In this article, we’ll be looking at the top 15 overhaul mods for Hearts of Iron IV that you should definitely give a try or look at. But to clarify, an overhaul mod is a mod that does something to significantly improve the graphics or gameplay of the game to make it a new experience, though still somewhat familiar to its players.
Kaiserreich
Kaiserreich is set in a world where Germany, instead of losing, wins World War 1 and dramatically reshapes the map and trajectory of the entire world. You’re provided a whole new setting, new ideologies, new nations/factions, and new ways to chart the course of Kaiserreich.
Speaking with a bias, I’ve played more than a thousand hours in this mod, and I can sincerely say that every time, I’ve always found a new target for my RP goals. From a role-playing perspective, I can honestly say that you’ll have a fun time here, as no matter what ideology you represent, you’ll always think you’re in the right and that conquest is justified. It’s weird, but in a good way.
Kaiserreich promises a number of features that include, but are not limited to:
- An immersive alternative history scenario
- A reworked map with new states and provinces
- Ten different ideologies
- Tens of thousands of new events that offer a wide range of different possibilities
- Over 100 focus trees, including dynamic trees that change during the game
- Hundreds of decisions, both generic and nation-specific
Download Mod: Here
The New Order: Last Days of Europe
The New Order: Last Days of Europe, or more commonly known as TNO, is a mod set in an alternate history wherein Germany decisively won the war in Europe and the US lost to a combined nuclear assault from both Germany and Japan. Yet despite winning, Germany finds its position untenable by 1962. Hitler watches as both his health and the fragility of the German Reich fade. Japan has conquered much of Asia but, it is not yet fully subjugated. America stands alone as the only free nation in the world but, if they do not sort out their internal issues, then they will not amount to anything.
TNO is a truly interesting mod, as apart from the massive gameplay and lore changes it provides, you’re treated to a world that I would describe as a scrap for the crown. You can play as one of the next German leaders, leading your nation through a civil war all while attempting to reestablish your spot as the hegemon of the world. Despite fracturing into multiple states, the Soviet Union could rise once more as Germany is distracted, and who knows, perhaps the Red Menace or one of its warlords could raise their banner over Berlin.
Here are some features of TNO:
- Engage in economics that change based on your actions.
- A completely new interface for the Cold War aesthetic
- Thousands of events are written to the highest standards in Hearts of Iron.
- A fully reworked tech tree.
- New ideologies!
Download Mod: Here
The Great War
The Great War, as the name implies, transports you back to the time before, during, and after the Great War, aka World War I. This mod allows you to shape the precursor events to the Great War or even alter history-changing (imagine if Germany did not pursue a bullish relationship with its neighbors or if Italy joined the Central Powers instead) decisions. The choice is yours, just remember that in the fields of battle, many will perish.
Personally, I feel like this mod really recreates the events leading up to the First World War. You could try to establish your nation’s place in the sun or leader status but end up sparking the powder keg to war. The fact that they even added a post-war scenario is even more tempting, as you can try to pick up your nation from the ruins of war and possibly even avert the rise of fascism.
Some features include:
- New Starting Scenarios
- New National Focus Trees
- New and unique weapons of warfare
- Historical events
- News 3D Models
Download Mod: Here
Old World Blues
This is not the full map of the game
Old World Blues is a total conversion/overhaul mod that transports you to the world of Fallout in the year 2275. With a variety of factions, unique events, and focus trees, you can rest assured that you’ll be “safe” in the wastelands, friend.
If you are a fan of the Fallout series, you’ll find that Hearts of Iron IV does really well in its setting. You’re given access to the choice of picking out a single faction that would dominate the wastelands of Northern America. Will you lead either the NCR or Caesar’s Legion in their bitter rivalry? Perhaps even the Brotherhood of Steel chapter? The choice is yours in this excellent total overhaul mod.
Some features include:
- An entirely custom map of North America.
- Events and descriptions are themed to perfectly match the Fallout style
- 37 unique focus trees centered around important Fallout factions
- 4 new ideologies representing the nature of groups found in Fallout: Elites, Intellectuals, Ruler, and People.
