Stellaris

 PC
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

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  1. Fahrenheit88
    May 9, 2016
    10
    Stellaris 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, youStellaris 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!… Expand
  2. 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 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 couldFirst 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.    … Expand
  3. 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 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    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.    … Expand
  4. JaPeLi
    Oct 10, 2018
    8
    Stellaris is a lot of fun for a lot of reasons. It also has a great deal of flaws. The game itself is vast, and in typical Paradox style, it has several expansions which add more content to the game. However, even without all the DLC’s, the game is expansive.
    Stellaris focuses heavily on strategy and exploration, and it does these things very well. You start off the game as a space-faring    Stellaris is a lot of fun for a lot of reasons. It also has a great deal of flaws. The game itself is vast, and in typical Paradox style, it has several expansions which add more content to the game. However, even without all the DLC’s, the game is expansive.
    Stellaris focuses heavily on strategy and exploration, and it does these things very well. You start off the game as a space-faring empire, which has just discovered interstellar travel. Your empire is heavily customizable – for example, I started off on a frozen planet run by a deeply religious xenophilic race of blue humanoids, led by an elite group of priests, which co-evolved with a species of servile tortoises. The game does customization very well, and this offers a great deal of replayability to the game.
    The game can be loosely divided into 3 sections – the early, mid, and late game. These correspond to – in a default game – 100 and 300 years after you begin. Each section from the mid-game on, has its own special events, which can occur depending on several factors. I won’t spoil any of them, but they are generally a lot of fun and provide a brief respite from the otherwise bland portions of the game.

    And that is one of my main issues with Stellaris – the “bland” portions of the game. Once your empires borders and opinions of other empires have already been established, they do not change much. What remains is “bland.” Whilst the early game focuses on exploration and colonisation, and establishing borders and strategic points, which is enjoyable; the mid game offers very little in comparison.
    The problem is that the mid-game does away with what Stellaris does very well – exploration. During the mid-game, you generally have explored every system in the galaxy, and encountered every other empire. There is no more exploring to do, and thus no anomalies to find. Thus, you focus on things like research, or (the very limited) diplomacy. Perhaps you become more powerful, your numbers get bigger, but what of it? Until the late game, there is nothing to do, no events to occur, and I have sat through decades (in-game) waiting for something to happen. I generally just left it on in the background whilst I did other things.
    Whilst it does many things well, the game lacks in several important areas, such as the depth (or lack thereof) of diplomacy, the economy, warfare, and of course, the mid-game. Regardless, I still enjoy playing Stellaris, and would recommend it in the hope that these issues are fixed.    … Expand
  5. mackoff
    Nov 2, 2016
    10
    Absolutely awesome game for a real fans of deep and rich strategy. This game will rock your socks off!

    Great system of management and tons of possibilities. Everything packed in very user friendly UI. Best played in a bunch of colleagues when you cooperate, trade, plan and compete for your final glory. This game is complete even now but Paradox will develop it for years bringing    Absolutely awesome game for a real fans of deep and rich strategy. This game will rock your socks off!

    Great system of management and tons of possibilities. Everything packed in very user friendly UI.

    Best played in a bunch of colleagues when you cooperate, trade, plan and compete for your final glory.

    This game is complete even now but Paradox will develop it for years bringing us a lot of fun and discover.

    Best strategy game i played so far in 2016, strongly recomended!    … Expand
  6. ayls01
    Dec 19, 2016
    10
    This game is one of the best 4x experiences I tried, this after the patches have greatly improved and expanded content over and over again .
    In clonclusion is a very good buy, and I do not regret anything.
    Cons: a hard learning curve
  7. Juggulator
    May 19, 2016
    8
    Really good game a bit of a learning curve but i love the setting as well as being able to create your own faction. One thing i don't really like is your policies being limited by your starting species traits as i find it rather annoying that you cannot change your play style as dynamically however still one of the best Grand strategies i have played in a long time.
  8. LegendsmithAU
    Nov 2, 2017
    3
    Stellaris is not a game that I would recommend. While it seems to offer a wide universe to play in with many different options, this is not really the case.
    There is a really fundamental problem in the game's design. The uninteresting big number vs big number "doomstack" fleet battles are just a symptom of this.
    But why? Lets look at where the game's complexity. It appears to be in its    Stellaris is not a game that I would recommend. While it seems to offer a wide universe to play in with many different options, this is not really the case.
    There is a really fundamental problem in the game's design. The uninteresting big number vs big number "doomstack" fleet battles are just a symptom of this.

    But why? Lets look at where the game's complexity. It appears to be in its in ethics and government system, you have factions and influence and such. But apart from that?
    Military, economy and even diplomacy are extremely simplistic and homogenised. Is it any surprise fleet combat is such? It's big numbers v numbers because that's all that matters. Only things that either have a big number or are in large numbers matter. Look at planets, losing one doesn't matter that much in mid or late game. Planets are only valuable based on the fraction of your empire's energy, minerals, or science they produce. Large empires can easily absorb the loss of multiple planets without really much consequence as they represent a small fraction of their 500 mineral per second income. There's no depth. For such a large game Stellaris is actually rather shallow. Things like the endgame crises and War in Heaven (DLC) are fun, but what are they hanging on? Nothing much really. They are there there to distract from the blandness of the normal gameplay.

    There were some major complaints with the game a number of patches ago. There was nothing to do. There were no mid game events worth talking about. The game was really hollow apart from the early game rush to colonise, the late game crisis, and final empire steamroll.
    That shows how the game is so shallow that it needs such events to remain interesting. The developers have said that they're not interested in making the economy deeper. That has really dampened my interest in the game, as it should yours, because it means this problem will never be fixed.

    Other paradox titles like the Europa games game mechanics that aren't massively complex but there's other non-event features that provide depth. In the EU games just having terrain creates actual choices because you need to choose how to deal with it. While income is just ducats you do have choices in how you acquire and spend it. Trade, production, and taxes are all different ways and are still important. You can focus on one, make choices in how you spend your resources to enhance it. Even if you're not focusing on say, trade it's still a good idea to put a little bit of effort into interacting with that system during the game. You can take into account things like the trade goods of resources, how they change in value. You can interact with it with armies, you can scorch the earth and loot places. Trade values change over time.

    Stellaris has none of this. Planet colonisation is very simple; you colonise, you build one of the three production buildings over the entire surface plus a unity building. In the early game you might take tile resources into account but later in the game the production bonus buildings, and things like assist research mean that you should make your planets produce one resource so you can apply the planetary bonuses to as many production buildings as possible.
    You have a farm planet(s) too of course but those barely need touching and in any case sectors will ensure that you have more than enough food. Energy credits are near worthless past early game, they exist to be converted into minerals and that's basically it. I'm quite sure you could remove energy credits from the game entirely and there wouldn't be a fundamental shift in the gameplay of Stellaris.
    Diplomacy is very simple, and has little choice. There's standard pacts, there's federations, but can you demand a planet diplomatically? Can you demand anything, or offer something in support? Can you buy or sell ships? No.
    Combat is quite simple as we know, but even worse than that is the meaninglessness of ship designs. There are a few designs that are the best and we all know, or soon will, what those are; mono-composition fleets of corvettes or artillery/lance battleships (or whatever the current hotness is). Why build anything else? Why research anything else? Fleet combat is so simple to boil down; just like the rest of the game.

    There's very little actual choice in Stellaris. There's no terrain, so you don't need to chose which way to reach your enemies. There's no trade routes so you never choose where to provide value, or what trade good to take control of, and you can never raid trade routes unlike other Paradox games. There's no economy to speak of so you can never choose to focus on this product/component/whatever over another. Even Hearts of Iron has that. Ship design is an illusory choice. You think you have options but you don't really have meaningful choices. Planetary management has very little in the way of choice, and "Sectors" take even that away from you.
    Shallow gameplay, do not recommend.    … Expand
  9. SirDiddles
    Jun 6, 2016
    5
    Stellaris is a very good game with a few serious flaws that affect, well everything.

    The good points: 1. you can design your own race, probably could use more points in traits to actually be able to customize your race a bit more, but still its a good attempt. 2. graphics are quite good when they are working correctly. 3. overall game design is good with a few caveats. 4. you can    Stellaris is a very good game with a few serious flaws that affect, well everything.

