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Watch trailer on Steam ↗Combat Mission Fortress Italy
Battlefront · Published by Matrix Games · Official site ↗
Very Positive — 85% positive (103 reviews)
Last updated 27 Sept 2026
Combat Mission Fortress Italy brings wargamers to the "soft underbelly of Europe", a place that was anything but.
£49.99
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£49.99
Price history
3 Sept 2026Lowest: £49.99 · Highest: £49.9912 Oct 2026
Strategy · 2023 · More £30+ games
Explore the tactical depth of Combat Mission Fortress Italy, a strategy game where your decisions shape the outcome on Italian soil.
About this game
Combat Mission Fortress Italy brings wargamers to the "soft underbelly of Europe", a place that was anything but. A very often neglected theater of war, Fortress Italy starts with the Sicilian campaign from July through August 1943. Sicily was the first test for the newly reorganized and improved American forces as they battled against grizzled vets of the Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe as well as a wide array of Italian Army forces. The arid terrain offers a unique experience for WW2 Combat Mission fans.
Fortress Italy transports wargamers to start of the western Allies' campaign to take the fight directly to the home turf of the Axis powers. The combat forces include the full range of historically available American, Italian, and German forces that fought in Sicily. Some of the highlights are elite formations such as Italian Bersaglieri, American Rangers, and the German Herman Göring Division. In addition to the completely new Italian forces, both the American and German organizations differ significantly from those found in other Combat Mission games. Four challenging campaigns and 17 stand alone battles provide engaging combat for control of Sicily. To fight these battles you have at your disposal 38 vehicles and loads of other weapons, many unique to Fortress Italy.
Players are assigned detailed missions to accomplish based on a richly diverse set of Objectives. Missions can be played in either Real Time or our novel WeGo hybrid turn based mode introduced with the first Combat Mission game 20 years ago. WeGo allows each player to plan out 60 seconds of combat and then watch as both sides' commands are carried out simultaneously. The WeGo system also allows for re-watching turn action and playing against another player by email (PBEM) or "hotseat" on a single computer. RealTime and WeGo head to head play can also use TCP/IP on a LAN or over the Internet. Massive replayability comes from a unique Quick Battle system which allows players to purchase their own custom force and fight over the battlefield of their choice from a wide array of different maps. A powerful map and scenario Editor allows you to create battles or campaigns for yourself and others.
All units are portrayed one for one in 1:1 scale in high resolution polygon 3D models with articulated suspensions, animated hatches, and other features that make them feel real. Unlike other 3D tactical wargames, Combat Mission combines real world physics with a thoroughly researched portrayal of forces, right down to what the individual soldiers cary into battle. Advanced vehicle damage modeling allows for tracking of each sub-system, including the most realistic ballistics, armor and post-armor effects available in any game. Unlike other games that claim this level of realism, Combat Mission actually delivers it across the whole spectrum of warfare, including the interaction of weather, lighting, and terrain on how units and their weapons function.
Perhaps the most important feature of Combat Mission is its detailed and innovative portrayal of "soft factors". Experience, Morale, Leadership, and other elements operate at the individual soldier level and collectively transform how units behave. As important as these battlefield concerns are, most other games give them short shrift or don't bother covering them at all. In the real world having the best weapons means nothing if the soldiers crewing them are balled up in fear or are too distracted to see what's going on around them.
Weapon penetration values and armor protection are based on extremely detailed real life data and scientific algorithms that are specific to exactly what is seen in the game. There are no arbitrary values (hitpoints) or precalculated resolution tables (CRTs) that so often produce frustratingly inaccurate results. The advanced Tactical AI (TacAI) models the psychological state and inherent qualities of every soldier on the battlefield, allowing for genuine battlefield behavior from every soldier as if they were their own free thinking individual.
The simulation of independent soldiers is important in another regard because it allows Combat Mission to have what we call Relative Spotting. This is a system which ensures that each soldier has their own unique view of the battlefield, avoiding the "Borg" issue seen in many games where once one person has spotted an enemy, automatically everyone else has spotted it and can fire on it as well. Any wargamer worth his weight in gunpowder knows that Fog of War is one of the most important battlefield elements. An unprecedented simulation of Command and Control (C2) combines with Relative Spotting to realistically portray the flow of information and responsibility between soldiers as they share information with each other on what they can see on the battlefield.
