DEFCON

I would have to say this is a genuine love letter to the ICONIC movie WARGAMES (1983). This game balances simple with strategic RTS tropes and delivers it nostalgically,. Unlike other seriously indepth RTS games which often take hours to play. DEFCON I have owned for several years and personally I think its a great game to play to have just some general fun and guess I would call it ..... RISK with nukes, a very simple yet exciting recreation of Global Thermonuclear war.

Game mechanics are simple and easy and a game could be played within an hour and with the option to speed up slow parts of the game, it truly offers a very fun gather some friends and nuke the crap out of each other in good fun. Everyone loses but who ever loses the least wins.

Many people often may over look a simple game like this, trust me there is strategy to be found here, without the complexity of very intricate games.

The other benefit is this is great for a LAN party as this game is an amazing multiplayer game offering 6+ AI or human players. The game is small but nostalgically relevant. It's a great time with friends and allows for some quick paced Armageddon. It's really alot of fun and its great to pick up have a couple games to warm up in a game night then move to other games. I really think this game is a hidden gem. It delivers what the games theme offers. Global Thermonuclear War, at its simplistic best. Have bought this game several times. enjoy. Sometimes simple is good, and this is truly that.

Captain Ramius : A little revolution now and then is a healthy thing, don't you think?

Probably the single most thought-provoking game I have ever played in my life.
I would recommend playing with friends as it can be quite hard to find a server.
Although not the easiest to do you can mod the game to add land and sea based MIRVs, satellites, and more.

You cannot win.

Visually pretty, much like Wargames.

Cold..

its defcon 1 in my pants

Its one of those games that lands in the sweet spot. If you think about the game you can get something out of it especially with how nuclear war can obliterate everyone without bias. On the other hand, it is a great strategy game and an easy game to pick up with know exp.

one of the best games of all time flat out if you can find people to play it with, strong foundation of rts gameplay with an exceptional atmosphere

Hard to get into.

I think the best part of it is that it doesn't call you "winner" for having the most score, it's just "game over" which hammers in the idea of everyone losing very well and makes "victory" unfulfilling and dissatisfying.

It's good

A good game to play during sex if you want the sex to end and everyone to become sad.

amogus with nukes

Older game and needs a little work setting up on modern display resolutions but still above and beyond any alternatives. There's a sense of urgency that fits the simplified gameplay (balance attack and defend, basically) nicely. Killer graphical design and decent sound design, even if I remember the soundtrack being a little more doomy.

Not for me. Lacks depth and there's no pause button, so the AI players can just make massive launches you can't cope with while you are completely unable to do the same. There's no way to setup scenario plans ahead of time to automate tasks, either. Real global thermonuclear war runs on a playbook, and this game is too simple to set one up.

doing my part to stop ww4

zobaczymy jak bomba pierdolnie

this is what would've happened if some dude on a russian submarine didn't say no

Very good game.

Put nukes in Africa for fun.

"Do you want to play Global Thermonuclear War?"

This was the very first game I ever bought on Steam way back in 2008, and it's still one of my favorites! Watch "Wargames" before playing and you'll see all the inspiration behind the creation of this game!

The game is pretty simple, not much in terms of story. You pick from one of six possible nations and go to war with up to five possible opponents, human or AI. You set up your nation with Radars, Airbases, and Nuclear Silos, and deploy fleets of Battleships, Carriers, and Submarines. As the game begins, you start at Defcon 5, where you essentially do nothing more than deploy and ready your forces. But a countdown begins, and as the Defcon State changes to Defcon 3, you eventially begin conventional, non-nuclear war against your enemies with your naval fleets and squadrons of Fighters and Bombers. Finally, when the Defcon State reaches Defcon 1, it's GLOBAL THERMONUCLEAR WAR. Nuke your enemy's cities to score points, while defending against their retaliatory strikes.

Graphics are simple, but clear. No need for hi-res or detailed 3D graphics here, the simple art style accurately conveys what you need to know, and is stylized to resemble the computer system from the movie. Sounds are subtle, but effective, accurately conveying the sense of cold indifference that pushing a button to annihilate millions of people would probably feel like. The music is appropriately dark, moody, and dreadful, portraying what it would likely feel like to participate in humanity's self-destruction. If I have one gripe, the controls aren't exactly intuitive, and you have to pay attention to how you click on units and bases to make sure you're giving the orders you want. But the game has pop-up instructions whenever you hover your cursor over any unit or base to tell you what you can do, and after a couple of games you'll get used to it, so it's not a huge deal. Also, pacing is a little slow, though you can adjust game speed.

Overall a fun game best played with friends. Give the demo a spin if you're not sure, but rest assured, it's money well spent. No one wins, but maybe you can lose the least!

Really good game. I accidentally dropped a nuclear weapon on the city where I live, and now the local authorities are looking for me.

