Info about States of Power:

Official game description:
_States of Power is a Grand Strategy Wargame where you command your nation's armies, economy, and diplomacy. Easy to start, but hard to master - no hours of tutorials just to start playing, and a full match fits in one session. The game is designed for smooth singleplayer and multiplayer gameplay with deep customisation. Control a World War II era nation of your choice - or create an entirely new setting with the Scenario Editor and share it with others._
**COMMAND THE WAR MACHINE**
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Command every division directly. Build an army tailored to your strategy - infantry, tanks, artillery, fighter planes, and more. Each unit excels against some and falters against others. Adapt to shifting frontlines and avoid overstretching your supply lines.
**EASY TO START, HARD TO MASTER**
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You don't need to watch hours of tutorials or read a wiki just to play your first game. States of Power is built to get you onto the map and making meaningful decisions within minutes, while still rewarding the mastery, planning, and bold gambles that strategy veterans crave.
**CREATE YOUR OWN WORLD - AND SHARE IT**
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With the built-in Scenario Editor, you can easily create custom countries, redraw borders, design entire scenarios, and script your own events - alternate histories, what-if conflicts, fantasy worlds and anything you can imagine. No external tools, no modding headaches.
When your creation is ready, publish it to the Scenario Browser for the whole community to download, rate, and play.
**BUILD YOUR NATION**
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Develop your provinces with factories, research labs, ports, and infrastructure. Balance your economy - construction, goods, military supplies, and manpower, take loans, trade on the world market, and push your industry to its limits. Climb a technology tree from early-war infantry weapons all the way to the atomic bomb. Choose your nation's ideology - Democratic, Authoritarian, Communist, or Fascist and reshape your country through reform or civil war.
**COMPETE IN RUTHLESS DIPLOMACY**
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Form alliances for survival or manipulate others before betraying them. Guarantee independence, sign non-aggression pacts, send “volunteers” to foreign wars, or quietly prepare for war. Multiplayer diplomacy is fast and brutal - with global and private messaging built in, your words are weapons too.

Release date: Aug 26, 2026

Categories: Grand Strategy, World War II Setting, Scenario Editor, Diplomacy, Multiplayer, Economic Simulation, Strategy


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $9.99 - $14.99
  - Reasoning: The three reviews all express satisfaction with the game's value. One directly states the game is worth its price, linking to the current $11.99 price. Another notes the game is simple and easy, which often appeals to a budget-conscious audience. The third compares it favorably to a well-known, more expensive game (Hearts of Iron IV), suggesting the game offers similar enjoyment at a lower cost. Taken together, the community appears to find the current price acceptable, so a fair range is centered around it, with a slight buffer for perceived under- or overvaluation.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: N/A
  - Story completion: N/A
  - Session length: 2.0h
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: Two reviews explicitly report ~2 hours of playtime, which suggests a typical session length. A third review mentions playing 20 hours in one day, but this could be total playtime across multiple sessions. The game is also described as 'pick up and play in a few hours', reinforcing the 2-hour session estimate. No evidence exists for game completion, story completion, or endgame playtime.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: Players consistently report immediate enjoyment and easy entry, with no early friction or delayed fun point.
  - Stance: Fun immediately
  - Anchor: N/A
  - Time to anchor: N/A
  - Friction: N/A
  - Unlock drivers: N/A
  - Conditions: N/A
- Player Archetypes:
  - Casual Strategy Fan (buy)
    - Motivation: To enjoy a less stressful, streamlined grand strategy experience without the depth of traditional Paradox games.
    - Playstyle: Relaxed single-player or multiplayer sessions, focusing on simple mechanics and avoiding complex micromanagement.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: Hearts of Iron IV
  - Multiplayer Socializer (buy)
    - Motivation: To engage in cooperative or diplomatic shenanigans with other players, compensating for the basic AI diplomacy.
    - Playstyle: Online multiplayer sessions with friends, leveraging pause/resume and server features for flexible, socially-driven play.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: Hearts of Iron IV
  - Skeptical Veteran (deep sale)
    - Motivation: To find a competent grand strategy game, but currently disappointed by lack of content and polish; hopes for future updates.
    - Playstyle: Analytical, likely single-player focused; scrutinizes mechanics like diplomacy, unit variety, and depth against Paradox standards.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: deep sale
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: Hearts of Iron IV


