The insider tip Soldiers: Heroes of World War 2 is back with an Enhanced Edition. For Peter, this is a huge surprise—and a very pleasant one at that.
Update from June 22, 2025: The Enhanced Edition is free for Steam owners of Soldiers: Heroes of World War 2, who will receive the new version automatically and free of charge via an update.
Over 20 years ago, when I was just 17 and taking my first steps as a hobby editor for a small gaming website, I tested (for free) a real-time tactics game that would have a lasting impact on me.
Soldiers: Heroes of World War 2 laid the foundation for an entire series that would later become known as Men of War. Looking back, however, this should not have surprised me, because even the first game was something very special.
For me, it’s still the best game in the series because it was the most accessible and technically advanced for its time. And now, over two decades later, it’s back – for less than five euros.
Historical, strategic, uncompromising
Anyone who found Commandos too harmless back then was really challenged by Soldiers: Heroes of World War 2. I vividly remember tough missions behind enemy lines, where my hand-picked soldiers faced overwhelming odds.
Thank goodness free saving was allowed back then (unlike in some 2025 strategy games), otherwise I would have despaired in sheer frustration. The four campaigns on the British, Russian, American, and German sides shed light on the conflict from all sides. The staging was a bit dry—each mission was introduced with a text panel, which was about as dramatic as it got—but the gameplay quality more than made up for it.
I was able to aim with the mouse and use the keyboard to control the direction of the steel colossus.
Despite all the real-time action, tactics never took a back seat, and thanks to varied mission objectives, the result was entertaining even in the long run. One cool feature that was buggy at release was the co-op mode, which allowed multiple players to team up against the clever AI forces.
This has now been improved, along with many other elements in the enhanced remaster.
Tip: The original Soldiers is currently available for 79 cents (!) on sale at GOG.com.
What’s new in the Enhanced Edition
The biggest surprise is that the Enhanced Edition of Soldiers: Heroes of World War 2 is not just a quick reskin, but brings with it a whole host of meaningful improvements that catapult the game into the modern age. Developers Best Way and Fulqrum Publishing have done a great job here and show how much they care about their loyal fan base.
Here is an overview of the most important new features:
- Graphical overhaul: Full support for 4K resolution, widescreen compatibility, and improved UI scaling for HDPI displays. The 3D scenes are still rendered in native resolution.
- Modern compatibility: The game is now fully compatible with Windows 10 and 11.
- Improved editor and workshop support: The editor has been updated and expanded, making it easier to create new maps or modify existing missions. In addition, Steam Workshop integration has been added, which should greatly simplify the distribution of community-generated content such as maps, missions, and mods.
- Seamless multiplayer: The integration of the Steam multiplayer network allows for seamless access to vanilla and mod lobbies for PvP and co-op sessions with friends.
- Steam features: Steam achievements and community items are finally here.
- Technical optimizations: The game benefits from improved multi-core CPU support, increased stability, fixed memory leaks, and other technical improvements.
- New content: As icing on the cake, there are four new bonus missions that will challenge even old hands.
All these improvements for less than five euros? Many publishers could learn a thing or two from this.
In my opinion, the Enhanced Edition is a real bargain and an excellent opportunity to rediscover this timeless strategy classic or experience it for the first time. The 85 percent positive Steam reviews seem to agree with me.