- Custom artwork for all leaders and generals
Download Mod: Here
Cold War Iron Curtain: A World Divided
Moving forward in history to the Cold War, you’re given the opportunity to reshape the fate of the world in this mod. You’ll be exposed to various historical events and given the choice to dramatically alter the path taken. Will you spread your beliefs in a peaceful manner, or will war dominate your reign?
With the chance to change the fates of many nations, you’ll be hard pressed not to consider this mod in your list of top mods. While we’re focusing mostly on the major players of the Cold War so far, they expect to give more love to minor nations, so developer support is promised. But enough of that—have you ever imagined what would happen if the Korean War ended in a decisive victory for one side or if the Soviet Union took another path after Stalin’s death? Well, imagine no further.
Some features include:
- Over 20 years of content for the Major Powers, i.e, USA, USSR, and PRC
- A UN mechanic to simulate real politics
- Multiple start dates: 1949, 1960, and 1970.
- A fully functional DEFCON and MAD system.
- Thousands of custom events, to relive the Cold War in real time.
Download Mod: Here
Road to 56
Road to 56 has a simple premise: to expand the game into 1956 while adding new content to make the journey worth it. With a team of dedicated modders, they have successfully moved the end date from 1947 to 1956, which gives you a whopping 9 more years to conquer the world.
In this mod, you’ll basically be given free reign to play more while new content has been added to match the goal of making it to 1956. It’s a truly large mod that gives you, the player, more events, decisions, and focus trees to ensure some alternate history shenanigans are always present.
Some features include:
- New units
- New troop experience system
- New laws
- Expanded difficulty modifiers
- Newly releasable nations
Download Mod: Here
Millennium Dawn: A Modern Day Mod
Set in the year 2000, you are about to embark on a new chapter in human history in this mod. You’ll be given the ability to shift the trajectory of various major nations and even take a different path than what its real-life counterpart did. With many new features, you’ll surely feel immersed in this world and find it to be welcoming to all Hearts of Iron IV players.
With a modern setting, this mod aims to place the player in a world that they’re quite familiar with. With more than a dozen unique focus trees and the ability to reshape the fate of nations, you’ll find yourself lacking time to complete it all. From Russia turning truly democratic to even Obama losing in 2008, there are a lot of possibilities that are just waiting to be discovered.
Some features include:
- New and Unique Map (new provinces, real borders, states, resources, industry, and population)
- New Tech Tree (extending from 1965-2035)
- New Countries (all with portraits, correct statistics, and military leaders)
- New Economic System (development, debt, corruption, and budget-management)
- New Political System
Download Mod: Here
BlackICE Historical Immersion Mod
With the aim of making your historical game a much better experience with an overhaul of the existing focus tree, changes to game mechanics, and so much more, BlackICE will deliver with aplomb and more.
BlackICE is one of the best mods when you just intend to play in a historical setting and feel that the gameplay is missing certain features. Well, fret not, for you’ll get your wish. With so many new additions that it’s impossible to summarize in just a single paragraph, BlackICE definitely lives up to its storied name.
Some features include:
- New and improved national focus trees for all major and most minor nations
- Hundreds of new technologies to research, including country-specific armor, aircraft, and ships
- Completely revamped naval system. Customize your ship classes or rely on premade historical designs
- Air War with realistic losses and improved gameplay
- Dozens of new battalion and support unit types
Download Mod: Here
FPS Map
As time passes in Hearts of Iron IV, the game will come to a slow crawl due to the amount of units on the map, which necessitates a larger demand out of your PC. FPS Map will look to optimize the game in a manner that would allow you to keep playing while looking at a neat map.
The goal of the mod is simple: increase the FPS of your game. What’s more to say about it? It has done this through a number of adjustments that the mod owner has made. The map remains clear and colorful despite the changes, which is definitely what most players were hoping for.
(It should be noted that the mod has not been updated as of March 2023.)
Some features include:
- Increase FPS
- Less shaders
- Strategic view adjustments
- Sharper Borders
Download Mod: Here
Colored UI Buttons
With the simple goal of making your life easier when playing the game, you’ll definitely find that the colored buttons mod makes everything easier on the default UI. Now equipped with colored buttons for each area, you won’t be confused and misclick on another tab instead.
As explained above, the mod is fairly simple. It aims to improve your gameplay by coloring the UI buttons in order to prevent the player from getting confused and clicking accidentally. I dare say it’s accomplished its task, as tons of players use this mod in conjunction with others, making their gameplay experience much clearer.
