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. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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
  4. Imperius147
    Aug 22, 2019
    7
    Pro+
    - best grand strategy
    - alternative world history... transforming my country to the World Empire

    Cons-
    - tons DLC
    - DLC politics
    - expensive DLC
  5. rpundurs
    Mar 6, 2014
    3
    I've never experienced a game like it in its attention to historical detail. I've likewise never experienced a game like it in how little fun it is to play.

    Paradox has produced a game that will entice the student of history in you, but will likely bore the rest of you. To begin with, EU4's presentation is nothing if not opaque. This time they've made more of an effort to document the    I've never experienced a game like it in its attention to historical detail. I've likewise never experienced a game like it in how little fun it is to play.

    Paradox has produced a game that will entice the student of history in you, but will likely bore the rest of you. To begin with, EU4's presentation is nothing if not opaque. This time they've made more of an effort to document the mechanisms of play in tutorials (and a fifty-page manual), but these efforts are still grossly insufficient to meet the punishing learning curve. Without constant reference to the wiki or official forums, a new player will be hopelessly lost. Despite what Paradox grognards seem to believe, this is not a positive feature.

    Ultimately, should you invest the 10+ hours needed to arm yourself with the basic understanding needed to play at all, you will be left with an intensely hollow experience. In the long run, it can be a joy to see your plans come to fruition, but in the interim, you will be left with a lot of clock-watching and empty busywork as the game continues to bombard you with trivial pop-ups for mundane tasks that, irritatingly, cannot be left on autopilot (the Curia control system is most egregious in this regard). The sheer volume of flags, however, belie their emptiness - there's very little fun to be had in maintaining your empire while waiting for your next opportunity to strike.

    For all the Europa Universalis series has been billed as part of the military strategy genre, the warfare is incredibly shallow. There are virtually no tactics involved in prosecuting a war; in some cases terrain may aid a defender, but neither logistics nor heroics are any match for economics in EU's world. Ultimately, this is a game of diplomacy - of decades-long plans to inveigle certain nations into attacking you only to be crushed, of forming royal marriages for the sake of later usurping that nation's throne, of excising provinces from a rival empire over and over again until it is small enough to be vassalized. That description gives the game an air of intrigue and mystery, but make no mistake: the game has all the mystique (and presentation) of an Excel spreadsheet.

    The actual mechanics of play are deceptively simplistic - success in this game relies on diplomatic strategy, but shaping a good strategy relies on an intense, almost professional understanding of the game's unexplained and often invisible logic. That's not even bringing the unfair and unpredictable nature of random events (such as the infamous comet) into the discussion. Ultimately, the best strategies are those that play to the AI's weaknesses and the idiosyncracies of the game mechanics. Though carrying out your strategy requires nothing more strenuous than navigation through a few menus, it is a long process of trial and error to determine which buttons to push and when, and the best methods are often counter-intuitive (if not totally illogical). For instance, the Overextension mechanics restrict the number of provinces you can hope to gain in war to such an extent that the only way to expand with any speed is by integrating vassals and junior partners - and God help you if you attempt to make use of those game mechanics without several hours of wiki-crawling and a few Paradox forum threads.

    The Metacritic score for this game is extremely misleading: despite Paradox's obvious attempt to reach out to new players with polished graphics and tutorials, Europa Universalis IV is not a game that anyone outside its niche will enjoy. Paradox's grand plan for its strategy game lines is essentially to sell slight variations on the same game over and over again to a hard core of devoted fans. Those who enjoy this game are those who do not flinch at the unforgiving, opaque, tedious, and frustrating nature of the experience. For players who are not willing to spend 100+ hours clicking flags, who don't mind watching dozens of hours of work go up in smoke after a couple of random events pop, or who have no objections to constantly alt-tabbing to outside information resources, this game must be Heaven. For the rest of us, it's reminiscent of someplace altogether different.    … Expand
  6. AtlasOrion
    Nov 22, 2013
    4
    I have to agree with the posters that say the text is far too small, and really the whole UI is way to small. It's like paradox is trying to show off as much of their map as possible, but it's really unspectacular anyway. Horrible, tiny, little icons spread all the way around the map, things should be centralized to one side, or two at most.

