In the Second World War, tanks were a huge part that decided who won most battles. In Hearts of Iron 4, players have the ability to edit every little bit of the tanks they want to use to build the most efficient war machine in the 1940s.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of stats that you can control while editing the design of a tank, and most players won’t know which ones are the most important for their tank.
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Since there are more than a dozen types of tanks you can create and design in HOI4, which also change based on the year you are in, a little help will get you a long way.
So, in this guide, we will give you a list of the most efficient and the best tank designs you can use in HOI4 and allow you to lose wars based on your tactics, not on the quality of your troops and their equipment.
Table of Contents
- Best Light Tank Designs in HOI4
- Best Medium Tank Designs in HOI4
- Best Heavy Tank Designs in HOI4
- Best Super-Heavy Tank Design in HOI4
- Best Modern Tank Design in HOI4
- Best Tank Destroyer Designs in HOI4
- Best Anti-Air Tank Designs in HOI4
- Best Flame Tank Designs in HOI4
Best Light Tank Designs in HOI4
Light Tanks are the easiest tanks to produce in HOI4, since they require the least amount of production points, and they will usually have a great focus on their Max Speed.
Here are some of the best pure Light Tank designs you can use in HOI4:
1936 Light Tank
- Improved Light Tank Chassis (1936 Light)
- Three Man Turret
- Small Armaments – Improved Small Cannon
- Secondary Turret – Heavy Machine Gun
- Radio – Basic Radio
- Special Modules – Additional Machineguns
- Tracked Suspension – Christie Suspension
- Riveted Armor
- Gasoline Engine
- Engine – 4
This Light Tank design is very versatile, allowing you to use it as a part of most divisions. With decent Soft and Hard Attack, an above average Piercing stat, and good Defense and Breakthrough.
We won’t really invest too much in Armor since this is more of a role for the Medium and Heavy Tanks.
We also kept Max Speed relatively high and Reliability above 90%, since this is usually one of the things that can ruin most tank designs.
1941 Light Tank
- Advanced Light Tank Chassis (1941 Light)
- Three Man Turret
- Small Armaments – Improved Automatic Cannon
- Radio – Advanced Radio
- Special Modules – Easy Maintenance
- Special Modules – Wet Ammunition Storage
- Special Modules – Extra Ammunition Storage
- Tracked Suspension – Christie Suspension
- Riveted Armor
- Gasoline Engine
- Engine – 17
- Armor – 1
The main purpose of the 1941 Tank design in HOI4 is speed. If you want to quickly advance on the frontlines then this is the tank for you. With this light, speedy tank you will quickly push enemy lines and encircle anyone you want.
The problem with this design and the light tank in general is that it can be easily defeated if it doesn’t have the proper support in the division, so make sure to stick some fast, beefy infantry units along its side.
Best Medium Tank Designs in HOI4
Medium Tanks are the meta of HOI4, as they are the best combination between the Light and Heavy Tanks.
With above average Max Speed and fighting stats, the Medium Tank is the best one to use for both single-player and multiplayer.
1938 Medium Tank
- Basic Medium Tank Chassis (1938 Medium)
- Medium Turret Type – Three Man Turret
- Medium Armaments – Medium Howitzer
- Secondary Turret – Heavy Machine Gun
- Secondary Turret – Heavy Machine Gun
- Radio – Improved Radio
- Special Modules – Wet Ammunition Storage
- Torsion Bar
- Riveted Armor
- Diesel Engine
- Engine – 12
- Armor – 2
With a decent enough Max Speed, this beefy Medium Tank will defeat any other tank that your enemies could use these first couple of years before the Second World War.
The Heavy Machine Gun is a really good addition to early game tanks since you can get a decent amount of Soft Attack for not a lot of production cost.
One of the biggest problems this early in HOI4 is Reliability, so we will do our best to keep it above 90%.
1940 Medium Tank
- Improved Medium Tank Chassis (1940 Medium)
- Medium Turret Type – Three Man Turret
- Medium Armaments – Improved Medium Cannon
- Secondary Turret – Heavy Machine Gun
- Secondary Turret – Heavy Machine Gun
- Radio – Advanced Radio
- Special Modules – Easy Maintenance
- Torsion Bar
- Welded Armor
- Gasoline Engine
- Engine – 4
- Armor – 8
One of the things we change for the tank design here is that we change the Howitzer for the Cannon, since both the AI and the players in multiplayer will start using a lot of tanks now.
The Cannon has a more balanced build, with decent Soft and Hard Attack.
The main focus of this design is an above average Max Speed combined with big Piercing (to defeat other tanks) and Armor (to easily defend from most divisions in this period).
