Company of Heroes (2006): Complete Guide

A practical guide to Relic's original Company of Heroes on Steam: which version you own, the resource and sector system, all four factions and their doctrines, opening build orders, the campaigns, and how to play online in 2026.

Researched September 2026 — current as of the Steamworks "New Steam Version" (app 228200); a Definitive Edition is announced for early 2027. Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Version note: Steam app 228200 is the 2013 re-release (often called the "New Steam Version") that moved multiplayer to Steamworks after GameSpy's shutdown. The older build is sold separately as Company of Heroes - Legacy Edition, which is where the Steam store now points for extra reviews and total-conversion mods. The expansions Opposing Fronts and Tales of Valor are separate purchases, bundled in the Complete Pack.

Coming soon: Relic announced Company of Heroes - Definitive Edition in June 2026 (64-bit, modern UI, grid hotkeys, customizable hotkeys, vehicle reversing, optional auto-reinforce, improved AI with a new "Ruthless" difficulty, 4K and widescreen, full mod compatibility, base game plus both expansions and 50+ maps). A September 15, 2026 update moved its launch to early 2027. Everything below applies to both, but check the patch notes once it releases.

Quick Start

• This is a territory game, not a base-building game. Your income comes from capturing map sectors with infantry. The player who holds more ground, and keeps it connected, usually wins.
• Three resources: Manpower (trickles in constantly, pays for units), Munitions (upgrades, grenades, abilities, mines), and Fuel (buildings, vehicles, tanks). Sectors provide Munitions or Fuel.
• Sectors must connect to your HQ. A cut-off sector gives you nothing. Protect your supply line and cut the enemy's.
• Victory Points (VPs) decide most matches. Holding more VPs than the opponent drains their ticket count. Annihilation mode is the alternative.
• Cover is everything. Green shields mean heavy cover, yellow is light cover, red is negative (open ground). Squads in green cover win fights they would lose in the open.
• Retreat, don't die. The retreat command (check the squad's command card for your hotkey) sends a squad back to base with reduced incoming damage. A saved veteran squad is worth far more than a replacement.
• Reinforce instead of rebuilding. Squads can refill lost men near your HQ or forward reinforcement points, which is much cheaper than a new squad.
• Pick a doctrine (commander tree) early. Around the first few minutes you choose one of three doctrines, which unlocks your faction's powerful call-ins and abilities with Command Points earned in combat.
• Flank machine guns and anti-tank guns. Both have limited firing arcs; hitting them from the side or behind wins the trade.
• Tanks have weak rear armor. Always angle to face enemies with your front armor and try to hit enemy tanks from behind.

Core Systems

Resources and territory

Resource | Source | Used for

Manpower | Constant income, boosted by sectors | Infantry, most units, reinforcing

Munitions | Munitions sectors and points | Weapon upgrades, grenades, mines, abilities, some call-ins

Fuel | Fuel sectors and points | Tech buildings, vehicles, tanks, tech upgrades

• Capture a sector by standing an infantry squad on its flag. Some units (like many vehicles) can't capture.
• Many points can be upgraded with an observation post for extra income and a little protection.
• Upkeep: the more units you field, the lower your Manpower income per minute. A huge army isn't free; trade efficiently rather than spamming.

Veterancy

Units gain experience (or veterancy upgrades, depending on faction) that makes them tougher and more accurate. Veteran squads are the backbone of a late game army, which is why retreating is so important.

Cover, suppression, and retreat

• Heavy cover (walls, sandbags, craters) massively reduces incoming fire. Light cover (fences, hedges) helps less. Open ground or roads are negative.
• Suppression: machine guns pin squads, first slowing them and then forcing them to the ground. Pinned squads can only retreat or crawl. Smoke, flanking, and grenades are your answers.
• Garrisoning: infantry can occupy buildings for strong cover, but buildings can be flushed by flamethrowers, grenades, and artillery.
• Destructible terrain: craters from artillery become new cover; walls and buildings can be destroyed. Engineers/Pioneers/Sappers can repair and build.

Commander trees (doctrines)

You earn Command Points by fighting. Spend them in the doctrine tree you picked to unlock abilities and call-ins. You can't switch doctrines mid-match.