    This is a really slow game, very hard to    I have to agree with the posters that say the text is far too small, and really the whole UI is way to small. It's like paradox is trying to show off as much of their map as possible, but it's really unspectacular anyway. Horrible, tiny, little icons spread all the way around the map, things should be centralized to one side, or two at most.

    This is a really slow game, very hard to get into unlike other games where you can hop right in, pick it up more or less right away, and only have to learn about or research a few alien principals or gameplay mechanics. I'm sure it's satisfying for those that enjoy it, but it's DEFINITELY not created in a way that will appeal to a wider spectrum of gamers and gaming styles.

    Bottom line: both the game and the gameplay need to be a lot more inviting and user friendly.    … Expand
  7. SenshudoTV
    Sep 2, 2013
    9
    Not only does Paradox Interactive have a winner in Europa Universalis IV, it is easily the best strategy game I have ever played on the computer. The high ratings this game is garnering in reviews are justified. Though having some minor changes to the mechanics, such as over extension, which drive a player crazy, overall, it is a game I plan to play over and over again. I look forward toNot only does Paradox Interactive have a winner in Europa Universalis IV, it is easily the best strategy game I have ever played on the computer. The high ratings this game is garnering in reviews are justified. Though having some minor changes to the mechanics, such as over extension, which drive a player crazy, overall, it is a game I plan to play over and over again. I look forward to future DLC, hoping to see both China and Japan specific events, as well as events for the Holy Roman Empire, Russia, and maybe more Native American events in the future.… Expand
  8. calo
    Dec 27, 2013
    4
    I love Paradox, and Europa, Crusader Kings etc. However, this felt like a total disgrace to the series.
    It is awkward to begin with and yet it also manages to dump itself down considerably. But do not fear...
    We get coalitions! Which just doesn't work. I would be happy if neighbour states in fear of you formed these, but Ohhh no! It doesn't work by fear it doesn't work by how much    I love Paradox, and Europa, Crusader Kings etc. However, this felt like a total disgrace to the series.
    It is awkward to begin with and yet it also manages to dump itself down considerably. But do not fear...

    We get coalitions!
    Which just doesn't work. I would be happy if neighbour states in fear of you formed these, but Ohhh no! It doesn't work by fear it doesn't work by how much you want to war with them either.
    It works by "over extension" ie. if you have too many uncored provinces.
    What?
    Yes! Totally understandable why say France, with no colonies is mad at me Britain, in having too many uncored colonies.. Ofcourse! This totally effects them.

    Don't worry though we still have a Austria-dominant HRE which is always formed.
    And don't worry! France always acquires parts of Spain, and Spain, Portugal.
    And don't worry! We get an over-powered Denmark who can quite easily form Scandinavia.

    Culture change is super easy now too, and no matter what, your nation will always end up technologically in-advanced.

    No new provinces are introduced as far as I can tell and even better we are limited to having so many relations!

    The only good part is the CK2 EU4 converter, everything else is the exact same.
    A waste of money. If you want this game: Buy Europa Universalis III    … Expand
  9. Genesis_Shadow
    Aug 14, 2013
    9
    I would likely give EU4 an 8.5, however as no half scores are possible, I decided to round it up on account of the fact that I couldn't really think of a major problem that couldn't be fixed. One thing I will say is; this game is not for the faint of heart. Losing is almost always a very real possibility and the AI is better at dragging you back down that it was in previous iterations whenI would likely give EU4 an 8.5, however as no half scores are possible, I decided to round it up on account of the fact that I couldn't really think of a major problem that couldn't be fixed. One thing I will say is; this game is not for the faint of heart. Losing is almost always a very real possibility and the AI is better at dragging you back down that it was in previous iterations when you became too power.

    It's also a little more new-player friendly than EU3 so far as I can tell, and it is a little easier to manipulate the AI than in just about every other Paradox Title ever (which is a good thing). All in all, if you're a fan of Paradox titles, or Grand Strategy in general, definitely worth checking this game out. There are many hours of enjoyment to be had, even for returning EU3 customers.    … Expand
  10. Mynameispingu
    Aug 25, 2013
    6
    If you liked EUIII you're going to like EUIV.
    However on the contrary the game's been out for a week and there's already DLC, which is slightly disgusting in my eyes.
  11. Daisai
    Aug 23, 2014
    3
    Although this game is not as bad designed as HoI it still is very bugged and very poorly designed.
    There are so many key bugs in this game that are causing you to lose a battle and for a game that was released in 2013 you would expect a more finished product by now.
    Ones you play and therefor also test this product a little further ( which the developers did not do ) you come across    Although this game is not as bad designed as HoI it still is very bugged and very poorly designed.
    There are so many key bugs in this game that are causing you to lose a battle and for a game that was released in 2013 you would expect a more finished product by now.

