Hearts of Iron IV | Open Beta SE™ Update 2

Greetings, Commanders!

I’m Pdxen, Tech Lead for Hearts of Iron, and I am thrilled to welcome you to the second installment of our Summer Open Beta. This time around, we are shifting our focus away from game balancing and diving into a major modernization of the game’s underlying technology stack.

The computing landscape has shifted dramatically since HoI4 first launched. Back then, standard CPUs typically featured four cores and around eight hardware threads—all of them uniform in capability. Today, practically every modern processor boasts significantly more cores and threads, often utilizing asymmetrical architectures (such as performance and efficiency cores). To leverage these advancements, we have overhauled the threading libraries in HoI4, which should translate to smoother performance across a wider array of modern systems. Because this is a foundational architectural change—and knowing the incredible diversity of your gaming rigs—we desperately need your help. Please jump in and test these changes so we can catch any unexpected performance regressions before pushing this update live to the entire community.

Additionally, we have bolstered our multiplayer security by hardening host operations. Actions like kicking and banning unruly players are now much more robust, effectively neutralizing the malicious exploits recently flagged on the forums.

Thank you for reading and for partnering with us to elevate the game.

/Pdxen

Hello everyone! I’m Zwirbaum, Game Designer for Hearts of Iron, dropping in to let you know I’ve officially returned from holiday. On behalf of the entire design team, a heartfelt thank you for the overwhelming amount of constructive feedback you’ve provided—we truly appreciate it! While this week’s patch doesn’t include new balance tweaks or experimental features, those will be making a triumphant return very soon. Until then, take care!

/Zwirbaum

PATCH NOTES

• Upgraded core threading libraries to optimize performance on modern, multi-core hardware configurations.
• Enhanced multiplayer security and host controls for kicking and banning troublesome participants.

How to Join the Open Beta

This beta build is designated as Operation Postern v1.19.2.0.910f (b554).

To install the Open Beta client, simply follow these steps:

1. Right-click the game in your Steam library.
2. Select Properties from the drop-down menu.
3. Navigate to the Betas tab.
4. Select the beta branch labeled open_beta from the dropdown menu.

If you are already opted into the Open Beta, the update will download automatically.

Should you encounter any bugs or technical issues related to this beta build, please submit your reports via our official bug reporting forum. Be sure to explicitly mention your active game version so our QA team and Jira trackers don’t lose their minds trying to sort through them!

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