Steel Fury: Kharkov 1942

About

Steel Fury: Kharkov 1942 is a single player survival simulation game with warfare and historical themes. It was developed by Graviteam and was released on June 24, 2020. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

"Steel Fury Kharkov 1942" is a realistic tank simulation game set in the Battle of Kharkov in World War II. Players can command various Soviet and German tanks through challenging missions, with a focus on historical accuracy and detailed vehicle models. The game features a complex physics system, strategic gameplay, and intense combat scenarios.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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68%

Audience ScoreBased on 90 reviews

graphics6 positive mentions

atmosphere3 negative mentions

Offers a highly immersive and realistic tank simulation experience, capturing the essence of WWII tank combat.
The modding community has created valuable enhancements, adding new tanks, missions, and improving graphics, making the game more enjoyable.
Despite its age, the game still provides a unique and engaging gameplay experience that appeals to fans of tank simulators.

The game has significant compatibility issues with modern systems, requiring extensive modding to run properly.
Graphics and UI are outdated, leading to a frustrating experience for players expecting modern visuals and functionality.
Many players report bugs and technical problems, including resolution issues and unresponsive controls, making it difficult to enjoy the game without prior knowledge of modding.

graphics
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
68%
11%
The graphics of "Steel Fury: Kharkov 1942" are considered dated by modern standards, reflecting its age as a game developed for earlier hardware. While some players appreciate the nostalgic visuals and the enhancements provided by mods, many report issues with resolution and graphics card recognition, necessitating extensive modding to achieve satisfactory performance. Overall, the game still offers enjoyable visuals at higher resolutions with the right modifications, but it clearly shows its age compared to contemporary titles.
- “The steppes are rendered beautifully and I can spot Soviet tanks and troops from afar, which is surprising...the graphics are superb at 1080p and the frame rate is an easy 60fps with a GTX 1660 Super.”
- “The game's graphics may be geriatric, but it still looks and plays enjoyably enough.”
- “Arguably the best WWII tank sim still standing strong 13 years after release with thrilling gameplay and still appealing somewhat unique visuals.”
- “The graphics in 'Steel Fury: Kharkov 1942' are alright for its time, but they might look a bit dated compared to newer games.”
- “The game was developed for an earlier generation of machines and you'll encounter all of the usual issues: screen resolution locked to minimum setting, graphics card not recognized, not enough virtual memory, and so on.”
- “Resolution is broken, the game won't register most modern graphics cards (and thus forces itself to run on the lowest setting) and there really is no way around this except, as I said, extensive modding.”
story
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
54%
23%
The game's story aspect is enhanced significantly through mods, particularly the STA mod, which introduces a wealth of new missions, tanks, and scenarios, making the gameplay more immersive. However, the vanilla version offers limited content, with only a handful of missions available, leading to a sense of repetitiveness. Players are encouraged to invest time in downloading and installing mods to fully experience the game's potential narrative depth and variety.
- “If you enjoy IL-2 Tank Crew, I would highly recommend buying this forgotten gem and getting the ATS mod, which adds more theaters, maps, missions, and vehicles.”
- “Tanks with infantry support, historical missions, sounds of war all around.”
- “There is a lot of custom scenarios online, as the game has a mission editor.”
- “The vanilla game does not have that many missions you can do; you'll complete about 10 and that's it. You've done all the missions, congrats.”
- “The vanilla game doesn't offer that much content. I heard that the STA mod gives you a bunch of missions and new tanks to use, but the way to get those files is hard. You can either download them through a Japanese website or pay money on a forum to get access to the latest version of the STA mod. Even after you download them, you might not be able to run them properly, so get ready to waste time trying to download the STA mod and get it running or accept the fact that you only have 3 tanks you can use and only a few missions you can do.”
- “The missions are rather short if you apply constant effort.”
gameplay