    Ones you play and therefor also test this product a little further ( which the developers did not do ) you come across some game breaking bugs.
    Moral values not working and manpower simply disappearing when a army is to big ( with the thousands a tick and without the message ).

    Those kind of bugs should have been fixed long before the game is even released, however this developer is more busy releasing dlc for this game and not fixing these bugs.

    Thats why this game gets a 3, the gameplay is poor and the fact that they give poor support on their product makes it so that they earn this score.    … Expand
  12. TolHydra
    Sep 6, 2013
    9
    Bloody brilliant, waiting the amazing amount of improvement Ck2 received for the past year for this game too, In it's current state, fun and content full, i've spent just 62 hours to a single conversion save/mod

    Needs optimization for slower cpu's (my intel dual core 2.67 ghz can't keep up well)
    Needs polishing on some of the mechanics
    Needs polishing on Japan and the catholic rebellions
  13. masc
    Aug 19, 2013
    8
    Europa Universalis IV is much better than older iterations especially when it comes to how stable this game runs. What is holding me back from giving it a 9 is that still some things are not easy or simply not transparent enough to understand so one needs to be willing to spend some time outside the game to learn the game because the in-game tutorials and help system are not helpfulEuropa Universalis IV is much better than older iterations especially when it comes to how stable this game runs. What is holding me back from giving it a 9 is that still some things are not easy or simply not transparent enough to understand so one needs to be willing to spend some time outside the game to learn the game because the in-game tutorials and help system are not helpful enough.

    Overall I like the game very much and would recommend it to everyone who is willing to spend some time to learn the game. What helped me a lot was a tutorial from quill18: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGH-Sc1EfdI    … Expand
  14. shixiang722
    Aug 21, 2013
    10
    EU4 is a great improvement over the previous games,with respect to the its predecessor EU3,the game-play and balance has greatly improved. So, it will make CIV5 seem like child's game. In this game,
    choose a different country, you can have a nice and different game experience.
  15. axelstep
    Aug 16, 2013
    10
    Positively the best grand strategy game I've ever played. Unlike any previous paradox games, EU4 focuses on strategic decision maker. Sure in CK2 and Eu3 you made decisions, but in EU4, there is usually more than one right answer to every decision! In EU3, there was usually one correct answer, in EU4, there are multiple, and it truly adds skill to the game. Additionally, the scope of thePositively the best grand strategy game I've ever played. Unlike any previous paradox games, EU4 focuses on strategic decision maker. Sure in CK2 and Eu3 you made decisions, but in EU4, there is usually more than one right answer to every decision! In EU3, there was usually one correct answer, in EU4, there are multiple, and it truly adds skill to the game. Additionally, the scope of the game is amazing. The game is not needlessly complicated, and it's a blast!… Expand
  16. totofissime
    Aug 20, 2013
    9
    Awesome game. The best gae of Paradox. You can play either nation in the world with new awesome gameplay mecanics. Thak you paradox for this game.

    Europa Universalis IV is the game you graduate to when you’re tired of Civilization." Edg
  17. Lokomoko99764
    Sep 4, 2013
    8
    By all means one of Paradox Development Studio's better games (Although I like them all really). They've made much-needed improvements in comparison to EU3 in most areas, and although there is some controversy over the monarch point system and to a lesser extent trade, it's definitely worth the money. The visuals and season system is one thing in particular that is quite nice which IBy all means one of Paradox Development Studio's better games (Although I like them all really). They've made much-needed improvements in comparison to EU3 in most areas, and although there is some controversy over the monarch point system and to a lesser extent trade, it's definitely worth the money. The visuals and season system is one thing in particular that is quite nice which I wasn't expecting to enjoy as much as I did. I've yet to get the full enjoyment out of it after many hours.… Expand
  18. ManRammer
    Sep 8, 2013
    10
    Europa Universalis. Welcome back to my arms. Hold me. Don't ever let me go. The times we've had: Azteks vs Spain, Serbia and Bosnia vs the Ottomans. Japan vs French Colonials in Australia. My first explorer fleet sinking in the Pacific.

