Choose Darkest Hour: A Hearts of Iron Game
Choose Darkest Hour: A Hearts of Iron Game if you want the Multi-player side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 91.5% positive across 929 reviews.
Darkest Hour: A Hearts of Iron Game vs Rule the Waves 3
Darkest Hour: A Hearts of Iron Game and Rule the Waves 3 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. Darkest Hour: A Hearts of Iron Game (2011) is 12 years older than Rule the Waves 3 (2023). Darkest Hour: A Hearts of Iron Game scores higher on Steam reviews (91.5% positive) than Rule the Waves 3 (89.1% 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 Rule the Waves 3
Choose Rule the Waves 3 if you want a Simulation experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2023) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Rule the Waves 3 launched in 2023.
Both Darkest Hour: A Hearts of Iron Game and Rule the Waves 3 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
 Darkest Hour: A Hearts of Iron Game |  Rule the Waves 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2011 | 2023 |
| Genres | Strategy | Strategy, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Deck Unsupported |
| Price | 9.99 USD | 39.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 91.5% positive (929 reviews) | 89.1% positive (650 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Single-player only |
| Developers | Martin Ivanov | Naval Warfare Simulations |
Side by side
- Both are Strategy games on Steam.
- Darkest Hour: A Hearts of Iron Game (2011) is 12 years older than Rule the Waves 3 (2023).
- Darkest Hour: A Hearts of Iron Game scores higher on Steam reviews (91.5% positive) than Rule the Waves 3 (89.1% positive).
- Darkest Hour: A Hearts of Iron Game is currently ~75% cheaper on Steam than Rule the Waves 3 (9.99 USD vs. 39.99 USD).
- Both are Deck Unsupported.
Darkest Hour: A Hearts of Iron Game vs Rule the Waves 3 — FAQ
- Which is better, Darkest Hour: A Hearts of Iron Game or Rule the Waves 3?
- On Steam reviews Darkest Hour: A Hearts of Iron Game scores higher (91.5% positive) than Rule the Waves 3 (89.1% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Darkest Hour: A Hearts of Iron Game is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Darkest Hour: A Hearts of Iron Game or Rule the Waves 3 first?
- If you want chronology, Darkest Hour: A Hearts of Iron Game (2011) came out before Rule the Waves 3 (2023). 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 Darkest Hour: A Hearts of Iron Game and Rule the Waves 3 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 Rule the Waves 3 have multiplayer like Darkest Hour: A Hearts of Iron Game?
- No. Darkest Hour: A Hearts of Iron Game supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player), while Rule the Waves 3 is listed as single-player only.