Europa Universalis IV

 PC
User Score
8.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1463 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,250 out of 1463
  2. Mixed: 115 out of 1463
  3. Negative: 98 out of 1463

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  1. eva3si0n
    Oct 7, 2017
    10
    The best strategy at the moment if to reject casual Civilization. Not in one game there are no so many opportunities and game mechanics for such big historical term. The entrance threshold at the games Paradox is very high, but if you have overcome it. That you receive the sea of emotions and pleasures.
    PS. 1000 hours, a game release me.
    PSS. The price policy of Paradox is awful. Paradox    The best strategy at the moment if to reject casual Civilization. Not in one game there are no so many opportunities and game mechanics for such big historical term. The entrance threshold at the games Paradox is very high, but if you have overcome it. That you receive the sea of emotions and pleasures.
    PS. 1000 hours, a game release me.
    PSS. The price policy of Paradox is awful. Paradox you are ****    … Expand
  2. rowt
    Jun 16, 2017
    1
    4 years ago (when I bought it) this game was 100% worth it, kind of bland at some points and a little buggy but still lots of fun. Today, at the current prices, i can't justify dumping this amount of money on it (+DLCs, which the game feels bland and outright broken at parts without). It costs about the same as an AAA title from the past 2 years and it's just not in line with them, sorry4 years ago (when I bought it) this game was 100% worth it, kind of bland at some points and a little buggy but still lots of fun. Today, at the current prices, i can't justify dumping this amount of money on it (+DLCs, which the game feels bland and outright broken at parts without). It costs about the same as an AAA title from the past 2 years and it's just not in line with them, sorry Paradox but I'm not sorry… Expand
  3. elegioneer
    May 18, 2017
    3
    This game is the best strategy I ever played, but the problem is in Paradox: the simply broke the game in a $*%#ton of DLCs which cost half of a game itself.
  4. Tmonahan
    May 5, 2017
    10
    Best strategy game that I have played so far. Good replay value, and addictive gameplay. I strongly recommend to all strategy fans.

    The user reviews on steam are low due to DLC, but I do not own any and its still fun.
  5. MikeB26
    Apr 27, 2017
    0
    Bought it. Wasn't able to start a Steam account. Was told to "try again later." Did this several times over 30 minutes. $39. Can't play. Rip off.
  6. Sam0202
    Apr 10, 2017
    9
    With almost 1000 hours put in this game and the flexibility it allows you to play in one of the most interesting times in history. However, it does have quite a steep learning curve, which can put off the new player for a grand strategy game. It has a lot of number crunching, which personally I'm not a fan of but it doesn't stop me from having fun and dominating as a one nation minor. ItWith almost 1000 hours put in this game and the flexibility it allows you to play in one of the most interesting times in history. However, it does have quite a steep learning curve, which can put off the new player for a grand strategy game. It has a lot of number crunching, which personally I'm not a fan of but it doesn't stop me from having fun and dominating as a one nation minor. It is a game of which has a diverse play style. You can be a military world power, or king of the sea and trade, it is totally up to you, the player, to follow history or create your own. The only reason it doesn't get its perfect score is because of how overwhelming it can be, even with 1000 hours, but this can be a pro for some players. I would recommend.… Expand
  7. Gamer_X-Fight
    Jan 18, 2017
    10
    One of my favourite strategy. The developers made a great job. The game sends me to the deep medieval world. One week I could not move away from my computer. I think this is the best historical strategy from Paradox.
    After I start to play Europa Universalis IV I couldn't play the sid meier s civilization.
  8. Jaehaerys61
    Dec 31, 2016
    9
    Encore un jeux pour stratège que j'aime merci Paradox et aussi merci pour les DLCs qui améliores encore grandement le jeux dans ses différents parties qui sont très nombreuses.
  9. conus21
    Aug 20, 2016
    9
    You can hardly find another cool nerdy game like EU! Building empires, crushing revolutions, vassalising smaller nations... tons of stuff! Although I admit it's a hard task for newbies to get into this game.
  10. Juggulator
    May 19, 2016
    10
    Wow....all i can begin with is wow....the depth added to the game by all the dlc is truly worth spending your dosh. It is one hell of a game where you ca alter history and take over the world....best played with the extended timeline mod.
  11. mmyers94028
    Apr 13, 2016
    10
    This game has kept me addicted for months. I have racked up around 200 hours of playtime so far and have not regretted a minute. This game is fairly complicated to learn, but once the basics have been mastered, it is incredible. Not only is it fun, but it often follows history so well that it is incredibly interesting as well. Definitely worth it to buy
  12. godunow
    Mar 22, 2016
    9
    Great game. I played this after Crusader Kings 2 and I must say that it offers a simple trade off: get rid of being character-centric (which made CK2 such an amazing experience) for sake of being much more accessible.

