SGS Overlord

About this game

OVERLORD

SGS Overlord is a complete stand-alone game that covers the WW2 operations in Normandy, from June 6th, 1944 till the end of August, when the breakout and the battle should largely be over.


The game covers the whole operation in Normandy, from D-Day onwards, using a system of 3-days turns.

As the German, you must hold the front for as long as you can, as every week you gain may increase the chances of survival of the Reich. As the Allies commander, you must make best use of the American, Canadian, British and French forces to first gain a solid foothold and then breakout from Normandy, towards Paris and the enemy’s heartland, in order to may be win the war by Xmas?


The Scenarios
The goal of the game is to recreate the different phases of the battle in Normandy, either in a complete grand campaign covering the whole actual duration, or in shorter scenarios of different duration set at various starting points, such as:

• Grand Campaign: The entire campaign, starting with the very first operations on June 6th, till the last days of August. This campaign scenario lasts 30 turns of 3 days (June 6th till September 3rd, 1944). [30 turns]
  
  
• Bocage: a shorter post-landing campaign, presenting the difficult fight in the Normandy bocage, from June 30th, till the last days of August. This short campaign scenario lasts 22 turns of 3 days (June 30th till September 3rd, 1944). [22 turns]
  
  
• Race for Cherbourg: Getting hold a deep-water fully-equiped port was essential for the pursuit of the campaign, and there was only one possible target: Cherbourg. Can the Allies reach it in time, or will the German defend it for long enough to create a logistical nightmare for the enemy?. This scenario lasts 4 weeks (6th to 26th June 1944). [7 turns]
  
  
• Operation Cobra: The scenario covers the famous operation that finally led the American forces under Patton and Bradley breakout from Normandy, after trashing the German front at Avranches. This scenario lasts 7 weeks (2nd July to 18th August 1944). [15 turns]

Depending on the game success and players' demands, we shall later add scenarios about the Battle of Caen or the Mortain/Falaise campaign.



Scale
The game scale is at the brigade or divisional level for land units of both sides, with smaller units (e.g. garrisons, local defenses…) being also present. Air units and naval support, only on the Allied side, is treated in groups.

Other items such as fortifications and supply units [wagons and depots] are also present in good numbers.



Balance
No side is specifically advantaged. Both are playable and enjoyable once you capture the essence of their specific strong points and weaknesses. Detailed scenario information sheets are here to help you get into the game.

One player represents the German forces (various land units of the Whermacht, the Luftwaffe or the Waffen SS), while the other commands an array of American, British, Canadian, Polish and French troops fighting for the Allies.

• The German have good quality troops and nothing in terms of air support, but they have some solid defensive positions and, above all, benefit from the defensive advantages of the terrain in Normandy, where marshes, woods, forest and, most of all the infamous ‘Bocage Normand’ all provide a strong protection. At some key moments, they will have local superiority and advantage and can put the Allies in very difficult situation.
  
• The Allied troops and their enormous air superiority must hold and seize key points early on, first and foremost uniting their beachheads and securing a safe supply source by holding a port. Then reinforcement and numbers will tell, except if the Germans skilfully manage to use the awful terrain and weather to their benefit.

Be extremely aware of the importance of both weather (which hampers air superiority) and supply (which will mostly affect the Allies). Both may contribute to make the campaign looking more like a war of position warfare like in wW1 than the fast and strong Blitzkrieg that could be expected.

Duration
Estimated Playtime: from 1h to many hours…
Favored Side: none.
Hardest to Play: Allies.

Latest news

• Patch Notes·17 Jul 2026Official

  SGS 1.7.9 UPDATE

  FixesFixed an issue in Play-by-Email matches where the game could show "This is not your turn to play" incorrectly and blockyou from loading your save.Fixed a bug that allowed a leader without real battle leadership to start a battle.Fixed a bug that allowed units to attack without a leader present, even when one was required.Fixed a rare freeze that could occur when the game checked for a leader during movement or combat.Fixed diplomacy restrictions on movement occasionally lingering after the event that caused them had ended. ImprovementsImproved Steam connection reliability, with more retry attempts and clearer messages if the game can't connect.Fixed an issue that could cause the game to fail recognizing your Steam ownership. Steam Troubleshooting InstructionsFollowing our recent update, if players are using an outdated Steam version, a connection bug occurs and the corresponding Steam error code is indicated. In that case, the solutions are: Solution 1The practical solution we tested is the following1. Close Steam.2. Delete `steam.cfg` from the Steam root directory (this file disables automatic updates) if it exists. If it does not exist, go for solution 2 below directly.3. Restart Steam and wait for the Steam auto update. Solution 2In case this solution does not work for you, a more radical one is1. Remove completely the Steam application from the computer (not close, completely uninstall). Before that, please save all folders of your non-SGS games to avoid having to re-download everything.2. Download the most recent Steam installer3. Re-install Steam. We hope this will be helpful to players with those issues. ImportantPlease note that Steam no longer supports Windows 7/8. If you are on those O/S, please consider moving up. SGS games are designed for Windows10 or up O/S.https://store.steampowered.com/news/group/36173274 
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• Patch Notes·6 Jun 2025Official

  SGS OVERLORD - ANNIVERSARY UPDATE N°3, June 06, 2025.