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Good overall game quality (weight 0.73): A substantial number of positive reviews simply state that the game is good, fun, and well-designed. This general satisfaction spans gameplay, strategy elements, and overall presentation.
- Simpler than Hearts of Iron 4 (weight 0.61): Many reviewers highlight the game's simplified mechanics compared to Hearts of Iron 4, making it more accessible and less stressful. It is praised as a perfect entry point for those who find HOI4 too complicated.
- Great scenario editor (weight 0.61): The built-in scenario editor is frequently praised for allowing players to create custom scenarios, countries, and events. Reviewers find it easy to use and a source of many hours of fun.
- Fun for casual and multiplayer (weight 0.32): The game is suitable for casual play, with many enjoying it with friends or in multiplayer sessions. Features like pause and resume and diplomatic shenanigans add to the fun.
- Simple yet challenging (weight 0.27): The game strikes a balance between simplicity and depth, offering a challenge without requiring hundreds of hours to master. It is simple but not too simple, keeping the experience engaging.
- In-depth yet accessible (weight 0.26): The game is considered in-depth and complex yet straightforward, offering depth without overwhelming the player. It includes basic economic, military, political, and diplomatic mechanics.
- Good performance on low-end systems (weight 0.24): Reviewers note that the game runs surprisingly well, even on weak processors and in the late game. This makes it playable on a wide range of hardware.
- Extensive customization options (weight 0.23): Players appreciate the strong sandboxy feeling with extensive customization, including custom flags, country names, and map colors. This allows for creative and personalized gameplay.
- No heavy micromanagement (weight 0.22): The game avoids overwhelming micromanagement, making it straightforward and enjoyable for those who dislike that aspect. It still offers fun micro-management for those who want it.
- Suitable for limited time (weight 0.19): The game is ideal for people with limited time, such as those who are employed. Its quick sessions and simple mechanics allow for satisfying play without a large time commitment.
- Customization and modding (weight 0.17): In-game modding and the ability to create custom scenarios are praised, with great potential for mods like Kaiserreich. This expands the game's longevity and community creativity.
- Good UI and polish (weight 0.16): The user interface is well-received, and the game is described as solid, polished, and well put together. This contributes to an overall positive experience.

