Crusader Kings II

 PC
User Score
8.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1019 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 882 out of 1019
  2. Mixed: 81 out of 1019
  3. Negative: 56 out of 1019

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  1. Blackshine
    Nov 17, 2022
    8
    Царь горы в жанре Стратегии в реальном времени.
    Дайте железо достойное третьей части этого шедевра.
  2. thethethe4
    Jun 3, 2023
    8
    Crusader Kings 2 is a good game, you focus on making your dynasty and surviving through the middle ages. You can send your armies to fight in the crusades or conquer new lands for your families, there is a lot you can do. The sound design is good and the graphics are what you would expect from an old game like CK2. The only real problem with the game is the excessive amounts of DLCs thatCrusader Kings 2 is a good game, you focus on making your dynasty and surviving through the middle ages. You can send your armies to fight in the crusades or conquer new lands for your families, there is a lot you can do. The sound design is good and the graphics are what you would expect from an old game like CK2. The only real problem with the game is the excessive amounts of DLCs that you need to buy to properly enjoy the game. The pay walls in this game are so extreme that most of the nations on the map you can't play with since you need DLCs to play with them, this results in you being locked to the same few realms that inevitably creates a cycle of stale game play. This extreme pay wall strategy can be forgiven though since the game is free.… Expand
  3. HydrophobikFish
    Jun 9, 2023
    8
    Absolutely addicting game with a unique strategy premise of managing a dynasty. Many different systems make the game dynamic, with a good balance of control and chaos. Too many systems often end up feeling half-integrated or poorly connected to other parts of the game. Suffers form feature creep and an extensive, expensive dlc repertoire.
  4. greywolf00
    Jun 3, 2013
    7
    Love Paradox games and this started out as no exception. It's big, complex, and detailed. Once you get the hang of it you can chug through rather nicely. For me, the game fails miserably when it comes to a King/Queen dying. Historically, you didn't see wars stop due to a death or rebellions pop up after every death. In CK2 however, all aggressive expansions immediately halt upon death andLove Paradox games and this started out as no exception. It's big, complex, and detailed. Once you get the hang of it you can chug through rather nicely. For me, the game fails miserably when it comes to a King/Queen dying. Historically, you didn't see wars stop due to a death or rebellions pop up after every death. In CK2 however, all aggressive expansions immediately halt upon death and rebellions are far too common from the ensuing loss of stability. Tends to create boring dead zones of time where you can't really do much other than wait for loyalty to solidify to expand again. It's just tedious and boring rather than challenging and entertaining. Really frustrating when you get unlucky and run through multiple rulers in a short time frame. Overall the game isn't bad and is worth grabbing if you're into complex strat games.… Expand
  5. CaptainThom
    Jul 29, 2013
    7
    This is by no means an easy game to master not helped by poor tutorials that don't really teach you how to the play the game. That said if you persist with Crusader kings you will be rewarded with a challenging game which will test your strategy and planning. Unfortunately the combat is particularly lackluster and the interface is poor.
  6. NamelessJT
    Nov 7, 2013
    7
    Crusader Kings II was my introduction, and eventual conversion, to Paradox Interactive. The depth of the dynastic strategy is amazing though it will take many hours to fully appreciate and exploit the tools given to you for conquering Medieval Europe. While there are some flaws within the game the only real "game breaker" would be multiplayer support. Crusader Kings II plays very wellCrusader Kings II was my introduction, and eventual conversion, to Paradox Interactive. The depth of the dynastic strategy is amazing though it will take many hours to fully appreciate and exploit the tools given to you for conquering Medieval Europe. While there are some flaws within the game the only real "game breaker" would be multiplayer support. Crusader Kings II plays very well single player but it truly shines when you play with others. Unfortunately, Paradox's metaserver is nonfunctional and unsupported, which leaves you with having to play through your own IP which is extremely difficult for friends and family who have no network experience.… Expand
  7. Bagger92
    Jun 6, 2014
    7
    Great game!