As per usual, we are going to keep Reliability above 90%, to avoid unnecessary attrition losses.
1943 Medium Tank
- Advanced Medium Tank Chassis (1943 Medium)
- Medium Turret Type – Three Man Turret
- Medium Armaments – Improved Medium Cannon
- Radio – Advanced Radio
- Special Modules – Easy Maintenance
- Special Modules – Armor Skirts
- Special Modules – Sloped Armor
- Torsion Bar
- Welded Armor
- Gasoline Engine
- Engine – 14
- Armor – 6
The ‘43 Medium Tank is actually one of the best tank designs you can use in HOI4 since it has the best of both worlds.
With a great combination of Max Speed and Armor, the Medium Tank will move very fast and destroy everything in its way.
Its Soft and Hard Attack stats are relatively low, but it makes up for great Piercing, which will be used to take down other tanks.
With a Max Speed close to 8 km/h, this final Medium Tank design is the fastest beefy tank you will get in HOI4.
Best Heavy Tank Designs in HOI4
Heavy Tanks are really expensive and will usually have the highest stats in HOI4. They are unbeatable monsters that players will usually avoid making due to their high production requirements.
With a huge focus on Armor and really low Max Speeds, the Heavy Tanks are something most will want to avoid on the battlefield. Here are some of the best Heavy Tank designs you can use in HOI4:
1936 Heavy Tank
- Basic Heavy Tank Chassis (1934 Heavy)
- Heavy Turret Type – Three Man Turret
- Heavy Armaments – Basic Heavy Cannon
- Secondary Turret – Heavy Machine Gun
- Secondary Turret – Heavy Machine Gun
- Radio – Basic Radio
- Special Modules – Wet Ammunition Storage
- Torsion Bar
- Welded Armor
- Diesel Engine
- Engine – 8
- Armor – 2
First of all, we don’t recommend producing Heavy Tanks before 1940, since the 1934 Chassis is relatively weak and the overall amount of resources needed to make these isn’t really worth it.
However, if you really wanted to make Heavy Tanks early on, this is the best thing you could get.
1940 Heavy Tank
- Improved Heavy Tank Chassis (1940 Heavy)
- Heavy Turret Type – Three Man Turret
- Heavy Armaments – Improved Heavy Cannon
- Radio – Advanced Radio
- Special Modules – Easy Maintenance
- Special Modules – Armor Skirts
- Special Modules – Sloped Armor
- Torsion Bar
- Welded Armor
- Gasoline Engine
- Engine – 10
- Armor – 2
The 1940 Heavy Tank is made to purely annoy other players, as no one can get through that huge Armor stat.
To also make it relatively versatile, we made sure it doesn’t have some of the worst Max Speed out there, with a huge 10 Engine investment.
Though this tank won’t be an offensive powerhouse, it is relatively clear that nothing can stop its advance and no battalion can destroy their amazing Armor, if you also made a relatively balanced division for them.
1943 Heavy Tank
- Advanced Heavy Tank Chassis (1943 Heavy)
- Heavy Turret Type – Three Man Turret
- Heavy Armaments – Advanced Heavy Cannon
- Radio – Advanced Radio
- Special Modules – Easy Maintenance
- Special Modules – Wet Ammunition Storage
- Special Modules – Sloped Armor
- Torsion Bar
- Welded Armor
- Diesel Engine
- Engine – 15
- Armor – 17
With close to 200 Piercing and Armor, the ‘43 Heavy Tank design for HOI4 is a monster. The only problem with it is that it can take a while to produce them, making them good only for great powers that are close to winning the war.
To make sure that this beast can get at least 4 km/h while also having some of the highest Armor stats in HOI4, we had to give up on some Reliability, which will now be down to 80%.
Though this can be a risky design, the payoff can be incredible, as you can watch any tank that comes in your way be instantly destroyed.
Best Super-Heavy Tank Design in HOI4
The Super-Heavy Tank is considered by most HOI4 players a joke, as it is very hard to produce and its stats are insane.
It is one of the most absurd things you can make in the game, but it can also bring you a lot of fun as you watch this titan destroy everything in its way (until it gets encircled).
- Super-Heavy Tank Chassis
- Four Man Turret
- Super-Heavy Armaments – Super-Heavy Cannon
- Special Modules – Squeeze-bore Adaptor
- Special Modules – Easy Maintenance
- Special Modules – Wet Ammunition Storage
- Special Modules – Sloped Armor
- Torsion Bar
- Welded Armor
- Diesel Engine
- Engine – 13
- Armor – 2
With this design, you can make a more powerful version of the 1943 Heavy Tank that has even higher Piercing and Armor stats.
