Flashpoint Campaigns: Cold War
Flashpoint Campaigns: Cold War
Game
Game2023
Flashpoint Campaigns: Southern Storm
Developer On Target Simulations
Flashpoint Campaigns: Southern Storm is a grand tactical wargame set at the height of the Cold War, with the action centered on the year 1989. From the Steam store page
95 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy) · newest Jun 11, 2026 · last updated Oct 9, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
86
LovedLoved
72 positive · 12 negative
95% range 77–92%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 72 | 12 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 1 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
77 of 89 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
86% recommend · 73 yes, 12 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 85 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (102 of 115 positive).
Players praise the game's deep WEGO system and realistic command delays. [1][2][3] Reviewers highlight the improved interface and wealth of data. [4][5][6] Some players find the balance frustrating and the mechanics opaque. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [7]
A perfect excel simulator, but not an "ideal" wargame Purchased on day one from Matrix Store release, Steam records do not represent my actual play time. In a nutshell, here is my gaming experience I always play it for a while and then drop it - its mechanics are made black box, either intentionally or unintentionally, and there are always situations where it can be frustrating. In some cases, you even have to ask …
- [1]
It is a great honor to participate in the beta-test of Flashpoint campaigns Southern Storm. I have been played the previous title "Flashpoint Campaigns: Red Storm" since 2014. I was deeply impressed by the game's unique asymmetric turn-based system and command-oriented mechanism. I also made some battle reports and materials about the game in Chinese community. I started relearning the game about two years ago when …
- [2]
You issue orders, press START, and 15-20 minutes comes off of the game clock while your units try to fulfill the commands that you gave them. The other side is doing the same thing, so the bloody story of a battle unfolds and your plans sometimes are executed as intended, but frequently they go very wrong. Like almost all defensive commanders, the role of the US commander is to hold/delay and then bug out to a …
- [3]
Intimidating but surprisingly intuitive, there's a lot of fun to be had in the asynchronous WeGo combat system. Planning and giving orders, then having to wait to see how they pan out as they clash head-on with your enemies plans is a very engaging style of gameplay I find. Immense amounts of data is presented in very readable windows and the map display modes help bring clarity to the situation very quickly. The …
- [4]
FLASHPOINT CAMPAIGNS: SOUTHERN STORM, old school turn based tabletop war gaming with tons of modifiers and battlefield info all available on a humongous map and a incredibly intuitive drop down menu system. Very easy to get into thanks to the excellent interface along with a mountain of game settings to mess with in the options menu. Graphics are crisp and enjoyable at least to us old timers who played the likes of …
Summarised from 34 of the 96 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 10, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
86% of the 85 Steam reviewers we collected recommend Flashpoint Campaigns: Southern Storm. The complaint that keeps coming up: some mechanics feel opaque or frustrating. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Reactions
60 of 95 · most liked firstA perfect excel simulator, but not an "ideal" wargame Purchased on day one from Matrix Store release, Steam records do not represent my actual play time. In a nutshell, here is my gaming experience I always play it for a while and then drop it - its mechanics are made black box, either intentionally or unintentionally, and there are always situations where it can be frustrating. In some cases, you even have to ask the developers directly to get an answer. More detailed review The game was…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It is a great honor to participate in the beta-test of Flashpoint campaigns Southern Storm. I have been played the previous title "Flashpoint Campaigns: Red Storm" since 2014. I was deeply impressed by the game's unique asymmetric turn-based system and command-oriented mechanism. I also made some battle reports and materials about the game in Chinese community. I started relearning the game about two years ago when I got the beta test for the Flashpoint campaigns Southern Storm. Compared with…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Contrary to my username, I am not Erich Honecker - I am Col. Witt of the East German 7th Panzer Division, 72nd regiment. The order had come and we barrelled across the border on a soggy July morning. It was time to test our mettle against the American Juggernaut, and of course, our brothers too. For the entirety of that morning, I felt sick with the knowledge that my men were being sent headlong into a nightmare. Our initial attack did push aside US screening forces quite successfully, though…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The devs just put out a beta patch that solved a lot of bugs but also included some more scenarios and features. They seem quite commited to supporting their game and implementing community feedback, despite the slower than desired pace of the updates. For now I'm maintaining my original recommendation but with every update the game is approaching the value it charges, which is obviously something very subjective because we all value our money differently. ------ Original review below ------…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →FLASHPOINT CAMPAIGNS: SOUTHERN STORM, old school turn based tabletop war gaming with tons of modifiers and battlefield info all available on a humongous map and a incredibly intuitive drop down menu system. Very easy to get into thanks to the excellent interface along with a mountain of game settings to mess with in the options menu. Graphics are crisp and enjoyable at least to us old timers who played the likes of NAPOLEON AT WATERLOO and RISE AND DECLINE OF THE THIRD REICH back in