Common complaints:
- Map inaccuracies and limitations (weight 0.4): The map has incorrect province names, missing islands like Malta and the Falklands, and inaccurate historical borders. Players cannot create custom tiles, and the map is too small for large wars, lacking map modes.
- Multiplayer sessions are problematic (weight 0.38): Multiplayer is laggy, players cannot join rooms or get stuck on loading screens, and games often end prematurely when players leave. There is no finish line for multiplayer matches, causing frustration.
- War mechanics are flawed (weight 0.36): War is sometimes too fast and unclear, with devastating AI bomber raids that destroy factories, and naval combat is difficult with ships helplessly targeted by planes. Leaving provinces unoccupied allows enemies to walk through.
- AI is unrealistic and aggressive (weight 0.33): AI behavior is criticized for being too aggressive, with unrealistic conquests like Japan taking Russia and Canada taking the USA in days. AI also dogpiles on nations without reason and refuses to surrender even when defeated.
- Diplomacy lacks depth (weight 0.3): Several clusters highlight that the diplomacy system is basic and lacks nuance, with limited casus belli options and no meaningful peace conferences. This leads to unrealistic behaviors like allies instantly attacking and AI dogpiling without consequences.
- Small nations are unplayable (weight 0.3): The economy and balance make small countries like Guatemala and Nicaragua nearly impossible to play, with high build costs and resource strain. AI aggression and lack of support compound the issue, making these nations non-viable.
- Allies cannot be called (weight 0.29): Players cannot call allies into wars; allies only join voluntarily, and if they do, they may attack the player's enemies immediately without repercussions. This reduces strategic depth and makes multiplayer coordination frustrating.
- Historical accuracy issues (weight 0.28): Various scenarios have historical inaccuracies, such as France and Britain not declaring war on Germany over Poland, and small countries overpowering Russia. The Axis is favored, and some nations like Japan are too strong.
- No peace conference system (weight 0.25): There is no peace conference, forcing players to fully conquer every territory to end wars. This leads to tedious island-hopping and border gore, especially with large nations like the UK and France.
- Economy system is poor (weight 0.25): The economy is restrictive, especially for smaller countries, with high building costs and maintenance that are not refunded upon demolition. Players often feel forced to conquer others to build their economy, and production is seen as spam.
- Soviet Union is unbalanced (weight 0.24): The Soviet Union is either too weak in AI hands, collapsing quickly with stats lower than Italy, or too easy for players, depending on the situation. This creates inconsistent and frustrating experiences.
- Puppet and vassal issues (weight 0.23): Liberated territory goes to the player instead of the puppet, and there is no way to return land, causing ugly borders. Some puppet states also fail to produce land armies.
- Tech system is random (weight 0.19): Research is random and lacks a tech tree, making it difficult to acquire specific technologies like landing craft. This hinders strategic planning and reduces player agency.
- Balance and scaling problems (weight 0.19): Game balance is poor, with tanks underpowered late game, the loan system exploitable to steamroll, and AI scaling poorly. This makes games one-sided and less enjoyable.
- Game is repetitive and short-lived (weight 0.19): The game becomes repetitive after one or two matches, with too much focus on map painting rather than deeper systems. This reduces replayability and long-term engagement.
- Pricing and value concerns (weight 0.19): The game is considered overpriced given its current feature set and lack of polish, with limited scenarios and content. Players expect more for the price, such as more features and better AI.
- UI and UX deficiencies (weight 0.13): There is no confirmation screen when selecting a nation, leading to misclicks, and the game lacks essential UI features like map modes. These issues detract from the overall experience.
- Population regeneration missing (weight 0.08): Population is capped and does not regenerate, forcing players to choose between balancing economy and army. This creates a long-term disadvantage and limits growth potential.
- Lack of unique national perks (weight 0.08): There are no unique perks or customization options for specific countries, making each nation feel similar. This reduces strategic variety and national identity.

Gameplay feedback:
- Core grand strategy gameplay (weight 0.49): The game is fundamentally a grand strategy game with provinces, wars, AI-controlled conquests, and customizable countries and scenarios. It is often compared to titles like Hearts of Iron 4 and Age of History, but with a smaller scope and faster pace, as noted in clusters 3, 12, 24, 66, and 8.
- Scenario editor and customization (weight 0.33): The game includes a built-in scenario editor and browser, allowing players to create custom scenarios and countries without modifying files. This feature is highlighted as a key positive in clusters 2 and 47.
- Multiplayer with diplomacy and alliances (weight 0.32): The game offers multiplayer modes where players can form alliances with each other, declare war, and pause/resume games. This is mentioned across clusters 6, 28, 44, 52, and 56.
- World War II setting and scenarios (weight 0.3): The game offers WW2 and modern scenarios, allowing players to choose any country, including major and non-major powers. Historical events like Japan-China war are modeled, as noted in clusters 17, 35, 36, 45, 54, and 55.
- Casual and fast-paced experience (weight 0.28): The game is described as a fast-paced, casual sandbox experience, sitting between simple Risk-like games and complex ones like HOI4. It avoids heavy micromanagement and is lightweight, making it approachable for quick sessions, as seen in clusters 11, 25, 26, 42, and 43.
- Unit types and combined arms (weight 0.18): The game features about a dozen unit types, including infantry, warships, and aircraft carriers, and requires managing combined arms, air superiority, and naval supremacy. This is mentioned in clusters 34, 39, and 40.
- Ally and player interaction (weight 0.11): Playing online allows forming alliances with other players rather than relying on AI, and multiplayer supports pausing, as mentioned in clusters 28 and 52.
- Sea and air combat (weight 0.1): Sea attacks are part of gameplay, and planes can attack ships, as mentioned in clusters 63 and 64.
- Historical and modern China map (weight 0.1): The game includes a scenario with a modern China map, and players can play as nations like Japan and the Soviet Union, as noted in clusters 54 and 57.
- In-game modding support (weight 0.07): The game includes in-game modding, allowing players to modify content. This is mentioned in cluster 29.
- Frontline orders similar to HoI (weight 0.07): Players can assign troops for frontline orders similar to Hearts of Iron, as mentioned in cluster 38.

