Developer – Relic

Publisher – Sega

Platforms – PC, Xbox Series S|X, PlayStation 5

Company of Heroes is a tactical RTS that inspired Dawn of War, The Valiant, Halo Wars, and many other RTS titles. It featured two seminal classic RTS titles, and after a long time, the third game in the trilogy hit earlier this year on PC. Now it’s on consoles a few months later, and the biggest question is always how it fares on a controller. It does fine and delivers the best military themed RTS on consoles to date.

Company of Heroes 3 comes with the usual assortment of modes you would expect from a fully featured RTS. Like its predecessors, it contains a fun story-driven campaign featuring extensive story elements and narrative moments. It also features a comprehensive campaign that resembles something out of Total War rather than its style of games. A vast map based on Italy that mixes long-term turn-based decisions mixed in with real-time combat to create something truly unique in the RTS space.

Each mission features small-scale tactics with small squads in brutal tactical skirmishes. So far, even early on, the game will test your skills and tactical decision-making on the fly with varied objectives. Company of Heroes is not about sitting back, building a vast base, and pumping out a massive army to win. Tactics are king here, with missions often starting with limited units.

Thankfully none of the challenges comes from poor performance or a poorly done console port. Considering the vast options, the control scheme has been pulled off quickly and becomes second nature after a few hours. Training mode is helpful and recommended as it will ensure you are calm as soon as a battle starts. Every button on the controller gets used, but thankfully, you can pause battles and issue commands in real-time, making the game perfect for the console and excellent for accessibility-minded players such as myself.

In addition to the different factions, you also have Commander group powers. They are varied, offer other tactical options, and even content that can significantly change the gameplay. In the Italy campaign, these decisions are long-lasting, so think ahead if you want to give yourself a fighting chance.

Company of Heroes 3 is a beauty, but sometimes, the units can get lost in battle. It’s not a big deal. As I mentioned, you can pause the game, but it can cost you a unit when a massive fight occurs across multiple fronts. Performance-wise, the game runs well, but there is a bit of slowdown when things get busy in a crowded city area with a lot of destruction, but it doesn’t hamper the core moment-to-moment experience.

If you’re looking for a fun but deep RTS, you can’t do much better than Company of Heroes 3. The console ports are great, and the game is still receiving frequent updates and new content, making it an excellent choice for seasoned veterans or console newcomers alike.