It's nuclear war, nobody wins, everybody dies. There are no winners in war. Amazing game, the atmosphere is serious and emotional. This isn't just a game, it's an experience, a damn good experience at that, I found DEFCON a while back but I recently started actually playing, the games are long, it's very emotionally and mentally demanding, I recommend this game to everybody.

fun but very hard

Never has the slogan for a game been so apt. It's not about if you win, but if you lose less than the enemy. The sound and visual design does an impeccable job of putting you in a stripped-down, bunker-like environment as you just watch numbers of tens of millions on the screen, disconnected from the fact that you caused that. Probably the closest a strategy game will ever get to a horror game.

Very fun

for how little people play this game its FUN, yes, people call it the "Scareist game ever" but if you now the costs of nucluer war its fun, if you like game that are destructive this is one of them

a great game!!! it really puts you in the shoes of a commander at the hottest moment of battle. you never know what's going to happen and the situation can change at any moment. it's just great!!!!!!

very fun.hard to learn though

minimalist yay, very in depth and all consuming, not easy and hooks well

idk where the last 3 hours went but half the worlds population is now glass

If it's introversion, it's good.

Scariest game I've ever played.

Love that bomb!

Cant recommend the game simply because it has Kernel level control of your PC's resolution. Most notably, if you're a multimonitor user, this game will become COMPLETELY UNPLAYABLE if you play it full screen.

However, my biggest gripe is that changing the games resolution changes the resolution of THE MONITOR ITS OPEN ON. When you start the game it will alter the resolution of every monitor you use and WONT CHANGE BACK UNLESS YOU GO INTO THE SETTINGS.

Mutually assured destruction makes for a fun game! USA USA USA

I really like the fact that even though the game is undeniably simple mechanic wise, there's still so much strategy in this game. I also really like the anti-war element in the game!

It's crazy to think if there ever is a full scale nuclear war. There likely will be someone who's experience will be identical to playing this game

DEFCON – The Tense, Strategic Thrills of Global Annihilation! ☢️🌍

DEFCON is a brilliant strategy game that expertly captures the nerve-wracking tension of the Cold War era, taking you to the brink of global annihilation. Inspired by the 1983 cult classic film Wargames, this game puts you in control of global nuclear warfare, where every move could trigger an all-out war—or worse, total devastation. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to have the weight of the world on your shoulders, DEFCON will show you. 🕹️💥

The gameplay is deeply psychological, with a unique sense of paranoia and suspicion that plays into every decision you make. You must balance your military strategy, deceive your opponents, and manage limited resources in a world where one wrong move could lead to mutually assured destruction. The minimalist visuals might seem simple at first, but they create an atmosphere of tension that’s perfect for the game’s dark theme. 🧠🔥

What truly makes DEFCON stand out is its sense of looming dread. As you prepare to launch your forces, you’re constantly calculating the risks of retaliation, espionage, and the unknown. Every decision feels monumental, and the psychological warfare involved in playing against human opponents adds a whole new level of excitement. ⚔️💣

If you love strategy games that play with the mind and the moral complexities of war, DEFCON delivers a powerful experience. It’s a game that will have you second-guessing every decision, all while basking in the eerie, cold atmosphere of global conflict. Whether you’re revisiting it from your childhood or discovering it for the first time, DEFCON is a thrilling reminder of how strategy and tension can create an unforgettable game. 🌍💀

Score: 8/10

Created with <3

nuclear war simulator. friendship tester on the level of monopoly. demonstrate the power of mutually assured destruction. win by letting your enemies kill each other. switch sides when convenient. harness the power not only of the atom, but of subterfuge. still fun after all these years. i give it 10/10 cities made uninhabitable by nuclear fire. the only god that exists in this hellish world is you. and you are a cruel and unmerciful god. mandatory to play for all high level govt employees. may we pray they have more restraint than i do when i see my hometown in the game and level it to ashes like sodom.

Remember, you win just like any other game... nuke your opponent first ask questions when it ends XD

In nuclear war, there is no winner.
Except me who wiped out the opposition without any of my cities or units being destroyed.

The big kaboom

Gut

Horrifying and enthralling

"Mutual assured destruction (MAD) is a doctrine of military strategy and national security policy which posits that a full-scale use of nuclear weapons by an attacker on a nuclear-armed defender with second-strike capabilities would result in the complete annihilation of both the attacker and the defender." -Wikipedia.

Basically "Everybody dies"

My buddy begged me to buy this game and from initial impressions it seemed to look boring and not something I would really be into. I played a match with him after buying it and honestly I really enjoyed, Its a lot more fun than it looks!

Simulates the feeling of a general siting in a safe bunker watching the world be destroyed.

Nuclear war is bad but we probably deserve it

cool :thumbs_up: