Battle of Saipan

Joni Nuutinen

About this game

Battle of Saipan 1944 is a turn based strategy game unfolding on the Pacific theater during the Second World War. From Joni Nuutinen: by a wargamer for the wargamers since 2011. Last updated December 2025

Summer, 1944: You are in command of the mostly-Marine American task force with orders to seize the island of Saipan, so that it can be used as a base to launch B-29 air strikes against the Japanese home islands. The ensuing battle -- which included the U.S. 2nd Marine Division, 4th Marine Division, and the U.S. Army's 27th Infantry Division -- included both the largest Japanese tank battle and the biggest banzai attack of the Pacific War, plus it marked the first breach of Japan's inner defensive perimeter.

As you gain control of the units while they are still in the landing ships, you can redirect the flow of reinforcements to your liking. This allows quick spreading of the beachhead along the coast but it also makes it easier to overextend your landing and get in the trouble. Veterans of physical strategy board-games will spot the inspiration instantly.


FEATURES:

+ Historical accuracy: Campaign mirrors the historical setup as much as possible while being challenging and entertaining

+ Settings: Various options are available to alter the look of the gaming experience: Change difficulty level, choose icon set for units (NATO or REAL) and cities (Round, Shield, or Square), decide what is drawn on the map, change font, unit and hexagon sizes.

+ AI with attitude: Instead of attacking on an obvious straight line towards the target like in many wargames, the AI opponent understands encircling, smaller tactical tasks, operational level and strategy, plus trying to hold a coherent front line, etc. The AI tries to balance all these various aspects in its game plan with slight but numerous variation in each play-through. Will the first tank unit you face aggressive or play-it-safe, even I as the developer don't know. And how long will that particular unit keep that attitude, well, that too varies.


"The Battle of Saipan was a baptism of fire for the American military. It was the first time that we had faced a Japanese defense force that was prepared to fight to the end. It was a harsh and costly battle, but it was a victory that was essential to our ultimate success in the Pacific."
-- Samuel Eliot Morison is his book History of United States Naval Operations in World War II

Ratings and reviews

I was in the middle of playing a very challenging game when all of a sudden the entire game is gone, no units, generals , ships, planes all gone and this is the 1st time w this game, it has happened twice in the game invasion japan, what's the problem ? I really like playing these games please fix the problem. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation

Great solo game.

This is a battalion-level simulation and it's a bit more straightforward than other Pacific battles in the Conflict Series. Keeping your troops supplied plays a role, of course, but there's no enemy navy trying to sink your supply ships; even so, I had to have my HQ units loot supplies a few times (each) to avoid running out. As you advance north, the island narrows and you'll probably find that while you were struggling at first, you have more troops than you can get to the action towards the end, especially because the terrain is pretty constricting. It's interesting to read the names of the auxiliary units the Japanese throw at you as they run out of combat units, from tank units without tanks to airfield and port maintenance crews. All in all, not the most attention-grabbing in the Conflict Series, nor particularly challenging, but a solid entry in an outstanding series.

What’s new

+ Generals can fly from airfield to airfield: MP cost varies
+ ON/OFF option for Cliffs
+ Settings to let HPs/MPs affect size of the unit-icons (smaller icons if unit has lost HPs for example)