Strategy · August 7, 2009

Hearts of Iron III (2009)

extension18 DLClocal_offer-75% current discountgroup1M–10M ownersrecommend4.9k recommendations
Hearts of Iron III lets you play the most engaging conflict in world history, World War 2, on all fronts as any country and through multiple different scenarios. Guide your nation to glory between 1936 and 1948 and wage war, conduct diplomacy and build your industry in the most detailed World War 2 game ever made. Features: Play as any nation from 1936 to 1948, more than 150 countries to choose from. Control the oceans with aircraft carriers, submarines and battleships and use your air force to defend your skies, support your naval and ground forces, and to bomb your enemies Thousands of historically accurate real-world military commanders and politicians. Realistic military command AI with unprecedented levels of interaction In-depth diplomatic and political system. Historical accuracy combined with an unparalleled level of freedom of choice More than 10,000 land provinces makes the game five times more detailed than HoI2 and the most detailed depiction of World War 2 ever made. Customize your divisions in detail with more than 20 types of brigades New economic system makes it possible to buy weapons from abroad. Mobilization and reserves gives the option of surprise attacks, Blitzkrieg made real. Government-in-exile makes it possible to continue to struggle from abroad with underground movements and uprisings against the oppressing power. Strategic warfare system makes it more important to defend the skies and oceans against foreign attacks; leaving cities open to enemy bombing will now be devastating. A completely new intelligence system, with several types of intelligence sources, makes it possible to get information about enemy reserves and troop movements. Assign troops to 'theatres' on the map to fight two-front wars more successfully. The new AI system and more detailed map will allow for more strategic decisions. Flexible technology system with hundreds of categories, where major powers get their own unique attributes.

Community Tag Signals

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

  • Grand Strategy · 301
  • Strategy · 286
  • World War II · 270
  • Historical · 193
  • Simulation · 141
  • Military · 129
  • Real-Time with Pause · 123
  • War · 89
  • Sandbox · 82
  • Multiplayer · 80
  • Difficult · 75
  • Singleplayer · 62
  • RTS · 56
  • Wargame · 54
  • Alternate History · 21

Position in Strategy

MetricThis titleGenre position
Review volume6.0k Steam reviewsTop 57% in Strategy
Positive rating76% positiveGenre average: 84% — this title sits in top 83%
Metacritic77/100Genre average 79 — top 68% of Strategy titles
Engagement hours18 h averageTop 48% for session depth among Strategy

Peer Strategy titles

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

Strategy releases from 2009

11 Strategy titles launched in 2009 — top 6 by review volume.

Reception Metrics

Steam community

76%Mostly Positive · 6.0k reviews

4.5k positive · 1.4k negative

Metacritic

77/100 critic aggregate

Open Metacritic page

Metacritic user score

7.1/10

Curator recommendations

4.9k

More from Paradox Development Studio

Paradox Development Studio has 9 titles indexed — top 6 by review volume below.

Press Quotes

'offers a challenge to most strategy die-hards' — Dreamstation 'Paradox has done a tremendous job of making this complex design relatively easy to get into.' — Gamespot 'With incredible flexibility, freedom, and depth, this is a history buffs dream and should not be passed up if you are a fan of the genre.' — PCgameworld 'Serious wargamers are in for a real treat as the hardcore franchise returns for another go at the world's most terrible war.' — Gamespy 'Featuring…

Release & Availability

Release dateAug 7, 2009
DeveloperParadox Development Studio
PublisherParadox Interactive
Base price$2.49 -75%
DLC / Add-ons18 released
PlatformsWindows, macOS
Estimated owners1M–10M
External linksOfficial site · Metacritic page · Support

Engagement Profile

All-time avg

18h

moderate (15–40 hours)

Median

3h

Typical completion time

2-week avg

0h

Current engagement

Features & Capabilities

Multiplayer

  • Multi-player
  • Co-op

Community

  • Steam Trading Cards

Other

  • Single-player
  • Family Sharing

Localization Coverage

Interface / Subtitles (4)

  • English
  • French
  • German
  • Spanish - Spain

Editions & Packages

  • Buy Hearts of Iron III