Strategy · April 8, 2011

Darkest Hour: A Hearts of Iron Game (2011)

local_offer-80% current discountgroup100k–1M ownersrecommend1.7k recommendations
Developed by a team of experienced modders from the Paradox forum, Darkest Hour is a stand-alone Hearts of Iron game. The game features a mixture of short and in-depth campaigns set across the darkest chapters of the 20th century. Play from the outbreak of the Great War up until the onset of the Cold War. Darkest Hour will introduce a new artificial intelligence that is now able to react to hundreds of different situations simultaneously. It implements a dynamic diplomatic system that will allow the player to have a real impact on the course of history. Key Features: Short and grand campaigns allow players to experience the darkest hours of the 20th century, from the Great War to the onset of the Cold War New map, redesigned to offer greater detail as well as strategic and tactical opportunities Dynamic diplomatic system giving the player greater influence on the course of events New artificial intelligence capable of reacting to hundreds of different situations Scenarios: Grand campaign scenarios (where it is possible to choose any of the nations involved): 1914 The Great War (starting on June 27, 1914) 1933 Day of Decision (starting on March 4, 1933) 1936 The Road to Another War (starting on January 1, 1936) 1939 Invasion of Poland (starting on September 1, 1939) 1940 Burning Europe (starting on May 10, 1940) 1941 Awakening the Giant (starting on June 22, 1941) 1942 Enemy at the Gate (starting on November 22, 1942) 1943 Allied Invasion of Sicily (starting on July 26, 1943) 1944 Allied Landing in Normandy (starting on June 20, 1944) 1945 Battle of the Bulge (starting on December 16, 1944) Battle scenarios which focus on specific battles or wars and where players can choose between a small number of nations: 1904 Russo-Japanese War 1939 Invasion of Poland

Community Tag Signals

Tag weights reflect how many Steam users voted each descriptor — larger pills = stronger consensus.

  • Strategy · 117
  • Grand Strategy · 92
  • World War II · 90
  • Historical · 66
  • World War I · 55
  • Simulation · 47
  • Wargame · 47
  • Military · 32
  • RTS · 28
  • War · 24
  • Cold War · 23
  • Moddable · 21
  • Multiplayer · 18
  • Sandbox · 9
  • Singleplayer · 7

Position in Strategy

MetricThis titleGenre position
Review volume2.0k Steam reviewsTop 98% in Strategy
Positive rating90% positiveGenre average: 84% — this title sits in top 39%
Metacritic81/100Genre average 79 — top 40% of Strategy titles
Engagement hours6 h averageTop 92% for session depth among Strategy

Peer Strategy titles

Comparable titles in the same genre and review-volume band — ranked by Steam positive percentage.

Reception Metrics

Steam community

90%Very Positive · 2.0k reviews

1.8k positive · 201 negative

Metacritic

81/100 critic aggregate

Open Metacritic page

Curator recommendations

1.7k

Localization Coverage

Interface / Subtitles (7)

  • English
  • German
  • Spanish - Spain
  • French
  • Italian
  • Polish
  • Russian

Strategy releases from 2011

7 Strategy titles launched in 2011 — top 6 by review volume.

Release & Availability

Release dateApr 8, 2011
DeveloperMartin Ivanov
PublisherParadox Interactive
Base price$1.99 -80%
PlatformsWindows
Estimated owners100k–1M
External linksOfficial site · Metacritic page

Engagement Profile

All-time avg

6h

short (5–15 hours)

Median

1h

Typical completion time

Features & Capabilities

Multiplayer

  • Multi-player

Other

  • Single-player
  • Family Sharing

Editions & Packages

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