    Yet:
    - It may be too "basic", want to see some more "creativity" regarding to the subject: history, intrigue, worldmap (continents), battle, politics

    Maybe a sandbox solution? So the game can be very "basic" and very "deep", at the same time?
    Just a thought.
  8. wojtekoxx
    Apr 25, 2017
    7
    Mind you, my grade for this game would be 10/10 if 2 DLC's never happened. I will just review old version of the game, then add some minus points in the end.
    CK2 as a game allows you to heavily roleplay and enact the wonder scenarios you always dreamed of reading about history. Reverse Manzikert? Check. Make pagan religion of choice (or all of them) survive? Check. Make Islam/Christianity    Mind you, my grade for this game would be 10/10 if 2 DLC's never happened. I will just review old version of the game, then add some minus points in the end.
    CK2 as a game allows you to heavily roleplay and enact the wonder scenarios you always dreamed of reading about history. Reverse Manzikert? Check. Make pagan religion of choice (or all of them) survive? Check. Make Islam/Christianity win or fail miserably? All possible. Have sex with your cousin? Check. Be a mediocre ruler, like hundreds in real life before you - possible. Have your country ruled in succession by alikes of Alexander or Napoleon and leading it to glory? All possible.
    In addition, your history knowledge with this game will skyrocket. I wouldn't complain about hard to play, because you can just use some cheats as training wheels early.
    Now here come bad things. Imagine if playing GTA it took you 2 minutes to steal a car, and police would chase you forever like in real life. Is this more realistic? Yes. Does it kill the game for you? Yes as well. CK2 had 2 bad dlcs that while had some redeeming qualities, destroyed the fun out of game.
    First one is Charlemagne, which makes retinues useless (only like 2% of cultures in the game have good retinues). Want to feel forced to reform religion so you will basically never play as a king OR unreformed for prolonged time - hell yeah, because you are some crap called tribal now. Now let's get to conclave. What are the most fun times in the playthrough? Well, first 100 years, when you are consolidating power, or maybe going from the count to emperor / multi king. Which hours of conclave suck the most? The same hours, because your council has almost everything in their favour and it takes you 5/10 years and 500-2000 gold each time to allow you to actually rule kingdom, where you'd possible need/want to do somethings like: you have right to banish bad people, you can revoke titles from traitors, you can grant YOUR titles to someone else, you can imprison bad people and many others!    … Expand
  9. 3t3rnal
    Dec 25, 2021
    7
    CK2 is a great game. It's not perfect, but it has a wealth of content and much like most Paradox grand strategy games, great replayability.

    It focuses more on building your own dynasty and fame for yourself, rather than simply bulding the biggest empire - although that is certainly a valid way to go about it. Unfortunately, it is a bit limited in the roleplaying aspect by a rather    CK2 is a great game. It's not perfect, but it has a wealth of content and much like most Paradox grand strategy games, great replayability.

    It focuses more on building your own dynasty and fame for yourself, rather than simply bulding the biggest empire - although that is certainly a valid way to go about it. Unfortunately, it is a bit limited in the roleplaying aspect by a rather limited interactions system, and by over-reliance on randomized events. While it is a lot of fun, at times, you feel like playing a slot-machine - and you, of course, lose more often than win. Considering the rest of the game suffered from this focus on interaction and events and is therefore a bit more simplistic than the other Paradox GS type games, it can be a bit shallow and frustrating to deal with at times.

    Still, it is a great window into the life of a medieval ruler, and if you like this type of games, you will easily sink hundreds of hours into it, and it is still one of the best games to roleplay in Multiplayer, where the game really shines, as you can get an actual conversation with your adversaries and allies instead of the limited interactions menu. However, even in singleplayer, the game can still be a lot of fun.

    The graphics are passable, given the age of the game, and the genre. Music is pretty good, ambience is as well, but some of it will become annoying pretty quickly and the ability to manage sound types and volumes is a bit limited, the game could use expanded options for audio instead of the very simple ones it has.