Factions and Doctrines

Faction | Game | Doctrines | Identity

United States | Base game | Infantry Company, Airborne Company, Armor Company | Flexible, strong mid-game infantry, the Sherman

Wehrmacht | Base game | Defensive Doctrine, Blitzkrieg Doctrine, Terror Doctrine | Powerful elite units and heavy tanks, costly but strong late

British 2nd Army | Opposing Fronts | Royal Canadian Artillery, Royal Commandos, Royal Engineers | Defensive, officer-led squads, mobile HQ trucks, emplacements

Panzer Elite | Opposing Fronts | Scorched Earth Tactics, Luftwaffe Tactics, Tank Destroyer Tactics | Mobile halftracks, no static defenses, light vehicles

United States

• Style: fast early infantry, good upgrades, flexible tank play.
• Key units: Riflemen (the core squad, with grenades and weapon upgrades unlocked through research), Engineers (build, repair, flamethrowers), Jeeps, .30 cal machine guns, mortars, anti-tank guns, M8 armored car, Sherman tanks.
• Doctrines: Infantry Company (artillery and infantry support), Airborne Company (paratrooper drops and air strikes), Armor Company (tank-focused call-ins, including the heavier Pershing).
• Opening idea: a couple of Riflemen and an Engineer squad, fast capping, then a Weapon Support Center or Motor Pool depending on what the enemy builds.

Wehrmacht

• Style: fewer, more expensive, more durable units; strong defensive options; the best heavy armor late.
• Key units: Pioneers (builders), Volksgrenadiers, Grenadiers, the MG42 heavy machine gun team, snipers, the Panzer IV, Panther, and the Tiger.
• Doctrines: Defensive (emplacements and area denial), Blitzkrieg (aggression and assault units), Terror (propaganda, V1 rocket, and the King Tiger).
• Opening idea: an early MG42 locks down key points, backed by infantry; tech into anti-tank before the Allies' vehicles arrive.

British 2nd Army (Opposing Fronts)

• Style: defensive, methodical, officer-led. HQ is mobile (trucks that set up as buildings), and territory is controlled from these forward points.
• Doctrines: Royal Canadian Artillery (creeping barrages and massive artillery), Royal Commandos (glider-borne troops), Royal Engineers (Churchill tank variants and engineering upgrades).
• Tip: Lieutenants and Captains buff nearby squads. Keep officers alive and close to the front.

Panzer Elite (Opposing Fronts)

• Style: mobile and vehicle-heavy, no static defenses, lots of halftracks and light armor.
• Doctrines: Scorched Earth Tactics (booby-traps and demolition), Luftwaffe Tactics (air support and flak), Tank Destroyer Tactics (specialized anti-tank).
• Tip: Panzer Elite rewards fast harassment and precise micro. Losing expensive halftracks early is how Panzer Elite players lose.

The Campaigns

Campaign | Game | Setting

Main campaign | Base game | D-Day to the Falaise Pocket, alternating between Able Company (29th Infantry Division) and Fox Company (101st Airborne): Omaha Beach, Carentan, Cherbourg, St. Lo, Hill 192, Mortain, and the link-up at Chambois

Liberation of Caen | Opposing Fronts | British 2nd Army, nine missions

Operation Market Garden | Opposing Fronts | German Kampfgruppe Lehr, eight missions defending the Netherlands

Tiger Ace | Tales of Valor | A German Tiger crew in Normandy

Causeway | Tales of Valor | 82nd Airborne securing La Fiere

Falaise Pocket | Tales of Valor | Mixed German forces defending Trun

Campaign tips

• Missions reward medals for secondary objectives; do them for a fuller experience and harder challenges.
• Save often. Some missions (Omaha Beach is the classic example) are chaotic and punishing; a quick save before each push saves a lot of repetition.
• Veterancy and cover work exactly as in multiplayer. Use artillery and flanks instead of charging MG positions.
• Tales of Valor introduced direct fire (manually aim a tank's main gun), which the Tiger Ace campaign leans on heavily.

Multiplayer and Skirmish

Modes

• Victory Point Control (the standard): hold more VPs than the enemy to drain their tickets.
• Annihilation: destroy all enemy buildings and units.
• Tales of Valor modes: Assault (team hero-selection mode), Panzerkrieg (tank variant of Assault), and Stonewall (co-op defense against waves).
• Skirmish vs AI on any map for up to 8 players, a good way to learn build orders.