the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →You issue orders, press START, and 15-20 minutes comes off of the game clock while your units try to fulfill the commands that you gave them. The other side is doing the same thing, so the bloody story of a battle unfolds and your plans sometimes are executed as intended, but frequently they go very wrong. Like almost all defensive commanders, the role of the US commander is to hold/delay and then bug out to a secondary position. If you stand and fight, you'll have a hard time winning. As…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a great wargame! I already enjoyed their previous title, Red Storm, so I was happy to see improvements such as multi-monitor support, colour/contrast adjustments, more tables, detailed intel notes, and everything else I needed to feel like the commander of NATO or Warsaw Pact forces. Already I’ve played two scenarios, ‘Steel Rain’ and ‘Crossing the Waldnaab’, both of which I managed slight victories. The former was more conventional to what I’m used to in ‘what if’ WW3 battles:…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I feel like they invested a lot of time trying to simulate the combat, but the balance ended up being "just add enough enemy units that you can barely survive". The result is defending against an endless red horde, with a k/d of 10/20/30:1 (I'm not even joking), with an endless stream of enemies just eventually grinding into your front lines. Oh, and the useless SAMs, of which 6 SAMs fail to eliminate a single chopper unit before needing to resupply, whilst the choppers just fly around killing…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Col. John Boyd's famous theory of the OODA Loop did much to explain the psychology of why armies win or lose battles. And "Flashpoint Campaigns: Cold War" is the best simulation I've seen of OODA in action. My look at this game for Military Times. www.militarytimes.com/news/your-mi...
neutral · AI labelView post →Flashpoint Campaigns: Southern Storm is a very enjoyable WEGO wargame. An abundance of unit data down to personnel lists, pre-battle threat assessments and battle plans to keep track of makes you feel like you are actually in charge of a regiment/brigade sized formation in the late 1980s. The gameplay itself is quite seamless and accurately captures the 1980s warfare. Devs are also quite attentive and will almost always reply to your queries. An additional thing I like about FC: SS is that…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you are anything like me then this one feature always attracted your attention. I still remember picking up Full Spectrum Warrior and reading how the Military used it training. I always found that fascinating as it adds so much more realism, immersion, and authenticity to the game. Now combined with Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear tactics really sold the game for me. The Cold War setting and usage modern military Tactics are just added benefits. So if enjoy wargames you will find…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is the most expensive game Ive bought in the last few years, maybe because Im the kind of gamer that can wait a couple (or more years) till games have a 50-80% discount. However, this kind of niche game is still pricey at 50%, and waiting for several more years might miss the multiplayer tournaments that Slitherine published games are often associated with. Now, Ive held my review till I had played a few scenarios and the multiplayer. Must have 40h or so into the game. Main pros: -The…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Side Quests is back and this episode's host is podcaster, writer and Cold War force commander, @jcdent.bsky.social! The game he is talking about today is Flashpoint Campaigns: Cold War by On Target Simulations and Matrix Games! funandgames.libsyn.com/side-quests-...
neutral · AI labelView post →A great game that’s worth every penny. Visually appealing, with a massive amount of content and the ability to add even more content or mod the existing easily. Hundreds of hours of game play right off the store shelf. All the decision making information you can think of (and some that you didn’t) is available in easily accessible, and in most cases, multiple formats. This isn’t a twitchy shooter. You are not a trigger puller or a cannon cocker. You are a mid- to high-level commander making…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →In general, FCSS achieved the balance between meticulousness, innovation and playability, which I would like to say, it’s very valuable for Wargame. It wasn’t achieve the precision only by its scale or game restrictions but better design of mechanics.The key to success is coordination and careful planning the plan of battle. Here are some of my suggestions for the game: 1.Add target preferences in SOP systems, therefore one could order his own troops to attack specific type of enemy target…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was/am a big fan of the original Flashpoint Campaigns. I'd played it quite a bit the first few years it came out. Anything that'd be considered "modern" and "wego" and I'm like a moth to the flame; I can't get enough. I waited when Southern Storm came out until there was a sale, and picked it up. It sat in my library for a while, as I "Armored Brigaded" and "Combat Missioned" myself to exhaustion. I've just now gone back to my Southern Storm purchase, I'm over eight hours in, and I can't get…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →First of all, despite being a veteran of turn-based strategy games, I am new to this genre of "wargames". They always left me with the impression that they were very complex and that you had to invest a lot of time to learn them. This is the first good impression of the game: despite being a wargame, it is not that intimidating, following the tutorial, which is important, I was able to learn how to play properly. Obviously, I'll have to delve deeper by playing and reading the game's massive…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Excellent wargame engine. Absolutely top-notch. The in-close knife fights the southern territory of Germany presents attackers with very challenging objectives. Watching the action in turn resolution is fascinating. Even though it is on the tactical end one must mind supply levels. Scenario briefings are well done. PBEM++ makes playing friends easy. Tactical Air Support and artillery are handled in a way pleasing to this old FO. Thank you Captain Darwin and team for a great game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Faulty re-location rules, e.g. when three full cavalry platoons are facing only one (1) T-64 with back from friendly tank platoons, the only reasonable choice is to remain in the dig-in and destroy the only tank instead of turning around and withdraw and hence ruin the entire battle plan.