    Also, I would recommend getting at least the DLCs that expand the roleplaying aspects, such as Conclave, but I cannot recommend the game and DLCs at full price - if you are interested, definitely wait for a discount campaign, they happen often enough.    … Expand
  10. kitru
    May 23, 2021
    7
    Игра про интриги, кому нравится выбирать имя своим детям - welcome. Лично мне не зашло.
  11. Rnoviok
    Dec 4, 2021
    7
    great strategy game, even if you don't know how to play it, you can feel the fun in playing and creating the history of the dynasty
  12. Resoul
    Jun 21, 2023
    7
    A game i can play for hours and hours well if i have a good start and don't get strewed with a bad hair that is and aside for how they do DLC i only have one thing i don't like with the game and tho most people wont have this, when ever my army is fighting another over 50% of my map is covered by the UI but aside from that good game
  13. Mortensus
    Mar 27, 2012
    6
    Not an easy game, sometimes frustrating, with a slow learning curve (if you expect to master it). You ll have to make many mistakes before understanding most of the game mechanics and be successful. Certainly not a game for everyone. But if you can go through that, you ll find a jewel that worth your time. The political system is very complex and the backbone of the game, it's all aboutNot an easy game, sometimes frustrating, with a slow learning curve (if you expect to master it). You ll have to make many mistakes before understanding most of the game mechanics and be successful. Certainly not a game for everyone. But if you can go through that, you ll find a jewel that worth your time. The political system is very complex and the backbone of the game, it's all about relations between members of your family/vassals, not so much about war and conquests. Very deep game.… Expand
  14. DukeRaoul
    Jul 19, 2013
    6
    I hate to give this game a poor review; as people seem to love it so much, and there seems to be some great aspect to it that I just don't get, but the game just simply seems to have no redeeming factor to me.
    I'm quite all right with relatively bland UIs but this one just takes the cake it's a simple map (that strangely gives me frame rate drops on 'terrain' view) with some very basic    I hate to give this game a poor review; as people seem to love it so much, and there seems to be some great aspect to it that I just don't get, but the game just simply seems to have no redeeming factor to me.
    I'm quite all right with relatively bland UIs but this one just takes the cake it's a simple map (that strangely gives me frame rate drops on 'terrain' view) with some very basic animations that take place when two armies engage.
    As far as I'm aware, planning out a dynasty is the main 'goal' of the game, although it's a bit more ambiguous than that essentially, you achieve what you wish to achieve in the game. I'm quite all right with the concept, but with such little to motivate and drive you, I ended up asking just what exactly I was playing for as I was in no way engaged a similar occurrence to what can happen when playing Minecraft.
    I will say this. I thoroughly believe if you are a strategy fan, you will enjoy this. I got some enjoyment out of Starcraft 2, but I have determined real-time strategy games are not for me. Perhaps this is what so hazily masks the appeal for me.
    However, if you're on the fence about playing this, my review will likely apply more to you. As a lot of people have stated, there's a giant learning curve to this game I believe understand the concepts, but I don't understand how to 'play' it. I keep my vassals happy, make sure my ruler has a royal heir to succeed him and... then what? I have to wait years upon years to get a claim upon a county? Perhaps I'm blind, but the game feels like just one huge waiting fest.
    I regret this isn't the game for me as I was granted it as a gift after showing some interest in it. I merely hope those of you who do purchase get a lot more entertainment out of this than I did, as for me I wasn't motivated in the slightest to continue my campaign any actually achieve some form of major goal within the game.
    Playing as historical rulers (or characters from a Song of Ice and Fire, if that's your thing) is cool, though.    … Expand
  15. jamiemgr
    Apr 25, 2017
    6
    Decent game, very detailed campaign, lot's to do. But the UI is a frustrating mess that ruins it for me. This is the sort of detailed campaign I could only ever hope for in a Total War game.
  16. Wiebe
    Feb 26, 2020
    6
    Great complex game, remains entertaining after a lot of hours, but mircro managing your empire gets very very tedious after some time as your realm grows.
  17. Gorbunov2004
    Aug 9, 2021
    6
    Игра чуть-чуть лучше чем первая часть также ничего не понятно, завоёвывать соседей можно только по 1 провинции и это очень тупо. Научите кто нибудь Paradox делать нормальное обучение а то во всех аспектах игры приходиться разбираться самому, как бы игрок пришел в игру чтобы играть а не читать обучение.Игра чуть-чуть лучше чем первая часть также ничего не понятно, завоёвывать соседей можно только по 1 провинции и это очень тупо. Научите кто нибудь Paradox делать нормальное обучение а то во всех аспектах игры приходиться разбираться самому, как бы игрок пришел в игру чтобы играть а не читать обучение.
  18. Crimson9
    Dec 21, 2022
    6
    Mechanically this game is very unimpressive. But for roleplaying it can be amazing. Mods really make it come to life. DLC is obnoxiously expensive though, and basically mandatory, so 1 point off for that.
  19. madmax55
    Jan 2, 2013
    5
    Another almost fun game. Super hard to understand. Very little help to learn. Even when something happen bad, you dont know what it is and how to improve it. The game keep you very very busy, taking care of 1000 details. But whatever you do, it doesn't change so much the results. Even when things seem to go well, you can be bite by a serpent or fall from a balcony or many other reasons outAnother almost fun game. Super hard to understand. Very little help to learn. Even when something happen bad, you dont know what it is and how to improve it. The game keep you very very busy, taking care of 1000 details. But whatever you do, it doesn't change so much the results. Even when things seem to go well, you can be bite by a serpent or fall from a balcony or many other reasons out of your control and then the end of the game might follow. You got TWO choices : you help the computer to beat himself OR you face it and be crushed slowly to instantly.… Expand
  20. kella
    Jul 16, 2016
    5
    This used to be my favorite game. Used to be. Back during Rajas of India or somewhere along there I would have rated it 9 out of 10.

