Picking up the controller exposes you to so much more than just a few hours of entertainment. Video games can subliminally teach players about past periods via various historical settings whilst still having fun.
Even the education sector has started to cotton on to this, with some schools using video games to teach children about history using educational accuracy and exciting entertainment.
There are so many fantastic online games out there, whether it be WW2 or an Ancient Egypt themed game. But the following are the best for formulating a historical timeline of the past.
1.Company of Heroes
Company of Heroes isn’t like most other World War 2 games. This game focuses on a small group of individuals and gives you their perspective amidst chaos and conflict.
The campaign has players follow the squad and protect as many of the members as possible, avoiding any casualties against the enemy.
Game play focuses on how intelligent tactics can beat even the biggest enemies and provide an unusual perspective of the war. Every character is taken in to account as their stories show signs of vulnerability and value, which make them feel less expendable.
- Assassin’s Creed: Origins
Ubisoft has always done an amazing job of using historically accurate settings in this game series. Assassins Creed is one of many but is the best example of their education-focused Discovery mode features.
The game’s rendition of Ancient Egypt at the end of the Ptolemaic period is genuinely spectacular. The attention to detail is awe-inspiring, and the use of Egyptian mythology enhances the game.
The secret chamber one finds in the Giza Pyramid during the game was discovered in the real world only a month after the game’s release. This only adds to our admiration of the historical accuracy and authenticity of the period.
- Dynasty Warriors
Dynasty Warriors isn’t at the top of the list for historical accuracy, but as a gateway into the study of a historical period, it scores pretty high.
The game looks at the story of the Three Kingdoms circa 3rd and 4th generation mainland China. This period represents nearly a century of civil unrest, with the nation falling to the power of the Han Dynasty. The countryside fell to chaos with leaders, warriors, and generals to unify the country against those seeking power and control.
Despite the characters being slightly over-embellished, Koei Tecmo isn’t any less guilty of historical inaccuracy than those from the Western World who embellished the stories of King Arthur and Robin Hood.
- Rome: Total War
Rome: Total War is not the only strategy game in the Total War series, but is one that has managed to find the perfect balance between historical accuracy and enjoyable tactical gameplay.
This game shows historical context from the period in which one of the most famous battles occurred. The game was so successful that a media company created a TV show to educate people, recreating and showcasing some of the most famous Roman battles.
Players must use the tactics used by one of the greatest armies of the ancient world and will learn everything about Roman warfare.
- The Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail has players follow the famous pilgrimage from the East to the West that many emigrants took part in during the 1800s. Along the way, players will learn about and fend off any hazards that their 19th-century ancestors would have experienced.
If you’d like to learn about the experiences of an American traveller living almost 200 years ago, The Oregon Trail will teach you everything that you need to know.
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Set in the lesser-known 1403 Bohemia period during the reign of the Holy Roman Empire, this historically accurate RPG game was heavily researched and displays an accurate reflection of what it may have once looked like. As a result, it creates a compelling experience for everyone involved.
- Sid Meier’s Civilization VI
Sid Meier’s strategy games have successfully managed to make geopolitics fun, teaching players about the causes and explanations of some of the most significant moments in history through a game.
The latest in the series continues the legacy and teaches players how war, peace, and diplomacy have contributed to global warming.
- Verdun
Before COD or Battlefield existed, Verdun was the leading hyper-realistic reenactment game of trench warfare in WW1. Players are shown how to use squad-based strategies via historical classes, all bearing their weapons, equipment, and roles on the battlefield.
This multiplayer experience is messy and chaotic but is the most accurate display of the events that took place during the Great War.
- Red Dead Redemption 2
Despite having an open world that is entirely fictional, Red Dead is heavily inspired by the real world. The game immerses players in the world of a 19th-century American frontiersman and teaches them about the location, the local wildlife, and how to use a weapon like they would have done back in the day.
- Europa Universalis IV
Europa Universalis IV is a great introductory lesson on how nation-states were born and why the history of said statecraft is riddled with war, conquest, and political tension. This game finds the perfect balance between having fun and inadvertently learning about historical events from the past.
With so many great games and historical periods waiting to be explored it’s only right you should play on till the end!