Draft:The Fire Rises

• Comment: For this draft to go anywhere, it needs to be properly sourced. Please see WP:RS for guidelines on what constitutes a reliable source. In particular, both Steam Community and Gunther's tweet are considered WP:PRIMARY and therefore do not contribute to notability as laid out in WP:GNG. guninvalid (talk) 17:45, 12 March 2026 (UTC)

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The Fire Rises
Platforms	Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux
Release	October 18, 2024 (2024-10-18)
Genre	Grand strategy wargame
Modes	Singleplayer and Multiplayer

The Fire Rises, abbreviated TFR, is an alternate history total conversion mod for the strategy game Hearts of Iron IV. Set in 2020, the mod focuses on a stronger COVID-19 pandemic causing a global recession and a rise in political polarization. The game has gained popularity on the Steam Workshop and has over 500,000 subscribers as of 2026.

Like the base game, the player has complete control over their nation and the timeline.

Plot

Map of the world in 2020

While set in a seemingly normal 2020, a worse version of the COVID-19 virus spreads in Central China. Eventually, after the death of Salman bin Abdulaziz to COVID-19, an oil crisis ensues during the subsequent civil war in Saudi Arabia. The increased strain put on the US economy results in economic collapse. Combined with various controversies in the 2020 United States presidential election, intensified political polarization, and two rival federal governments being formed, a Second American Civil War breaks out.

United States

Various groups, aside from the Trump-led American Constitutional Government in Denver and the Biden-led Union of America in D.C., break away during the Second American Civil War, such as the American People's Liberation Army (APLA), a big tent socialist group, the Patriot Front, a right-wing to far-right group of Hamiltonians, Jacksonians, Neo-fascists and Neo-Nazis, the National Socialist Movement, split between Hitlerites and Rockwellians, and the Atomwaffen Division, consisting of Accelerationists, Christian fundamentalists, and Satanists, alongside various separatists such as the Cascadia movement and Neo-Confederates and opportunists like gangs or cartels. There is a secret path involving Joe Biden going insane and becoming an "American Caligula". There is another path called the Cognoscenti, which involves the Deep State taking over the Union of America.

Europe

After the collapse of the United States, Europe is sent down a path that leads to two or three "European Wars" fought primarily between Europe and Russia. Vladimir Putin dies around 2022, leading to an early election between the CPRF, United Russia (under Dmitry Medvedev), the LDPR, and A Just Russia. After the election, Russia pursues either consolidating its hold on the South Caucasus and Central Asia in case of United Russia, reforming the USSR and the Eastern Bloc in the case of the CPRF, or large imperialist expansions in the case of the LDPR, leading to the outbreak of the First European War. The First European War is caused by Russia invading Ukraine in 2026, causing a NATO intervention, and leading to a communist (LDPR victory), federal (Medvedev victory), or nationalist western Europe, or a Illiberal democracy in Russia (NATO victory), with the Second European War being caused by either a defeated revanchist Europe or Russia. A Third European War might break out between the French and German spheres of influence should they win the Second European War, given that they are communist or nationalist.

Asia

Following the collapse of the US, China invades Taiwan, now being defended by Japan and Australia. The invasion can either lead to Xi Jinping consolidating his power (if it succeeds) or him getting ousted and replaced by a revanchist, new leftist, reformist, or AI-led government (if it fails). Regardless, Asia ends up in a cold war between a China-led East Asian Defense Initiative (EADI) and a Japan-led Pacific Defense Treaty Organization (PDTO), leading to the Great Asian War, involving most East Asian states.

Other regions

At the start of the game, Libya is still in a civil war, which can be won by either the Tripoli government or the Tobruk government. A second, grander Sand War (known as the Maghreb War) will occur between Algeria and Morocco in 2021, in which Libya's participation depends on the outcome of their civil war.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo will fall into a major civil war known as the Third Congo War in 2021, later dragging in its neighbors Congo-Brazzaville and the Central African Republic. South Africa will also fall into a civil war between the government, a military junta based in Cape Town, socialist revolutionaries led by Julius Malema, and the Zulu monarchy. In East Africa, tensions between Egypt and Ethiopia over the Grand Renaissance Dam will culminate in the Third African War in 2024 between the two countries and their allies. In West Africa, after fighting jihadist and separatist insurgencies, the Alliance of Sahel States will go to war with the ECOMOG countries soon after the First European War erupts.

In Latin America, Colombia will fall into a civil war after a coup d'état against Gustavo Petro following his 2022 election victory. After the Second American Civil War, the Mexican drug war will lead to the collapse of the country, with the Mexican government only controlling Mexico City, while the drug cartels and socialists control the rest of the country's territory. Central America will also fall into a major conflict between the conservative capitalists (led by El Salvador) and the socialists (led by Nicaragua) around the same time.

A civil war will also occur in Iraq, while Assadist Syria moves towards ending its civil war, which happens during the First European War. After the war, a fifth Arab-Israeli war will occur between Israel and its neighbors, including Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Hezbollah, and Egypt. If Israel is losing the war, it can choose to launch its nuclear weapons at its enemies should that option be available.

Development team

On the 25th of December, 2025, the Chinese TFR development team, CN-TFR, dissolved in Mainland China following the arrest of the head developer by the Ministry of State Security.

Reception

Criticism

On March 24th, 2026, the mod was criticized by the Canadian government for being a way "terror groups spread their message online".

Notable people

Some people featured in TFR have acknowledged the mod’s existence, such as:

• Günther Fehlinger , an Austrian economist and politician, has streamed TFR twice. In-game, Fehlinger can become leader of the EU.
• Frank Franz, a playable leader for Fascist Germany.
• Thomas Rousseau, leader of the Patriot Front.
• Burt Colucci, leader of the NSM.
• Boris Nadezhdin, former member of the State Duma, and in-game, possible leader for the Russian Federation in-game.
• Carla Gericke, leader of son of liberty

See also

• Hearts of Iron IV
• Kaiserreich (video game)

External links

• The Fire Rises Wiki
• The Fire Rises on the Steam Workshop

This page will be placed in the following categories if it is moved to the article namespace.

Categories:

• Hearts of Iron
• Video game mods
• 2024 video games
• Alternate history video games
• Video games set in 2020
• Second American Civil War speculative fiction
• COVID-19 pandemic