Axis & Allies Online

About

Axis & Allies 1942 Online is a digital adaptation of the classic board game, allowing players to act as World War II powers and command armies at their own pace. The game features official rules, two game scenarios, and the option to play with friends, challenge ranked players, or play solo against the AI. It's a convenient and accessible way to enjoy the strategic gameplay of Axis & Allies.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Local Multi-Player Play with friends in the same physical space using split-screen or multiple screens
2-Players Play with one other player, either online or locally, in a cooperative or competitive game mode
Multi-Player Compete or cooperate with other players online
Co-Op Team up with friends to complete levels or missions together
Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo
PvP Player versus Player - Fight against other players in real-time, often in arena-style combat
Split Screen Play with multiple players on the same screen, often with divided or shared screen real estate

78%

Audience ScoreBased on 3,751 reviews

gameplay40 positive mentions

stability124 negative mentions

Faithful adaptation of the classic board game, capturing the essence of Axis & Allies.
Great for playing with friends online, allowing for asynchronous turns and easy setup.
Offers a nostalgic experience for fans of the original board game, with improved graphics and streamlined gameplay.

The AI is predictable and lacks challenge, making single-player mode less engaging.
Dice rolls often feel unbalanced, favoring the AI and leading to frustrating outcomes.
The user interface can be clunky and unintuitive, making it difficult to manage units and movements effectively.