    The good points:
    1. you can design your own race, probably could use more points in traits to actually be able to customize your race a bit more, but still its a good attempt.
    2. graphics are quite good when they are working correctly.
    3. overall game design is good with a few caveats.
    4. you can design your own ships, sort of.

    The bad points:
    1. As with most 4X games, this one really suffers from a poor AI. I won't go in to details, it would be a very long list.
    2. I just started the game and my combat fleet has 4 ships, my neighbor i just met has thousands of ships.
    3. Ship design: it would seem like you can custom design your own ships but here are your choices: (depending on the platform) you can put 1 large weapon, 2 medium weapons, or 4 small weapons. Quite often it won't let you build the design you want without pressing the 'auto-complete' button which changes your ship design.
    4. Combat: you have no control over your ships once they engage. You put all long range weapons on your ships, guess what ?, you are going to point blank range for fighting.
    5. Game killing mid game slow down: has nothing at all to do with how good your system is according to the developers, even on their beast machines they get ridiculous slow down. Rather than build a new platform that uses multi-threading and optimization, they used an older gaming platform that assumes you are only using a single core with limited ram. By turn 200 you are experiencing a massive performance slow down of the game, by turn 300 (if you can actually make it there) the game is unplayable, a single click on anything in game may take 30 or more seconds before it responds, if at all. Making it to end game is all but impossible. So you play for a bit, then start a new game. Frustrating.

    So in short:
    1. you can design you own race, poorly.
    2. you can design you own ships, poorly.
    3. you can engage in combat, poorly.
    4. you can play the game to a point, then you have to start a new game.    … Expand
  10. Twinkobell
    May 14, 2016
    7
    This is a beta DEMO in the disguise of an end product. Supporters will insist that game will be improved with DLCs and patches in the future. Haters will cry about the incomplete state of the game. It's a culture shock from knowing Paradox Interactive business models. Nobody likes this. It's like buying a car, but the engine and windows are paid upgrades.
  11. czarinabox
    Jun 7, 2016
    6
    Stellaris has a great early game, with some of the best space exploration I’ve seen in a game, but if you were expecting it to be like other Paradox grand strategy games once the mid game set up you will probably be disappointed.

    The early game’s event chains and micromanagement of science ships and planet upgrades works really well. There isn’t too much to focus on and exploring the    Stellaris has a great early game, with some of the best space exploration I’ve seen in a game, but if you were expecting it to be like other Paradox grand strategy games once the mid game set up you will probably be disappointed.

    The early game’s event chains and micromanagement of science ships and planet upgrades works really well. There isn’t too much to focus on and exploring the space around you is really fun and engaging. In my second game I was disappointed to find out that many of the space monsters would be the same from game to game, which decreases that sense of an unknown galaxy that captured me in my first playthrough, but the other parts of the early game are very strong.

    When you get to the mid game, though, it really doesn’t live up to the expectations of a GSG in space. The factions you encounter are fairly interchangeable and have little character, and the fact that so many of them have no desire to go to war leads to a somewhat boring game. Fallen Empires provide some interesting variety, but mainly ignore you unless provoked. There is no threatening France or Ottomans from EUIV to force you to seek strong allies, and conquering new systems only to give them away to a sector just feels like conquest for conquest’s sake. In EUIV I feel like I’m bettering my nation’s position against threats, but the threats seem to be mainly lacking until late game.

    The late game crises that can happen do help to spice things up, but that only matters if you play to there. I only played to the end game a few times because I kept wanting to restart to play more of the early game again. I was very excited for a space game, but the setting on top of the characterless factions makes it difficult to keep track of who is who and where things are. I have to reorient myself every time I load a game to remind myself which space animal is which. There are also no familiar cities or landmarks to anchor yourself, only randomly named systems that mean nothing. I’m not taking East Prussia from the Teutons or reuniting the Italian peninsula to create a new Rome, I’m taking some system whose name I won’t remember from some random space animal with a ridiculous and hard to remember name. I don’t know if there is a fix to this or not, but I doubt I’ll be playing much more Stellaris until expansions start coming out, especially considering all the other excellent games releasing this year.    … Expand
  12. Chaotic-Entropy
    May 15, 2016
    7
    Best described as a flawed gem. The game is great to start with, everything is interesting and shiny but it quickly devolves from there in to a land of inefficient empire management, poor ergonomics for their UI design and missing/broken mid to late game content.

    I seriously get the feeling that the devs were told to put all their effort in to the early game, get the game out sooner,    Best described as a flawed gem. The game is great to start with, everything is interesting and shiny but it quickly devolves from there in to a land of inefficient empire management, poor ergonomics for their UI design and missing/broken mid to late game content.

    I seriously get the feeling that the devs were told to put all their effort in to the early game, get the game out sooner, and then fill in the gaps later. Just put enough interesting content in to the start in order to get positive early reviews. Then when they're 20-40 hours in, and realise how shallow/needlessly clunky to operate it is, we'll already have their positive reviews and they won't go back and change.

    I hope that the game gets a lot of patching and a lot of content added, not just DLC, but actual feature completion. Lots of bugs, lots of half thought out mechanics and pointless busy work.

    Don't get me wrong, it's a great foundation and I think it could go on to be a classic, but it's an alpha/beta build at best. No one has done any significant end-to-end testing on this besides the players it seems.    … Expand
  13. Babinski
    May 16, 2016
    6
    As it stands now, it is a half made game with a lot of issues. I can't help but feel a little bit disappointed with Paradox, this game had and still has so much potential, but I guess we are gonna have to wait another year to see it.
  14. Thilus
    Jul 13, 2016
    6
    I've got a problem with Stellaris. Because the game is good. But it is also an unpolished product. You could even call it unfinished. Bare bones that still need a lot more on their frame. The situation is similar to Crusader Kings II and Europa Universalis IV - both of those games are 2-4 years old and only just recently CK2 has become what I think Paradox wanted it to be from theI've got a problem with Stellaris. Because the game is good. But it is also an unpolished product. You could even call it unfinished. Bare bones that still need a lot more on their frame. The situation is similar to Crusader Kings II and Europa Universalis IV - both of those games are 2-4 years old and only just recently CK2 has become what I think Paradox wanted it to be from the begining. EU4 is the same, only I don't think they published all the DLCs quite yet.

    Stellaris might be another great game in PI portfolio, but not before there's a ton of updates and expansion packs. Right now there is a lot to work on - the diplomacy sucks (my biggest mistake was to start the game as a peaceful race of scientists, and not because the other races conquered me, but because after a while I couldn't expand more without resorting to violence, which was prohibited by my people), the military part is limited to say the least (you can build your own ships, but why bother when you have the auto-upgrade option that gives you good results), and there is no real goal to achieve, other that "conquer the whole galaxy, unless you're a peaceful race in which case you can't".

    I will wait for the game to develop further because as of now it's just a below average product that will make you "WOW!" for several sitting, after which you will quickly notice that deep down it offers very little. At least for now.    … Expand
  15. vezon
    Jun 14, 2016
    6
    When I first saw its first gameplay trailers and then actual gameplay footage from I was really, really hyped.
    And indeed at first glance the game design looks excelent, but in the end it doesn't work.
    Lets start with the good part. I love the soundtracks. The exploration at first is a nice touch. The interface, aesthetics is nicely done. But the gameplay, I don't, get it, I don't feel    When I first saw its first gameplay trailers and then actual gameplay footage from I was really, really hyped.
    And indeed at first glance the game design looks excelent, but in the end it doesn't work.
    Lets start with the good part. I love the soundtracks. The exploration at first is a nice touch. The interface, aesthetics is nicely done.
    But the gameplay, I don't, get it, I don't feel it.
    For example. The game limits u to have direct control only over a few planets, to alleviate the micromanagement and yet I don't recall any other 4x games that I wasted so many time in planet management and the worst part is that its tedious and boring.
    How so, u would ask? Every system like planet management, ship design, battle system, diplomacy is extremely streamlined. I could leave a lot of things in the hands of the AI,( and u would think with such simple rules should handle it nice, but nope, its broken it a lots of places) but than u would ask what should I do? And when u go down and try to fine tune some planets, stations, mines, designs, etc its sooo tedious and boring.
    When I played DistantWorlds my only complain, despite it had excellent automatization tools, it was still not enough. But here aiming to the same level of grandeur u have one level of automation but NO TOOLS.
    So in this game u have 2 choices. U could do a lot of things but its extremely simple and tedious because of the lack of tools or u do almost nothing.
    And also the state of the game its not really finished. There a bugs (like different bonuses don't work), half late game and start to get a lot of 1-2s freezes in battles. But this are patch-able.
    I know paradox model of development and in the future will add a lot of nuances through out expansions but I fear those will not resolve my main issue with this game.    … Expand
  16. deathmachinept
    May 23, 2016
    6
    The game is a 7.0 but deserves for me a 6 for pre-order DLC, buggy on late game, selling over 30$ and not being DRM-FREE(sold on day 1 in GoG)