    Thats very fair trade off. You get this game and you do not need any other games for the rest of your life :)
  13. Jcourtney
    Mar 18, 2016
    10
    There isn't anything else like this game and the game is still getting support with DLC even years after release. Once of the best Grand Strategy games ever made so far.

    Just buy the DLC on sale.

    10/10
  14. losik
    Feb 13, 2016
    9
    This is everyones favorite empire building/map painting simulator. Developers still release patches & DLCs because people are still playing the game. I guess it is the theme that matters - I feel it is a struggle of different nations, not just a bunch of generic A.I. with some random country name like in Civilization.
  15. mvm900
    Feb 5, 2016
    8
    I, unlike others apparently, enjoyed the game. Sadly it seems that some people couldn't figure out the game and I must confess that, in my 400 clocked hours on steam, have never touched the tutorial. I learn myself from just jumping in and seeing what happens and EU4 wasn't too hard to figure out. Some mechanics are still kind of weird and alien to me, like the trade system which isI, unlike others apparently, enjoyed the game. Sadly it seems that some people couldn't figure out the game and I must confess that, in my 400 clocked hours on steam, have never touched the tutorial. I learn myself from just jumping in and seeing what happens and EU4 wasn't too hard to figure out. Some mechanics are still kind of weird and alien to me, like the trade system which is actually kind of weird. All in all as a game I liked it for it's historical accuracy it aims to have.

    And onto the DLC. This game has been updated and changed since it's inception. It is now an almost completely different game. The DLC only adds stuff and you lose nothing by not buying them, and they go on sale quite a lot. A lot of paradox games do. In fact I picked up CK2 and all of it's DLC for $40. And they do it rather fairly on multiplayer because if the host has it everyone can use it.    … Expand
  16. Lich_Master
    Jan 8, 2016
    9
    Really good game.
    -1 point for DLC milking policy, and fact that game was stripped BARE at release (+ Paradox has no quality control on their games, so DLCs were buggy as hell).
    Buy basic game, then wait for DLC sale (prices are ridiculus)
  17. jclaiborne2007
    Dec 15, 2015
    1
    There is only one way to play this game. Buy the base game and never ever update. This game has gone from good to horrible with every poorly conceived and ill executed expansion. All of the talent is gone to make a space game leaving 2 imbeciles to wreck this once great game. I would like to introduce these greedy sobs to a brand new concept: Quality Assurance.
  18. Ntek_sr
    Dec 7, 2015
    0
    I have played the game for about 1000 hour. After a update to create a "pay-wall", you have to buy a DLC to be able to develop your provinces. And you buy the development by "Monarc"-points that is the same for a large as a small country. Mighty empires will not develop.

    Other untested major changes they did (almost everything changed) destroyed the balance and alter the game into    I have played the game for about 1000 hour. After a update to create a "pay-wall", you have to buy a DLC to be able to develop your provinces. And you buy the development by "Monarc"-points that is the same for a large as a small country. Mighty empires will not develop.

    Other untested major changes they did (almost everything changed) destroyed the balance and alter the game into another game. A game that is bad.

    Sadly it seems that Paradox have begin to abuse DLC a lot... don't know if I can trust them any more.    … Expand
  19. Telembrium
    Dec 1, 2015
    4
    Europa Universalis 4 is a game that I want to like, but that I just cant due to a number of different issues. From a severe reliance on RNG to inconsistent AI competence, the game just irritates me whenever I try to play it to the point where I don't enjoy it. The large amount of DLC with features that have large effect on the base game don't help either.

    By far the worst problem with    Europa Universalis 4 is a game that I want to like, but that I just cant due to a number of different issues. From a severe reliance on RNG to inconsistent AI competence, the game just irritates me whenever I try to play it to the point where I don't enjoy it. The large amount of DLC with features that have large effect on the base game don't help either.

