Games like Hearts of Iron III

The Squirrel's verdictBoth let you take any nation across a full world map and grind through diplomacy or conquest at your own pace. Age of History II drops HoI3's division-level detail and WW2 focus for a simpler, exploitable ruleset spanning ancient times to modern day, with a map editor for building custom scenarios. Suits players who want breadth and mod tools over simulation depth.

Not for you if you want HoI3's granular division management and historical WW2 accuracy rather than a simplified, exploitable system covering all of human history.

The Squirrel's verdictDarkest Hour is built on the HoI2 engine and shares division-level command, province-by-province warfare, and deep research trees with HoI3. Its own players describe it as delivering a fundamentally deep experience without overwhelming micromanagement, and its mod ecosystem — including the well-developed Kaiserreich mod — adds substantial replay value. Median playtime runs around 138 hours. Suits players who want WW2 grand-strategy depth alongside strong alternate-history scenario support.

Not for you if you want HoI3's specific engine and combat model, or prefer scenarios that allow more deviation from historical event chains.

The Squirrel's verdictSame Paradox depth and complexity, same willingness to bury you in systems before anything clicks. EU3 swaps HoI3's WW2 division management for centuries of nation-building on the grand campaign map, with diplomacy, colonization, and infamy mechanics replacing front lines. For players who want the complexity without the WW2-specific scope.

Not for you if you want a WW2 setting or military-unit-level control rather than centuries of diplomacy and empire-building.

The Squirrel's verdictSame WW2 grand strategy grind: province management, research trees, division-level command, sliders for everything. AoD builds on HOI2's engine instead of HOI3's, with a deeper tech tree and easier play as minor powers, and lets you push history past WW2 into a hot Cold War. Good fit if you want more freedom from historical rails without HOI3's unit-scale complexity.

Not for you if you specifically want HOI3's division-level realism and historical WW2 focus rather than an alternate-history sandbox built on the older HOI2 engine.

The Squirrel's verdictMaking History II expands on the first Making History with a fuller set of national-management layers — military morale, weather effects on units, population feeding, political stability, and trade agreements all running simultaneously. Reviewers describe it as less demanding than HoI3 while still requiring real strategic planning. With a median playtime of around 100 hours, it suits players who want broad alternate-history freedom across interconnected systems without divisional micromanagement.

Not for you if you want unit-level simulation depth or prefer the first Making History entry, which reviewers rate as better value.

The Squirrel's verdictMaking History: The Calm & the Storm covers the same WW2 grand-strategy ground as HoI3 — any nation, open-ended history, economy and unit management — but builds around a system reviewers call user-friendly: easy economy controls, intuitive unit organization, and no dense battle pop-ups or report screens. At $3.99 with a median playtime around 30 hours, it suits players who want the setting and scope at a low barrier to entry.

Not for you if you want granular division-level detail, deep production layers, or thick chains of military reports.

The Squirrel's verdictSame WW2 grand-strategy scope as HoI3: run any nation's war economy, production, and divisions without historical scripting locking your choices. Turn-based rather than real-time, and reviewers note a thin tutorial with rough edges. Fits players who want HoI3's depth and any-country freedom but don't mind figuring out systems through trial and error.

Not for you if you want HoI3's real-time pause-and-command flow or expect a guided tutorial instead of learning production and unit systems by trial and error.