    It's a good ride but it gets ugly and really buggy the more you play, it has the quality of HoI 3 and CK II when they came out it's a decent foundation but it's somewhat bland and lacks features compared to previous games like Imperium Galactica    The game is a 7.0 but deserves for me a 6 for pre-order DLC, buggy on late game, selling over 30$ and not being DRM-FREE(sold on day 1 in GoG)

    It's a good ride but it gets ugly and really buggy the more you play, it has the quality of HoI 3 and CK II when they came out it's a decent foundation but it's somewhat bland and lacks features compared to previous games like Imperium Galactica 2, Galactic Civ 2, Space Empires IV or SW Rebellion.

    You could compared Stellaris to Stardrive I in terms of polish except it plays somewhat better on huge battles as both these two games choose to set up battles on the same map instead of having an instance like IG 2, Rebellion and Total Wars games do. But you will still get huge frame drops and slow downs when you get into big battles.

    The Good
    - Researching is fresh & interesting, techs take in account the way you play, if you build robots you are more likely to get tech related to A.I. and robots etc.. but it's still a bit arcade and unrealistic, it could take some queues from sword of the stars.
    - Nice foundation for a game.
    - A simplified pop system from Victoria game.
    - Potential storylines and interesting quests and events - I came across and interesting quest with backstory which was definitely the high point up of the game for me.

    The Bad
    - Music is repetitive
    - Tutorial is really bad still surprising to this paradox hasn't made a real attempt at a good tutorial, for example you never know what advantages a federation brings, tutorial quests can be very hard to unlock like building a station to study primitive species.
    Also if you deactivate and active the tutorial quests on the same game it gets reset to the first mission loosing all the progress you had made.
    - Gameplay Information is hard to get to(Example there is no quick way to only show strategic resources on the map/primitive empires or unexplored systems.
    - There are no tactics when you are on combat, you can't set you ships to stay far or get really close, not even run from enemy ships they always charge head on.
    - UI is not the prettiest and it's simplified this means there is more information hidden and takes more clicks to get to, you also never know if there features hidden away or not implemented.
    - Some quests get broken easily, some have no information, some don't trigger.
    - Collecting debris easily become unrewarding and an annoyance, for me this a complete miss it should give resources and a chance at acquiring unresearch technologies plus it should have an option to autocollect debris and not always have an associated research requirement on the situation log.
    - There are not enough resource sinks in mid and late game you will eventually just cap and don't have anything that requires massive value of resources like building a huge monument etc..
    - No logistics if you compared to stardrive where you produce food and resources and you can ship this with transports to planets that need them, here food is a local planet resource and there are no trade routes between your planets or other empires.
    - No espionage mechanic.
    - Late game events/crisis are buggy and stop working mid way, example a trigger for a quest gets trigger by A.I. players and you can't never trigger it again or a big menace stops building attack fleets and conquering after you beat it's 3 large fleets.

    The Ugly
    - Friendly "A.I" just does this, follows your larger fleet nothing more... So consider the scenario of fighting a huge battle in enemy territory and if you happen to create a new fleet slightly larger across the entire galaxy to reinforce the depleted one prepare to have the entire A.I. to disengage and leave you alone fighting so they can group with your larger fleet.
    This also is a reason for poor performance instead of having A.I. spread on multiple fronts of a war they are all one the same place which reduces performance.
    - A.I. never seems to accept border access even if just for civilians this means most quests get broken or post-pone for late game which in turn makes the rewards unrewarding and contribute to a more bland and unfulfilling experience.

    In the end I enjoy much more Stardrive (early access) than Stellaris (at release) and for now you are much better off buying Stardrive if you haven't yet, it has more depth and is way more innovative. Just wait 1 to 2 years for an expansion or a DLCs that adds more depth & content to the game.
    Unfortunately Paradox is starting to get a reputation for releasing okay games that don't really innovate or even measure to their past titles that only get good after one to two years with expansions and with dozens of DLCs.

    This game only shows how technical superior and advance IG 2 was for it's time a game that had real 3D building like sim city, ground battles, space battles, planetary defenses, espionage, trading, research and design, quests and dynamic quests, built-in working tutorial, 3 storyline for each of the 3 races, cutscenes.    … Expand
  17. FGM
    May 21, 2016
    5
    Graphics and music are nicely polished for a game of that type, but not for a game of that price.

    Was hoping for bigger variety of fleet designs, space objects and entities, and for the battles to be more spectacular, and more of a blast when it comes to ships maneuvering, and different weapons. Event chains bug at times, reload fixes it. Army can get stuck at time so you can't use    Graphics and music are nicely polished for a game of that type, but not for a game of that price.

    Was hoping for bigger variety of fleet designs, space objects and entities, and for the battles to be more spectacular, and more of a blast when it comes to ships maneuvering, and different weapons.

    Event chains bug at times, reload fixes it. Army can get stuck at time so you can't use or disband them, yet you pay for them. Resources bug, so you have them, yet you don’t and can't use them. AI has massive problems with management and auto-management is broken.

    War tactics dumbs down to: pick a weaker enemy, stack your fleet in one stack, destroy enemy stack and conquer undefended planets. There is no real defence for planets that could stand a chance against any invasion. One reasonable way to defend systems is to build a ridiculous amount of expensive defence platforms. No point in destroying everything as space stations are transferable when you takeover enemy system, upon winning a war.

    Planetary assault is down to the numbers and no limit on assaulting force size with limit on defending force size, makes it so much easier (quicker than in EU and CK). Fleet is not bound by the invasion and troop transport doesn't need any escort, and you chose if you want to provide orbital support. Like in other Paradox games there is no choices in battles. I'd love to see some mini games with space battles and invasion, so that you can actually make a difference. Doesn't have to be big you know. Sort of a “Heroes of Might and Magic”. It doesn’t have to be Total War straight away. Just dumbed down the Paradox way, would be enough. Something that would give the stronger attacker a slim chance to loose and defender a chance to win. Paradox games always lack in that department and it makes them completely lack epic heroism. CK has the power play, EU has simple diplomacy and Stellaris has even less than EU. I’m sure it would make their games much deeper and enjoyable.

    With no tactical combat, there is nothing you can do for the computer to be better. Other than just let him behave like a$$ to the human, and let him cheat. That's exactly what higher difficulty is about.

    Research is as dull, at the beginning you get the feeling that there is a variety and they actually done something about it. But quickly you realize it's simple and dumbed down to few unique projects, and the rest is a lvl 1 to 3, or lvl 1 to infinity research.

    Each race feels the same, as there is no tech variety. Would love to see separate tech tree paths, which progress through in roleplaying fashion (complete missions to progress research, force you to invade empires and stuff). In the end it would make some technologies inaccessible, if you researched their equivalents and completely different tech tree paths would be nice.

    Variety of space stations is minimal, Frontier, Mining, Research, Terraforming, Observation, Military, Spaceport, Wormhole Generators. Other than for military platforms there is no way of upgrading them, which is well.... boring. There isn't a lot of defence stations and ships variations, I want to see massive gun stations that obliterate destroyers with one shot and stuff, death stars, MASSIVE SPACE STRUCTURES, ARTIFICIAL PLANETS AND CANNON SHIPS!

    Game screams for more weapon types: antimatter, gravity, plasma, ultrasound, microwave, dark matter and beam line of weapons. Planet destroyers, mobile space stations, force fields, stealth technology…. still because everything is dumbed down to one simple number, it doesn't really matter which weapons you use, as long as you keep a healthy ratio.

