Deal | Grand strategy weekend: Paradox hit set during World War II is temporarily free on Steam

Few games recreate World War II in as much detail as Hearts of Iron IV. Players can take control of major powers such as Germany, the United States or the Soviet Union, but they can also guide smaller nations through the turmoil of the 1930s and 1940s. Rather than focusing on individual battles, the game emphasizes the bigger picture: armies are trained, factories are converted to wartime production, technologies are researched, alliances are forged and entire fronts are managed through battle plans. The war can either follow its historical course or be completely reshaped through alternative decisions. A more detailed overview is available in our earlier article on the game.

Hearts of Iron IV delivers many of the qualities fans expect from a Paradox grand strategy title: more than 100 playable nations, a convincing historical simulation and an exceptional degree of strategic freedom. In its review, German gaming magazine PC Games also praised the AI-assisted battle planning system, which makes managing large fronts far more practical, as well as the streamlined research tree. The trade-off is a notoriously steep learning curve. Hearts of Iron IV demands considerably more time and dedication than most traditional real-time strategy games. Anyone looking for a quick start, constant guidance and straightforward mechanics is unlikely to find what they are looking for here. Players willing to invest the effort, however, can easily spend hundreds of hours mastering its intricate systems. PC Games ultimately awarded the title a solid 8 out of 10.

The Steam community is even more enthusiastic: 88% of more than 380,000 user reviews are positive. On Metacritic, Hearts of Iron IV holds a Metascore of 83 and a User Score of 7.8. The game is rated “Playable” on Steam Deck, although its interface and controls are clearly designed with mouse-and-keyboard users in mind.

Free weekend with a rare 80% discount

Interested players can try the game completely free of charge until June 15. Those who decide to stick with it afterward can purchase the grand strategy title for $9.99 instead of $49.99, thanks to an 80% discount available until June 25. According to SteamDB, discounts for Hearts of Iron IV have typically topped out at 70% in recent years. The game has not been this inexpensive since April 2024. There are also plenty of DLCs available, most of which are currently discounted as well. The Ultimate Bundle is priced at $81.84 with a 52% discount. Alternatively, Paradox offers a subscription model that grants access to the DLC catalog for $7.99 per month.

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