All of these elements, and many more, seamlessly fit together to create the most realistic battlefield experience out there. The realism level isn't pushed in your face with lots of data and obscure references. Instead players experience all of this with the 3D graphical environment. Combat Mission's visceral game environment is what attracts players, the richness of the gameplay is what keeps them playing for years on end.
Fortress Italy transports wargamers to start of the western Allies' campaign to take the fight directly to the home turf of the Axis powers. The combat forces include the full range of historically available American, Italian, and German forces that fought in Sicily. Some of the highlights are elite formations such as Italian Bersaglieri, American Rangers, and the German Herman Göring Division. In addition to the completely new Italian forces, both the American and German organizations differ significantly from those found in other Combat Mission games. Four challenging campaigns and 17 stand alone battles provide engaging combat for control of Sicily. To fight these battles you have at your disposal 38 vehicles and loads of other weapons, many unique to Fortress Italy.
Players are assigned detailed missions to accomplish based on a richly diverse set of Objectives. Missions can be played in either Real Time or our novel WeGo hybrid turn based mode introduced with the first Combat Mission game 20 years ago. WeGo allows each player to plan out 60 seconds of combat and then watch as both sides' commands are carried out simultaneously. The WeGo system also allows for re-watching turn action and playing against another player by email (PBEM) or "hotseat" on a single computer. RealTime and WeGo head to head play can also use TCP/IP on a LAN or over the Internet. Massive replayability comes from a unique Quick Battle system which allows players to purchase their own custom force and fight over the battlefield of their choice from a wide array of different maps. A powerful map and scenario Editor allows you to create battles or campaigns for yourself and others.
All units are portrayed one for one in 1:1 scale in high resolution polygon 3D models with articulated suspensions, animated hatches, and other features that make them feel real. Unlike other 3D tactical wargames, Combat Mission combines real world physics with a thoroughly researched portrayal of forces, right down to what the individual soldiers cary into battle. Advanced vehicle damage modeling allows for tracking of each sub-system, including the most realistic ballistics, armor and post-armor effects available in any game. Unlike other games that claim this level of realism, Combat Mission actually delivers it across the whole spectrum of warfare, including the interaction of weather, lighting, and terrain on how units and their weapons function.
Perhaps the most important feature of Combat Mission is its detailed and innovative portrayal of "soft factors". Experience, Morale, Leadership, and other elements operate at the individual soldier level and collectively transform how units behave. As important as these battlefield concerns are, most other games give them short shrift or don't bother covering them at all. In the real world having the best weapons means nothing if the soldiers crewing them are balled up in fear or are too distracted to see what's going on around them.
Weapon penetration values and armor protection are based on extremely detailed real life data and scientific algorithms that are specific to exactly what is seen in the game. There are no arbitrary values (hitpoints) or precalculated resolution tables (CRTs) that so often produce frustratingly inaccurate results. The advanced Tactical AI (TacAI) models the psychological state and inherent qualities of every soldier on the battlefield, allowing for genuine battlefield behavior from every soldier as if they were their own free thinking individual.
The simulation of independent soldiers is important in another regard because it allows Combat Mission to have what we call Relative Spotting. This is a system which ensures that each soldier has their own unique view of the battlefield, avoiding the "Borg" issue seen in many games where once one person has spotted an enemy, automatically everyone else has spotted it and can fire on it as well. Any wargamer worth his weight in gunpowder knows that Fog of War is one of the most important battlefield elements. An unprecedented simulation of Command and Control (C2) combines with Relative Spotting to realistically portray the flow of information and responsibility between soldiers as they share information with each other on what they can see on the battlefield.
All of these elements, and many more, seamlessly fit together to create the most realistic battlefield experience out there. The realism level isn't pushed in your face with lots of data and obscure references. Instead players experience all of this with the 3D graphical environment. Combat Mission's visceral game environment is what attracts players, the richness of the gameplay is what keeps them playing for years on end.