    Please add Stellar Council made up from all races, and some influence power play among races. With no galactic policies system or some sanctions and forced missions from most influential council members, there isn’t much to do. As well nothing that would drive you to conquer.

    It needs spy agents to steal tech and sabotage, merchants to improve earnings trade resource outside official channels, ambassadors to improve relations organise coups and takeovers, missionaries (to spread your culture ideology, make ideology like religion).

    Survey missions feel repeatable after one playtrough and they disappear in later game, after trading starcharts. Research ships become useless, other than survey the crap left after space battle that speeds up your research projects.

    Game gets really boring real quick, as there isn't much to do in the end game, other than paint map. So it is nothing more but a graphic makeover of EU with little bit of CK in space, and it doesn’t work well. EU was boring real quick, as it was a simple map painter and CK was fun for the power play but, same as EU it lacked in tactics department.

    For now, I can say for sure that it’s an unfinished (lack of content), not entirely polished (bugs), otherwise a cool game. Yet another clone of same mechanics, so gets old real quick. I think it was well intended by Paradox DLC MILKINGCO    … Expand
  18. akako
    May 20, 2016
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. WORST AI and battle. insufficient stories and events.

    it is not finished product, i played PAID BETA.

    Is this really $40 over?

    Paradox the thief    … Expand
  19. BlakeArius
    May 13, 2016
    6
    I really wanted to like this game. The elements are there, just some bad design choices. Early game is great, missions are fun, well written and interesting, exploring is fun and exciting. Then the mid game - a constant "Now what" in terms of lack of things to do, not even the info pop ups to read, AI does nothing unless they have the ability to steamroll you and you seriously piss themI really wanted to like this game. The elements are there, just some bad design choices. Early game is great, missions are fun, well written and interesting, exploring is fun and exciting. Then the mid game - a constant "Now what" in terms of lack of things to do, not even the info pop ups to read, AI does nothing unless they have the ability to steamroll you and you seriously piss them off. The politics are as simple as a total war game despite seeming complex. Creating sectors take what little there is to do out of the game. The universe should get more interesting at this point, it does in civilization.. but instead its just lonely guessing until you get random bad events in the end game to make things harder.
    Battles are crap, the ship designer is pointless, I think a simple update to the ai would fix alot of the mid game issues but right now... eh its too boring.    … Expand
  20. Wiebe
    Feb 26, 2020
    7
    The concept is great, but it needed a lot of paches, and the ai is still dumb, some concept are too simplistic also. Moreover, the end game gets tedious and boring because there is too much micromanagement and you are just grinding to a victory that you know is coming if you had some wins in the mid game.
  21. LordZ_
    May 13, 2016
    7
    PAX MPERIA (1997 THQ ) = Stellaris (2016 PARADOX) can't be a 10
    Nothing very new in this 4x galactic but a very addictive game ( you will lost few night sleep )
    I don't like that you don't manage your fleet in battle and graphic are very basic.
  22. CrimsonMarshall
    May 19, 2017
    5
    PLEASE DON'T BUY THIS.

    Initially dazzling but gets old really fast when you realize how front-heavy the depth of this game is. Civilization creation and customization is rich and enjoyable but once you've determined your values, strengths, and politics, you will soon find yourself in an indefinite rinse and repeat cycle of monotonous expansion. Unfortunately there is not much to    PLEASE DON'T BUY THIS.

    Initially dazzling but gets old really fast when you realize how front-heavy the depth of this game is. Civilization creation and customization is rich and enjoyable but once you've determined your values, strengths, and politics, you will soon find yourself in an indefinite rinse and repeat cycle of monotonous expansion.

    Unfortunately there is not much to discover, and alien factions will cease to surprise or interest you quite soon. Also, weak and almost entirely passive AI (after many tens of hours, none of my allies or enemies invaded anyone my empire or anyone else's) make this apparently complex game disappointingly facile to the point of boring.

    I can just about guarantee a very engaging first 10-15 hours but campaigns take WAY longer than that and the dev's just haven't filled them out; if you crave any kind of challenge or novelty, you'll quit every game you start long before whatever it's conclusion is. I actually don't know how these games are supposed to end - I couldn't bring myself to sleepwalk through any more of this game after about 40 hours. Played it at launch though. If they released any more story content or elements of dynamism to progression, they got my money first.    … Expand
  23. Dotasarr
    Feb 5, 2020
    4
    The game started great, but with every DLC, they break something, to the point that now the game is almost completely broken
  24. Corefitz
    Feb 15, 2020
    2
    Game has been unplayable since Le Guin update... tried over and over again.. It's become just another micromanagement game, and I didn't play Stellaris to spend 8/10 of my time just managing my population. ANY aspect of Roleplaying in the game is flat out killed because of the hell that is the micromanaging. I mean.. cmon... changing a core mechanic of a game to fit just 1 DLC, is a REALLYGame has been unplayable since Le Guin update... tried over and over again.. It's become just another micromanagement game, and I didn't play Stellaris to spend 8/10 of my time just managing my population. ANY aspect of Roleplaying in the game is flat out killed because of the hell that is the micromanaging. I mean.. cmon... changing a core mechanic of a game to fit just 1 DLC, is a REALLY REALLY bad move... 400 hours of awesome gameplay, and now there's only the good memories left. what a waste...

    I keep trying to poke the game every once in a while. I still flat out have to give up on it within 7 minutes, solely because of micromanagement. This game had such potential...    … Expand
  25. haiontop
    May 15, 2016
    8
    This is 4x, explore, expand, exploit, exterminate. Why would anyone disagree on that just because there are also events? You can turned off event popup if you feel there is no real impact, like I do.
    Innovative features are:
    1. Sector management: so you don't need to micro every planet at the cost of at least 25% energy&mineral surplus in that sector. You get all the research generated.    This is 4x, explore, expand, exploit, exterminate. Why would anyone disagree on that just because there are also events? You can turned off event popup if you feel there is no real impact, like I do.
    Innovative features are:
    1. Sector management: so you don't need to micro every planet at the cost of at least 25% energy&mineral surplus in that sector. You get all the research generated. Sector don't build/manage ship (constructor), so you need to order construction of stations yourself.
    2. Card based research: You have min 3 choices in 3 area of research.

    Can be improved by implementing:
    1. Auto explore like other space games.
    2. Disable popup of contact event (as there is no choice to be made).
    3. Add major event that cripple whole empire/area.

    Overall good initial release, hopefully dlc will make thing more interesting. Distant Worlds Universe is still the best ...    … Expand
  26. Chrischrill
    May 11, 2016
    8
    Stellaris is your typical grand strategy game from Paradox, except for the setting. With space, Paradox conquers the final frontier? Or do they?

    The game is off to a great start, the early-game is fantastic and it gives me great pleasure to explore the universe and its anomalies. Once I reach mid-game, the game grinds to a painful halt. Many of the features and functions of this game    Stellaris is your typical grand strategy game from Paradox, except for the setting. With space, Paradox conquers the final frontier? Or do they?

    The game is off to a great start, the early-game is fantastic and it gives me great pleasure to explore the universe and its anomalies. Once I reach mid-game, the game grinds to a painful halt. Many of the features and functions of this game are undeveloped and sometimes not very well thought through. Depending on your mode of FTL transport, you may be fighting an enemy you cannot reach even though they can reach you. It's hard to win such a war, isn't it?

    Stellaris is lacking in areas such as trade and economy. Knowing Paradox, this is something they will work with in a future DLC. All in all, this is a good game with greater potential waiting to be unlocked.    … Expand
  27. Leuko
    May 15, 2016
    8
    I like this game so far. It is well delivered 4X strategy without messy micro management. Unfortunately warfare in Stellaris is really boring what I fear will impact this game's replayability.

    Logistics is appalling. Ships do not need supply, so war can be waged in any part of map with same efficiency. Additionally there is no combat penalty for huge fleets so final effect is creation    I like this game so far. It is well delivered 4X strategy without messy micro management. Unfortunately warfare in Stellaris is really boring what I fear will impact this game's replayability.

    Logistics is appalling. Ships do not need supply, so war can be waged in any part of map with same efficiency. Additionally there is no combat penalty for huge fleets so final effect is creation doom stacks that can strike anywhere without restriction.

    Only limiting factor is Naval Capacity and it does not affect the way wars are conducted.

