Game profile
Hearts of Iron IV
A grand strategy game set around World War II that controls production, research, diplomacy and front lines for any nation. Detailed division planners and historical as well as alternate paths provide enormous depth.
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What kind of game this is
At its core this is Strategy, set in a historical period. Visually it is deliberately stylised rather than photorealistic, and the overall tone stays dark throughout. The world is open, so wandering off and ignoring the main path is part of the deal. It rewards long uninterrupted stretches more than quick check-ins.
It is genuinely demanding, and repeated failure is part of how it is designed. There is no story to speak of, the systems carry everything. Competitive play against other people is part of the package. It is available on one platform. It sits in the mid price bracket.
What stands out
- World War II grand strategy
- detailed division planning
- historical or alternate paths
This fits you if
- you enjoy being made to think
- you can sit down for a proper long stretch without interruptions
- you like getting lost and ignoring the main objective for hours
- cutscenes annoy you and you just want to play
- you want real resistance and are fine with dying a lot
- you enjoy competing against other players
Look elsewhere if
- you want to relax and not be punished for mistakes
- you play mainly for narrative
- you do not have 120 hours to give a single game
- you only ever get short bursts of play time
How long is Hearts of Iron IV?
About 120 hours in total. At three evenings a week and two hours each, you will be busy for roughly 20 weeks, or 60 sessions.
How the rating ranks
Critics settled on 84 out of 100, which puts it above 52 percent of the 1276 games here and at rank 552 overall. That is mid-table for this database. Not a standout at the top, but solidly rated.
For comparison, Strategy averages 82 points across the database, so this one sits 2 points above its own genre. The figure rests on 229 collected ratings.
Released in 2016, so it has 10 years behind it. Usually cheap by now and the rough edges are long fixed.
The facts
- Release year
- 2016
- Genres
- Strategy
- Playtime
- approx. 120 hrs.
- Difficulty
- Demanding, punishing
- Story weight
- None, pure gameplay
- Play with
- Solo, Competitive
- Setting
- Historical
- Visual style
- Stylised
- Price bracket
- Mid price
- Platforms
- PC
- Critic rating
- 84 / 100
Direct comparison
| Genres | Release year | Playtime | Critic rating | Price bracket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hearts of Iron IV | 2016 | approx. 120 hrs. | 84 | Mid price |
| Battle Brothers | 2017 | approx. 60 hrs. | 80 | Mid price |
| Victoria 3 | 2022 | approx. 100 hrs. | 77 | Mid price |
| Europa Universalis IV | 2013 | approx. 150 hrs. | 87 | Mid price |
If you liked this, try these
- 80/100 Battle Brothers Shared: Strategy, Historical, shorter
- 77/100 Victoria 3 Shared: Strategy, Historical
- 87/100 Europa Universalis IV Shared: Strategy, Historical, rated higher
- 88/100 Total War: Shogun 2 Shared: Strategy, Historical, shorter, rated higher
- 91/100 Crusader Kings III Shared: Strategy, Historical, rated higher
- 84/100 Europa Universalis V Shared: Strategy, Historical