HOI4 best DLC in 2026: what to buy, prices and Steam reviews

For Hearts of Iron 4 in 2026, the best first DLC is No Step Back: $19.99, 70% positive English reviews on Steam, with the Tank Designer and the Soviet rework. Add Götterdämmerung if you play Germany. To test first, three months of subscription cost $14.99. Prices and reviews were recorded on 30 October 2026, on version 1.19.

Older buying advice needs a rethink. Together for Victory, Death or Dishonor, Waking the Tiger and Man the Guns are part of the base game according to the official wiki. They no longer appear among the DLC sold on the game’s Steam page.

In practice, 11 gameplay DLC remain on sale as of 30 October 2026, or $200.89 at full price. In HOI4, the right criterion is first the country you want to play.

How this guide compares the DLC

Nobody played these expansions for this article. The comparison crosses three verifiable data points for each DLC.

• Content. Countries and systems come from the official Steam pages and the official wiki.
• Price. This is the full US Steam price, without any sale, recorded on 30 October 2026.
• Reception. The percentage is the score shown by Steam on the same date. For seven DLC, Steam shows the score of English reviews, marked “(EN)” in the table. It measures how players received the DLC, not how deep the content is.

The 11 DLC at a glance

The first three purchases

No Step Back. This is the safest pick. It updates the Soviet and Polish trees and adds the Baltic states, the Army Officer Corps, the Tank Designer and Railway Guns. With 70% from 1,772 English reviews, it has the best score in the table.

Götterdämmerung. At 64% from 1,975 reviews, it targets Germany with an enlarged tree, plus Austria, Hungary, Belgium and Congo. It also adds Special Projects and Raids. Our Götterdämmerung guide details the German paths.

Arms Against Tyranny. At 62% from 837 English reviews, it covers Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland. On paper, its Military Industrial Organizations and International Market reach beyond those countries.

Which DLC for the country you play

Once the first purchase is done, the right choice depends on the nation you want to start.

• Italy, Ethiopia or Switzerland. By Blood Alone (35% in English) also adds the Aircraft Designer.
• France, Spain or Portugal. La Résistance (39% in English) brings espionage and Code Cracking.
• Japan, China or the Philippines. No Compromise, No Surrender (30%) adds doctrines and an expanded factions system.
• South America. Trial of Allegiance (36% in English) covers five countries, from Brazil to Uruguay.
• Balkans and the straits. Battle for the Bosporus (39% in English) remains the cheapest Country Pack, at $9.99.
• Central and South Asia. Graveyard of Empires (15% in English) covers India, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan.
• Pacific and Southeast Asia. Thunder at our Gates (26%) adds Australia, Siam and Indonesia.
• Czechoslovakia. Peace for Our Time (41%) costs $5.99, and our Focus Pack analysis details its three paths.

What the scores say

What matters is the gap between the top three DLC and the rest. Only No Step Back, Götterdämmerung and Arms Against Tyranny pass 50%. No Compromise, No Surrender, the most expensive expansion at $29.99, stays at 30% from 1,820 reviews.

Graveyard of Empires comes last at 15% from 1,856 English reviews. Avoid it without a sale, unless one of those four countries really interests you.

The last 30 days often run lower than the overall score. No Step Back falls to 48% from 47 reviews, and La Résistance to 10% from 39. The sample is small, but the risk is that these scores keep sliding.

What the table leaves out

This comparison skips content that does not touch the rules. Cosmetic packs such as Axis Armor, Allied Armor or Prototype Vehicles are listed between €4.99 and €6.99 on the French store, and music packs between €2.99 and €6.99. Prototype Vehicles only reaches 13% from 484 reviews, so you buy these for looks, not to play differently. One last item is free: Poland: United and Ready is added automatically, with no purchase needed.

Subscription, General Edition or bundle: the maths

The subscription costs $7.99 per month or $14.99 for 3 months. It requires the base game and covers expansions, Country Packs, plus art and music packs. It excludes Community Content Packs, and its page names neither Focus Packs nor Theater Packs.

The General Edition at $59.99 contains the game, La Résistance and Battle for the Bosporus. You save $19.98, but both DLC stall at 39% in English.

The Big Nations Bundle at $106.21 groups the game, No Step Back, Götterdämmerung and No Compromise, No Surrender. If you start from scratch, No Compromise, No Surrender then adds $11.24 over buying the game and the first two DLC individually.

The Ultimate Bundle lists at $169.93 for 17 items, a 30% discount. It contains neither No Compromise, No Surrender, nor Thunder at our Gates, nor the Czechoslovak Focus Pack.

Three budgets, three answers

The table gives unit prices. Here is what the main scenarios cost at full price, recorded on 30 October 2026.

• Around $20. On its own, No Step Back costs $19.99 and remains the best-received DLC in the table.
• Around $45. Adding Götterdämmerung brings the bill to $44.98, which covers the USSR, Poland, the Baltic states and Germany.
• The whole catalogue. The game and all 11 DLC total $250.88. The Ultimate Bundle plus the three missing DLC comes to $225.90, a $24.98 difference, with the cosmetic and music packs on top.

The risk with that last option is paying for eight DLC at once, including Graveyard of Empires at 15% in English. It only suits a player who really wants every country.

Should you wait for the Romania Focus Pack?

Paradox is preparing a Focus Pack for Romania, with no date or price announced as of 30 October 2026. Nothing justifies waiting if you plan to buy for another country.

The recommended order

For a player who already owns the game, follow this list.

1. Try three months of subscription if you are still unsure.
2. Buy No Step Back.
3. Add Götterdämmerung if you play Germany.
4. Then pick the DLC for the country you want to start.
5. Wait for a sale on No Compromise, No Surrender and Graveyard of Empires.

If DLC prices hold you back, our top Hearts of Iron IV mods shows what the community offers for free.

Going further

• All our Hearts of Iron 4 articles
• HOI4 Götterdämmerung: Germany guide
• HOI4 Czechoslovakia: Focus Pack analysis
• Top 10 best Hearts of Iron IV mods