Hearts of Iron IV

Every country has its own national focus tree. Focuses grant bonuses, such as extra factories, or trigger events. The Waking the Tiger expansion gave Germany and Japan more alternate-history paths.

The game was due out in late 2015 and arrived on 6 June 2016. It sold more than 200,000 copies in two weeks, and no historical Paradox game had sold faster before it. In May 2018 it passed one million.

Critics received it well, but several reviews warned about the barrier to entry. One said mastering it may take hundreds of hours, though the effort pays off, another worried newcomers would get lost in the interface, and a third named the tutorial as the only weak spot. Players leave 90% positive out of 263,206 reviews; critics give it 83 on Metacritic. By our Recommended Score it is #620 of 4,736 games.

Liked it? Try Europa Universalis IV from the same studio, where you guide a nation from 1444 to 1821, and Crusader Kings III, where you rule a medieval dynasty and carry on as the heir when your character dies.