If you miss Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway, start with Hell Let Loose for the closest modern battlefield experience, Squad 44 for slower and more authentic teamwork, and Company of Heroes 3 if the series' squad-command mechanics matter more than first-person shooting. Add Sniper Elite 5 for a great solo campaign and Medal of Honor: Airborne for that old-school cinematic WWII rush.
Gearbox's 2008 shooter remains unusually memorable because it made suppression, flanking, and squad positioning the heart of combat. You weren't simply clearing rooms with a Thompson M1A1; you were pinning a MG42 team with rifle fire, sending Leggett's squad around the side, and waiting for the enemy's red suppression indicator to collapse. The games below don't all copy that formula, but each preserves a piece of what made Hell's Highway special.
S-Tier: The closest modern replacements
1. Hell Let Loose
Hell Let Loose is the obvious first recommendation for 2026. Its 50-versus-50 battles are much larger than Hell's Highway's set pieces, but the basic infantry logic feels familiar: machine guns lock down lanes, officers create spawn points, and a careless push gets erased in seconds. The game includes nine-player squads, a commander role, logistics, armor, reconnaissance, and support functions, so positioning matters long before anyone pulls a trigger.
The key difference is lethality. A Kar98k or M1 Garand can end a fight with one well-placed hit, while an MG42 can make an entire hedgerow unusable. There is no generous arcade health bar to save you. Use cover, avoid sprinting across open roads, and watch for muzzle flashes rather than chasing every target. The American M1 Garand rewards deliberate follow-up shots; the German Kar98k rewards patience and careful range judgment.
Hell Let Loose also captures the lonely confusion that Hell's Highway occasionally created. You need to read the map, listen for proximity chat, and understand whether your squad leader has placed an Outpost nearby. The game is best with a microphone and a patient squad. If you want a lighter introduction, reduce server size expectations and play Rifleman or Support before touching Officer.
2. Squad 44
Formerly known as Post Scriptum, Squad 44 is the more demanding alternative. It focuses on the European theater with large maps, historically grounded equipment, and a communication-heavy structure. Its 50-versus-50 format makes it feel like a battlefield rather than a traditional mission, but the British, American, German, and Polish forces give the game a strong historical identity.
Squad 44's best moments resemble an expanded Hell's Highway convoy or bridge assault. A rifle section pins defenders while an anti-tank player crawls through a ditch, and a squad leader coordinates smoke before the final crossing. Vehicles are powerful but exposed; the PIAT, Panzerfaust, and anti-tank rifles demand correct angles rather than panic firing. Armor players must worry about positioning, visibility, and infantry screens instead of simply farming kills.
This is not the pick for instant action. Rounds can be quiet for several minutes, then explode when artillery lands on a capture sector. Choose it if the communication and battlefield discipline of Hell's Highway are what you want to deepen. The official Squad 44 Steam page is still the best place to check its current name, player activity, and hardware requirements.
| Game | Best match for | Scale | Learning curve |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hell Let Loose | Large-scale infantry tactics | 50 vs 50 | Medium |
| Squad 44 | Historical teamwork and armor | 50 vs 50 | High |
| Company of Heroes 3 | Squad command and flanking | RTS skirmishes | Medium-high |
| Sniper Elite 5 | Solo WWII infiltration | Single-player missions | Low-medium |
| Medal of Honor: Airborne | Cinematic campaign action | Single-player missions | Low |
🎮 ARMS
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3. Company of Heroes 3
If what you really remember is ordering Baker's men into a flanking position, Company of Heroes 3 is the best mechanical substitute. It is a real-time strategy game rather than a shooter, but its infantry squads behave like units with personalities, weapon upgrades, and battlefield roles. The core campaign covers the Italian Dynamic Campaign and North Africa, while the multiplayer roster includes American, British, Wehrmacht, and Deutsches Afrika Korps forces.
The tactical loop is pure Brothers in Arms DNA: suppress a squad with an MG, move a rifle section around its arc, then finish the position with grenades or a flanking assault. British Infantry Sections can be shaped around different upgrades, while American units offer flexible combined-arms options. Vehicles aren't invincible either. A Panzer IV can dominate exposed infantry, but anti-tank guns, mines, and side attacks punish unsupported armor.
Use the Tactical Pause in the single-player campaign to queue movement, smoke, and attacks without losing control of the wider front. That feature makes the game more approachable than its multiplayer reputation suggests. The official Company of Heroes website tracks factions, updates, and downloadable content.
4. Arma Reforger
Arma Reforger is a left-field recommendation, but it is excellent if Hell's Highway's military atmosphere matters more than its WWII setting. Set during the Cold War, it places American and Soviet forces on the island of Everon. Combat is slower, navigation is more important, and a rifle squad can spend several minutes moving through woodland before contact begins.
Its Game Master mode is the big draw. A player can create objectives, deploy units, and shape a scenario in real time, which makes Reforger a powerful replacement for the authored mission structure of Brothers in Arms. The trade-off is polish. Server quality varies, mods can break after updates, and you need to learn radio channels, stamina management, medical interaction, and map reading. It is closer to a military sandbox than a campaign shooter.
Try the official Arma Reforger platform page before buying if you want to confirm supported platforms and current features. This is the choice for players who want to create their own Hell's Highway-style operations, not replay a tightly scripted story.
