The Operational Art of War IV

The Operational Art of War IV

TrickeySoft LLC · 2018 · Strategy, Simulation, Wargame, Turn-Based, World War II

PC
Mostly Positive78% · 284
Best price 62 Great deal
$16.09-64%
$44.99lowest tracked $15.99
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Steam
Steam
Standard Edition · Steam
-55%
$17.99
$39.99
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Loaded
Loaded
Standard Edition · Steam
-64%
$16.09
$44.99
Buy

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About The Operational Art of War IV

The legend is back!

The Operational Art of War IV is the new generation of operational wargames. With more flexibility than before and with a new array of exciting features, it will make you relive the most iconic battles from the dawn of the 20th Century to modern day, including the ones that never occurred!

More than 200 scenarios like the Battle of Marne, Dien Bien Phu, the Batte of Arnhem, the Falkland Invasion - and lots more! - will forge your strategy skills and ability to master all kind of troops and terrains!

The entire naval warfare system has been completely revised and implemented, bringing its realism to a new, higher, level!

The supply system has been greatly enhanced, allowing a more gradual simulation without adding extra tasks to the players.

In addition, the game will feature an Improved combat resolution, a much more consistent combat round management, along with major improvements to the TOAW Editor Event system, making complex scenarios easier to create!

A new Battlefield Time Stamp feature takes on TOAW's unique way of handling game turn resolution and makes it easier for players to plan ahead!

And for those among you intimidated by large scenarios, an Improved PO/AI assist automation exists to make handing off part of your friendly forces to the AI easier!

The Operational Art of War IV is the top-notch military simulation that every wargamer needs!

FEATURES

New naval warfare features
  • The modeling of ships has been improved. Instead of treating ships as a single piece of equipment, like a gun or a squad, they are now treated as complex systems that incur damage in combat. Ships have new armor, durability, accuracy, speed, and agility parameters.
  • Embarked units no longer employ their own strengths in defense. Naval combat now evaluates attackers’ Anti-Naval strengths as individual shots/planes – employing their shell weights to determine armor penetration and resulting damage.
  • Sea Interdiction can now be employed by aircraft, ships, and coastal guns. Ships subjected to sea interdiction fire counterbattery back (or, in the case of carriers, counterstrikes).

New Supply system
  • There is now an intermediate supply state that falls between “Supplied” and “Unsupplied”. It’s called “Overextended”. A new parameter called the Overextended Supply Threshold has been implemented. That is the location supply value below which locations are overextended. Units in such hexes will function somewhat between how supplied and unsupplied units function. The result will be that it will be much more difficult for units to press on at red-lined unit conditions from such locations.
  • Motorized unit movement over improved roads can be set by the designer to be less than one MP per improved road hex (for example, ½ MP per hex). If optioned, this affects supply in that supply lines traced over improved roads will extend proportionately further than over other terrain, like regular roads. Note how this would especially affect desert scenarios.
  • The limit of 50% unit supply recovery per turn has been lifted.

Other game features
  • Range Limits: Ranged units can have their nominal ranges player limited. This can be used to tailor bomber ranges to match fighter cover ranges or to make units with multiple range equipment operate within the range of the shortest-ranged equipment. The DBR will reflect the modified range.
  • Deployment Recovery: Ranged units retain their deployment states after combat and ground assaulters can recover theirs if a planned combat is canceled.
  • New Bridge Destruction Rules: There is an option to limit bridge hexes (for destruction purposes) to locations where the road feature graphically crosses the river feature.
  • Combat Report Review. Combat reports are saved in the pbl/sal files for review by both players during their player turns.
  • Adaptation of Matrix’s PBEM++ system.

What Steam players say

Recent verbatim reviews from Steam — separate from playze.io community reviews below.

Not recommended Jun 1, 2026
Do not buy, TOO BUGGY! Stay with TOAW-III. This is amateur code from the community not a real product. It doesn't really do anything TOAW-III didn't do so stick with that. If this was priced like a community project then I could work through the bugs and odd behaviors. Given it's full priced I expect it to work like professional software and it does not. This did get me back into playing TOAW-III, which I love.
5 found this helpful
Recommended May 27, 2026
The Operational Art of War IV, developed by TrickeySoft LLC and published by Matrix Games, is a strategy simulation designed for players who want military planning on a massive scale. Rather than focusing on quick battles or simplified warfare systems, the game dives deep into operational-level command, challenging players to think like military planners responsible for entire campaigns instead of isolated battlefield encounters. It is a title built around patience, analysis, and careful execution, delivering an experience that rewards long-term thinking more than immediate action. The game covers an enormous range of military conflicts stretching across multiple eras of warfare. Historical campaigns serve as the foundation, giving players opportunities to command forces in famous twentieth-century conflicts while also exploring hypothetical scenarios that ask compelling strategic questions. The sheer amount of content available immediately stands out. Hundreds of scenarios ensure players have an extraordinary amount of material to explore, and each campaign introduces different military challenges that demand unique solutions. What makes The Operational Art of War IV particularl…
4 found this helpful
Recommended Apr 18, 2026
good
1 found this helpful
Recommended Jul 11, 2026
This is old-fashioned but in a good way. A throwback hex-and-counter game, with scenarios for all kinds of warfare.
Recommended Jun 7, 2026
Great turn based strategy for those who want to replay WWII battles at the operational level. It's not a quick play.
Recommended Jun 2, 2026
Almost beat Wellington and the Prussians in Waterloo, but I was a turn away from capturing Ligny and the cities near Waterloo so it turned out to be a draw.....still a fantastic game - 10/10. https://forums.matrixgames.com/viewtopic.php?p=4360528#p4360528 here is the list of difficulty for scenarios btw

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