Choose Hearts of Iron III
Choose Hearts of Iron III if you want the Multi-player and Co-op side of the pairing. On Steam, it's currently about 69% cheaper on the Steam Store. 2,730 Steam reviews back the pick.
Hearts of Iron III vs Frontline: The Great Patriotic War
Hearts of Iron III and Frontline: The Great Patriotic War both land in Strategy on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both are Strategy games on Steam. Hearts of Iron III (2009) is 10 years older than Frontline: The Great Patriotic War (2019). Frontline: The Great Patriotic War scores higher on Steam reviews (82.4% positive) than Hearts of Iron III (77.4% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Frontline: The Great Patriotic War
Choose Frontline: The Great Patriotic War if you want an Action, Indie, and Adventure experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2019) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Frontline: The Great Patriotic War launched in 2019.
Both Hearts of Iron III and Frontline: The Great Patriotic War sit in Strategy on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 Hearts of Iron III |  Frontline: The Great Patriotic War | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2009 | 2019 |
| Genres | Strategy | Action, Strategy, Indie, Adventure, Simulation, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Unrated |
| Price | 2.49 USD | 7.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 77.4% positive (2,730 reviews) | 82.4% positive (17 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Co-op | Single-player only |
| Developers | Paradox Development Studio | Frontline: Games Series |
Side by side
- Both are Strategy games on Steam.
- Hearts of Iron III (2009) is 10 years older than Frontline: The Great Patriotic War (2019).
- Frontline: The Great Patriotic War scores higher on Steam reviews (82.4% positive) than Hearts of Iron III (77.4% positive).
- Hearts of Iron III is currently ~69% cheaper on Steam than Frontline: The Great Patriotic War (2.49 USD vs. 7.99 USD).
- Hearts of Iron III has co-op; Frontline: The Great Patriotic War does not.
- Hearts of Iron III is Deck Unsupported on Steam Deck; Frontline: The Great Patriotic War has no Deck rating yet.
Hearts of Iron III vs Frontline: The Great Patriotic War — FAQ
- Should I play Hearts of Iron III or Frontline: The Great Patriotic War first?
- If you want chronology, Hearts of Iron III (2009) came out before Frontline: The Great Patriotic War (2019). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Hearts of Iron III and Frontline: The Great Patriotic War similar?
- They overlap on Strategy on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
- Does Frontline: The Great Patriotic War have multiplayer like Hearts of Iron III?
- No. Hearts of Iron III supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Co-op), while Frontline: The Great Patriotic War is listed as single-player only.