Hearts of Iron III

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Hearts of Iron III is a single player and multiplayer casual real-time strategy game with economy and historical themes. It was developed by Paradox Development Studio and was released on August 7, 2009. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

"Hearts of Iron III" is a strategy game set in World War 2, allowing players to choose from over 150 countries and guide them through the conflict from 1936 to 1948. The game features realistic military command AI, in-depth diplomatic and political systems, and thousands of historically accurate commanders and politicians. Players can control oceans and air forces, and engage in land warfare, diplomacy, and industry building in this detailed and historically accurate game.

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78%

Audience ScoreBased on 5,324 reviews

gameplay72 positive mentions

stability110 negative mentions

gameplay
381 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
75%
6%
The gameplay of Hearts of Iron III is characterized by its deep and complex mechanics, which can be both rewarding and frustrating for players. While the game offers a rich historical experience and strategic depth, many users note a steep learning curve, poor tutorials, and a confusing interface that can detract from the overall enjoyment. Additionally, technical issues such as crashes and bugs further complicate the experience, making it more suitable for dedicated strategy enthusiasts rather than casual players.
- “After completing the demo at 1000 hours in-game, I can now comfortably say that this game offers the best tactical WWII gameplay of any Paradox game.”
- “The gameplay is super fun!”
- “Once you've gotten into the real meat-and-bones of the gameplay, Hearts of Iron III has a lot to offer.”
- “Obscure mechanics, poor guides, and a confusing interface means most of your time is spent trying to understand what is going on rather than playing the game.”
- “The main flaw is that you have to invest a lot of time before you really understand how the game mechanics work.”
- “Note: the game's tutorial is utter trash, and the lack of (obvious) explanations behind certain mechanics makes the game hard to learn.”
graphics
190 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
65%
15%
The graphics of the game are generally considered outdated and basic, with many users noting that they lack polish and can be clunky, especially in unit designs. While some appreciate the simplicity and functional style, others criticize the bland visuals and frequent graphical glitches, suggesting that the game prioritizes gameplay over aesthetics. Overall, players agree that the graphics do not detract significantly from the strategic experience, but they are not a selling point for the game.
- “The game offers some pleasant graphics and really vibrant colors, although some ugly glitches here and there, it is pleasant all the same.”
- “If you can get past the somewhat underwhelming visuals, this game is an incredible experience.”
- “Graphically this 5 year old title holds up pretty well, largely due to a fairly simplistic yet functional graphical style.”
- “The graphics are dated, the unit skins are clunky, the game checks itself out at the year 1948.”
- “Graphics are practically non-existent, with nothing pretty to look at and bland unit models (yet Paradox somehow expects you to spend money on more bland unit models).”
- “The game engine is just as good as the graphics are bad.”
stability
116 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
95%
The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous reports of crashes, freezes, and glitches, particularly on modern operating systems like Windows 10 and 11. Many users note that it was initially buggy at launch in 2009 and has remained unstable despite various patches and DLCs, leading to a frustrating experience for players. While some have found workarounds, the overall sentiment is that the game is often unplayable without significant troubleshooting.
- “The game itself is largely bug-free, although the AI is at best competent.”
- “You need to install the Podcats 1.3 patch because the game will crash on startup if using Windows 10 or any 64-bit system; the patch fixes it and it runs great.”
- “The burden for stability shouldn't rely on the customer finding a fix on a variety of forums, or doing troubleshooting just to get a 'finished' product (that was paid for) to run.”
- “Its a complete pile of junk in terms of how it seems to run, constant glitches and crashes, more issues than you can count.”
- “I would not recommend this game until paradox fixes a bug where the game freezes when the time ticks over from 23:00 hours to 00:00 hours on a random date after the year 1939.”
replayability
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
56%
6%
The game boasts exceptional replayability, with players highlighting the vast array of strategies, playable nations, and modding options that enhance the experience. Many reviews emphasize that each playthrough can offer new insights and challenges, making it suitable for both casual and hardcore strategy fans. While some note that replayability may feel limited when playing the same nation, the overall consensus is that the game provides countless hours of engaging gameplay.
- “Best of all, this game offers a lot of replayability.”
- “It is incredibly replayable, and every time you play, you learn something new that changes the way you look at the game.”
- “The possibilities are endless, and there are countless hours of replayability.”
- “You do need the major DLC to make it more playable.”
- “Can be somewhat linear and the replayability only changes if you play a different nation.”
- “These scenarios are one of the very few that has an endless of possibilities, bringing up the replay value with maximum outcome.”
music
45 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
46%
7%
The music in the game is widely praised for being pleasant, era-appropriate, and enhancing the overall atmosphere, with many reviewers noting its ability to fade into the background without distracting from gameplay. The soundtrack is described as relaxing and well-composed, effectively reflecting the game's themes of war and peace. While some users suggest supplementing the game with personal music or DLC for additional variety, the core soundtrack is generally considered a strong point of the experience.
- “The soundtrack is good, but if you want to spice it up a bit, I recommend using your own.”
- “In conclusion: extremely fun game, every campaign is very long but don't worry because you will enjoy every second of it. The music is just amazing (typical music like the one from Brothers in Arms and The Pacific) and I forgot to mention that you can also play with your friends or random people in multiplayer, and it's awesome.”
- “+ period-appropriate soundtrack; works very well with the game in that it fades into the background comfortably and doesn't distract from the gameplay or player's concentration.”