    The system this game uses is very deep, feels very authentic and realistic. You just can't "zerg" the world and expect to not crumble to pieces whilst    Europa Universalis. Welcome back to my arms. Hold me. Don't ever let me go. The times we've had: Azteks vs Spain, Serbia and Bosnia vs the Ottomans. Japan vs French Colonials in Australia. My first explorer fleet sinking in the Pacific.

    The system this game uses is very deep, feels very authentic and realistic. You just can't "zerg" the world and expect to not crumble to pieces whilst trying to hold it all together. The game really rewards the sly player, the bold player and punishes those with no patience.

    And while being a very deep game, the whole menu system really is easy to navigate and not at all hard to understand. Give it an hour and all will be understood. Maybe two. And then the game will suck you in. Even the most mundane country suddenly start to feel interesting, you find enemies and friends. And after that, you notice the clock is 5 in the morning and you have work.

    Damnit.

    But worth it.

    Over and out, guys    … Expand
  19. Noxious
    Aug 17, 2013
    10
    Paradox managed to get into the fourth installment of a game/series and make it better than the previous one. That is rare. Distinct graphic/visual upgrades without being too taxing on the computer, and overall well-rounded changes to the games "common sense" and fluidity. It's just more fun and feels right.
  20. Fireant
    Aug 17, 2013
    10
    The best game Paradox ever made up to date, almost flawless. Curious enough, I see some people have problem with font readability on 1920x1200 resolution I spotted no such issue myself! Game on it's own takes and mix the improved quality and immersion of CK2 mechanisms, greatly improved visual design and masterfully done UI (that no longer confuses even users that play the game for theirThe best game Paradox ever made up to date, almost flawless. Curious enough, I see some people have problem with font readability on 1920x1200 resolution I spotted no such issue myself! Game on it's own takes and mix the improved quality and immersion of CK2 mechanisms, greatly improved visual design and masterfully done UI (that no longer confuses even users that play the game for their first time ever) and mixed it with the game engine we all know from the EU series, adding a lot of more control and decision making to it without making it an overly complicated gargantuan.

    If you like grand strategies, EU4 is, for now, the king of them considering it's relative ease without sacrificing the complexity of gameplay. Give it a try I am myself a vivid CIV series fan, but EU4 offers such degree of control and decision-making, that any CIV game in comparison looks like child-play.

