Hearts of Iron III vs Victoria 3
Hearts of Iron III is a sandbox simulation game from Development Studio (2009) while Victoria 3 is a sandbox simulation game from Development Studio (2022).
What each one is
Steam files Hearts of Iron III under Sandbox and Simulation. In contrast, it files Victoria 3 under Sandbox and Simulation.
Hearts of Iron III lets you play the most engaging conflict in world history, World War 2, on all fronts as any country and through multiple different scenarios. Guide your nation to glory between 1936 and 1948 and wage war, conduct diplomacy and build your industry in the most detailed World War 2 game ever made.
Paradox Development Studio invites you to build your ideal society in the tumult of the exciting and transformative 19th century. Balance the competing interests in your society and earn your place in the sun in Victoria 3, one of the most anticipated games in Paradox’s history.
At a glance
| Hearts of Iron III | Victoria 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 6.8/10 | 6.3/10 |
| Steam rating | Mostly Positive (76%, 6,081) | Mostly Positive (70%, 60,969) |
| Critic aggregate | 77/100 | No aggregate |
| Price | $9.99 | $49.99 |
| Install size | — | 10 GB |
| Steam Deck | unsupported | playable |
| Released | 2009 | 2022 |
| Developer | Development Studio | Development Studio |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Hearts of Iron III vs Victoria 3, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Hearts of Iron IIISandbox simulation gameVictoria 3Sandbox simulation gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Hearts of Iron IIIGrand Strategy, Strategy, World War IIVictoria 3Grand Strategy, Economy, HistoricalThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Hearts of Iron III ✓Score 6.8 · 76% on Steam · 77 criticVictoria 3Score 6.3 · 70% on SteamThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Hearts of Iron III6,081 reviews · 18 add-onsVictoria 360,969 reviews · 17 add-ons · 10 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Hearts of Iron III ✓$9.99Victoria 3$49.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Hearts of Iron IIIUnsupportedVictoria 3 ✓PlayableValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Hearts of Iron III takes 2 of the marked rounds to 1. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueHearts of Iron III and Victoria 3 on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: Hearts of Iron III (GamingPickz Score 6.8)
- The cheaper right now: Hearts of Iron III ($9.99)
- Better on a Steam Deck: Victoria 3 (playable)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Victoria 3 (60,969 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
Grand StrategyStrategyHistoricalSimulationMilitaryReal-Time with PauseSandboxMultiplayer
Where they differ
World War IIWarDifficultRTSWargameGreat Soundtrack
EconomyPolitical SimCapitalismDiplomacyManagementModdable
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Hearts of Iron III is demanding, for players who want a challenge. Victoria 3 is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| Hearts of Iron III | Victoria 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | — | — |
| Minimum CPU | Intel Pentium IV 2.4 GHz | — |
| Minimum RAM | 2 GB | — |
| Install size | — | 10 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Hearts of Iron III · Victoria 3.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 0 accessibility features for Hearts of Iron III and 9 for Victoria 3. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Hearts of Iron III and Victoria 3 in scope?
Hearts of Iron III has drawn 6,081 Steam reviews and ships 18 add-ons. Victoria 3 has drawn 60,969 Steam reviews, ships 17 add-ons and installs in 10 GB.
Is Hearts of Iron III or Victoria 3 better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Hearts of Iron III rates higher (6.8 to 6.3). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Hearts of Iron III or Victoria 3?
Hearts of Iron III is cheaper right now at $9.99, against $49.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.