Choose Emergency 2012
Choose Emergency 2012 if it matches what drew you to this matchup. Emergency 2012 launched in 2010.
Emergency 2012 vs Hearts of Iron IV
Emergency 2012 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. Emergency 2012 (2010) is 6 years older than Hearts of Iron IV (2016). Both support cooperative play. 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 it's the newer release (2016) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 120,833 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Emergency 2012 and Hearts of Iron IV sit in Strategy and Simulation on Steam and both list Multi-player and Co-op, 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
 Emergency 2012 |  Hearts of Iron IV | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2010 | 2016 |
| Genres | Strategy, Simulation | Strategy, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Deck Playable |
| Price | Price unknown | 14.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 4 reviews | 91.1% positive (120,833 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Co-op | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Co-op |
| Developers | Quadriga Games | Paradox Development Studio |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Simulation on Steam.
- Emergency 2012 (2010) is 6 years older than Hearts of Iron IV (2016).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Hearts of Iron IV is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Emergency 2012 has no Deck rating yet.
Emergency 2012 vs Hearts of Iron IV — FAQ
- Should I play Emergency 2012 or Hearts of Iron IV first?
- If you want chronology, Emergency 2012 (2010) 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 Emergency 2012 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.
- Do both Emergency 2012 and Hearts of Iron IV have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Emergency 2012 ships Co-op; Hearts of Iron IV ships Co-op.