Unfortunately, the huge production cost makes this an unreliable piece of equipment and should only be used for the memes.
Best Modern Tank Design in HOI4
The Modern Tank is the most evolved version of a tank you can get in HOI4. This beast will destroy every type of tank that isn’t at the same level technologically.
However, you only get access to this tank chassis in 1945, making it relatively useless for most players.
Still, here is the best Modern Tank design you can use in HOI4:
- Modern Tank Chassis
- Heavy Armaments – Advanced High-Velocity Cannon
- Radio – Advanced Radio
- Special Modules – Easy Maintenance
- Special Modules – Wet Ammunition Storage
- Special Modules – Sloped Armor
- Christie Suspension
- Welded Armor
- Gasoline Engine
- Engine – 15
- Armor – 4
This Modern Tank will deal a disgusting amount of Piercing damage, while also keeping a high Max Speed and also destroy almost any tank in all of its stats.
With this design you will generally defeat any other tank type in HOI4 without many problems.
Best Tank Destroyer Designs in HOI4
Tank Destroyers are a type of tank that will only become useful around 1940, so we won’t mention designs before that time.
Around the start of the 40s, the AI and most players will start fielding a relatively large number of tanks, making Tank Destroyers some you will need to use.
With a pure focus on Piercing and Hard Attack, these tanks are made to get through any Armor in HOI4. Here are some of the best designs you can use in the later years of the game:
1940 Medium Tank Destroyer
- Improved Medium Tank Chassis (1940 Medium)
- Medium Turret Type – Medium Fixed Superstructure
- Heavy Armaments – Improved Heavy Cannon
- Special Modules – Dozer Blade
- Special Modules – Squeeze-bore Adaptor
- Special Modules – Armor Skirts
- Special Modules – Easy Maintenance
- Torsion Bar
- Welded Armor
- Gasoline Engine
- Engine – 9
- Armor – 5
1940 Heavy Tank Destroyer
- Improved Heavy Tank Chassis (1940 Heavy)
- Heavy Turret Type – Heavy Fixed Superstructure
- Heavy Armaments – Improved Heavy Cannon
- Special Modules – Dozer Blade
- Special Modules – Squeeze-bore Adaptor
- Secondary Turret – Small Cannon
- Special Modules – Easy Maintenance
- Torsion Bar
- Welded Armor
- Gasoline Engine
- Engine – 6
- Armor – 10
1941 Light Tank Destroyer
- Advanced Light Tank Chassis (1941 Light)
- Light Fixed Superstructure
- Medium Armaments – Improved High-Velocity Cannon
- Special Modules – Dozer Blade
- Special Modules – Squeeze-bore Adaptor
- Special Modules – Sloped Armor
- Special Modules – Easy Maintenance
- Tracked Suspension – Christie Suspension
- Riveted Armor
- Gasoline Engine
- Engine – 17
- Armor – 3
1943 Medium Tank Destroyer
- Advanced Medium Tank Chassis (1943 Medium)
- Medium Turret Type – Medium Fixed Superstructure
- Heavy Armaments – Advanced High-Velocity Cannon
- Special Modules – Dozer Blade
- Special Modules – Squeeze-bore Adaptor
- Special Modules – Sloped Armor
- Special Modules – Easy Maintenance
- Christie Suspension
- Welded Armor
- Gasoline Engine
- Engine – 8
- Armor – 12
1943 Heavy Tank Destroyer
- Advanced Heavy Tank Chassis (1940 Heavy)
- Heavy Turret Type – Heavy Fixed Superstructure
- Heavy Armaments – Advanced High-Velocity Cannon
- Special Modules – Dozer Blade
- Special Modules – Squeeze-bore Adaptor
- Secondary Turret – Small Cannon
- Special Modules – Easy Maintenance
- Torsion Bar
- Welded Armor
- Gasoline Engine
- Engine – 4
- Armor – 20
Best Anti-Air Tank Designs in HOI4
Usually, it might be a better idea to get artillery to fill up your Anti-Air needs. However, there are moments where a high speed tank with Anti-Air capabilities might be more useful than artillery.
Due to the ability to personalize the tank however you want, you can make sure that they have speed while also giving them extra Armor and stats that will help the division overall.