    In its current state combat is worse than in Civ4. I guess i will revert to EU4 once novelty wears off.    … Expand
  28. Violett
    Nov 27, 2019
    0
    I rarely disagree with the opinion of majority on Metacritic, but here it goes. This game is awful, I cannot even name it "a game". There is no tutorial besides pick ship A and send to point B - congratulations you won! Very "deep" strategy indeed. A lot of non-understandable options, races, talents - whats all this about? Oxygen Not Included was difficult at first too, but reallyI rarely disagree with the opinion of majority on Metacritic, but here it goes. This game is awful, I cannot even name it "a game". There is no tutorial besides pick ship A and send to point B - congratulations you won! Very "deep" strategy indeed. A lot of non-understandable options, races, talents - whats all this about? Oxygen Not Included was difficult at first too, but really attractive - spent 400 hours there. Here played this "game" for an hour and it was the same dull environment - worse than EA Android games.… Expand
  29. DemKin
    May 17, 2016
    9
    This game seems to have woken up some kind of urge for 4x games for me...
    Not gonna get into details as I don't know enough about this kind of games, I'll just say that, being a generally space-enthusiastic guy and a liker of games, I'm thoroughly enjoying this game so far ( ~25hrs in as I write this ) and excited to see what they come up with in the future expansions.
    Stellaris is fun,    This game seems to have woken up some kind of urge for 4x games for me...
    Not gonna get into details as I don't know enough about this kind of games, I'll just say that, being a generally space-enthusiastic guy and a liker of games, I'm thoroughly enjoying this game so far ( ~25hrs in as I write this ) and excited to see what they come up with in the future expansions.
    Stellaris is fun, well-thought out, and I can recommend it.    … Expand
  30. Robinjhoe
    Jul 14, 2016
    7
    I didnt expect muc of the Game, because it was a "Hell why not" buy. But i kind of was surprised by it.
    First off, it is pretty basic. But it has its own strenghts and weaknesses:
    Positive: + Amazing soundtracks (especially faster than light (instrumental) + Interesting way of exploration + Easy to understand + A species creator + Day One Mod Support Negative: - Some starting    I didnt expect muc of the Game, because it was a "Hell why not" buy. But i kind of was surprised by it.
    First off, it is pretty basic. But it has its own strenghts and weaknesses:

    Positive:
    + Amazing soundtracks (especially faster than light (instrumental)
    + Interesting way of exploration
    + Easy to understand
    + A species creator
    + Day One Mod Support

    Negative:
    - Some starting problems
    - Combat is really dumbed down
    - Managment is very basic
    - Exploration gets really annoying the bigger the universe you are in is
    - Politics are very often one-sided
    - It gets very crowded at times
    - Research is more or less random (you get 3 to 4 choices what you can research next, but it is not an open research tree)

    All in all it is fun. But it does not really anything complete new. It is fun for people liking these type of games but nothing for hardcore 4X lovers, even if this is not really 4X.    … Expand
  31. aidan0
    May 14, 2016
    7
    Good early game, runs great, it's fun, but it will take your time and make it go poof.
    I play lots of civ 5, endless legend and endless space and this fits right in with the games I like.
    It's not turn/base, but you can pause/speed up/slow down the game at anytime. It makes me have to force myself to stop and go to bed. Just one "5 more min" turns into an hour later. Edit: after 45    Good early game, runs great, it's fun, but it will take your time and make it go poof.
    I play lots of civ 5, endless legend and endless space and this fits right in with the games I like.
    It's not turn/base, but you can pause/speed up/slow down the game at anytime.
    It makes me have to force myself to stop and go to bed. Just one "5 more min" turns into an hour later.

    Edit: after 45 hours...
    Mid-game it gets boring, I don't like the victory goals, only conquest and expansions.
    You have a max amount of planets you can directly control, the rest you'll have to put in sectors that take them out of development and empire resource management. boo...

    End-game is... not done well IMO. You get confronted with some crisis, which basically makes you have to destroy everything. So, no real choice but to fight. In my case, loved my AI/robot pops which dun.. dun.. dun... go rogue. Why must advanced AI always have to go rogue, such an human trait, which base on my peaceful, bird people doesn't seem right.

    The game has potential, but for now it's gets a 6. Early game is a 9 btw    … Expand
  32. Teleman
    Jun 2, 2016
    3
    Very shallow beneath the surface. Any intelligent person will be unable to play after the 3rd playthrough. Basically we are talking about a game won by beating everyone and all the fancy modifiers, ship designer etc. are just there for novelty. Gameplay is a chore after the second game since its less about strategy thanks to random techs and more about baby sitting science ships and pops.
  33. Apostrophe
    Jun 6, 2016
    4
    Just a bad and boring game. Paradox-style solutions to common "problems" in 4x games are generally OK-ish in the scope of games like Crusader Kings and EU, but fail miserably in Stellaris.

    Without going into to much details, for example in this game the decision of going wide or tall does not exist, because going wide does not in any way influence development rate of your starting    Just a bad and boring game. Paradox-style solutions to common "problems" in 4x games are generally OK-ish in the scope of games like Crusader Kings and EU, but fail miserably in Stellaris.

    Without going into to much details, for example in this game the decision of going wide or tall does not exist, because going wide does not in any way influence development rate of your starting colonies. To prevent blobing they add a silly research penalty and mandatory cap on planets you can directly control before making them into sectors (basically vassals with a twist). Instead of designing a game system where the player actually has a strategic choice between going tall or wide going wide is the only real option, so they penalize it with a steep reseach penalty and a roadblock. Does it work? No, because no matter how much you trail in tech you are going to catch up soon and your economy will be much stronger.

    Warscore, Paradox staple system to prevent big empires to just steamroll acros the universe. Basically a limit of how much planets you can take in a single war trough a pece deal. Silly thing is how it scales, not with your economy or military power dictating how much you can assimilate, but with size of enemy empire. The bigger it is the more you can take... Does it work? No, because in this game doomstacking is a necessity, no supply lines,non-existant fleet range, so in short infinite power projection. You win one war there is no way enemy can recover in 10 years. Instead of designing a game where defensive wars are actually easier and cheaper, with limited power projection and effective ways for smaller empires to defend its just bigger doomstack wins it all. Warscore system is just a boring way do delay the inevitable.

    Also in this game you can play a xenophobe race than purges (basically genocide) all aliens. So I conquer all their planets, land armies, destroy all their military and what? I must peace out and get 3-4 of their planets to get and option to kill them all and repopulate the planet? Why cant I do that during the war?

    Now on top of these two Paradox - staple solution that will never get changed and are more than enough reason to skip this one, add piss-poor UI (it looks nice at least, and its good to have something nice to look at when you pause the game to click ~200 times every 10 minutes), pathetic AI, unfinished mechanics, game breaking bugs, broken combat system etc. They will probably fix these, and demand ~100e in DLC content for stuff that should be in game from day one.    … Expand
  34. Koblihozrout
    May 10, 2016
    7
    If you played paradox strategies you know what to expect. It has potential to be best 4x game in the last 10 years. But it's a paradox game, so it could only happen in 3-4 years with 100-150$ worth of dlc's. Right now it's very very blend, with little to do.

    The game doesn't have game crushing bugs, or at least i hadn't had any, but a lot of patching work will need to address clunkiness    If you played paradox strategies you know what to expect. It has potential to be best 4x game in the last 10 years. But it's a paradox game, so it could only happen in 3-4 years with 100-150$ worth of dlc's. Right now it's very very blend, with little to do.

    The game doesn't have game crushing bugs, or at least i hadn't had any, but a lot of patching work will need to address clunkiness of planetary invasions, underwhelming diplomacy, ridiculous unbalances like "researching discovered aliens always takes 6 months, even if you have 50x more research generating per day, than in the first year."

