Release OrderRecommended
0 / 4 playedFour games in release order.
- 1 Hearts of Iron Platinum with Counterattack.
- 2 Hearts of Iron II Complete with Doomsday.
- 3 Hearts of Iron III With Their Finest Hour.
- 4 Hearts of Iron IV Current entry. Start here.
About Hearts of Iron
Hearts of Iron simulates World War II from 1936 starts with research divisions and fronts. The 2002 original spans 1936 to 1948 tech trees, II in 2005 adds Doomsday Cold War what ifs, III in 2009 moves to provinces with Their Finest Hour, and IV in 2016 defines focus trees battle plans and DLC arms.
Entries stand alone by start date with no story order to follow. New players often start with IV with expansions for tutorials and templates, or II Complete for older corps pace. Expansions belong with their base game rather than apart, since focuses and tanks stack there.
Good to know
Release order shows fronts grow from provinces to battle plans, but start with IV complete where possible. Hearts of Iron II teaches corps stacks best, IV runs widest with focus trees, and early pair plays spare now. Campaigns never share divisions, so skip eras freely after one full run. Treat IV as latest rather than last with DLC still arriving.
