Stellaris

 PC
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 57 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 46 out of 57
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 57
  3. Negative: 1 out of 57
  1. PC PowerPlay
    Jul 6, 2016
    70
    Enormous potential, but desperately needs a modding community to realise it. [Issue#252, p.64]
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  2. Edge Magazine
    Jul 5, 2016
    70
    Stellaris simply communicates its tangle of resources, currencies and modifiers with improbable elegance. [July 2016, p.112]
    All this publication's reviews
  3. The Digital Fix
    Jun 6, 2016
    70
    Stellaris is a game that begs you to explore but with erratic sector AI and trait conflicting win conditions it is a confusing and at times unexciting game to play.
  5. Eurogamer Poland
    May 16, 2016
    70
    Stellaris brings a lot of fresh elements to the space strategy genre, but - after a promising start - the gameplay changes into more tedious management. At some point you can't help but feel it would be more interesting to start again with a fresh save and abandon our civilization: special events disappear, errors make it impossible to finish missions and the enemy AI is never very smart in combat.
  6. GameSpot
    May 16, 2016
    70
    Stellaris is strange in that it wants you to play on its terms, but within that you have amazing latitude. Its emphasis on exploration is exhilarating. It makes each run feel inviting and special. But that doesn't always hold.
  7. PC Gamer
    May 9, 2016
    70
    The early game promises an instant strategy classic, but Stellaris is unable to maintain that pace.
  8. Kill Screen
    Jun 30, 2016
    69
    Like Mass Effect, Dune, Foundation, and countless other sci-fi universes, it builds its extraterrestrial world from the ground up. Stellaris only borrows from all of their palettes to paint its own picture of the night sky—and a game about aliens feels all the less foreign as a result.
  9. Riot Pixels
    Jul 11, 2016
    65
    Stellaris feels like two games of completely different quality. One game offers boring linear stand-offs against a tame AI, the other is an excellent multiplayer platform.
  10. IGN
    May 9, 2016
    63
    Stellaris’ great ideas for space strategy are mostly undone by a static, dull mid-game.
  11. Metro GameCentral
    May 9, 2016
    60
    A disappointingly flawed grand strategy game, which for every good idea seems to have another that works actively against it.
This publication does not provide a score for their reviews.
This publication has not posted a final review score yet.
These unscored reviews do not factor into the Metascore calculation.

In Progress & Unscored

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  1. Kotaku
    Oct 19, 2016
    For now, Stellaris is a game that reaches for the stars, only to fall just short.
  2. Rock, Paper, Shotgun
    May 9, 2016
    The great experiment of the game was not so much the change of scenery, from history to science fiction, it was the decision to create a Civ-like game of expansion with some complexities and aspects of simulation borrowed from grand strategy. It’s in the simulation of a living galaxy that most of the complexity has been lost, but what has been gained is a precise and finely tuned machine. Less erratic and surprising than its ancestors, but much more elegant in its design.

Awards & Rankings

99
#99 Best PC Game of 2016
23
#23 Most Discussed PC Game of 2016
31
#31 Most Shared PC Game of 2016

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 984 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 742 out of 984
  2. Mixed: 133 out of 984
  3. Negative: 109 out of 984
  1. itmo
    May 10, 2016
    4
    First off, this is not a 4X game, it is not a strategy game when pitted against other games in the same genre. This is a story driven spaceFirst off, this is not a 4X game, it is not a strategy game when pitted against other games in the same genre. This is a story driven space game with some basic management, zero player interaction combat (the combat in this game is similar to watching grass dry) and for a real time game, it plays extremely slow. If you are looking for a Masters of Orion killer, this is not it, this could actually be better suited as a mobile game, as it seems to have been dumbed down for the masses.

    The best way to summarise, this game is that is a polished but bland game that has little longevity, very little innovation and very little strategy.    … Full Review »
  2. Karameni
    May 16, 2016
    0
    An unplayable beyond the early game beta version of a game, that could've been good.

    1. Massive lags past 60-70 years. 2. Ship AI is    An unplayable beyond the early game beta version of a game, that could've been good.

    1. Massive lags past 60-70 years.

    2. Ship AI is braindead and combat itself is extremely buggy (sometimes only part of a fleet does actual fightning while rest of my ships just stand there doing nothing outside the actual combat)

    3. Sector AI is braindead, it uses slaves who get malus to producing science to produce science and option to enforce AI to respect tile resources doesnt work.

    4. War AI is insane sending single trooper transports to capture you capital for years, losing every time.

    5. Events are bugged and just dont work as intended frequently.

    Verdict: 0/10, because they are selling people an early beta instead of a functional game.    … Full Review »
  3. Fahrenheit88
    May 9, 2016
    10
    Stellaris has everything that a space-games enthusiast seeks: kickass graphics, constantly changing stories and adventures full of pop-cultureStellaris has everything that a space-games enthusiast seeks: kickass graphics, constantly changing stories and adventures full of pop-culture references, and a well-structured balance between exploration and expansion. From the first minute, this game will leave an ever lasting impression on you, and you will know that whenever you play any future space strategy games in the future, you will ALWAYS compare them to Stellaris. That is how perfect this game is. It is a must buy for any space strategy fan and should not under any circumstances be missed. Buy it and support Paradox, the new God of Mass Strategy Games!… Full Review »
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