War games: tanks, commandos and castle sieges

These are games with real warfare in them — on a casual, browser-sized scale. They span very different genres: a tank sim, a runner-shooter, a siege strategy game and a space clicker, and each calls for its own tactics.

Tanks 1944 offers battles with realistic physics: you pick a tank before the fight, and from then on position and patience decide everything. The tank doesn't accelerate or turn instantly, shells have to be aimed with distance in mind, and the terrain helps you take cover. Operation War blends a runner with a shooter: your squad charges forward and fights through enemy lines, and fallen comrades can be picked up and returned to the ranks — the more soldiers you have, the easier it is to break through.

Strategy fans should try Citadel: Fortress Siege. It starts with a lone keep, and from there you decide where houses, farms, towers and walls go, balancing six resources so you can repel the enemy at the gates. Idle Space Destroyer takes the war into space: you smash planets for resources, upgrade your weapons and build a fleet. If you want more shooting, see the shooting games collection; if you'd rather build, try base and tower defense.