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The gameplay is highly praised for its solid controls and mechanics, offering an immersive tank simulation experience reminiscent of titles like Red Orchestra and IL2 Tank Crew. While the physics of tank maneuverability and gun mechanics differ from other games, the engaging infantry dynamics enhance the overall experience. However, some players note a lack of control in certain roles, and there is a desire for updates and mod support to further enrich the gameplay.
- “The controls and mechanics hold up really well.”
- “Very good tank simulator game, quite similar to Red Orchestra tank gameplay and IL2 Tank Crew.”
- “Arguably the best WW2 tank sim still standing strong 13 years after release with thrilling gameplay and still appealing somewhat unique visuals.”
- “The only drawback mechanically is the lack of control in certain roles.”
- “The keys and feel of this game are much different than SABOW in that the physics of tank maneuverability and gun mechanics are different.”
- “The youthful flesh has wrinkled and aged, but underneath is some solid gameplay.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its realism and the sense of impending doom, particularly enhanced by the presence of infantry alongside tanks. This combination creates a compelling scale and adds a layer of danger, significantly enriching the overall experience.
- “It adds to the realism and the overall atmosphere.”
- “I love the atmosphere of the possible impending doom of your crew getting wounded.”
- “Having infantry push alongside you does so much for the scale and atmosphere of the game!”
- “Infantry brings a lot to the tank sims in terms of atmosphere and danger.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
Users report that the game's optimization is generally poor, as even older hardware struggles to run it effectively, indicating a lack of support for outdated systems.
- “The game runs surprisingly well on my outdated laptop from 2013, even with drivers that haven't been updated in over five years.”
- “I appreciate how the game optimizes performance, allowing it to function smoothly on older hardware.”
- “The optimization is impressive; it makes the game accessible even for those with less powerful systems.”
- “Performance: I use an outdated laptop from 2013, which had its drivers expire over 5 years ago.”
- “The game struggles to run smoothly even on high-end hardware, making it frustrating to play.”
- “Optimization is severely lacking; frequent frame drops and stuttering ruin the experience.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The stability of the game is criticized, with users reporting persistent bugs during the modding process and errors occurring after the splash screen. Many express frustration with the need for additional care and updates to improve the experience, suggesting that it requires a more reliable installer package for mods to enhance stability.
- “Seems great for its vintage, but sadly the modding process seems buggy even after September 2020 according to other users' patch notes and updates. On the first day of trying, I encountered an error after the v2.2 splash screen when going into the game. I've tried three times already and will have to start from scratch again some other time. It needs some care to earn its place on Steam, or someone should write an installer package for the mod.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable. I expected better stability, especially after the latest updates, but it seems like the issues have only gotten worse.”
- “I keep experiencing random freezes and crashes during gameplay. It's frustrating because the game has potential, but the stability issues ruin the experience.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the game quite replayable due to its dramatic and resonant moments, enhanced by ultra-realistic details that encourage multiple playthroughs to fully appreciate the experience.
- “The game features dramatic and resonant moments that make it quite replayable.”
- “With its ultra-realistic details, I find myself coming back for more every time.”
- “The replayability is impressive, as each playthrough offers new experiences and challenges.”

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80%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews

Steel Fury - Kharkov 1942 review
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80%

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2h Median play time

2h Average play time

2-2h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Steel Fury: Kharkov 1942 is a survival simulation game with warfare and historical themes.

Steel Fury: Kharkov 1942 is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 2 hours playing Steel Fury: Kharkov 1942.

Steel Fury: Kharkov 1942 was released on June 24, 2020.

Steel Fury: Kharkov 1942 was developed by Graviteam.

Steel Fury: Kharkov 1942 has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked this game for its graphics but disliked it for its story.

Steel Fury: Kharkov 1942 is a single player game.

Similar games include Arma, Steel Armor: Blaze of War, Combat Mission Shock Force 2, Battle of Empires: 1914-1918, Gunner, HEAT, PC! and others.

Steel Fury: Kharkov 1942

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