    And another thing that is unique to this genre in nowadays gaming world... When other games ends after circa 10 hours, you need that 10 hours to discover and get used to EU4 mechanism! Expect 200-300 hours of gameplay at ease from it. If not more.    … Expand
  21. alex-smollet
    Sep 5, 2014
    2
    This is randomizer - not a strategy game. Random unpredictable game events, random battle results. Very bugged patch 1.7. Waste of time. Shogun 2 or CIV5 more playable than this "product".
  22. jon-h86
    Sep 17, 2013
    10
    What a fantastic game. It is utterly engrossing. If you are a fan of civil 4 then you will love this game. An addictive masterpiece. It looks good too. The biggest down side is that it is too hard to stop playing once you get into a game. I have never played an EU game before. It took me about about 5-7 hours to learn how to play. It was a worthy investment and one I don't think anyWhat a fantastic game. It is utterly engrossing. If you are a fan of civil 4 then you will love this game. An addictive masterpiece. It looks good too. The biggest down side is that it is too hard to stop playing once you get into a game. I have never played an EU game before. It took me about about 5-7 hours to learn how to play. It was a worthy investment and one I don't think any serious arm chair emperor would regret.… Expand
  23. cdrwrecorders
    Sep 9, 2013
    10
    i had fun with this one. game is balanced and polished (almost no bugs). however i don't know if oversimplification is good direction to go, you can't chop of to much because you risking hurting a strategy heart of this game. i give it a 10 as badass seal of approval not real score
  24. stern
    Dec 8, 2013
    9
    How troubling is to review a PDS game... They are works in progress.
    But I feel something must be said about EU4 so long after its initial release.
    I was among the ones who pre-ordered it and I admit it was the first game I bought instead of pirating in, what? 10 years? The other game I bought before EU4 was Starcraft: Broodwar for you to have an idea. CK2 left a very good impresion in    How troubling is to review a PDS game... They are works in progress.
    But I feel something must be said about EU4 so long after its initial release.
    I was among the ones who pre-ordered it and I admit it was the first game I bought instead of pirating in, what? 10 years? The other game I bought before EU4 was Starcraft: Broodwar for you to have an idea.
    CK2 left a very good impresion in me, I thought PDS was finally getting a hang of things and I decided to support them. And when EU4 came, I played a bit with Burgundy, I was a litlle frustrated and regreted my decision, shelving the game.
    But then came all the patchs, game fixes and balances (like trade nerfing). Now EU4 is amazing and I already spent hours and hours and hours in this game, bulding Switzerland into a constitutional republic, an economical world power against France, making my north American kingdom with a norwegian court-in-exile, and many others plays.
    I didn't understood the sinergy and connection between Monarchic Points, technology, buildings and everything else at first, but now I see how well planed and structured everything is in this game and I'm enjoying very much. The only bad thing I would say, is that same thing that EU3 also had: is a deterministic game. You can't take Spain and go for a military non-colonial game, you can't take Brandenburg and not focus on forming Germany/Prussia, otherwise the game punishs you and thing lose sense. Also the lack of natives in South America, and how the lack of a La Plata trade node.
    Anyway, it's an awesome iteration and I hope that East versus West follows its footsteps.    … Expand
  25. AbaDe
    Sep 27, 2013
    10
    GOOD
    Epic Game
    Just Perfect Diplomacy Standards Technology bias is just perfect Requires brains and strategy when fighting against coalition of forces BAD Requires cheats to really win only the best can win without using cheats . A bit Long, sometimes i am sleeping just in front of my computer Bugs can ruin your life, if combing armies (you cannot combine more than 3 units at a    GOOD
    Epic Game
    Just Perfect Diplomacy Standards
    Technology bias is just perfect
    Requires brains and strategy when fighting against coalition of forces

    BAD
    Requires cheats to really win only the best can win without using cheats .
    A bit Long, sometimes i am sleeping just in front of my computer
    Bugs can ruin your life, if combing armies (you cannot combine more than 3 units at a time
    Every army requires general to win (without a general-ed army you are bound to loose, even with having a huge amassed army)    … Expand
  26. Contingencee
    Aug 16, 2013
    10
    If you liked EU III you'll definitely like EU IV. It looks very similar, but the game mechanics are actually quite different, so the experience as a whole is a lot different. Some aspects of the game are a little easier, but as a whole I think the game is a little bit harder than its predecessor.
    I think new players would find EU IV a little easier to learn than EU III. The new hints    If you liked EU III you'll definitely like EU IV. It looks very similar, but the game mechanics are actually quite different, so the experience as a whole is a lot different. Some aspects of the game are a little easier, but as a whole I think the game is a little bit harder than its predecessor.
    I think new players would find EU IV a little easier to learn than EU III. The new hints system is quite informative and well made.

    There really isn't anything bad to say about the game except the performance which hasn't been improved. If you are a strategy fan don't hesitate just get the game.    … Expand
  27. Nerdlife
    Aug 20, 2013
    10
    Easily one of the best grand strategy games ever released. After Crusader Kings 2 i thought that Paradox wouldn't be able to release EU IV without bugs, but they did. A highly polished and amazing game. Worthy of every praise.

    If you are into the genre, it's a must buy. If you are not, it's still a must buy.
  28. Yazah
    Sep 7, 2013
    5
    This game is your standard micro-management world domination type of game. It has a demo, so check it out and see if it is worth buying.

    Two things I don't like: 1) Almost all the 10 star reviews on here are from people who have never reviewed another game, and they all use pretty much the same language. So be suspicious. 2) The game itself has tons of DLC so if you want the    This game is your standard micro-management world domination type of game. It has a demo, so check it out and see if it is worth buying.

    Two things I don't like:

    1) Almost all the 10 star reviews on here are from people who have never reviewed another game, and they all use pretty much the same language. So be suspicious.

    2) The game itself has tons of DLC so if you want the "full experience" it costs closer to $70, not the $40 you pay initially.