Performance notes:
- Runs well on weak hardware (weight 0.2): Players report that the game performs smoothly even on low-end processors and hardware, including during the late game. This indicates good optimization and accessibility for players with modest systems.

Recommendations:
- Worth the price (weight 0.38): Multiple reviews emphasize the game's value for money, especially compared to expensive Paradox titles like HOI4. It is described as affordable and worth buying.
- Needs more development (weight 0.24): Several reviews indicate the game currently lacks polish and requires more development time. Some advise waiting for future updates before purchasing.
- Not recommended currently (weight 0.22): A few players explicitly warn against buying the game in its current state, citing shortcomings and a need for further refinement.
- Multiplayer highly recommended (weight 0.19): Playing online is strongly encouraged, as alliances and diplomacy enhance the experience. FFA maps with small countries between big ones are favored.
- Good for casual play (weight 0.14): The game suits casual sessions, providing a relaxed experience compared to deeper strategy titles. It is recommended for players seeking lighter gameplay.
- Future potential promising (weight 0.13): Despite current limitations, reviewers see promise in future updates. The game is expected to improve and become more streamlined over time.
- Recommend with minor annoyances (weight 0.08): Some reviewers recommend the game if players are willing to overlook small issues. Overall, the positives outweigh the minor frustrations.
- Depth needs refinement (weight 0.07): As a PC strategy game, the depth requires fine-tuning. Players feel that certain mechanics could be more intricate or balanced.
- Ideal for strategy enthusiasts (weight 0.07): Frequent strategy game players will find this an affordable addition to their library. It provides a budget-friendly option in the genre.

