Hearts of Iron 4 trailer offers the tiniest first glimpse of game footage

Here's a first, brief look at Hearts of Iron 4. And I do mean brief: of the minute-long tour through the beginnings of World War 2, around 12 seconds are given to this latest offering from Paradox's Clausewitz Engine. If you're a veteran grand strategy fan, you already know what to expect. Maps, men and giant arrows.

Also new is a HoI4 website promotion. On the official site , fans can log in to join one of the three factions—Allies, Axis or Comintern—then recruit new people for a chance at an upcoming beta.

Paradox promise a more substantial look at game footage is yet to come. Hearts of Iron 4 is due out early next year.

Phil has been writing for PC Gamer for nearly a decade, starting out as a freelance writer covering everything from free games to MMOs. He eventually joined full-time as a news writer, before moving to the magazine to review immersive sims, RPGs and Hitman games. Now he leads PC Gamer's UK team, but still sometimes finds the time to write about his ongoing obsessions with Destiny 2, GTA Online and Apex Legends. When he's not levelling up battle passes, he's checking out the latest tactics game or dipping back into Guild Wars 2. He's largely responsible for the whole Tub Geralt thing, but still isn't sorry.