(The mod has not been updated since 2020 due to the UI remaining the same ever since then.)
Download Mod: Here
Expert AI 4.0
Desiring a much improved AI to test your skills against? Look no further! Expert AI is here to accommodate your difficulty as it looks to adjust the AI logic in order to properly follow its historical lines and prove a much tougher nut to crack.
With a revamped AI system, this mod is a definite must have when playing a historical campaign. You’re now going to deal with the Soviet Union as Germany did. Is it going to be a huge struggle? Yes. Is it going to be fun? Most definitely so. Welcome to the upcoming slog.
Some features include:
- Overhauling AI Production
- Overhauling AI Division Templates and Training
- Scripted coordinated Naval Invasions
- Overhauled ship designs
- Ability to configure AI settings at any moment.
Download Mod: Here
Lord of the Rings
Hearts of Iron IV in the world Tolkien created? Fantastic, I say! This mod aims to recreate the setting behind the works of Tolkien and give the player the experience of leading one of the many factions in Middle Earth to victory. Who will prevail, the forces of good or those of Mordor? That is up to you.
While fairly new, I can still say that the mod is on a good path as it looks to give you both the canonical story and new alternate histories. What if Isengard captured the hobbits or if the elves chose not to aid the Fellowship during its formation? There are so many possibilities in the world of Tolkien, so much to do.
Some features include:
- A custom-made map of Middle Earth
- Customized flags, portraits, etc. for each respective nation.
- Completely custom national focus trees for the nations of: Mordor, Isengard, Gondor, Rohan, Erebor, Rivendell, Lothlòrien, Moria, Mirkwood, Entwood, Harad, and Eastlands
- Custom Diplomatic National Focus Trees for: Arthedain, the Shire, and Angmar
- Custom events and interactions that evolve around J. R. R's story
Download Mod: Here
Equestria at War
Set in the world of My Little Pony (I know, I know), the mod aims to recreate the world at large but in a slightly darker setting as the fog of industrialization rises and the winds of war blow, heralding the coming of a future conflict.
I’m also not onboard with the setting, but when you look at its features, it’s definitely worth giving it a shot. You can pick among many nations that have unique focuses and have had enough time to build a superpower before engaging in a global conflict.
Some features include:
- A new custom map based on the My Little Pony Universe
- Over 100 immersive focus trees allow for many possibilities
- Expanded technology trees, extended tech branches, andmagical equipment
- New technology trees with racial and magical abilities of the fantasy races
- Hundreds of events and event chains
Download Mod: Here
Pax Britannica
In this alternate science fiction mod, you’ll be set in a world where the monarchies held sway until the Great War dramatically changed the fates of many nations. From Japan to the Habsburgs, all fell into anarchy and civil war. With the year 1933 and some old countries like the aforementioned Japan and France looking to establish their place once again in the sun, things will never be calm.
I placed the mod near the bottom due to only three countries having fully fleshed out content, but I am hopeful for this mod. Their alternate history setting is unique on its own as it combines various scenarios to build this wonderful collection that, given time, will be able to stand on its own among the many great mods.
Some features include:
- New gameplay mechanics
- New setting
- Unique focus trees for Britain, Germany, and France
- New tech tree
- Distinct events for each nation
Download Mod: Here
Metro
Set in the grim world of Metro, this mod looks to recreate the setting of the beloved video game series in Hearts of Iron IV. Lead your faction through the tunnels as you look to stamp out your authority and ideology in this wasteland.
This mod is definitely one to keep an eye on. The Metro series is a setting worth exploring, and I feel that this mod has done it quite well. There are new events, unique focus trees, a completely overhauled map to match the metro system (!), and some great gameplay. You can’t ask for more, I say.
Some features include:
- An immersive gameplay experience unlike any other
- A completely overhauled map resembling the Moscow Metro system
- 6 New Types of Battalions to Simulate the Vehicular and Very Nature of Underground Warfare
- Unique technologies and equipment that simulate the universe of Metro 2033
- New decisions and events that simulate the landscape of Metro 2033.
- Ability to colonize and explore abandoned stations and scavenge for resources on the surface
Download Mod: Here
