Best 10 War Documentaries Currently Streaming on Netflix in 2025

From harrowing stories from the frontline of World War I and World War II, to tales of wartime bravery and beyond. Here are 10 of the best war documentaries streaming on Netflix in 2025. 

Over the years, documentaries have become a staple of Netflix’s success. Whether that’s crime documentaries or nature series, they’ve always performed consistently well on the streamer. In this post, we’re taking a look specifically at war documentaries. From big hits to hidden gems, Netflix has a gluttony of them to choose from. Which ones are the best? Let’s explore. 

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A four-part series released in December 2024, Churchill at War covers British Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s wartime leadership during World War II. This dramatic, yet insightful documentary features a mix of both real archival footage and cinematic re-enactments. Churchill is brilliantly and believably portrayed by Christian McKay in the re-enactments. However, it did come under some flak for utilizing AI to generate Churchill’s written comments into his spoken voice.

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Director Brian Knappenberger is one of the most celebrated names in the world of documentaries. In recent years, he’s released a few Turning Point docuseries on Netflix, such as Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror and Turning Point: The Bomb And The Cold War. While we recommend checking out those two, we’re shining the spotlight on his latest docuseries: Turning Point: The Vietnam War.

The five-episode series chronicles the Vietnam War in ways we’ve never seen, featuring White House recordings, CBS News archives, Vietnamese footage, and declassified government records — many of which are shown for the first time. 

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Medal of Honor comes from the esteemed and illustrious team of Academy Award-winning Executive Producer Robert Zemeckis and director James Moll. This 8-episode anthology series, told through a blend of documentary and live action footage, covers personal sacrifice in wartime that saw those responsible receive the Medal of Honor — the highest military distinction. It’s inspiring, intense, and highly emotional.

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Netflix has particularly been killing it with World War I and II documentaries, but for this pick, we’re taking you back to Japan between 1551 to 1616, when power struggles lead to a warring 16th-century feudal nation.

This docuseries covers the Age of Samurai through dynamic, brutal re-enactments and expert commentaries. Japanese history is one of the most inherently brutal in the world, and this documentary puts viewers right in the centre of the action.

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A 2025 docuseries, Surviving Black Hawk Down documents the real events of the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu. Of course, the battle has famously been dramatised in the form of Ridley Scott’s Black Hawk Down (2001), now considered a classic. However, this docuseries offers a real look into the battle, featuring detailed firsthand accounts from US soldiers and Somali civilians, including information about the downing of three Black Hawk helicopters.

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In Five Came Back, narrator Meryl Streep tells the story of Hollywood filmmakers who enlisted in the armed forces to document World War II. These directors are: John Ford, William Wyler, John Huston, Frank Capra, and George Stevens. What’s more, the 3-episode series includes acclaimed modern directors, Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola, Guillermo del Toro , Paul Greengrass, and Lawrence Kasdan, who each discuss the impact and legacy of the directors. 

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From director Joe Berlinger, Hitler and the Nazis: Evil on Trial documents Adolf Hitler’s rise to power in Germany, exploring the Nazi Party’s use propaganda, censorship, and antisemitism. The series also covers the downfall of the Nazi Party. It includes in-depth interviews with historians, as well as a blend of archival footage and cinematic historical reenactments. 

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Narrated by none other than Peter Dinklage (who knows a thing or two about tyrannical rule from his time on Game of Thrones), How to Become a Tyrant is an utterly unique 6-episode docuseries. It utilises a breakthrough style, making history easier to grasp. Dinklage delivers some stellar narration, coupled with breathtaking animation. 

The series dives into the stories behind some of history’s most deplorable figures, such as Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein, Idi Amin, Joseph Stalin, Muammar Gaddafi and the Kim family.

Peter Dinklage also followed up the series with How to Become a Cult Leader in 2023.

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Narrated by BAFTA-winning actor John Boyega, World War II: From the Frontlines is one of the best choices for any Netflix subscriber seeking a brutal and visceral war documentary. Utterly immersive and dark, the series depicts World War II like we’ve never seen it before through enhanced archival footage, taking viewers on a journey through some of the war’s most pivotal moments. 

World War II: From the Frontlines currently holds a 8.2/10 rating on IMDb, placing it among the streamers most popular war documentaries. 

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World War II in Color was originally a British series that released in the late naughties. It was hugely popular and one of the best war documentaries of its time. While Netflix’s 2021 docuseries World War II in Color: Road to Victory shares the same title, it’s more of a spiritual successor to the original. But it’s just as good. 

10-episode series World War II in Color: Road to Victory features enhanced historical footage of immensely decisive turning points of World War II, along with commentary from experts. If you want an immersive and raw look into the frontline of World War II, there’s no better series than this. 

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What’s your favourite war documentary on Netflix? Tell us in the comments down below!