    Beside that, rebels in the game are severely overpowered, and so world domination becomes more of a "whack-a-mole" challenge with rebels that magically arise from poor and remote provinces with 10 armies. Sure, keep your people happy, give them what they want, expand slowly I get it. But if you want anything resembling a "quick" game (under 30 hours) this is not it. And the 30 hours aren't fun it's just waiting for things to build, hoping nobody declares war on you for the things you did 500 years ago, and totally disrupting your empire's stability.

    Also, research: It penalizes you for getting ahead, which basically takes away any incentive for a technological type victory and instead forces you into the cookie-cutter "gentle wars and diplomacy" approach that this is built around.

    Overall, game design needs a bit of diversity, and more strategic options to make it replayable.    … Expand
  29. vXxo0oxXv
    Oct 6, 2013
    4
    After about 25 hours I decided I'd had enough. I entirely appreciate the hard work and research that went into this game, but when I play a game I'm looking for entertainment, not a history lesson. The game's UI is overly complicated, and difficult to navigate. The tutorials are short and vague and don't really explain how to play the game. The gameplay is stiff and feels linear. When IAfter about 25 hours I decided I'd had enough. I entirely appreciate the hard work and research that went into this game, but when I play a game I'm looking for entertainment, not a history lesson. The game's UI is overly complicated, and difficult to navigate. The tutorials are short and vague and don't really explain how to play the game. The gameplay is stiff and feels linear. When I play this game, it feels like I'm staring and watching the game play itself most of the time. One of the more exciting aspects of the game is clicking on a button to send a diplomat to another country, so you can watch a number climb on the diplomacy screen.. wtf? Feels more like a spreadsheet than a game.… Expand
  30. Cyliann
    Jun 5, 2014
    1
    Loved EU3, even with the rather abruptly ending time-line. This? Ho boy.

    Paradox Interactive has decided after a repeated amount of failures to simply stream-line their product to a now shallow experience from what used to be an intensive and deep conquering experience. As EU3, EU4 features "Random events" that causes your countries stability to go down. The difference from this game    Loved EU3, even with the rather abruptly ending time-line. This? Ho boy.

    Paradox Interactive has decided after a repeated amount of failures to simply stream-line their product to a now shallow experience from what used to be an intensive and deep conquering experience. As EU3, EU4 features "Random events" that causes your countries stability to go down. The difference from this game and the prequel is that you could spend your country's budget on increasing the country's stability, be it re-building things, bribing rebellious people or just getting things in order.

    What does this mean? Well, you sometimes had to pour every single ounce of your earnings into this as Stability meant more income and a happier populance and sometimes, the game could decide to be especially cruel and constantly ravage your country's stability. That was fine since you could be a careful ruler and prepared counter-measures such as a fat treasury or having the proper advisors. In EU4? Get unlucky with a lot of instability and you're boned by being utterly crippled by either not being able to research better governmenting or simply not gaining enough administrative power due to a rubbish leader. Rebels will also, comedically enough, everywhere at war-times, being many times the size of your country's total manpower as your entire economy also crumbles down to a shadow of It's former glory. The methods of reducing this? Wait around for administrative power. Yup. No budget relocation, no personal efforts from you and 100% impossible situations... Unless you Save & Load abuse, averting these random events.

    It removes depth, It removes customizability, It removes consequences from user input and It's simply a pile of streamlined garbage because Instead of crafting a proper tutorial to get new people into this game, Paradox decided to just slam everything down so flat, any handicapped idiot can walk over it and seeing all these 10/10's being thrown like poop from monkeys makes me believe that everyone either hasn't even tried EU3 or failed to understand even a fraction of it.

    Don't get me wrong, I understand what they were trying to do by making advisors be "point" generators instead of allocating budget.. But the thing is, advisors are vomit-inducingly expensive. At the start of my game, the year 51 after christ, I could have the option of hiring an administrative helper. He demands a down-payment of 150 gold. Understandable since he is good but the sinner here is the additional 9.3 gold EVERY MONTH. How much is that? Well, let's just say It's far above the maximum amounts you can pay to enough to fully maintain an army of about 100,000+ men when you can only maintain about 20,000 men.

    If you own 4-5 regions, you can expect a monthly income of about 2-3 gold discluding expenses. This means he either uses diamonds as toilet paper or has an incureable habit of breathing gold.. Just.... No. Try harder next time, Paradox Interactive.    … 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.
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  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]
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