    By far the worst problem with the game is the AI. Like others have said, the multiplayer is barely functional, so this is a primarily single-player game. What does a single-player game need? AI that is both intelligent and consistent. Instead, it ranges from being near-brain-dead to nonsensically clairvoyant. The AI will frequently march armies back and forth between two provinces while their country gets occupied by a tiny force in comparison to theirs. They'll sign peace deals for idiotic things. I've seen Brittany force a Burgundy that annexed France to release France only to have France declare war on Brittany to vassalise them immediately after. Then there's attrition: AI are completely unaffected by attrition caused by troops that are not their own, frequently resulting in doomstacks of 100K+ men. The AI is unaffected by naval attrition entirely. They'll stupidly colonise provinces with no value while high-value ones are unclaimed. Then there's the flip side. Several small nations will manage to act as a single, cohesive force and win against impossible odds because their large enemy splits its armies into tiny chunks and never changes its strategy in reaction to its losses. The AI will know exactly when armies are coming and exactly when a country is in a weakened state, resulting in a dogpiling effect that destroys otherwise strong nations. Paradox decided to try and fix this by adding in a feature which gives bonuses to a country which is suffering, which offers massive benefits to large countries while giving small ones nothing.

    Speaking of massive benefits to large countries while completely ignoring small ones, Paradox loves to do this. Larger countries get free diplomats, a no-upkeep general, and are somehow able to manage their larger administration more effectively than a small country can manage their smaller one. Larger countries also get benefits that change with their government type, such as conquered lands being more susceptible to pay taxes and contribute manpower. What do small countries get? Nothing. Worse, the larger countries get bonuses that specifically make it easier to peacefully vassalise and promptly annex the smaller countries without giving the smaller country a chance to become powerful. Then there are "lucky nations", which are significant bonuses which get applied to countries which were historically successful, just in case their overpowered "idea" bonuses, or the bonuses from their rich lands, or the bonuses from tailored missions and events weren't enough.

    Then there are more general annoyances. The rivalry system for example, forces the AI to have as many rivals as possible even when it is completely against their strategic interests, resulting in things like Scotland fighting an independent Ireland rather than cooperating with them and leaving England to just show up and annex at their leisure. As mentioned, the heavy reliance on RNG in combat constantly results in losses that should have been victories. Then there's development, which rather than increasing slowly in a somewhat uniform manner with exceptions to areas of plenty such as large cities and trade centers, increases based on the expense of magical "monarch points" to conjure taxpayers and soldiers wherever one wises. This results in metropolises next to dirt hut villages and in ridiculous places like Shetland.

    Finally, the DLC. Imagine if Bethesda released Dawnguard in parts: For $30, you can have the mechanical changes: such as vampirism, the quests, and crossbows. For $12, the dawnguard and vampire armour would come with the new models and textures rather than just looking like the base game's leather armour. For $4.50, you get the music from Dawnguard. Oh, and by the way, the game's mechanics were changed to be balanced around having crossbows and vampire attacks with the "free" patch shipped alongside the DLC, meaning the game is unbalanced if you don't have the mechanical changes DLC. If you choose not to update though, you won't get the included bug fixes or sparse optimisation and gameplay improvements. That's a total of $46.50 for the DLC included with ONE patch, for a $60 game. To top it off, mix in a hearty serving of game-breaking bugs, incompatible saves, crashing, and problems ranging all the way to being unable to even launch the game for at least a week after the patch. That would be Skyrim's Dawnguard DLC if it were made by Paradox.

    Overall, I'd give the game a 4/10, because it shows potential, but nearly $240 (and counting) to play the full game leads me to believe that that potential will never be more than just potential.    … Expand
  20. XDavidX
    Nov 23, 2015
    10
    The game is just amazing. I love play this game. For me this game is amazing ! Nothing more to comment because this game is amazing ! I rate this 10/10
  21. Harlot
    Nov 17, 2015
    10
    Been for years with Paradox. Raked near 2000 hours in this game and the constant updates and punishingly hard achievements mixed with an awesome community keep me coming back. For fans or real complex grand strategies or those that feel the need to challenge themselves (I mean really challenge) or even for people who just love history and want to live it or flip it on its head it's a must have :).
  22. epistm87
    Nov 11, 2015
    10
    An Enlightened balance of depth and accessibility that brings grand strategy into a new era. smooth gameplay, great songs, minimalistic. It has a high replayability,
  23. jmhoffer
    Oct 29, 2015
    5
    Europa Universalis is nearly brilliant. Nearly.

    On the grand strategy level, it is beautiful; make alliances, arrange marriages, control trade, pirate your rivals' trade, colonise the primitive lands and more. But where it fails spectacularly is on the TACTICAL level. Which, if you plan on expanding by conquest, is major. The inherent problem with combat is that you have zero    Europa Universalis is nearly brilliant. Nearly.

