PCGame

Hearts of Iron 2 Complete

World War II grand strategy with an alternate World War III

Paradox Development Studio · Published by Paradox Interactive · Released Jan 23, 2009

Strategy

Reviews
Very Positive
80% of 687
Recent reviews
Very Negative
8% of 12 in 30 days
Players
56
daily peak, Nov 7, 2026
Steam Deck
Playable
Last update on Steam
Unknown
no patch notes on Steam
Minimum PC
4 MB DirectX compatible
0.3 GB RAM · 0.6 GB disk
Full requirements

Metacritic: 83/100 (critic reviews)

What is Hearts of Iron 2 Complete?

Hearts of Iron 2 Complete is a grand strategy game in which you lead a country through World War II, directing military campaigns while managing diplomacy, research, politics, and production. It includes historical battle scenarios and the Doomsday and Armageddon expansions, including an alternate-history World War III between the Allies and a Soviet alliance.

For you if...

  • +you like managing diplomacy, production, and military campaigns
  • +you want historical scenarios alongside alternate-history warfare

Not for you if...

  • −you want strategy without a steep learning curve
  • −you dislike managing research, politics, and production during wars

What players say

80% of 687 reviews are positive · 8% of 12 in the last 30 days

Players praise the depth of its World War II strategy, though some mention a steep learning curve. An experienced player reports late-game bugs that can stall play, while another criticizes unexpected departures from historical events.

Players over time

▲ +7% vs a month ago

Players online on Steam, one sample a day.

Highest since Sep 2026: 62 players on Sep 21, 2026.

Show the data
DayPlayers
Nov 7, 202656
Nov 6, 202646
Nov 5, 202646
Nov 4, 202653
Nov 3, 202650
Nov 2, 202647
Nov 1, 202642
Oct 31, 202647
Oct 30, 202644
Oct 29, 202648
Oct 28, 202655
Oct 27, 202635
Oct 27, 202643
Oct 26, 202646
Oct 25, 202649
Oct 24, 202647
Oct 23, 202642
Oct 22, 202642
Oct 21, 202641
Oct 20, 202641
Oct 19, 202647
Oct 18, 202657
Oct 17, 202647
Oct 16, 202643
Oct 15, 202640
Oct 14, 202645
Oct 13, 202647
Oct 12, 202648
Oct 11, 202655
Oct 10, 202652
Oct 9, 202655
Oct 8, 202637
Oct 7, 202641
Oct 6, 202639
Oct 5, 202640
Oct 4, 202641
Oct 3, 202644
Oct 2, 202647
Oct 1, 202643
Sep 30, 202644
Sep 29, 202647
Sep 28, 202644
Sep 27, 202643
Sep 26, 202653
Sep 25, 202649
Sep 24, 202652
Sep 23, 202654
Sep 23, 202649
Sep 22, 202655
Sep 21, 202662

Screenshots and trailer

Hearts of Iron 2 Complete screenshot 1

Hearts of Iron 2 Complete system requirements

Minimum: 4 MB DirectX compatible, 0.3 GB RAM, 0.6 GB of disk space.

As published by the developer.

Can my PC run Hearts of Iron 2 Complete?

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Minimum

OS
Windows 2000/XP
Processor
Pentium IV 1200 MHz
Graphics
4 MB video card DirectX compatible
Memory
256 MB RAM
Storage
600 MB
DirectX
9.0 or higher

Does Hearts of Iron 2 Complete have co-op or multiplayer?

Yes: multiplayer (mode not specified). It also has a single-player mode.

Does Hearts of Iron 2 Complete run on Steam Deck?

Playable Playable: it runs on Steam Deck with some adjustments.

  • Default controller config not fully functional
  • Sometimes shows mouse, keyboard or non-Deck controller icons
  • Some text entry requires manually opening the on-screen keyboard
  • Some in-game text is small and may be hard to read
  • Default graphics settings perform well on Steam Deck

PC version details

DRM
None declared on Steam
Controller
Keyboard and mouse
Platforms
Windows
Steam features
Family Sharing
Languages
Text only: English.

Does Hearts of Iron 2 Complete use AI-generated content?

No AI-generated content is disclosed on the game's Steam page.

Self-reported by the developer under Steam rules: it covers AI content that ships in the game, not tools used to make it. Steam page checked on Nov 7, 2026. How to filter AI games on Steam

Tags

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