Ardennes ’44 4th Edition – Upgrade?

Bill Simoni, 11 May 2026

GMT released the 4th edition of Ardennes ’44 by Mark Simonitch in late January 2026, along with an update kit for owners of the 3rd edition (2018). As of press time, the full game is already “out of stock” on the GMT website. 750 Ardennes ’44 Update Kits were produced per the August 2025 GMT newsletter; however, the order page for it has been removed from the website, so presumably they are sold out without plans to reprint. Is it time for FOMO to creep in, should you desperately hope for a quick reprint, or is keeping/picking up the 3rd edition the smooth move?

The Battle of the Bulge is one of the most gamed battles in our hobby. What’s changed in the 8 years since the 3rd edition of Ardennes ’44 that made a new edition necessary, rather than simply a straight reprint? Here’s what has changed between editions:

1. Rules
   • unoccupied towns last under enemy control cannot be entered via strategic movement
   • artillery arrives “ready”
   • supply destruction added as a way to win
   • several other minor adjustments to movement restrictions, weather on 2 turns, and 2 new optional rules
2. Counters
   • some units broken into battalions; others combined
   • 5 units deleted
   • 10 units added
   • 4 units had strengths or their IDs updated
   • 41 units with arrival time, minor ID, or strength changes, my “favorite” of which is reverting the 4th Armored Division to its strength in the 2nd edition
3. New turn record track and order of appearance cards to incorporate the counter changes
4. Typos on the player aid cards
5. 2 villages had their name changed on the map

complete set of counters

typos corrected

all these items were updated

click images to enlarge

The update kit also includes counters for Stalingrad ’42 and Holland ’44, taking each from their 1st to 2nd editions. The Stalingrad ’42 counters do not appear to be available anywhere else (other than the game itself) but are truly minor. The Holland ’44 counters also appeared on GMT’s 2025 Replacement Countersheet, which is still in stock as of today.

My Verdict

I’m of two minds on this updated version. It’s great that a wonderful title from a well-regarded (non-)series¹ is back in print. I’m not sure the time needed to make such incremental changes was worth waiting for either for GMT or gamers. I can also understand how a designer would want a new printing to incorporate their current thoughts on the subject. However, I do raise an eyebrow when the new research means the previous “new research” is discarded (see 4th Armored Division counters above).

In any case, it appears to me GMT underestimated demand since neither product can be currently bought from them. How long until the next reprint? Surely at least months.

I don’t think you can go wrong with picking up the version you can find, at least between the 3rd and 4th editions. The game was perfectly playable as-is and the updated parts are nice-to-have, not truly necessary. Also, the vassal module has been updated, so you can see for yourself the counter changes and how you feel they impact your enjoyment of the game.

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1. The Simonitch ‘4X games are a related family, not a true series