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Excellent game. UI is quite intuitive.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →simulation of combat operations from the cold war, with a great series and depth, loads of battles and options from the On Target Simulations developers who you all can trust, long term support, quick fixes of any errors found and great UI and AI with great core values of game play and Realism
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This was not for me... lots of really small font text that you can't upsize.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Northern Storm is fantastic and fun to play. Southern Storm is that and so much more. Can't wait for the full CENTAG to be released. Have been based in Germany during the later end of the cold war, I was impressed to note the accuracy of the naming and OOB for the Canadian units!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game is so buggy that it is almost impossible to play. You should expect enemies being teleported right into your rear area and destroying all your valuable assets, such as artillery and command posts. It only has such a high recommendation because of the supportive war gaming community. The game has become worse, as the newest update reveals that the teleportation mechanic is intentional. Now, enemies are teleported right in front of you. The game is definitely worth the $60.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game, superseded by FC:Cold War, buy that instead. I had some minor issues with Southern Storm, a shifting of waypoints crash bug, reversion of SOPs from orders, and other small things. These issues are solved with Cold War which not only looks but plays better., Once again, buy the latest, luxury model.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →They have abandoned the game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Abandoned. They're taking another crack at it with yet another game that will be priced at Triple AAA prices. Skip that as well, if you're not a fool.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Two pairs of Mi-24's are stronger than 1 SAM and 1 Vulcan detachments hidden in forest hex. At POINT BLANK contact all my AA units were devastated with no Mi-24's shooted down. I dont even mention a bunch of Bradley sections which didnt make a shot. I strongly recommend to developers to try some helicopter modules in DCS before doing this &!@$^@#&$ in their "simulator". Helicopter is just a flying coffing at point blank contacts whilst it can got shot from everywhere including its underbelly.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I would estimate I have 20 or so hours in this game, maybe a little more, from off of Steam. It's a fun upgrade from the original game. Very detailed, even more fun with two monitors (so you can easily see the map and data you need to succeed in the game at the same time).
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Intimidating but surprisingly intuitive, there's a lot of fun to be had in the asynchronous WeGo combat system. Planning and giving orders, then having to wait to see how they pan out as they clash head-on with your enemies plans is a very engaging style of gameplay I find. Immense amounts of data is presented in very readable windows and the map display modes help bring clarity to the situation very quickly. The new MoCOO display mode is good but the SOP rules that are also new to this…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you like board games-like wargames this one is a real treat. No Cold War afficiendo should miss out on this one. It is a very noticable step up from its predecessor in both fidility and graphics, yet it is an easy (relativily) game to get into but have alot of depth to master.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →When you first start playing this game it feels like you are more of a spectator than a participant. However, the more you play the more you realize the control you have. As has been discussed elsewhere, you give your orders, a delay ensues, and these orders are then carried out. If you are NATO your refresh rate on giving new orders is about 30 minutes while if you are Warsaw Pact it is closer to an hour. Due to this delay, plus the delay in the units actually doing what they are asked,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was showering and the next thing I know I'm thinking of how to get my helicopters to dodge those damn SAM missiles. This game is worth the time investment because there are so many layers to it. I love it and its WEGO system. I wish more developers would use WEGO instead of realtime.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have never been a computer wargamer. I've played other games around war, from shooters to grand strategy, but always stayed a step away from hardcore war games; I always thought they'd be too much info, and take too much time to play a single turn due to the massive scale. Then I found Flashpoint Campaigns: Southern Storm. This game is digestible while remaining deep and interesting. I am still learning a lot, but having limited units and playing on a smaller scale makes this game enjoyable…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Died in my first battle, will happily die again for any country if they pay me enough... the WEGO planning system is brilliant
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →With this narrow defeat by an army 2.5 the size of mine, I'm finishing my run of Master of Command for now so I could concentrated on reviewing Flashpoint Campaigns: Cold War. Once again, thanks to @armchairhistorian.bsky.social for both making the game and providing the code.
neutral · AI labelView post →WEGO system is great. I wish more strategy games using the same...