    Then they broke it. Inexplicably ruined it, trashed it, let some junior designer or idiot know-it-all producer or a committee of dunces--I have no idea what happened there, in Sweden, behind closed doors--utterly trash the game with the broken, worthless,    This used to be my favorite game. Used to be. Back during Rajas of India or somewhere along there I would have rated it 9 out of 10.

    Then they broke it. Inexplicably ruined it, trashed it, let some junior designer or idiot know-it-all producer or a committee of dunces--I have no idea what happened there, in Sweden, behind closed doors--utterly trash the game with the broken, worthless, unplayable steaming POS that is the Conclave DLC. I hope someone got fired for that, but now that I have Stellaris, I don't think that person got fired. I think they got promoted.

    Seriouisly, WTF happened to Paradox? Did their best game designers quit or something? Because this once-great strategy company has gone to the dogs.    … Expand
  21. LesPaul
    Dec 27, 2019
    5
    The horrible portrait graphics are a game-breaker: I dropped playing CKII and switched back to the original CK just in order to avoid having to look at CKII artwork. The other problem with this otherwise fine dynasty game is the marketing strategy to milk players for more money with the numerous DLCs. Gameplay itself is a 9-10 experience, though the game engine conjures up a little tooThe horrible portrait graphics are a game-breaker: I dropped playing CKII and switched back to the original CK just in order to avoid having to look at CKII artwork. The other problem with this otherwise fine dynasty game is the marketing strategy to milk players for more money with the numerous DLCs. Gameplay itself is a 9-10 experience, though the game engine conjures up a little too much of a soap-operatic experience for my taste, in comparison to the original CK.… Expand
  22. HeitorCampos
    Mar 13, 2023
    5
    I only played with one dlc so keep that in mind. This game is barren, gets old fast and not complicated enough to be what it wants to be. It took many mods to make this fun. Honestly the Game of Thrones mod is the only thing that made me spend as much time as I did in this game.
  23. deathweeper
    Sep 24, 2014
    4
    Not very fun, i feel like their are just a lot of little insignificant ants running around on the screen. I would have enjoyed it more if buildings and castles where not magically and instanly built. Their is not much of a campaign or a story. Overall it is a nice game but you can't help yawning.
  24. NightGeisha
    Jan 5, 2019
    4
    I understand when a game tries to attract a specific niche of players with certain elements, but often despite being able to use the elements in the way that pleased the genre experts, it does not mean in any way that the game is good for the more casual player.

    But I'm a casual gamer that loved CIV series, that loved Total War games. But I didn't I liked Crusader Kings II that is    I understand when a game tries to attract a specific niche of players with certain elements, but often despite being able to use the elements in the way that pleased the genre experts, it does not mean in any way that the game is good for the more casual player.