So, with that in mind, here are a few of the best Anti-Air Tank designs in HOI4:
1940 Medium Anti-Air Tank
- Improved Medium Tank Chassis (1940 Medium)
- Medium Turret Type – One Man Turret
- Small Armaments – Improved Anti-Air Gun
- Special Modules – Wet Ammunition Store
- Special Modules – Armor Skirts
- Special Modules – Sloped Armor
- Special Modules – Easy Maintenance
- Christie Suspension
- Welded Armor
- Gasoline Engine
- Engine – 6
- Armor – 3
1941 Light Anti-Air Tank
- Advanced Light Tank Chassis (1941 Light)
- One Man Turret
- Small Armaments – Improved Anti-Air Gun
- Special Modules – Wet Ammunition Store
- Special Modules – Armor Skirts
- Special Modules – Sloped Armor
- Special Modules – Easy Maintenance
- Tracked Suspension – Christie Suspension
- Welded Armor
- Gasoline Engine
- Engine – 17
- Armor – 3
1943 Medium Anti-Air Tank
- Advanced Medium Tank Chassis (1943 Medium)
- Medium Turret Type – One Man Turret
- Medium Armaments – Advanced Anti-Air Gun
- Special Modules – Wet Ammunition Store
- Special Modules – Armor Skirts
- Special Modules – Sloped Armor
- Special Modules – Easy Maintenance
- Christie Suspension
- Welded Armor
- Gasoline Engine
- Engine – 8
- Armor – 10
Best Flame Tank Designs in HOI4
The Flame Tank is the best Support Company you can add to your divisions in HOI4.
With flat Attack bonuses in most terrains, the Flame Tank will improve your overall division’s capabilities, while also adding extra Armor to divisions that might usually not have any.
You can actually create Flame Tanks using either Light, Medium, or Heavy chassis. Usually, we would recommend you use the Medium chassis, since this one gives you the best stats while also being affordable.
However, since you will usually need to produce a lot of them to supply all your divisions, the Light chassis can also be a good choice.
Here are the best Flame Tank designs you can use for both the Light and the Medium chassis in HOI4:
1939 Light Flame Tank
- Improved Light Tank Chassis (1936 Light)
- One Man Turret
- Flamethrower
- Special Modules – Wet Ammunition Store
- Special Modules – Fuel Drum
- Special Modules – Sloped Armor
- Special Modules – Dozer Blade
- Tracked Suspension – Christie Suspension
- Welded Armor
- Gasoline Engine
- Armor – 12
Knowing that the Flame Tank is a support company, we have to make sure that we give it modules that will help the division overall.
This is why the Fuel Drum and Dozer Blade will be really useful, since they will give buffs to the whole division.
We also make sure that the tank has as much Armor as humanly possible, since it will make the division beefier and safer when facing normal divisions that don’t have a high Piercing stat.
1940 Medium Flame Tank
- Improved Medium Tank Chassis (1940 Medium)
- Medium Turret Type – One Man Turret
- Flamethrower
- Special Modules – Wet Ammunition Store
- Special Modules – Fuel Drum
- Special Modules – Sloped Armor
- Special Modules – Dozer Blade
- Tracked Suspension – Christie Suspension
- Welded Armor
- Gasoline Engine
- Armor – 12
The Medium Flame Tank will just be an upgrade for the weaker Light chassis. We will use the exact same modules, which will increase the Armor of the battalion by more than 50%.
1941 Light Flame Tank
- Advanced Light Tank Chassis (1941 Light)
- One Man Turret
- Flamethrower
- Special Modules – Easy Maintenance
- Special Modules – Fuel Drum
- Special Modules – Sloped Armor
- Special Modules – Dozer Blade
- Tracked Suspension – Christie Suspension
- Welded Armor
- Gasoline Engine
- Armor – 17
Now that we’ve unlocked the best Light Tank chassis, we will change the Wet Ammo Store with the Easy Maintenance module, making sure that the Flame Tank stays cheap.
We also increase the Armor to 17, which should keep Reliability over 100% and make this Light Flame Tank a lot stronger than its previous Light version.
However, this is still worse than the Medium Flame Tank, so only use it if you don’t have the Military Factory capacity.
1943 Medium Flame Tank
- Advanced Medium Tank Chassis (1943 Medium)
- Medium Turret Type – One Man Turret
- Flamethrower
- Special Modules – Easy Maintenance
- Special Modules – Fuel Drum
- Special Modules – Sloped Armor
- Special Modules – Dozer Blade
- Tracked Suspension – Christie Suspension
- Welded Armor
- Gasoline Engine
- Armor – 17
Here, we will use the same setup as the ‘41 Light Flame Tank. However, if you want, you can make some changes to better fit your divisions.
You can add more Engine upgrades if the Max Speed is too low for your divisions. If you want to do this, just change the Easy Maintenance module for the Wet Ammo one and maybe even lower the Armor upgrades a bit.
That’s everything you need to know about the best tank designs in Hearts of Iron 4!
Have any input or suggestions for this guide? Let us know in the comment section below.