- “And it's not a game, it's some kind of algorithm you run with repetitive music.”
- “Usually the music stops or the display glitches, so I can save and restart.”
- “So let me get this straight, first I buy your crappy game and then you want to sell me an expansion pack to make it less crappy and on top of that I'm supposed to pay money for character sprites and music?”
grinding
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
95%
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being excessively tedious and requiring significant micromanagement, which can lead to frustration and a lack of enjoyment. Players often find themselves overwhelmed by the convoluted mechanics and poor AI, making the experience feel more like a chore than a game. While some appreciate the depth and satisfaction that comes from overcoming these challenges, many agree that the game's complexity detracts from its overall fun.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Although very grindy and requires a lot of micromanagement.”
- “It is too tedious to be fun to play.”
story
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
72%
19%
The story aspect of the game is criticized for being convoluted and lacking practical application, with some players finding the narrative elements, such as the tutorial, to be unnecessarily complicated. While the game offers a wealth of strategic information, it often overwhelms players with irrelevant historical events and excessive notifications, detracting from the overall experience. Ultimately, the focus on strategy and planning is appreciated, but the storytelling elements leave much to be desired.
- “Expect to set aside a good portion of your life when you start a campaign; there are no quick in-and-out missions.”
- “When combined with the Finest Hour, HOI3's espionage system becomes an elastic warmaking tool thanks to the scouting and covert missions.”
- “Paradox and the story of the DLCs.”
- “It's so convoluted that even the tutorial is disguised in some stupid story about a madman with a moustache you've been sent to see, and it's all in text with no practical application.”
- “The sheer amount of information that you have to keep track of is a dream for strategy gamers who want something other than non-stop gore, violence, B-movie acting, and really bad storylines.”
- “Worst of all, there are silly historic events that take place no matter what you do: e.g. if you wage war in Poland (or the AI does it for you), you get swamped by messages about some lame battle between 2-3 destroyers somewhere in the Atlantic.”
humor
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is often derived from its absurd scenarios and glitches, leading to unexpected and comical outcomes, such as unconventional military strategies and quirky AI behavior. Players enjoy the ability to create hilarious alternate histories, with interactions and dialogue that reflect a lighthearted take on serious themes. Overall, the game balances its serious subject matter with a playful sense of humor, making for entertaining gameplay experiences.
- “I bought the main three expansions and went to work as Austria, but not after trying to understand the game through hours of wiki-lurking and tutorial watching, annexing Hungary and breaking the game a bit by making peace as soon as the man with the funny little strip of tape above his lip demanded Anschluss.”
- “The problem here is that the AI that helps you coordinate troop movements is about as smart as a bag of sand - which is funny because the enemy AI easily encircled my troops without a second thought.”
- “Conquered the whole of Germany and Italy for Belgium, due to a stupid but hilarious game mechanic.”
optimization
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
72%
16%
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, particularly for Windows 10, with many users reporting significant performance drops in late-game scenarios and a general lack of polish in both the UI and graphics. While some players find it playable on lower-end systems, the overall consensus is that the game requires substantial patches to address its numerous bugs and optimization issues. Customizable settings offer some relief, but the game's complexity and outdated design hinder its performance.
- “The settings are easily customizable for performance.”
- “The controls are more streamlined and the game engine's performance is better.”
- “Performance wise, it works well for me (even on a laptop), but there are plenty of bugs still.”
- “Big problem with optimization for Windows 10, this needs to be patched out to make the game playable again.”
- “And, just like all the other Paradox games, it does not have any optimization.”
- “The provinces are not optimized well either, and it is easy to attempt to click one province and have the game register it as the same province, thus killing all of your units' progress.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization of the game has been heavily criticized, with users labeling it a "cash grab" and expressing frustration over technical issues following DLC purchases, leading to demands for refunds. Many feel that the developers, Paradox, have adopted exploitative practices similar to those of EA, undermining the quality of an otherwise great game.
- “Paradox are the new EA: great games but ruined by cash-grabbing devs.”
- “This game is a cash grab; I can't open it after purchasing the DLC because it crashes. I want a refund.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the game emotionally impactful, with some expressing that it moved them to tears despite technical issues like lag. Overall, it is described as a fun and random experience that resonates on an emotional level.
- “My computer isn't the best and it does get laggy, but this made me cry. It's still a fun and random game.”

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80%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews

Hearts of Iron III review
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80%

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68h Median play time

240h Average play time

10-500h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 32 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Hearts of Iron III is a casual real-time strategy game with economy and historical themes.

Hearts of Iron III is available on PC, Mac OS and Windows.

On average players spend around 240 hours playing Hearts of Iron III.

Hearts of Iron III was released on August 7, 2009.

Hearts of Iron III was developed by Paradox Development Studio.

Hearts of Iron III has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its stability.

Hearts of Iron III is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Darkest Hour: A Hearts of Iron Game, Hearts of Iron 2 Complete, Arsenal of Democracy, Victoria II, Hearts of Iron IV and others.

Hearts of Iron III

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