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a very good game if you are into serious wargaming and love to be challenged. The variations can keep you interested for years.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Despite my lack of experience with hex wargames, I can assure that Flashpoint Campaigns: Southern Storm is one of the best, most detailed, and interesting games in the genre. What sets it apart is that it doesn't work by the traditional IGOUGO turn system, but rather by a WEGO system where both parties issue orders and then the game simulates their execution during a dynamic amount of time. But there is an additional quirk: both parties don't give orders simultaneously; each one does in a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Red Storm and Reforged were great. Southern Storm is greater.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If only the graphics were just slightly less cartoonish... this is the sim I have been waiting for since ARTBAS
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →FYI, my hours of playing this game are all on the offline standalone version as I bought prior to the steam release and have yet to actually do any playing on this "version" of the game. I am gonna guess at upwards of 80 hours though I have taken a long break from much of my war gaming due to circumstances recently. However, I cannot recommend this game highly enough if you enjoy war gaming in general. Even if you don't this could be an interesting place to start. A small amount of general…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A great wargame with the right amount of depth and complexity. A vast amount of details and units data clearly layed out A super nice and modern presentation, rarely a PC hex grid wargame has look that good. I'd like to get, maybe via DLC, scenarios/campaigns for the more present or hypothetical conflicts (Irak, Sahel, Ukraine, Taiwan...)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A challenging wargame. Has a steep learning curve but once you learn the ways to command and the units available it gets fun ! Great game for seasoned wargame veterans. I am enjoying it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Love Gary Grigsby wargames WitE2 & WitPAE and this is no disappointment, quite the opposite. Plently of depth and quite a challenge even. The map editor will certaily give the community some far reaching games in the future. Very glad I picked this wargame up.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm crying. Sure, these are tutorials you have to do with the PDF manual open. But I have only quietly wished for wargames to have tutorials teaching you not only the game, but also the proper tactics to use in them. And here's Flashpoint Campaigns: Cold War...
positive · AI labelView post →Finally a wargame that doesn't make me feel stupid
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Only get this if its on sale. Huge learning curve and the documentation leaves a lot to be desired. Next to no content for the full price tag. AI isn't horrid but be prepared for your units to do some truly dumb stuff like a strella team trying to take on a tank company while ignoring enemy attach helo's.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The best grand tactical wargame set of the Cold War! WEGO is such an awesome thing.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've only played the first tutorial, but I'm hooked. When I initially saw this game I thought it would be too complicated for me. I was wrong! The game is very intuitive and cinematic.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pretty fun game, I'm working hard to hold back the Soviet swarm. Wargamers should make this game a buy
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There's still some pockets of goodness. I remember a thread about a game (Flashpoint Campaigns: Southern Storm) where people were happily reporting that it now ran on Linux with Proton (didn't use to be the case) and the devs were thanking them for letting em know (dozens of us wanted to play it)
neutral · AI labelView post →Game is unplayable because artillery is incredibly overpowered and they are ramping it up even more for CW according to ''Data'' they found. Hell no.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →great wargame sim, theres a bit of learning curve tho. My suggestion is to play the tutorial quickly step by step, then just jump into a small scenario while having the manual open. When ever there are things that you dont understand and you think it would impact your decision making, go look it up in the manual. You should be able to learn the game rather quickly.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →quite interesting detailed departure from other wargames; like Panzer Leader Ultra Max or something, detail but without the tedium. Definitely would be interested in DLC mod content; would be really cool early WW2, maybe Stalingrad. They made a good product (game); Id like to see it be a vehicle to explore other eras/areas.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Amazing game, one of the best wargames and a really great PBEM experience
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A great war game engine that allows you to experience the Cold war at the level of battalion/brigade commander, along with all of the delays and difficulties that entails. The UI is really clean and intuitive if you play these kind of games.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →read manuals. working through tutorials. nice visuals. a lot of depth. won first scenario with max win so the tutorials and manuals work cause i just followed them. last thing in tut manual was about having fun. so mission accomplished. it was a lot of fun. a lot.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ideally, a Flashpoint Campaigns game would feature either visualization or full battlefield simulation that looks as lavish as Wargame. But in this fallen world, we can't even get WARNO sans micro. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uutw...
neutral · AI labelView post →Game has very few players and if you want to play multiplayer u gotta use external means to even hope to find someone to play let alone get the game going. iits 2024 multiplayer should be in the game and be player friendly. its not 2000 no need to go on official forums to get a game going its horrible. Daily player counts for the game are like 15 so good luck getting a multiplayer game
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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