Opening rules of thumb

• Cap fast, cap wide. The first few minutes are about grabbing sectors and cutting off the enemy's.
• Scout early. Knowing whether you face infantry spam or early light vehicles decides your first tech building.
• Get one support weapon early (a machine gun or mortar) to anchor your key fuel/munitions points.
• Always have anti-tank before vehicles arrive. Losing to an early armored car or halftrack because you had no answer is the classic newbie loss.
• Spend your resources. Floating Manpower or Fuel means the opponent is outproducing you.

Economy management

• Upkeep matters: more units means less Manpower income, so trade efficiently and retreat squads rather than letting them die.
• Fuel decides tech timing: hold fuel points hard, especially in the middle of the map.
• Munitions are for impact: save grenades, mines, and weapon upgrades for where they swing a fight; don't let Munitions float forever.

Getting It Running in 2026

• Multiplayer runs through Steamworks on the New Steam Version, so matchmaking, lobbies, and friends invites are handled by Steam. Custom games and skirmish work normally.
• Modern resolutions: the original supports widescreen resolutions. Very high resolutions and ultra-wide can have UI scaling quirks; the Definitive Edition promises native 4K and widescreen.
• Mods: the Steam page points total conversions (large community mods) to the Legacy Edition page. Check each mod's page for which version it needs.
• Performance: it is a 32-bit 2006 game. If you see crashes on modern hardware, lower the model/terrain detail and physics settings and try running without overlays.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Treating it like a base-builder. You win by holding ground, not by building everything.
• Letting sectors get cut off. Losing one connecting point can disconnect a whole chain of income.
• Charging machine guns head-on. Flank, use smoke, or throw grenades.
• Leaving tanks rear-facing. A single anti-tank gun behind your Sherman or Panzer IV will ruin your day.
• Never retreating. Every wiped veteran squad is a free win for your opponent.
• Ignoring upkeep. An oversized army starves your Manpower.
• Going heavy tank without anti-infantry. Tanks need infantry support to avoid being flanked and to spot for them.
• Building everything. Pick the tech path that counters what you see.

Advanced Tips

• Line of sight wins fights. Scout with cheap units so your anti-tank guns and tanks get the first shot.
• Mines and emplacements on flanks. A few mines on a common approach route can ruin an enemy push.
• Bait machine guns. A cheap squad can draw an MG's arc while another unit flanks it.
• Use buildings carefully. Garrisoned squads are strong, but flamethrowers and artillery can wipe them in seconds.
• Retreat before a squad is pinned, not after. A pinned squad takes more damage.
• Time call-ins. Doctrine abilities are strongest at key moments, such as a fuel point battle or a VP flip.
• Watch the tickets. In VPC, a late lead can be protected by holding VPs rather than fighting for kills.

FAQ

Q: What's the difference between Company of Heroes and Company of Heroes - Legacy Edition on Steam? A: App 228200 is the 2013 re-release that moved online play to Steamworks; the Legacy Edition is the older build, kept separately and home to the total-conversion mods listed on Steam.

Q: Is multiplayer still active? A: Yes, through Steamworks. Matchmaking is quieter than in CoH2 or CoH3, so custom lobbies and community groups are the most reliable way to find games.

Q: Do I need the expansions? A: The base game has the US and Wehrmacht and the main campaign. Opposing Fronts adds the British and Panzer Elite plus two campaigns; Tales of Valor adds three short campaigns and new modes. The Complete Pack bundles everything.

Q: When is the Definitive Edition coming out? A: Relic originally said Fall 2026, then announced on September 15, 2026 that it will launch on Steam early in 2027.

Q: Which faction is best for beginners? A: The US. Riflemen are forgiving, the tech tree is straightforward, and Shermans are versatile.

Q: How do I stop losing to machine guns? A: Don't walk into their firing arc. Use smoke, flank from the side, and use grenades, mortars, or snipers.

Q: What should I play if I want more after CoH1? A: Company of Heroes 2 and 3 are the sequels. Relic also announced Company of Heroes 3: Final Stand (a standalone wave-defense mode) in July 2026.

Sources

• Company of Heroes on Steam
• Company of Heroes — Wikipedia
• Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts — Wikipedia
• Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor — Wikipedia
• Steam news: Company of Heroes - Definitive Edition announcement (June 2026) and "A 20 Year Legacy" (September 15, 2026)