    On a good side AI seems decent, and doesn't fall off quickly. It might change when more content is added. 7/10 on the release day.    … Expand
  35. Renzokuken
    Dec 26, 2018
    4
    Stellaris in 2018 is actually a pretty good game, it's an engaging 4x/grand strategy combo with cool visuals, engaging writing and a ton of stuff to discover and play around with. So why the low score? Well Paradox sell this game as a finished product when in reality it's more of a perpetual early access title. Their development methodology goes something like, release patch > patch is aStellaris in 2018 is actually a pretty good game, it's an engaging 4x/grand strategy combo with cool visuals, engaging writing and a ton of stuff to discover and play around with. So why the low score? Well Paradox sell this game as a finished product when in reality it's more of a perpetual early access title. Their development methodology goes something like, release patch > patch is a buggy mess > have users report issues and fix them > repeat. This leads to a ton of time spent playing a version of the game that has issues. Right now they're pretty severe with the latest expansion release they broke the enemy AI, End-game crisis AI and caused horrendous performance issues.

    So, it's a good game, but impossible for me to recommend based purely on the anti-consumer practices of the developers.    … Expand
  36. megabear
    Feb 28, 2019
    0
    Alien diversity? No, more like humanized zoo animals. How are they so not imaginative?
  37. Gaarq
    Feb 11, 2020
    4
    stellaris is a typical paradox game, with all the good and bad aspects related. it is a complex, vast 4X game with some new interesting concepts in the field. on the other hand, it is underdeveloped, still full of bugs. it is not even worth to start to play years after the release and after the many patches issued, cos it is sold as open beta - modable, but not to the degree you may fullystellaris is a typical paradox game, with all the good and bad aspects related. it is a complex, vast 4X game with some new interesting concepts in the field. on the other hand, it is underdeveloped, still full of bugs. it is not even worth to start to play years after the release and after the many patches issued, cos it is sold as open beta - modable, but not to the degree you may fully rectify some heavy bugs. recently, i resigned to play, cos developer makes new DLCs with bright new bugs keeping the old ones. i fell in love with the game concept, but definitely not with its realisation, no matter how hard i tried (1000+ hours played).… Expand
  38. Flyingpigm0nkey
    Feb 23, 2020
    0
    The worst 4x game I have ever played. The game could be good if they removed the influence systems and entirely reworked how conflict and diplomacy function.

    Actually a joke. If you want a decent old 4x game for single player just find Sword of the Stars. There might be others out there as well.
  39. MrWhiny
    Jun 27, 2019
    4
    Very nice buggy game pdx you really did well! With the latest updates game itself become much more buggy mess than before, very nice LOL...

    - Terraforming bugs, you can no longer terraform barren or nanite worlds! (Fixed on 2.3.2) - Invasion bug, your soldier's just disappearing without any f*cking reason on ground combat?! - Army disappearing on map, my army just vanished while    Very nice buggy game pdx you really did well! With the latest updates game itself become much more buggy mess than before, very nice LOL...

    - Terraforming bugs, you can no longer terraform barren or nanite worlds! (Fixed on 2.3.2)
    - Invasion bug, your soldier's just disappearing without any f*cking reason on ground combat?!
    - Army disappearing on map, my army just vanished while staying on my home world?? Very f*cking annoying!
    - AI dumb as f*ck, even much more dumber than before! It can't handle the new economic system, don't know what the do and most of time ai rely on cheats! Without cheats ai can't do sh*t! So this dumb ai mechanics and cheats sweep away the "strategy" from the game! Because you can't really hurt the ai economy with war or taking over their systems!
    - So much calculation going on in the game! So that means performance loss (A LOT!!) Because this "ancient relic" *cough clausewitz engine can't handle too much calculation... Now with lot of population be prepare the worst! Especially in very large galaxy with more than 10 ai empire. Why the game need to calculate every pop rather than just a planet itself? Pop number should be just statistic number on planets so the engine itself no need to calculate every pop, just calculate the planet and run the pop numbers as simulation on background... With this method game need to calculate max 100 or 150 planet on large galaxy instead of calculating thousand of thousand pop. Just an another poorly implemented game mechanic! Unacceptable!
    - UI some time freaking out like a maniac LoL. (Most of time in trade menus)
    - Still, there is no diplomacy overhaul, diplomacy just so bland and boring!
    - Don't join the federation or ai will ruin your empire! Like declaring war on fallen empire LMAO. Also ai just spam corvettes for federation fleet, be prepare for 200 corvettes on federation fleet, this is so stupid!
    - Scourge (end game crisis) still have bugs, infestation bug! Somehow you can't clear infestation from planets with bombardment! So you need colossus, all hail the mighty colossus LoL. (Yeah you need to buy DLC for fixing this sh*t lmao)

    And list goes on and on, and pdx really like the threat their customers as beta testers! I don't want to be beta tester i want to enjoy the game but no! Test the game find bugs and glitches report back to pdx and hope for the patch, patch will release and new bugs will appear in the game, so you need repeat to process, again and again! I paid this game pdx you suppose to deliver full product with least amount of bugs! I'm not your beta tester paradox! Period!....    … Expand
  40. Renegade_Zerg93
    Apr 11, 2020
    1
    You have to watch 3 hours tutorial on Youtube to understand how things work in this game. At first, you will enjoy everything until everything stats crumbling apart without you knowing why because there is no in-game tutorial whatsoever. This is not a game this is hard work and a terrible waste of time.
  41. Shrik3
    Feb 24, 2020
    5
    Do not buy until the next update is released. Which is supposed to fix the performance. This is not a question of specs it is a case that the mid late game lag goes from huge to unplayable on any cpu.

    I doubt anyone can play a large map playably from mid game. I have heard of no one. Not even the development studio itself from the latest video they posted while using a super charged    Do not buy until the next update is released. Which is supposed to fix the performance. This is not a question of specs it is a case that the mid late game lag goes from huge to unplayable on any cpu.


    I doubt anyone can play a large map playably from mid game. I have heard of no one. Not even the development studio itself from the latest video they posted while using a super charged cpu.

    The recommended system requirements should be increased to "please wait til quantom computing is invented as despite being a billion euro company we can't be bothered to redo the engine" Oh yeah it ran fine for the first year and half then they radically changed the pop system (which no one asked for and I think makes a complicated game even more micro management heavy) causing this mess. How recent reviews on steam can be "very positive" is beyond me. Has not one of these recent reviewers ever tried to finish a game? Will delete this review if 2.6 fixes this but I'm dubious. I don't like writing negative reviews but this broken, otherwise masterpiece has cost me over 150€, yes that's the most I spent on a video game and at present I highly regret it and I believe I'm justified in being angry.    … Expand
  42. Nereid
    May 24, 2020
    2
    Good, music, good UI, okayish graphics but the diplomacy is just meh.

    And because the diplomacy is the biggest part in a game like Stellaris, it just deservers 2/10. So, what is wrong with the diplomacy? As soon as you or an AI empires is part of a federation you can't negotiate NAPs or mutual defense pacts anymore. A federation has to fight for their own. Even if there is    Good, music, good UI, okayish graphics but the diplomacy is just meh.

    And because the diplomacy is the biggest part in a game like Stellaris, it just deservers 2/10.

    So, what is wrong with the diplomacy?

    As soon as you or an AI empires is part of a federation you can't negotiate NAPs or mutual defense pacts anymore. A federation has to fight for their own. Even if there is another federation or empire that do have the same enemy you cant defend yourself together. For a federation there are no options to negiotiate an alliance, a pact or something else with another federation. You are just doomed - or you have to disolve the federation (and the AI won't do this).

    Imagine the USA that refuses to join or form the NATO because they are a federation.

    If you just could turn of feds completely Stellaris would deserve 8/10, but you can't.    … Expand
  43. theirrelephants
    May 15, 2016
    7
    This is a good game. After several hundred over priced DLC and a few "expansion" packs as per business as usual at Paradox, it will probably be a great game.

    Starts off fantastic, gets slow in the middle, and rather dead at the end. One of the three 'end game crisis' doesn't work, and the AI is incompetent beyond belief. There is little challenge here. On the flip side, they've    This is a good game. After several hundred over priced DLC and a few "expansion" packs as per business as usual at Paradox, it will probably be a great game.

    Starts off fantastic, gets slow in the middle, and rather dead at the end. One of the three 'end game crisis' doesn't work, and the AI is incompetent beyond belief. There is little challenge here.