    But I'm a casual gamer that loved CIV series, that loved Total War games. But I didn't I liked Crusader Kings II that is similar to them in so many ways...
    The game is immersive, complex and diverse. but the tutorial is terrible to show us how to do things and why.

    It's a game that I cannot recommend. Even if you want to give it a try, because you like the game ideia or you've seen online gameplays and are still interested, think twice. The game has over £150 in additional content, something that I see as a big NO in our days, where the game industry talk so muck in paid DLC's and loot boxes, but that unfortunately is the policy of many great developers like Paradox.    … Expand
  25. NobleWolfy
    Feb 2, 2020
    4
    My score for CK2 would be a 10/10 if Paradox did not have its current DLC policy.

    Paradox Interactive is one of the most scummy gaming companies in the industry.
  26. PenetratorGod
    Aug 21, 2023
    4
    Interface is terrible. It takes a really long time to learn the game because there is no proper tutorial. There's also not enough language support. There's too much DLC. You can't play the game without them. Paradox unfortunately sees their player base as a cow to be milked. The milk analogy here is of course money. Release a supposedly complete game in early access, then sell the featuresInterface is terrible. It takes a really long time to learn the game because there is no proper tutorial. There's also not enough language support. There's too much DLC. You can't play the game without them. Paradox unfortunately sees their player base as a cow to be milked. The milk analogy here is of course money. Release a supposedly complete game in early access, then sell the features that should already be in the game separately in the form of additional packs to make the game what it should be. That's the way it's always been and always will be. One of the worst companies in this industry.… Expand
  27. Rudboy66
    Sep 17, 2013
    3
    I know I'll be lambasted for saying this, but I just plain do not like this game at all. I have read the reviews over and over, almost all of which give a glowing recommendation, but I just can't see the attraction. I tend to like strategy games, and complex games that have a higher learning curve as...in the end they are more satisfying. However, after repeated attempts to play thisI know I'll be lambasted for saying this, but I just plain do not like this game at all. I have read the reviews over and over, almost all of which give a glowing recommendation, but I just can't see the attraction. I tend to like strategy games, and complex games that have a higher learning curve as...in the end they are more satisfying. However, after repeated attempts to play this game....I'm baffled. I have loaded it up, uninstalled, loaded up and tried, read the guides, watched hours of tutorials on youtube and still when I log in to the game and start it up I end up asking myself after about an hour....WHY AM I DOING THIS? :)

    It's just plain boring...to me that is, and no I'm not the type of gamer that prefers a jump in fast and kill em all type player. But just turning on a game clock and watching things happen based on my decisions just doesn't entertain me. The depth of the game is very overwhelming and the behind the scenes engine is just not very intuitive IMO.

