Making History: The First World War

Making History: The First World War

Released Mar 2021

A turn-based WWI Grand Strategy game. Rush to field new modern weaponry and survive the horrendous attrition battles. Join the global conflict between the Great Powers of the age and forge a new world order for freedom or tyranny.

66% positive · 115 reviews
Not yet
Released, but still in active development
Medium confidence
Active Development
Not yet
Released, but still in active development
Medium confidence
Active Development

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Steam $24.99
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Evaluation

Making History: The First World War launched out of Early Access on March 5, 2021. At that time, Factus Games stated clearly that leaving Early Access did not mean development was over, and promised continued updates and improvements. Since launch, the game has received a steady stream of updates. A new free scenario called Clash of Continents shipped on August 12, 2021, with the developer noting that "more Making History: The First World War updates and content additions are in the works." Post-release patches continued through April 2022. A Spanish language version arrived on March 16, 2023, with the developer explicitly stating they would "soon be turning attention back to both gameplay and content." A Turkish localization followed on April 7, 2023, with a further note that Polish, Portuguese, Japanese, Bulgarian, and Italian were "high on our list." A Ukrainian language version shipped on September 6, 2024 — the most recent developer communication. As of October 8, 2026, approximately 25 months have passed since the September 2024 Ukrainian release. The historical gap between major content drops has ranged from roughly 6 to 18 months across the game's post-launch history, so the current silence does sit beyond the longer end of that range. However, this is a small indie studio with an irregular but persistent update history spanning over five years, and the developer has never announced a conclusion to development. The March 2023 post signaled ongoing intent for both gameplay/content work and additional localizations, and nothing since has contradicted that. The pattern remains consistent with a studio that updates infrequently but has not closed the door on further work.
Evidence
Ukrainian language version released — most recent developer communication as of the evaluation date.
news post · Sep 6, 2024 source content shipped
high
Spanish language release shipped; developer stated they would 'soon be turning attention back to both gameplay & content' and listed several additional localizations as planned.
news post · Mar 16, 2023 source development ongoing
high

Media

Details

Developer
Publisher
Factus Games
Achievements
100
Platform
Windows, Linux
Controller
—
Steam Deck
Not rated
Players
Single-player · Multiplayer · PvP

About this game


Covering one of the most catastrophic events in human history, Making History: The First World War offers a strategic level experience in a turn-based global game of conflict. It’s a war between the Great Powers of the age, each straddling to one degree or another, the old world and the new.

This is the moment when the industrialization of warfare became fully realized and the Great Powers mobilized their entire nations for total war. The introduction of new weapons with massive destructive power driven by machine era technology and mass production led to the death of many millions and the collapse of several storied empires.

Making History: The First World War is a game of conquest and economic management. Players make all the governing decisions for their nation. Historic events are there to direct the game along a WWI timeline providing the historical context and drama associated with the era. However as with any Making History game, it’s players who make history and create brand new worlds.

As the leader of France, fight to survive the continental ambitions of the German Empire. Play Germany and instigate Russian social unrest that might knock them out of the war early. Can you keep the Ottoman Empire from being partitioned? Will simmering ethnic nationalism cause Austria-Hungary to collapse and usher forth new nations in Central Europe? Use the most powerful navy on earth to maintain your vast colonial empire as the leader of the United Kingdom. Each nation you choose to play comes with a different set of strategic challenges.





Strategic Level Gameplay
The game map is divided up into over 2000 land and water regions covering all the continents and seas. Play as any independent nation of the WWI era and control your nation’s economy, military and domestic policies.

Empire Management
Govern and establish colonies, protectorates and puppet states. Liberate and give independence to conquered nations.

Infrastructure Expansion
Prospect, expand and exploit the strategic resources needed to feed an industrialized economy. Build railroads to move commodities and speed the movement of troops to the frontlines. Construct Fortresses, Trenches and Coastal Batteries to defend your nation from attack.

City Development
Your cities are key industrial assets that can simultaneously produce multiple output types. They generate wealth for your government, supplies for your people and steel for your military. Order your city to establish new factories, centers of research and health and a variety of manufacturing facilities.

Mobilization
Prepare for war by training manpower resources in times of peace. Mobilize your trained reserves at the right moment to get an advantage on your enemies. When the fighting ends, demobilize your units to a lower strength allowing manpower to return to work.



World War I Combat
Bombard your enemies from afar, then invade with Infantry and armor. Use observation balloons and aircraft to increase artillery accuracy. Deploy submarines and naval mines to sink and harass the enemies navy. Dig deep trench networks and defend your ground with machine gun units.

Regional Demographics
Each region has a defined identity representing nationality, culture, religion and multiple ethnicities. Governing support is tied to policies and the ideology of the population. High levels of radicalism can lead to unrest and revolutions.

Global Trade
Use the World Market to trade for needed supplies and sell your commodities to increase your income. Initiate a policy of Unrestricted Submarine Warfare against your enemies trade paths to interdict and sink their merchant fleets.

Historical Events
Hundreds of scripted events associated with the important moments and events during the war. Alternative historical paths are also covered that allow players to explore many what-if outcomes.

Technology Race
Expand your nation’s knowledge in Science, industry and military production skills with a detailed Research Tree spanning Pre-Industrial to Machine Age technology.

Diplomacy
Establish relations with new nations, provide financial aid and sign treaties to increase your diplomatic influence.

National Units
Each nation has a unique set of units that closely represent the uniforms and equipment of in the first decades of the 20th century.

Last evaluated Oct 8, 2026
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