    On the flip side, they've done things that people always wish you could do in a space game. From building observation posts to observe primitives to forming a federation between talking fungus and bird people, there's a lot to do. Until the core gameplay gets fixed however, this game will merely remain good instead of being amazing.    … Expand
  44. DamirBa
    May 10, 2016
    7
    Promising game, but really lacks depth (but to be frank, EU 4 started pretty much like that), and I do hope Stellaris crew will add a lot of new content. Loved the idea of no-turn strategy game, but needs a lot of improvements. I found it rather tedious to repeat the same quests every time I started the game. I dunno, EU and CK much better :S
  45. J4MESOX4D
    May 11, 2016
    9
    Stellaris is another magnificient grand strategy title from Paradox Development Studio that is incredibly deep, immensely detailed and highly ambitious. The game is also championed by a vastly improved user interface when compared with other Paradox games and has a far more inviting learning curve without losing the challenge or depth that the other games by this highly regarded developerStellaris is another magnificient grand strategy title from Paradox Development Studio that is incredibly deep, immensely detailed and highly ambitious. The game is also championed by a vastly improved user interface when compared with other Paradox games and has a far more inviting learning curve without losing the challenge or depth that the other games by this highly regarded developer offer.

    Paradox are widely known for their catalogue of strategy games over the years which are of a very high quality but are also remarkably complex to an extent; some newcomers and even veterans of the genre felt alienated, confused and simply overwhelmed. Stellaris however, has a fully fledged tutorial integrated into the main campaign which not only guides you through the general mechanics along with each feature in a constructive manner; it explains aspects clearly and this is further supported by a far more user friendly interface. The screen is less cluttered when compared with the likes of Europa Universalis IV and all the information is clear, condensed and well presented.

    The game takes place in space which is an almost Call of Duty style departure from the typical Paradox titles of classic eras and a real world setting. The premise is also slightly different as you create your colony from scratch or by selecting some preset examples instead of guiding an already established country. Your goal in the galaxy is to explore, build, research, expand, conquer and even exterminate all other races you come across - basically exactly what you'd expect from a 4X title. You can play this game however you wish and at your own pace - you may opt to be a fanatic militarist or simply want to discover as much of the universe as possible whilst befriending and benefitting from other races you meet along the way. It is a massively detailed and highly engrossing experience in which the developers have made the transition from reality to sci-fi in a very credible fashion.

    Stellaris runs superbly too and is bolstered by truly fantastic atmosphere enhancing audio that complements your game throughout. The visuals are very good too and the galaxy map whilst despite looking rather basic, is easy to grasp and understand which is another massive plus. Overall; Stellaris is another superb Paradox title that is riddled with depth and a long term challenge but is also presented and executed in a far more appealling and enjoyable way than some previous titles by the studio. This game will have a bright future and is sure to provide many hours of entertainment.    … Expand
  46. Horrux
    May 19, 2016
    3
    This game should be called "Galaxy Universalis I". It's a much more appropriate title given that Paradox have merely dressed up EU4 as a space game. All the mechanics of the base EU4 game are present in Stellaris. I write BASE GAME because, like in EU4 where your allies won't be helpful unless you get the DLC for that, same goes for Stellaris.

    If you love EU4 and love space games,    This game should be called "Galaxy Universalis I". It's a much more appropriate title given that Paradox have merely dressed up EU4 as a space game. All the mechanics of the base EU4 game are present in Stellaris. I write BASE GAME because, like in EU4 where your allies won't be helpful unless you get the DLC for that, same goes for Stellaris.

    If you love EU4 and love space games, you'll like this. If you don't know EU4, then I'll describe what I mean in more detail for you... This is a "Grand" strategy game, which means there is little to no micromanagement. It's all very macro.

    For example, you can manage UP TO 5 planets directly, and the rest have to go to sectors, which are AI-managed. But then again "managing" is a strong word, it's more like "overseeing". You can tell the sector AI to focus on minerals, military, science, or energy production, and set a tax rate of 0%, 25%, 50% or 75%. That's it, your job is done. Well, you can assign a governor to a sector, for some bonuses. You can design ships, but only in a very limited way. The automatic, self-updating ship designs are mostly sufficient. And so on.

    But for all that "macro-ness", the game is sorely lacking in utility. For example, in a war, you want assault troops. But you have to raise them from each world, tell each of them where to go, and so on. Oh, and once the war is over, you have to do the process in reverse. There are no rally points or any "Land all assault armies on nearest owned planet" button. So you have to spend your time click-clicking like mad to get these guys back on the ground.

    Oh, and don't even get me started on the fleets... Sure, you can split a fleet in two, or merge two fleets. You can even transfer individual ships to a new fleet... INDIVIDUALLY. That is, you have to slowly and painfully scroll through your fleet's ship list, which can be hundreds long and is NOT SORTED, and select the individual ship you want to move. Good luck having fun when you are doing that 50 times.

    I am confident most of these things will be fixed through patches and DLC. But therein lies the problem: EU4 already has "The Art of War". They already have the code. Except it's not in this game. It will be, mark my words, sold as a DLC for this game as well, while it really should be a core mechanic of the game. Plus it wouldn't even be new content, as it would require only a slight tweak on the EU4 code.

    I am very afraid that Paradox is pulling an Activision on us: release game after game with the same core mechanics and sell you tons of DLC for each. If so, I am very displeased.

    Score: 10
    Graphics and sound are great. Performance is OK. Game doesn't crash. However:
    -1 for bugs
    -1 for core mechanics being absent
    -1 for no innovation
    -1 for being a space-age clone of EU4

    Final tally 6/10    … Expand
  47. lordaeron1
    May 13, 2016
    6
    After playing the game for few days i must admit that it's time consuming, but that's about all the game does.
    the empire creation is detailed and the game look fun until you hit a brick wall (will explain).
    after colonizing all planets that you can (5+2 with perk) the game comes to a stand still. exploration has no point what so ever... battles are fun at first but boring after 2-3    After playing the game for few days i must admit that it's time consuming, but that's about all the game does.
    the empire creation is detailed and the game look fun until you hit a brick wall (will explain).
    after colonizing all planets that you can (5+2 with perk) the game comes to a stand still. exploration has no point what so ever... battles are fun at first but boring after 2-3 fights. this game has a huge potential but it looks to me that they just missed it. also good to note that even with high end pc the game will lag after few hours of game play.

    really hope that they release a patch that address this issues and more. giving it a solid 6 until improvements.    … Expand
  48. StrongHarm
    Dec 4, 2017
    1
    I bought it after they screwed it up (12-2017). Wish I would have made my purchase before the DLCs and bad updates.

    I completed an initial 'test playthrough' while reading articles and watching videos about game mechanics and tactics. I then spent about 200 hours on a map and was staying at the same pace as the AI. First, although diplomacy was even across me and all AI, every time I    I bought it after they screwed it up (12-2017). Wish I would have made my purchase before the DLCs and bad updates.

    I completed an initial 'test playthrough' while reading articles and watching videos about game mechanics and tactics. I then spent about 200 hours on a map and was staying at the same pace as the AI. First, although diplomacy was even across me and all AI, every time I attacked someone, everyone else attacked me (no, they didn't have any diplomatic ties). I still held my own. Next, I received a message saying an AI won by owning over 40% of planets, although it clearly showed I had 71/1235 to their 63/1020. I decided to play it through as I had a drake and about a 400k fleet to play with. I went up against a 105k and two 50ks. I paused and checked our loadouts and I was surprised that they were nearly exact, except I had scale armor. The AI fleet had no leaders, and I had two high level admirals. The AI destroyed my fleet and lost only 50 corvettes and 18 battleships. Now, before you start thinking 'this guy must have done something really stupid'.. understand that I've been playing strategy games since before the PC was invented, I worked on fighter jets in the military, and I'm a data intelligence architect; I'm not stupid. I do understand that software updates occur and unbalance the game and it's hard to find every bug, but Stellaris is broken like non-alcoholic beer.. it's cold and tastes good, but then nothing happens... it's a big buildup for nothing but disappointment. I might wait for a few patches and try again, but at this point I would tell anyone who asked that this game had great potential, but turned out to be a waste of time and money.    … Expand
  49. SoakerCity
    Nov 4, 2018
    1
    This game is not fun, at all. There are so many labrynthian rules, that you cant even attack an enemy planet after a prolonged war because you didnt know how to set the war goals ten hours ago- even though they weren't available. This game is a total piece of **** Its like having a school teacher tut tut tut you the whole time. NOT FUN.

