Those three games were all from the original Combat Mission engine, now called CMx1 usually. A new engine was made for Shock Force in 2007 (CMx2), so it's been around a while. Those titles are

Shock Force (2007) Contemporary game set in a fictional Syrian conflict

Afghanistan (2010) Third-party developed, not currently supported

Battle for Normandy (2011) WW2 obviously

Fortress Italy (2012) WW2, Sicily and mainland

Red Thunder (2014) East Front limited to Operation Bagration timeframe (summer '44)

Black Sea (2014) Contemporary game set in Ukraine. The most modern title

Final Blitzkrieg (2016) Battle of da Bulge

Shock Force 2 (2018) A remastered sort of version of 2007's Shock Force

In addition, many of these titles have received expansion modules, adding new battles, campaigns, units, maps and more. CMFI and CMRT will each receive new expansions in the near future.


Like Russ, and many here, I began playing Combat Mission with the release of CMBO nearly 20 years ago. Matter of fact, I recently re-played both CMBB, and CMAK, which are available on GoG for peanuts. There are some things I prefer about the CMx1 titles, like the QB builder, the operations and some of the commands and mechanics. But in most every other way, CMx2 is better. It looks better, has superior artillery and off-map support mechanics, full 1:1 unit representation, more commands, and lots more. Some subtle difference as well that I don't always see as an improvement, but that's beyond this post.

Like the CMx1 games, the new ones shine as tactical simulators. For me, CM is the finest tactical level engine on the market, and that includes Graviteam and all the rest. However, outside of the actual tactical 3D combat, Battlefront has a ways to go to catch up, in my opinion, and needs a shake up. Still, I play the game all the time, mostly campaigns. Check the Tactical and RTS forums for more info.

One last point, the pricing reflects the niche market, and don't let it put you off. In the end, it will be pennies per hour. I recommend either CMBN or CMSF2 as the first foray in to CMx2 games, and not coincidentally I feel these two offer the best bang for the buck in the series (as well as being the most expensive when buying the 'big bundle', which is what I suggest).

Before doing so I highly recommend playing the demos to get a feel for the new engine and which title suits you best. This usually comes down to which era/theater you are most interested in, but short of that, CMBN or CMSF2.