4th Generation Warfare for Windows

Multi-layered strategy game

4th Generation Warfare is a premium modern strategy game from Eversim. This full management experience puts you at the helm of a 21st-century nation vying for global supremacy. In this no-holds-barred battle between nations, everything is fair game: diplomacy, sabotage, interference, hacking, and the good old conventional military warfare. Plan your strategies and choose your targets as you try to emerge on top.

Its premise and mechanics reflect modern politics and engagement, but 4th Generation Warfare surprisingly uses dated graphics. In terms of graphics and gameplay, it feels like a modern crossover between Fallout 2 and Sid Meier’s Civilization IV.

Control a nation

One unique feature of 4th Generation Warfare is that it can be played as a real-time or a turn-based strategy game, with either option being a separate experience. In turn-based, there are limited actions available for every player, whereas in real-time, everything moves simultaneously. Additionally, it combines micro- and macro-management. You take care of your nation while issuing orders to your overseas characters.

These individual characters add another layer to the gameplay experience. Aside from the usual management expected of 4X games, it also lets you control a team of specialists like in Commandos 3 - HD Remaster. These characters vary in skills and ability. You have diplomats, spies, hackers, and soldiers. Furthermore, each of them has a distinct profile and responds to their environments differently, making the game more complex.

With that said, the game is unusually difficult for the genre. Depending on your playstyle, you’ll definitely encounter challenges either in managing your economy or keeping your specialists in order, creating a steep learning curve. Additionally, certain aspects of nation-building are either too complex or too oversimplified, such as the quick-rich scheme of selling assets like aircraft. Together with the dated graphics, it creates an unaccommodating vibe for modern players.

A niche strategy experience

By combining multiple elements together, 4th Generation Warfare emerges as a step beyond the average 4X strategy game. Regardless of whether you play it turn-based in real-time, the sheer number of fronts you need to consider makes it difficult for newcomers. Still, its openness toward unconventional and unethical strategies and the complexity of its specialists make it a must-try, especially for fans of the strategy genre.