gameplay
197 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
71%
9%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting that it closely resembles the original board game but suffers from various mechanical issues, particularly with the dice mechanics and AI performance. While some users appreciate the intuitive interface and strategic depth, others find the gameplay repetitive and frustrating due to slow AI turns and unclear mechanics. Overall, the game offers a solid experience for fans of the original, but significant improvements are needed to enhance playability and balance.
- “Although it took me a solid hour to understand the basic game mechanics, I am completely addicted to trying to challenge new players and strategies.”
- “Gameplay is actually improved: now you don't have to get into an ugly brawl with your cheating, no-good cousin Dave over whether his fighter can reach Borneo after combat since the computer knows exactly how far you've moved a given airplane, carrier, or ship.”
- “Great and intuitive gameplay that never gets boring.”
- “Also, there are some mechanics from the base game that don't transfer over, so it's just kind of a worse version of the game overall.”
- “The 'defense profile' has got to be the worst mechanic in this game.”
- “The gameplay is equally atrocious.”
graphics
146 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
58%
12%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the aesthetic and smoothness, while others criticize them as outdated and poorly designed. Many note that the visuals are adequate for a board game adaptation but fall short of modern expectations, often citing issues like graphical glitches and a clunky user interface. Overall, while some find the graphics satisfactory and true to the original board game, others express disappointment, feeling that they could have been significantly improved.
- “Beamdog ticked all the boxes: aesthetics are superb and true to the original spirit.”
- “The graphics are satisfying.”
- “The graphics and the way the game plays - true to the original board game.”
- “Unintuitive controls and poorly designed graphics make the already buggy experience just that much worse.”
- “The graphics are very lazy; honestly, the 1998 version was way better.”
- “Graphics are horrible still.”
stability
126 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
98%
The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous reports of bugs, crashes, and glitches that significantly hinder gameplay. Many users note that while the game can be enjoyable, the frequent technical issues, particularly on certain platforms, detract from the overall experience. Despite some improvements and ongoing developer support, the consensus is that the game remains unstable and in need of further refinement.
- “The game has no glitches.”
- “The stability of the game is impressive, with minimal crashes and smooth performance.”
- “I appreciate how stable the game runs, allowing for an uninterrupted gaming experience.”
- “Sometimes buggy and does not appear to be actively updated.”
- “It crashes on Mac (MBA M2) like once a session and the crash report screen is broken and freezes the whole app.”
- “This game is incredibly buggy; the anti-aircraft guns shoot down your planes over industrial facilities when you bomb them, even when there are no AA guns in the province.”
music
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
63%
9%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its repetitiveness and lack of variety compared to the 1998 version. While some appreciate the atmospheric quality and updates to the soundtrack, others express a desire for more diverse tracks and options to customize or remove battle music. Overall, the music is seen as a decent but underwhelming aspect of the game, with calls for improvement to enhance national immersion and player experience.
- “Whoever is doing the soundtrack (and adding new tracks in the updates) kicks ass.”
- “An excellent homage to Axis & Allies, a faithful rendition of the 2nd edition of the board game, with nicely atmospheric graphics and music.”
- “Clear interface, nice visuals, great music and spot on voice acting.”
- “Different sound & music (less themed than in the 1998 version).”
- “There is only one song in the game.”
- “The looped music is a missed opportunity to add more national immersion for each player.”
optimization
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
53%
17%
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues such as stuttering, slow response times, and crashes, even on high-end systems. While some users noted that the game runs smoothly at times and has seen improvements in AI performance, the consensus is that substantial optimization work is still needed to enhance the overall experience. Early access status has been acknowledged, but many players express frustration with the current state of performance and user interface challenges.
- “Timeless game, runs smoothly.”
- “Great, faithful recreation of the board game with optimizations for competitive players.”
- “For a small game, the performance is great and there are very few bugs.”
- “Poorly optimized, runs poorly even on an excellent rig.”
- “Constant error messages, skipping, stuttering, crashing out of the battle screen only to be jolted back in suddenly, sometimes with the error resolved, sometimes not.”
- “Devs must have been really lazy or it's simply not optimized at all yet to be so slow with no fancy graphics at all.”
grinding
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
93%
The reviews consistently highlight that the grinding aspect of the game is marked by tediousness, particularly in setup, movement, and combat mechanics. Players find the lengthy matches and complex interfaces frustrating, often comparing it unfavorably to the original board game. While some appreciate the game's depth, many agree that the experience can become overwhelmingly slow and cumbersome, detracting from the overall enjoyment.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “It is miserably slow and tedious for something that should be simple and streamlined.”
- “The use of transports and bombardments in gameplay is incredibly tedious and complicated.”
replayability
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
52%
11%
Overall, the game's replayability is viewed as a mixed bag. While many players appreciate the deep complexity, variance in gameplay, and the potential for multiplayer fun, others find the replay value limited, especially in solo play or after extensive familiarity with the game. Suggestions for enhancing replayability include introducing scenario builders and more diverse gameplay options.
- “Its deep complexity and the variance of the dice make it endlessly replayable.”
- “Axis and Allies has a multitude of maps and gameplay variations which add a near limitless replay value.”
- “This made the game amazing with lots of replayability.”
- “No research so that ruins some of the replay value for me.”
- “Excellent game, once you crack the strategy it's not much in terms of replayability though.”
- “The only downside is the limited replayability of the game without friends or others to challenge my mind.”
story
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The game's story is largely criticized for its lack of depth, with some players noting it feels more like a series of missions rather than a cohesive narrative. While some appreciate the gameplay mechanics, others find them confusing and inconsistent, detracting from the overall experience. Overall, the story aspect is seen as minimal or non-existent, leading to a focus on gameplay rather than narrative engagement.
- “This can be seen as a contrast to most hexagon-type turn-based strategy games, where the gameplay is mission-based, e.g., conquer x territory in x number of moves.”
- “When you're 'used to it,' it's functional, but you can never plot moves and step away from the game, because when you sit back down, all the swirling arrows with inconsistent pathing and vague trajectories are just plain incomprehensible.”
- “Think of it as a suicide mission.”
- “Ai has plot armor; dice rolls feel rigged when fighting AI. Otherwise, a pretty great game.”
- “☑ No story.”
- “Some game mechanics are completely wrong; a lone battleship cannot detect and attack subs, end of story.”
humor
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game primarily stems from the absurdity of the AI's decisions and the randomness of dice rolls, leading to comically unfavorable outcomes and laughable strategic blunders. Players find amusement in the AI's ineptitude and the unexpected placement of units, which can create humorous situations during gameplay. However, this humor is often overshadowed by frustrations regarding the game's early access state and lack of polish.
- “The 'random' dice rolls in this game can be hilariously bad, and the computer AI makes laughable decisions, like not defending home territories and making attacks with an overkill amount of troops while leaving other territories open to attack.”
- “It is, however, fun to play against as it is so bad that it is funny.”
- “Units sit in funny places in the territories that they are in - for example, I thought as the USSR I didn't have any infantry in Leningrad, but it turns out I did; they were just up at the very top of the province where my brain did not register that they were there.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The atmosphere of the game is praised for its strategic, slow-paced gameplay that encourages thoughtful engagement without the pressure of pay-to-win mechanics. Reviewers highlight the game's faithful homage to the original board game, enhanced by atmospheric graphics and music that evoke a sense of tension and enjoyment, particularly in multiplayer settings.
- “An excellent homage to a&a, a faithful rendition of the 2nd edition of the board game, with nicely atmospheric graphics and music.”
- “It both feels like the original and has managed to capture the lovely atmosphere of tension and fun when playing it with friends.”
- “Like the need for strategic mind games and a slow-gaming atmosphere with no need to rush or pay to win.”
- “The atmosphere feels lifeless and uninspired, making it hard to immerse myself in the game.”
- “There is a lack of environmental detail, which detracts from the overall atmosphere and makes the world feel empty.”
- “The sound design is underwhelming, failing to create the tension or mood that the game desperately needs.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the game emotionally draining, particularly in comparison to in-person experiences, where the emotional drama and interactions, such as trash-talking and reading opponents' reactions, enhance engagement. While the game serves as a suitable alternative for remote play, it lacks the depth of emotional involvement that comes from face-to-face interactions.
- “I can't explain it intellectually; all I can say is that my son and I found this game emotionally draining.”
- “In my opinion, one of the big appeals of playing games like Risk and A&A is the emotional drama between players, the trash-talking, and seeing your opponent's face when something good or bad is happening to them. This is a great way to play if you can't play in-person, but I don't think it totally replaces the in-person experience.”