War​​​​.

8

March Of The Eagles

Metascore: 71

• Release Year: February 19, 2013
• Platforms: PC, macOS, and Classic Mac OS.

March of the Eagles is one of the most historically accurate games ever made, letting players test out their strategies and military theories during the Napoleonic Wars. While it is far from Paradox Interactive’s best title, the game is highly focused on the turbulent times in Europe during the reign of Napoleon.

By limiting its scope, unlike other grand strategy games that can span centuries, March of the Eagles manages to deliver even more to its target audience, with lots of small details for history buffs.

7

Assassin’s Creed Unity

Metascore: 72

While Assassin’s Creed Unity may not be ranked among the best Assassin’s Creed games according to Metacritic, this is mostly due to the state it was released, and nowadays it is a fantastic game. Unity is set ever so slightly before the Napoleonic Era and can be seen as a prologue to the events in France and Europe over the coming decades.

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The game is set in Paris during the French Revolution and players take on the role of an Assassin called Arno Dorian who attempts to discover and expose the truth behind the real motives of the Revolution. The man himself, Napoleon Bonaparte, is featured in the game.

6

Europa Universalis 4

Metascore: 87

Europa Universalis 4 is one of the best grand strategy games of all time and while most players will start their campaigns in the 15th century, two start dates of 1789 and 1792 allow players to play through Napoleonic campaigns. However, it should be noted that these playthroughs will be short and sweet as the game ends in the year 1821, the same year that Napoleon died.

In EU4 players can try to expand their empires through diplomacy or war, unlocking new technologies that help them strengthen their grip on the world.

5

Anno 1800

Metascore: 81

Anno 1800 is one of the best historical city builders on the market and allows players to start in and carry on the Napoleonic Era. Players can see the rapid advance of technology that defined the Industrial Revolution, creating highly organized cities of steel and smoke.

The building mechanics along with the management aspects of Anno 1800 are its greatest strengths, all done in real-time with a satisfying level of complexity. Visually the game is also a marvel, featuring incredible detail.

4

Mount & Blade: Warband

Metascore: 78

Thanks to the Napoleonic Wars DLC for Mount & Blade: Warband, fans of the time period can turn the medieval melee game into a first or third-person Napoleonic War game, featuring nearly 400 unique units from five different nations.

With multiplayer battles able to feature up to 200 players at once, fans of the era can experience what it would have been like on the front lines or take part in sweeping cavalry charges.

3

Return Of The Obra Dinn

Metascore: 89

Despite not being about Napoleon himself (or even France, for that matter), Return of the Obra Dinn takes place in 1807 at the height of his reign. It also happens to be a fantastic mystery game about a ship in a period that is known for its naval accomplishments. After being missing for several years and presumed sunk, the Obra Dinn drifts into an English port damaged and apparently without anyone on board.

It is then up to players to take on the role of an insurance investigator and climb aboard to figure out exactly what happened to this ghost ship. With the ability to look into the past, players can discover the fates of all 51 crew members and much more, but to do this they will have to truly use their minds and come to logical deductions based on every scrap of evidence. Taking place in first-person and with incredible voice acting, on top of being a great puzzle game, it is also immersive for fans of the Napoleonic time period as a slice-of-life look at the era.