A-Tier: The best solo campaigns after Hell's Highway
5. Sniper Elite 5
Sniper Elite 5 is the strongest single-player recommendation on this list. Karl Fairburne's campaign takes place in occupied France, and its large missions encourage reconnaissance, sabotage, stealth, and carefully planned firefights. You won't command a squad like Matt Baker, but you will read patrol routes and defensive networks in a way that feels much closer to Hell's Highway than a standard Call of Duty campaign.
The weapon model gives each rifle a useful personality. The Karabiner 98, Lee No. 4, and M.1903 Springfield reward long-range precision, while the Welrod and suppressed SMGs are built for quieter infiltration. Bullet drop, wind, weapon customization, and enemy awareness all matter on higher difficulties. Use binoculars to tag officers and radio operators, then create a distraction before moving toward an objective.
Its best system is the Invasion Mode, where another player can enter your campaign as an enemy sniper. That turns familiar routes into tense cat-and-mouse encounters. The game also supports cooperative campaign play, making it a strong choice if you want structured missions without the server etiquette demanded by Hell Let Loose. See the official Sniper Elite 5 listing for the current edition and DLC lineup.
6. Medal of Honor: Airborne
Medal of Honor: Airborne is older, rougher, and still worth playing in 2026. Its defining feature is the parachute insertion. Rather than beginning at a fixed spawn, you steer into a landing zone and can touch down on a roof, behind enemy lines, or beside your squad. That choice changes the opening minutes of every mission.
The campaign's upgrade system improves weapon handling as you use guns, while the Thompson, MP40, M1 Garand, and Kar98k provide a familiar WWII arsenal. The health and enemy AI are dated, and the PC version may need compatibility tweaks, but the vertical level design remains clever. Buildings have multiple entrances, windows become firing positions, and a bad landing can put you directly into a crossfire.
Don't expect the coordinated AI squad behavior of Hell's Highway. Airborne is more of an arcade-leaning shooter with tactical routes. That makes it a great weekend campaign rather than a full replacement. For another classic-PC recommendation, Steamoz's Dungeon Siege review is worth browsing, especially if you're revisiting older games that need a little patience.
| Tier | Game | Why it belongs here | Who should play it |
|---|---|---|---|
| S-Tier | Hell Let Loose | Best modern infantry teamwork | Players who want authentic online battles |
| S-Tier | Squad 44 | Excellent WWII atmosphere and coordination | Players comfortable with voice communication |
| A-Tier | Company of Heroes 3 | Closest squad-command strategy loop | RTS fans and tactical planners |
| A-Tier | Sniper Elite 5 | Best polished solo alternative | Campaign-focused players |
| A-Tier | Arma Reforger | Deep sandbox and scenario creation | Military-sim enthusiasts |
| A-Tier | Medal of Honor: Airborne | Fantastic airborne openings | Fans of classic WWII campaigns |
Which game should you choose in 2026?
Pick Hell Let Loose if you want to feel like one soldier inside a huge operation. Pick Squad 44 if you want stricter authenticity, slower movement, and more meaningful vehicle coordination. Choose Company of Heroes 3 if the best part of Hell's Highway was ordering fire teams, suppressing enemies, and turning a bad position with a flank.
For solo players, Sniper Elite 5 is the safest recommendation because it combines modern presentation with genuinely useful reconnaissance tools. Medal of Honor: Airborne is the nostalgia pick, while Arma Reforger is the ambitious sandbox for players willing to trade convenience for freedom.
A practical 2026 performance setup
These games vary wildly in technical demand. Hell Let Loose and Squad 44 are CPU-heavy during artillery barrages and crowded objectives, while Sniper Elite 5 benefits more visibly from a strong GPU. Start with the following profile, then adjust resolution before sacrificing texture quality.
| Setting or hardware | Recommended baseline | Performance impact | Practical advice |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | Modern 6-core processor | High in 50v50 battles | Important for Hell Let Loose and Squad 44 |
| Memory | 16 GB RAM; 32 GB preferred | Medium | 32 GB helps with maps, browsers, and mods |
| GPU | 8 GB VRAM midrange card | High at 1440p | Keep textures high, lower shadows first |
| Shadows | Medium | Medium-high | Reduce for steadier combat frames |
| Effects and foliage | Medium-high | Medium | Lower foliage if distant clutter hides targets |
| Upscaling | Quality mode where available | Low visual cost | Use native resolution if ghosting bothers you |
Why Hell's Highway still has no perfect replacement
Every recommendation compromises somewhere. Hell Let Loose has better battlefield scale but less character-driven storytelling. Squad 44 has stronger simulation but demands more patience. Company of Heroes 3 captures the tactical decisions without giving you direct control of a rifleman. Sniper Elite 5 offers polished solo missions but replaces squad maneuvers with stealth systems.
That split is exactly why Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway remains distinctive. Its missions combine scripted drama, direct shooting, destructible cover, suppression feedback, and named squadmates in one package. When you order a flanking attack on a German MG42 position, the action feels personal because the soldiers around you are part of the story, not disposable icons.
In 2026, the smartest approach is to choose based on the part you want back. Start with Hell Let Loose for battlefield tension, move to Squad 44 for deeper coordination, and keep Sniper Elite 5 installed for a focused solo night. If you're also exploring unusual modern RPGs and strategy games, Steamoz's Elex PC fixes and Empires of the Undergrowth leveling guide are useful detours. None replaces Baker's squad perfectly, but together they cover nearly every reason Hell's Highway still matters.