Alternate history games: change the turning points yourself
If you want an alternate history game where you change history yourself, Crown & Plough, a free history life-sim browser game, has 39 turning points that can go differently from real history — Hastings, the siege of Vienna in 1683, Waterloo and more. Which side you back, and how much, shifts the odds; a changed outcome rewrites the events that follow and can reshape the next era’s starting map.
Each turning point also has a What if…? article — 39 in English — setting what really happened beside a plausible alternative. Read one, then try to make it happen in the game.
Play free — no download Start the scenario: The Horseman in the Plumed Hat
How turning points work
- Under the currents of history in the Adventure tab you see upcoming turning points and the current odds.
- Join that side’s faction, serve its realm or fight beside it as an ally, and your contribution builds up.
- A year or two before the decision an “eve” event lets you shift the odds directly.
- When a turning point goes the other way, the historical events that follow really change. If Napoleon wins in Russia and at Waterloo, for example, the Bourbons never return and the Victorian era opens with a Bonaparte empire.
- World › Overview › “History compared” shows real history and your world side by side; the “Weight of history” setting (As history, Plausible, Free) sets how easily history bends.
Turning points you can flip
| Turning point | Year | If it flips |
|---|---|---|
| What if Harold had won the Battle of Hastings? | 1066 | An England without the Norman Conquest |
| What if the Mongols had stayed in Hungary in 1242? | 1242 | A Mongol presence in central Europe |
| What if the Spanish Armada had landed in England? | 1588 | A Spanish army ashore in England |
| What if the Ottomans had taken Vienna in 1683? | 1683 | A Habsburg monarchy without Vienna |
| What if Napoleon had won at Waterloo? | 1815 | A Victorian age that opens with a Bonaparte empire |
| What if the July Crisis of 1914 had not led to war? | 1914 | Europe without the Great War |
Other alternate history games compared
| Crown & Plough | Hearts of Iron IV | Europa Universalis IV | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Period | 431 BC to the early 20th century, eight eras | Second World War (from 1936) | 1444–1821 |
| How you change history | Live as one person and back one side of a turning point | Run a whole nation; choose national focuses | Run a whole nation |
| Reading on each divergence | A What if…? article per turning point | — | — |
| Price & install | Free, browser | Paid, PC download | Paid, PC download |
Scenarios that put you at a turning point
The Horseman in the Plumed Hat starts you as Napoleon’s cavalry commander in 1796 and runs into What if Napoleon had won in Russia in 1812? and What if Napoleon had won at Waterloo?; A Crown Across the Sea puts you on the other side of What if Harold had won the Battle of Hastings?; in Winged hussars the relief of Vienna in 1683 is in your hands.
Start playing
Play free — no download Start the scenario: The Horseman in the Plumed Hat
- Scenarios The Horseman in the Plumed Hat · A Crown Across the Sea · Winged hussars
- People Joachim Murat · William the Conqueror · John III Sobieski
- Eras Age of Revolution · Victorian Era
- What if…? What if Napoleon had won at Waterloo? · What if Harold had won the Battle of Hastings? · What if the Ottomans had taken Vienna in 1683? · What if the Spanish Armada had landed in England? · What if the July Crisis of 1914 had not led to war? · What if the Mongols had stayed in Hungary in 1242?
- More guides History games by era: where to start in each period · History games for the classroom: a teacher’s guide · Games like Crusader Kings you can play free in a browser
- Reference All What if…? articles
FAQ
Is there a free alternate history game?
Yes — Crown & Plough is free and runs in the browser with no download. 39 turning points can go differently from real history.
Does changed history carry into the next era?
Many turning points reshape the next era’s starting map. Choose Partial or Full carryover when moving on to keep more of your changed map.
Can I keep history on its real course?
Set “Weight of history” to As history and turning points rarely flip.
How many What if…? articles are there?
39 in English, each covering the real history, the moment it turned, a plausible alternative and how the game plays it.