Other player notes:
- Lighter, more accessible HOI4 (weight 0.79): Multiple reviews describe the game as a streamlined, more casual version of Hearts of Iron 4, emphasizing its reduced complexity and less stressful gameplay. This makes it appealing to players with limited time or those new to grand strategy.
- Looking forward to community scenarios (weight 0.17): Players express anticipation for community-made scenarios and hope the developer adds more official scenarios in the future. This indicates a desire for expanded content and long-term engagement.
- Good price for content (weight 0.13): The game is considered well-priced, with reviews noting it offers good value for the amount of content provided. This makes it an attractive purchase for strategy game enthusiasts.
- Supports multiplayer and avoids Discord (weight 0.13): The game supports multiplayer and offers server options that eliminate the need for Discord or private hosting. This convenience is praised by players looking for direct multiplayer experiences.
- Requests for Steam Workshop support (weight 0.12): Some reviewers request Steam Workshop support to simplify mod installation and discovery. This would improve the modding experience compared to the current in-game browser.
- Substitute soundtrack suggested (weight 0.1): Players suggest listening to the Hearts of Iron IV soundtrack while playing as a substitute, implying the game's music may be lacking. This feedback points to audio quality improvements.
- Runs smoothly on low-end (weight 0.08): The game performs well on lower-end systems, ensuring accessibility for players with less powerful hardware. This is a significant advantage for those who cannot run more demanding grand strategy titles.
- Political stance causes controversy (weight 0.07): The game includes a political stance that Taiwan is part of China, which may be contentious for some players. This is a niche concern but could affect player perception.
- EULA gives developer control over mods (weight 0.07): The EULA grants the developer control over mods, which some players view as a potential issue. This feedback highlights a concern about mod ownership and usage.
- Puppet system needs polish (weight 0.07): A reviewer mentions the puppet system, suggesting it may require improvements or adjustments. This indicates a gameplay mechanic that could be refined for better balance.
- Requests save naming feature (weight 0.06): A player requests the ability to name saves, which would improve save management and organization. This is a quality-of-life feature request.
- Desire for map editing for fantasy (weight 0.06): A reviewer wishes for map editing capabilities to create fantasy worlds, indicating a desire for creative freedom. This feature would expand the game's potential.
- Developer experience with io games (weight 0.06): The developer has prior experience coding games, including an io game, which bodes well for updates. This reassures players about the game's future support.
- Scored 7/10 (weight 0.05): One reviewer scored the game 7/10, indicating a decent but not outstanding rating. This reflects overall positive reception with room for improvement.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.29): The most frequent frustration is the absence of a peace conference system, which forces players to capture every tile, causing endless wars, border gore, and tedious invasions. Additionally, the game is unbalanced for small nations, with an overly aggressive AI, poor economy options, and no population regrowth, making them nearly unplayable. Technical issues like multiplayer loading screen failures and random research also add to the frustration.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.13): Players are satisfied with the game's simplicity, lightweight performance, and easy-to-pick-up mechanics, which fit well for employed players with limited time. The scenario editor is a highlight, allowing for custom scenarios, and the game runs smoothly even on low-end systems. Successfully conquering neighbors as Israel also provided a satisfying experience.
- Disappointment (weight 0.12): The main disappointment stems from missing features that were expected for the price, such as peace treaties, focus trees, and law changes, leaving the game feeling unpolished. Historical inaccuracies like allies not declaring war on Germany correctly and missing Taiwan on the map break immersion. The lack of meaningful post-war settlements and underpowered tanks in the late game further reduce the overall enjoyment.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.1): Players enjoy the game for being fun, fast-paced, and easy to learn, often describing it as a 'HOI4 ripoff done right.' The straightforward mechanics, puppet nation feature, and multiplayer fun contribute to the enjoyment. It is praised for being a pleasant and simple strategy game that is easy to pick up.
- Excitement (weight 0.07): The scenario creator feature generates a lot of excitement, allowing players to easily create custom scenarios and enjoy extensive customization options. Many got hooked quickly and appreciate the in-game modding capabilities. The game is seen as unique and eagerly anticipated for its community scenarios.
- Hope (weight 0.05): Players hope the developer will continue to rebalance the game and fix issues, expressing a willingness to wait for updates. They believe the game has good potential and want the developer not to abandon it, hoping it remains a cozy strategy experience.
- Relief (weight 0.05): This game is a relief compared to the overcomplexity of Hearts of Iron, offering a less stressful and simpler strategy experience. Players are relieved it is not a mobile port and that it doesn't require hundreds of hours to learn, providing a welcome alternative.
- Love (weight 0.02): Players love the charming demo and the simplified feel of the game, which makes it approachable and appealing. The simplicity is seen as a positive aspect that enhances enjoyment.
- Amusement (weight 0.02): Players find amusement in scenarios where the Soviet Union is dismantled by small nations, and in map quirks like Sudbury representing all of Ontario, which adds a humorous element to the game.
- Appreciation (weight 0.02): Players appreciate the game for being simple to learn and more understandable than HOI4, making it enjoyable. There is also respect for the indie developer's hard work in creating the game.
- Dissatisfaction (weight 0.01): The game becomes repetitive after a few matches, and the AI's conquest behavior is unrealistic, leading to dissatisfaction. This lack of variety and realistic AI actions detracts from the long-term appeal.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.01): The game evokes nostalgia by reminding players of a Starcraft mod set in WW2, bringing back fond memories of that mod's gameplay.
- Anticipation (weight 0.01): Players are looking forward to exploring the multiplayer aspect, expressing anticipation about how it will work and the potential for new multiplayer experiences.
- Confusion (weight 0.01): Some players are confused about the flag design and the mechanics of creating new states, indicating that these features are not clear and may need better explanations.
- Amazed (weight 0.01): Players are amazed by the game, describing it as simply amazing, which reflects overall high praise and satisfaction.
- Displeasure (weight 0.01): The map quality is a point of displeasure, as players are unhappy with its visual or design quality, which affects their overall impression.
- Anger (weight 0.01): Players are angered by the loss of half their country and money during war, a frustrating gameplay experience that feels unfair.
- Concern (weight 0.01): There is concern that scenarios can fizzle out or become too chaotic due to AI behavior and events, leading to unpredictable and potentially unsatisfying play sessions.
- Joy (weight 0.01): The ability to create custom scenarios and countries brings joy, as it offers creative freedom and personalization, greatly enhancing the gameplay experience.}