    On the grand strategy level, it is beautiful; make alliances, arrange marriages, control trade, pirate your rivals' trade, colonise the primitive lands and more.

    But where it fails spectacularly is on the TACTICAL level. Which, if you plan on expanding by conquest, is major.

    The inherent problem with combat is that you have zero control over it. You send in some armies and then everything is handled automatically. The problem with this is that the combat is SPECTACULARLY complex. And despite being complex and difficult, the only control you have is how many men you send into battle and whether or not they have a general leading them.

    This means that you win or lose battles for entirely unknown reasons or by total random chance. The battle system is so complex that the only way people actually know anything about it is by delving into the code. Despite this, again, you have ZERO control. Worse yet, random chance can easily screw you over when you otherwise have an overwhelming advantage.

    Unless you study the battle system like you study for your college exams, you have no chance of understanding it or how to win. This completely takes away from the rest of the game to the point where it just gets frustrating and no longer fun unless you have a strange obsession or literally have no life other than working and this game.

    Of course, the combat becomes much easier when you get cannons. The secret to cannons? Get a **** ton of them. The more you have, the more likely you are to win. So have as many cannons as you have men in melee and you'll nearly always win. But until then, combat is spectacularly difficult without doing an immense amount of research and asking for immense amounts of help from people that have delved into the code.

    Either pick a start date where cannons are already available or only fight when you have overwhelming numbers on your side.    … Expand
  24. Thunderstorm
    Sep 6, 2015
    0
    Could be a decent game, if it had a tutorial that wasn't broken and "learning" the game would be remotely fun. It requires an unknown amount of entertainment-free work for a new player to do anything meaningful. I don't know where game developers get the idea that it's ok when your game sucks for a while.

    For me it was a clear zero, a complete waste of time and money.
  25. Road_Monkey
    Jul 2, 2015
    10
    Schönes Spiel. Muss auch erlich sagen, das mich das Gameplay mehr fesselt als es Civilisation tut. Negativ kann man die DLC Politik betrachten. Unmengen an Geld mit DLC's zu schäffeln ist nicht die feine Art, aber sie lohnen sich... ^^
  26. Fibsi
    May 28, 2015
    10
    Since I have it it is my favourite strategy game on Pc. You can Play every Nation in year from 1444 to 1800. You can Play in this game all over the world, but it is very addicting.
  27. Tubey
    May 16, 2015
    7
    Hmmm what to make of this... on one side of the coin, this is an absolutely majestic bit of game making with an unparalleled amount of attention to detail. But on the other side, it is horrifically dictated by RNG random events and has the smallest UI text known to mankind; which is bad because this game lives and dies by its' massive amount of menus and sub menus.

    Intricate is the    Hmmm what to make of this... on one side of the coin, this is an absolutely majestic bit of game making with an unparalleled amount of attention to detail. But on the other side, it is horrifically dictated by RNG random events and has the smallest UI text known to mankind; which is bad because this game lives and dies by its' massive amount of menus and sub menus.

    Intricate is the buzzword here. It is a horrid game to try and get into, and a lot of players will turn it off within 30 minutes because not since the likes of X-Com (the old one) has a game been this reliant on literally hundreds of micro options. So it's crucial you get the UI and navigation right - EU4 does and doesn't in equal measure. The menus are strategy gamer porn - but you need a magnifying glass to see them. So it makes the game a pleasure and a chore in equal measure.

    A key part of the game is a stat called Stability, and it is this that is very much in the hands of the RNG gods, as random events pop up at... well, random, to undo your best laid plans. Rather than add to the game an element of dynamism, they serve to by and large annoy.

    You can pore hundreds of hours into this, then look back with satisfaction but also an element of "what the hell did I just do all that for?" It's fun and tedious, compelling yet labour intensive.

    In summary, if you love Civilisation and want an extra challenge (albeit an overstated one; when you get the hang of this, it's positively easy), then EU4 is for you. If you haven't played Civ, consider picking up Civ4 first and getting your feet wet before delving into this, as it's a game where even the tutorial takes pleasure in complicating you.    … Expand
  28. Martingus
    May 7, 2015
    10
    First thing... I thought i was a fan of strategy games and had a good picture of what was out there but even though I've played hoi3 for years I just tripped over this game.

    My mind is absolutely blown away by this Masterpiece of a strategy game! With basically every sphere of ruling a nation being webbed together to teach you one or two about national economics and with the    First thing... I thought i was a fan of strategy games and had a good picture of what was out there but even though I've played hoi3 for years I just tripped over this game.

