Hearts of Iron IV (2016)

Developer: Paradox Development Studio
Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Genres: Simulation, Strategy
Rating: 4.5 of 5, 371,979 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 153 hours
Where to get it: Steam

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

You feel like a chess grandmaster commanding a nation through a sprawling, data-rich war machine where every decision reshapes history.

grand strategycomplexmethodicaldeephistoricalabsorbingchallengingopen-ended

What players say

Players say the learning curve is brutal and tutorials are worthless, forcing many to search for YouTube guides just to understand the basics. The game is a massive time sink that can absorb hundreds of hours, though players report persistent bugs like naval orders being ignored.

Screenshots

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This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.