    I know it is a universally acclaimed title, but I won't be installing it again on my computer. BORING!     … Expand
  28. hiddenpheonix
    Oct 20, 2012
    3
    The game is so close to being a good game that it's sad to be ruined by so many little negatives. If you got to play it, wait until the deep discount.
    Here's the game killers, in no particular ranking order.
    1) Pop up takes up the center of the screen, click okay so that you can handle what the popup was telling you and the game immediately unpauses. So time flies often with a new pop    The game is so close to being a good game that it's sad to be ruined by so many little negatives. If you got to play it, wait until the deep discount.
    Here's the game killers, in no particular ranking order.
    1) Pop up takes up the center of the screen, click okay so that you can handle what the popup was telling you and the game immediately unpauses. So time flies often with a new pop up which has to be handled.
    2) Ships are there to only troop troops. No fighting naval battles, no blocking incoming invasions, and no real point after all the troops could just come with transport and keep this whole game mechanic
    3) Troop size is near stagnant. Sure you can build something that gives you maybe 50 more troops in a year. But when it comes time for war and your allies don't want to join (constant) or the liege dies and it's time to rebel again by every county.
    4) Rebellions: Constant inner rebel that after putting down instead of executing them or even putting them in jail your're just suppose to let them go otherwise you just make quickly make more rebels.
    5) When rebellions succeed and after the country splits, the counties that stayed have peppered cities, temples, and baronies that don't go with you. Instead you always have this land mine in your own county. AND YOU CAN"T REVOKE THE CLAIM IN YOUR OWN COUNTY.
    6) Far flung territories mean nothing to the enemy. Who expects you defeats 3x the amount of solders And counties to take his one across the map territory. 7) No family ties loyalty. And I don't mean little, I mean none.
    8) It's your fault if they desire something even when it's not in your possession.    … Expand
  29. Orion987
    Jun 4, 2014
    3
    Poor UI makes the game more complex than it needs to be. Tutorials are outdated, and get bugs frequently. I had to restart the tutorials twice because of bugs. I then attempt to make a custom character (I have the ruler designer DLC). Immediately when I click start, I am treated with a game over screen. After reading around forums, I find it is because I made the character with aPoor UI makes the game more complex than it needs to be. Tutorials are outdated, and get bugs frequently. I had to restart the tutorials twice because of bugs. I then attempt to make a custom character (I have the ruler designer DLC). Immediately when I click start, I am treated with a game over screen. After reading around forums, I find it is because I made the character with a religion I have not yet purchase from DLC, even though nothing in the UI states this is a problem, or even states that I do not own it. Horrible DLC practices with an awful UI bring down what is an otherwise 'okay' game. Once I was actually in game, the gameplay was average. Deep in some areas, shallow in others. For example, having kids with their own traits and marrying them off is fun, but also diluted when the same random events repeat over and over within the first half an hour. Wouldn't recommend.… Expand
  30. Beachgamer1
    Sep 9, 2015
    3
    I have now played the game for nearly eighty hours, and only now feel that I understand most of the tedious, hard-to-find details of the game. I have also watched a couple dozen hours of video on YouTube, without which there are things I simply never would have known. In fact, kind of hilarious that some guys with "lets play" series with thousands of views were also unclear on how someI have now played the game for nearly eighty hours, and only now feel that I understand most of the tedious, hard-to-find details of the game. I have also watched a couple dozen hours of video on YouTube, without which there are things I simply never would have known. In fact, kind of hilarious that some guys with "lets play" series with thousands of views were also unclear on how some parts of the game worked. Sorry, just should not be this hard, where the "hard" is caused by unclear (or nonexistent) descriptions. To really understand the game, you basically need to open up the code to see what is driving certain calculations. On one level the masked complexity adds intrigue and mystery, but seems to me an artificial construct, ultimately makes it tedious.

    In the end you spend hours and hours learning all the idiosyncrasies, then playing the game itself is boring. Really a "rinse and repeat" strategy that is quite tedious.

    The game does have a ton of historical backdrop, which is entertaining. Dynasty building is also kind of fun. Though I have had one too many strong characters suddenly develop a deathly disease when young, like a programmer somewhere just said "let's make this harder" with a quick fix. The combat and time passage are also marginal at best. Here is the trick to winning combat...have more men. For the game's massive complexity, pretty sad.

    There are some fun twists with the events, bug by the time you have learned yhe game you will have seen them dozens of times, they too become repetitive and tedious.

    Just not satisfied with this game.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

36
#36 Best PC Game of 2012
31
#31 Most Discussed PC Game of 2012
6
#6 Most Shared PC Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 31 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 31
  3. Negative: 0 out of 31
  1. Thunderbolt
    Jan 24, 2013
    80
    It might look like a daunting game to dive into, but stick with it and you'll find one of the most engaging and addictive strategy experiences available.
    Read full review
  2. Gamer.no
    Oct 27, 2012
    80
    Crusader Kings II is quite unique. It's focus on dynasties and family leads to original and entertaining gameplay with great depth and variation. If not for a steep learning curve, it would be close to perfect.
    Read full review
  3. Gamer.nl
    Oct 17, 2012
    80
    Crusader Kings 2 isn't a traditional RTS. The countless intrigues, relationships and family issues that you have to deal with, might make it seem more like a relationship-manager than an actual game. Still, it's quite refreshing and thanks to the countless choices it makes for a great political playground. Every play session is different and opens up a new story, but in return it requires a lot of insight and empathy.
    Read full review
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