Features
- Tactical warfare at battalion and below scale in a true 3D environment
- Command individual vehicles, teams, and squads
- Expansive simulation of "soft factors" such as Morale, Experience, and Leadership
- Innovative systems portraying Fog of War, Spotting, Line of Sight, Command & Control, and Objectives
- Unmatched realistic physics, ballistics, and battlefield effects
- Fight in a wide range of weather and lighting conditions, all of which realistically impact fighting abilities
- Unique hybrid system for RealTime or WeGo (turn based) play
- Full featured Editor for maps, scenarios, and campaigns
- Quick Battle system sets up deliberate or randomized battles based on player specifications
- Single player and head to head play, including Play By Email (PBEM++)
- Supported for the long haul with patches, upgrades, and expansions
- The only Combat Mission Family to portray 1943 formations and equipment
- No other force in Combat Mission is as uniquely odd as the Italians with their mix of WW1 and 1930s equipment and organization. Talk about tactical challenges!
- Find out what it's like to play as or against Germans who can't count on Panthers and King Tigers to save the day
- Arid, rocky, sparsely wooded terrain produces an entirely different type of tactical setting
- Expansive maps with 1m x 1m resolution allow for short and long range action across complex terrain
- Buildings have explicitly simulated doors, windows, and floors
- Weather and ground condition modelling systems allow for everything from dry sunny days to muddy stormy nights, with visibility and mobility dynamically affected by the conditions. Some Combat Mission games include the full range of Winter, Spring, and Fall weather as well
- Line of Sight and Line of Fire are separately calculated, which means sometimes you can see something you can't shoot and sometimes you can shoot at things you can't see
- Soldier posture (prone, kneeling, standing) affects everything including spotting, cover, and ability to engage enemies
- Line of Sight is calculated from the "eyeballs" or "sensor" point, not a generic value
- Lighting affects combat in no small way in real life as well as in the game. The correct lighting conditions are simulated based on time of day, time of year, and weather
System Requirements
Will my PC run this? →Minimum
Minimum:
- OS: Windows 10
- Processor: Pentium IV 1.8 GHz or equivalent speed AMD processor
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: 256 MB VRAM or better and must support 1024x768 or higher resolution in OpenGL
- DirectX: Version 10
- Storage: 13 GB available space
- Sound Card: DirectX 10 compatible Sound Card (Windows only)
Recommended
Recommended:
- OS: Windows 10
- Processor: Pentium IV 2.8 GHz or equivalent speed AMD processor or better
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: 1 GB VRAM or better and must support 1024x768 or higher resolution in OpenGL
- DirectX: Version 12
- Storage: 14 GB available space
- Sound Card: DirectX 12 compatible Sound Card (Windows only)
Supported Languages
English, French, Italian, German, Spanish - Spain
Latest news
AnnouncementsOfficial
Free Content release - Combat Mission joins the 25th Anniversary Celebrations
This year marks the 25th anniversary of Matrix Games, and such occasion deserves something special.To celebrate, we are glad to announce that two brand-new scenarios are now free for everyone who owns Combat Mission Fortress Italy.Here are the details: Il Serpente:Central Italy, South of Rome, Frosinone Province, September 13, 1943After the Italian Armistice of Sept 3, German High Command implemented Operation Achse: to disarm the Italian military and secure strategic, Italian territory throughout the country. 29th Panzer Grenadier Division, is tasked with removing the Italian 136th Armored 'Centauro' Division from key points along the Latina Valley. Conditions: Overcast, Cool, Dry groundYankee Hotel Foxtrot:Northeast Sicily, Carone Mountains, August 13, 1943Northeast of Randozzo, the U.S. 9th Inf. Div. clashes with rearguard elements of the German 15th Infantry Division attempting to slow the drive on Messina. German and Italian units are putting up fierce resistance in order to buy time for the evacuation of Axis forces to the mainland. Conditions: Haze, Warm, Dry ground We hope you like this content and we wish you happy holidays.Read full article on Community Announcements (Death)Community & EventsOfficial
Fortress Italy Tournament - Sign-ups Open
Ready to test your strategic skills? The Fortress Italy Tournament is now open for sign-ups. Compete against others and prove your mastery on the battlefield. Tournament Overview This Tournament will feature 3 rounds with 3 different scenarios. Round 1 | Catch a Tiger - In a hasty retreat from Troina an immobilized German tank is left behind Round 2 | Casa Notre - Elements of A Company 1/505th Parachute Infantry Regiment attack fortified house at dawn Round 3 | Hell's a Poppin - US vs US bigtime armor battle! Important Note Please remember, DO NOT ABANDON OR SURRENDER during a round, as this will render the scoring inaccurate. We’re excited to see how you all perform in this tournament. Ensure you’re registered and ready for this thrilling event starting on February 13th. For more information and to join the tournament please click here.Read full article on Community Announcements (Death)AnnouncementsOfficial