  Hello everyone and thank you for your interest in SGS OVERLORD. This anniversary update includes a new scenario and various improvements, starting with the game engine, which moves to version 1.5. You'll benefit from a greatly revised UI and numerous improvements (for example, the ability to see the troops engaged in each battle). The gameplay has also been improved in response to your many feedbacks and comments. We'd like to thank them all. Manual As requested by some players, a reinforcement calendar has been added at the end of the manual (in French, English and German), allowing those unfamiliar with this military campaign to have an overview of the gradual arrival of their troops. It should be noted that the German player has only a very limited view of the resources he will receive as he goes along, and this is deliberately included in the game in order to give a flavor of uncertainty entirely in keeping with historical reality. Unit corrections - The movement of American paratroopers has been raised, and certain areas of the map slightly modified to avoid frustrating “blocking” situations. - Some British and Canadian units have had their offensive value slightly reduced. The idea is to take into account the difficulties experienced by these troops in advancing across the Caen plain, and the lack of offensive experience of many formations. - Adjustment of the morale levels of certain German units (lowered in particular for certain recently reformed panzer divisions whose cohesion leaves something to be desired). - The 5th Parachute Brigade was a ‘cheater’ but has been punished: it now uses its replacement points like every other unit, i.e. 2 replacements for 1life point. Other changes and fixes - Important change: HQs no longer act as supply relays. Despite a certain logic in its operation, this feature led to unrealistic and frustrating situations complained of by some players, such as units being surrounded but temporarily supplied by their HQ and therefore...
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• Announcements·24 Jul 2024Official

  Trailer for SGS Battle for Shanghai

  Here is a new trailer for the upcoming new wargame in the SGS Battles series, on the topic of the important battle of Shanghai, in 1937: SGS Battle for Shanghai. Coming soon on Steam. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL-EIODn-XE https://store.steampowered.com/app/2595230/SGS_Battle_For_Shanghai/
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• Patch Notes·8 Jul 2024Official

  Update 2

  Hello everyone, and thank you for your interest in Overlord, which has already been a great success just one month after its release! Thanks to all those who have sent us their feedback, we're always listening. Don't hesitate to use the game's discussion page on Steam, and/or tell us what you think of the game on the reviews page. On the program for this update are a few corrections to minor bugs detected during testing or gameplay. For example, in the Cherbourg scenario on the American side, the AI should now progress normally, and the player will no longer draw a card to detect... his own units! Adjustments have also been made to limit frustrating situations, such as bunker units that must be destroyed to progress. However, they may occur from time to time, and this uncertainty is also part of the game and the challenge it offers players. There can be no victory without a certain amount of luck, or rather "friction" as defined by the great war theorist Carl von Clausewitz. Player can occasionally be frustrated in their perfect plans as real generals are. A number of small adjustments have also been made to the map, events and order of battle to better reflect the characteristics of the troops in the summer of 1944. For example, German coastal batteries now do slightly more damage. All the more reason for the Allied player to try to get rid of them quickly. The major new feature of this update is the addition of a large alternative campaign scenario called Directive 51, described on the scenarios page. It offers two alternative deployments of the German army in line with the opposing defensive concepts of Rommel and von Rundstedt in the spring of 1944. Player (or IA), choose between them in turn 0. In reality, Hitler never made a clear decision between them and squandered their potential by dispatching armored reserve and personally reserving the decision to commit the bulk of them (Historical campaign). With the Rommel plan, defenses were concentrated as close as ...
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• Patch Notes·10 Jun 2024Official

  UPDATE 1 (11/06/24)

  UPDATE 1 (11/06/24) Some corrections and additions to the map (names / positions of certain villages, Dives, Mézidon...) Minor changes to initial positioning in the grand campaign (Panzer-Lehr Division, Grenadier-Regiment 915...) Minor unit corrections (2nd British Army Victory Points in particular) AI tweaks to optimize behavior (notably the American army in the Cherbourg scenario) A few corrections and updates to the Overlord manual for greater clarity, including unit repair costs in replacement points. 1>1: Allied fighter-bombers and German infantry 2>1 : Specialized, armored and mechanized units on both sides; Allied medium bombers 3>1 : German fighters (overwhelming inferiority and lack of pilots) Thanks for your support, more will follow later.
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