    My mind is absolutely blown away by this Masterpiece of a strategy game!

    With basically every sphere of ruling a nation being webbed together to teach you one or two about national economics and with the groundbreaking feature of working diplomatics (yeah diplomatics work!) this game is unknowingly made to force you into ditching your copies of all total war games and buy this to give your brain a treat!

    Yeah I had to say all that in one sentence.

    Few games would ever deserve a 10/10. Though this game has a few flaws, the magnitude of the cons make those so inferiorly minor that i already forgot all of them.    … Expand
  29. domadordepollos
    Apr 18, 2015
    10
    Amazing. Simply amazing. Although it may look awfully difficult at the beginning, once you understand the basics, it will catch you for so much time. It is a complex, indepth strategy game involving politics, religion, trade, army... It is extremely immersive, you´ll become immediately interested in the actual history of the world, and will keep you playing for days even without noticing.Amazing. Simply amazing. Although it may look awfully difficult at the beginning, once you understand the basics, it will catch you for so much time. It is a complex, indepth strategy game involving politics, religion, trade, army... It is extremely immersive, you´ll become immediately interested in the actual history of the world, and will keep you playing for days even without noticing. Ive played so many hours and didnt even finish my first game with Castille. A work of Art. Additionally, I would grab the game with its Art of war expansion. No bad thing about the game except from its early game difficulty. Maybe the soundtrack, although magnificent, may end up being repetitive. But thats why mods exist!

    Maravilloso. Aunque pueda arecer asquerosamente complicado al principio, una vez que captas laa esencia, te atrapara horas y horas. Es un juego de estrategia complejo, incluyendo politica, religion, comercio, ejercito... Es extremadamente inmersivo, y te interesaras por la historia del mundo inmediatamente, y te tendra jugando durante muchisimo tiempo sin siquiera darte cuenta. Ni siquiera he terminado mi primera partida con Castilla y llevo todas estas horas. Una obra maestra. Ademas, recomiendo comprarlo con su DLC El arte de la guerra. Este juego es perfecto excepto por su dificultad al principio. Tal ve la banda sonora, aunque excepcional, se haga algo repetitiva, pero para eso estan los mods!

    +Immersive/Inmersivo
    +Complex/Complejo
    +Extremely long/Extremadamente largo
    +Fun to play!/Divertido!

    -Difficult/Dificil

    "Just....One...More..Turn....."

    SOLID 10/10    … Expand
  30. Zefyres
    Apr 1, 2015
    10
    Amazing strategy game with a huge amount of depth but also with a huge learning curve if you've never played any of the games in this series. This is my first EU game and for the first 50-100 hours I was minimizing every so often to check the wiki and forum explanations to figure out some of the gameplay elements. If this seems intimidating, it should be, because EU4 is just that muchAmazing strategy game with a huge amount of depth but also with a huge learning curve if you've never played any of the games in this series. This is my first EU game and for the first 50-100 hours I was minimizing every so often to check the wiki and forum explanations to figure out some of the gameplay elements. If this seems intimidating, it should be, because EU4 is just that much deeper than most strategy games.

    Technically EU4 is an RTS game but the pace you'll likely be playing it (at least in wars) is more like a turn-based game. AI is very well done and there is a good balance between historical events/progression and open-ended gameplay. I could go into much more detail but probably wouldn't say anything that hasn't been covered in other reviews.

    Much deserved 10/10 but NOT recommended for 'casual' gamers. "Civ 5 for grown ups" is an accurate characterization. In short, if you're looking for a deep strategy game that will make a 5+ hour gaming session disappear in an instant... this is it.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

11
#11 Best PC Game of 2013
34
#34 Most Discussed PC Game of 2013
1
#1 Most Shared PC Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 34 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 31 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 34
  3. Negative: 0 out of 34
  1. DarkStation
    Dec 12, 2013
    80
    Once players overcome the initial learning curve, Europa Universalis IV will prove a memorable strategy experience that provides as much fun stories as it does sheer tactical complexity.
    Read full review
  2. PC PowerPlay
    Oct 28, 2013
    90
    Somehow retains the series' trademark braininess and complexity while being clearer, simpler and far more fun. [Nov 2013, p.92]
  3. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Oct 24, 2013
    100
    The ultimate strategic simulator of an early modern history state with wide options for both success and failure. Do you want to unite Britain under Scotland, thwart the Spanish Reconquista or maintain the Inca empire? Suit yourself. [Issue#234]
See all critic reviews »