Matrix Games is the new Home of Combat Mission
Hi everyone, We are excited to announce the acquisition of Battlefront, the renowned developers behind the Combat Mission series. ELEVATING COMBAT MISSION'S LEGACY This strategic move underscores our commitment to the wargaming community and the legacy of Combat Mission—a franchise celebrated for its unmatched tactical and strategic depth. With over 1 million copies sold worldwide, Combat Mission remains a defining force in the genre, setting the standard for authentic warfare simulations. LOOKING FORWARD This acquisition marks a new chapter for Combat Mission, as we plan to enhance the series with cutting-edge technology and innovative gameplay, all while preserving the core elements that have made it a favorite among wargamers for over 25 years. Battlefront's entire team, including the original creators, will be joining Slitherine, ensuring the continuity and quality that fans have come to expect. This partnership makes a milestone in wargaming, with Slitherine and Battlefront committed to delivering the best possible experience and ensuring the continued growth and success of the Combat Mission franchise. AVAILABILITY & DISTRIBUTION Combat Mission titles will continue to be available on all current platforms, including Matrix Games and Steam. To help both new and existing players, we have updated our FAQ and "How to Download My Games" sections, making it easier than ever to access and enjoy the series. A DAY OF CELEBRATION To celebrate this exciting milestone, we're thrilled to offer discounts of up to 60% on all Combat Mission titles. This is a limited-time sale, available until September 3rd, so don't miss out: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/combatmissionfranchisesale Additionally, we have organized a full day of streaming on our Twitch channel. The schedule includes a variety of Combat Mission titles, showcasing gameplay and strategies. Join us to experience our streamers in action and engage with our community. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/43772341/81576c3109a9336...Read full article on Community Announcements (Death)Community & EventsOfficial
"Choose Your Own Scenario" community activity on Discord
Today marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for our community as we launch our very first community activity on Discord. Starting today, every three days we will conduct a poll featuring various questions that will shape the design and creation of the next three fictional multiplayer maps for Combat Mission. These new maps will be brought to life by the talented Usually Hapless, who will use the community's responses from the polls to guide his creative process. But that's not all – Usually Hapless will also create a video tutorial, providing an in-depth look at how he crafts these maps using the game's editor. Once the maps are completed, we are thrilled to announce that there will be a special tournament featuring these community-inspired maps. This tournament will give players a chance to showcase their skills on the new battlegrounds and compete for a prize pool filled with coupon rewards. Join us on Discord today and help shape the future of Combat Mission maps. Your input is crucial, and we can't wait to see the incredible maps and intense battles that will come from this collaborative effort.Read full article on Community Announcements (Death)AnnouncementsOfficial
Combat Mission Fortress Italy - Out Now
The wait is finally over, Combat Mission Fortress Italy is now available on the Matrix Store and on Steam. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2551110/Combat_Mission_Fortress_Italy/ Combat Mission Fortress Italy brings wargamers to the "soft underbelly of Europe", a place that was anything but. A very often neglected theater of war, Fortress Italy starts with the Sicilian campaign from July through August 1943. You can also expand your gaming experience by purchasing the DLC: Gustav Line and Rome to Victory, discounted at 15% off for a limited time. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2551120/Combat_Mission_Fortress_Italy__Gustav_Line/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/2551140/Combat_Mission_Fortress_Italy__Rome_to_Victory/ To celebrate the launch on Steam and Matrix Games, the bundle Combat Mission Fortress Italy Complete Bundle will be discounted at 10% off for a limited time. https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/34812/Combat_Mission_Fortress_Italy_Complete/ Anyone with a copy of the game purchased on Battlefront.com will also be able to redeem a Steam key HERE using their original game code. If you want to know how to do it, all details can be found here Last but not least, all the Combat Mission series is discounted up to 40% right now. But that’s not at all, more is going to come for Fortress Italy, stay tuned…Read full article on Community Announcements (Death)
