Choose Making History: The Great War
Choose Making History: The Great War if you want an Indie experience. Making History: The Great War launched in 2015.
Making History: The Great War vs Hearts of Iron IV
Making History: The Great War and Hearts of Iron IV both land in Strategy, Simulation 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 share Strategy, Simulation on Steam. Making History: The Great War (2015) is 1 year older than Hearts of Iron IV (2016). Hearts of Iron IV scores higher on Steam reviews (91.1% positive) than Making History: The Great War (74.9% 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 Hearts of Iron IV
Choose Hearts of Iron IV if you want the Co-op side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 91.1% positive across 120,833 reviews.
Both Making History: The Great War and Hearts of Iron IV sit in Strategy and Simulation on Steam and both list Multi-player, 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
 Making History: The Great War |  Hearts of Iron IV | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2015 | 2016 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie, Simulation | Strategy, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Deck Playable |
| Price | 29.99 USD | 14.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 74.9% positive (279 reviews) | 91.1% positive (120,833 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Co-op |
| Developers | Muzzy Lane Software, Factus Games | Paradox Development Studio |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Simulation on Steam.
- Making History: The Great War (2015) is 1 year older than Hearts of Iron IV (2016).
- Hearts of Iron IV scores higher on Steam reviews (91.1% positive) than Making History: The Great War (74.9% positive).
- Hearts of Iron IV is currently ~50% cheaper on Steam than Making History: The Great War (14.99 USD vs. 29.99 USD).
- Hearts of Iron IV has co-op; Making History: The Great War does not.
- Hearts of Iron IV is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Making History: The Great War has no Deck rating yet.
Making History: The Great War vs Hearts of Iron IV — FAQ
- Which is better, Making History: The Great War or Hearts of Iron IV?
- On Steam reviews Hearts of Iron IV scores higher (91.1% positive) than Making History: The Great War (74.9% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Hearts of Iron IV is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Making History: The Great War or Hearts of Iron IV first?
- If you want chronology, Making History: The Great War (2015) came out before Hearts of Iron IV (2016). 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 Making History: The Great War and Hearts of Iron IV similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, Simulation 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.