    This game will gobble up your life, with no    This game is not fun, at all. There are so many labrynthian rules, that you cant even attack an enemy planet after a prolonged war because you didnt know how to set the war goals ten hours ago- even though they weren't available. This game is a total piece of **** Its like having a school teacher tut tut tut you the whole time. NOT FUN.

    This game will gobble up your life, with no decent payout. Very far from the accessible MOI type games. Just a series of increasingly bizzare rules. Very ****ty "game". It was better before 2.0. Now its total dog crap.    … Expand
  50. Astalid
    Feb 22, 2018
    4
    I do not understand why developers delete wormholes and left only one FTL style. But without wormholes globalm map strategy is sux, cause too easy - u can block entire ways to your empire
  51. paradoxfail
    Mar 6, 2020
    0
    Genuinely the worst dev team in the business.

    Outright stopped Mac support in 2019, despite selling MILLIONS of games they are LEGALLY REQUIRED to support MacOS for. EVERY SINGLE parafail title has been pulled from MacOS, because the devs couldn't be bothered maintaining their stupid redundant launcher that literally not one single person ever wanted. These devs SUCK. 0/10    Genuinely the worst dev team in the business.

    Outright stopped Mac support in 2019, despite selling MILLIONS of games they are LEGALLY REQUIRED to support MacOS for.

    EVERY SINGLE parafail title has been pulled from MacOS, because the devs couldn't be bothered maintaining their stupid redundant launcher that literally not one single person ever wanted.

    These devs SUCK.

    0/10 outright f**king stole my money    … Expand
  52. Skulb
    May 15, 2016
    9
    Although it isn't perfect, Stellaris is very impressive. It looks amazing and takes some novel twists on the 4X genre. When compared to Galactic Civilization and Masters of Orion it certainly measures up. In some ways I prefer it, although that might be because it feels more fresh.

    Pros: -Good micro management and delegation system. Clusters of systems can be turned into sectors and    Although it isn't perfect, Stellaris is very impressive. It looks amazing and takes some novel twists on the 4X genre. When compared to Galactic Civilization and Masters of Orion it certainly measures up. In some ways I prefer it, although that might be because it feels more fresh.

    Pros:

    -Good micro management and delegation system. Clusters of systems can be turned into sectors and handed over to governors, letting you stay in direct control of a small core the entire game. Balancing many sectors isn't always easy though, but it's a nice way to get around the specter of too much micro management.

    - Great research system and special events. Leaders (Governors, scientists, admirals and generals) have lifespans, which makes things interesting and keeps them that way. A leader can get both positive and negative traits, so once in a while someone will die and it'll almost be a relief.

    - Very good colonization system. You can either tech up so you can colonize worlds your species isn't comfortable with. or you can simply conquer a world with a species living on it, integrate it into your empire and then use that species to colonize worlds you can't use, but which they can.

    - Detailed government, social and spiritual simulator. Planets can riot, go on strike or even revolt; populations can migrate, usually between your planets. Building a happiness generating building on one planet makes the people there happy, obviously, but also tends to entice people on other planets without this building to migrate there. It's all deliciously complicated, but since nothing too catastrophic usually happens you can take most of this in your stride.

    Excellent economic sim. There is pressure from the start between getting enough minerals for building mining bases and stuff on your planets, and the energy you need to run all of it. There is also influence, which is a tricky resource with few sources. But you need it for all sorts of things, like hiring leaders, building certain buildings and suppressing revolts, so running out of it can be almost as crippling as running out of energy.

    - Good visuals and sound.

    - Scientifically speaking an awesome take on space travel. Each species has one of three modes of transport: warp jumps, hyperspace and worm holes. Warp space is slow but you're free to go in any direction within the jump radius; hyperspace is faster but restricts you to following the rigid network of hyperspace lanes while worm holes are instant once the portal has been made and have the best range. But once you get to your destination you can only jump back to where you came from.. This makes for interesting sci-fi fodder as warp drive dependent fleets try to follow worm hole users. Free tip: don't do what I just said. It doesn't work.

    - Good species and traits variations.

    Cons:

    Although the species are nice and varied they do tend to look a bit samey, and most of the buildings are identical. This is one area where GalCiv definitely has an edge I think. The races there feel a lot more different than they do in Stellaris.

    - The governor AI is very passive (Or quite possibly useless.). It takes them forever to upgrade planet capitals, if they do at all. I'm still not sure. But this needs to be done ASAP, so why there's even a delay is anyone's guess. This could have done with a bit more programming and a few more parameters to guide AI behavior. If there was a box saying "upgrade planet capitals as soon as possible" I would definitely have checked it.
    In fact, AI in general is questionable. For example, when you bombard a planet and the enemy empire has existing orbital bases around other planets after you have beaten their fleet, they will trickle in one ship at a time from all of them. This is obviously useless but it also very annoying. Every time a single defenseless ship arrives to the siege you have to lift the siege, fire a volley and then click the planet again to resume bombardment. I hate it when AIs are this dumb.

    - Small one, but although the music is very good it does tend to wear a bit thin after a few hundred loops. The game could do with one more musical theme as developed as the one it has right now. About twice as much music as it currently has seems about right.

    - Wrong kind of tutorial for my taste. It uses the pop-up approach, which I always turn off to avoid annoyance. I much prefer optional information I can look up when I need it. Also, the existing and very irritating tutorial manages to drop the ball something terrible when it comes to setting up and managing sectors. This you'll basically have to do by the seat of your pants, and it will fail many times before you figure things out. The game is not going to help you.

    - Simplistic space battles.

    Wonderful game altogether though. The only significant weakness is the AI, which is possibly the least impressive AI I have seen in a Paradox game since EU Rome. It's not so bad that it ruins one's enjoyment of the game though.    … Expand
  53. Darizuka
    May 13, 2016
    10
    In the face of a Robotic Incursion, hellbent on conquering, pacifying and enslaving sentient mortal organic beings.. Several civilizations cast away their differences to fight in Union to put an end to the Robotic Uprising...
    And not long after, would blow eachother to kingdom come.

    10/10 for Realistic accuracy.
  54. thoord
    May 11, 2016
    10
    This game is beyond amazing, the best strategy I've ever played and with enormous amount of potential to grow. I am a huge fan of Paradox and this is by far the best game they've ever released.
  55. Rumpeltroll
    May 12, 2016
    10
    The game is awesome. It's smooth, elegant, sounds great, looks great, and is stable.
    This is no trivial game that you can master, finish and discard in a couple dozen hours.
    I imagine this is a game I will continue playing for months, if not years, especially as new content is released. Stellaris is a STRATEGY game, and makes no bones about it, as there is barely even a nod towards    The game is awesome. It's smooth, elegant, sounds great, looks great, and is stable.
    This is no trivial game that you can master, finish and discard in a couple dozen hours.
    I imagine this is a game I will continue playing for months, if not years, especially as new content is released. Stellaris is a STRATEGY game, and makes no bones about it, as there is barely even a nod towards tactical elements.

    The one thing I love about Stellaris above most other games in this genre .... there are actual STAR SYSTEMS, not just planets floating in space or arbitrary placeholders. Ships which warp or jump into a system have to traverse the system or wait for their jump drives to cool down before they can jump again. As an immersive factor, this WORKS for me.

    The nature of the game is TOTALLY suited to modding and customisation. I can imagine people designing the entire star wars galaxy or star trek galaxy or empire of man or warhammer 40k universe or starcraft universe in this. I literally cannot wait to see what modders will do in terms of race design, 3d models, static galaxy designs, story driven gameplay, event chains, etc.

    Stellaris has given a massive POKE IN THE EYE to those who think 4x games cannot encompass multiple stardrive types and should be simplified to managing hyperlane bottlenecks.

    You will love it if
    - you like sandbox games
    - you want control of customisation
    - you want to set your own goals, and drive your own agenda
    - you love science fiction stories, as the anomalies and events in the game are like a story unfolding, absolutely amazing.

    You will hate it if
    - you are a twitch gamer wanting a rail-shooter in space
    - you want the game to drive the agenda for you
    - you just wanna kill things and couldn't be bothered to read.

    Being a sandbox, i imagine it will suit the multiplayer environment much better than the single player environment, but it is still an awesome single player experience.

    There are a few things missing, but they detract very little from the game experience.
    - there are only randomly generated games, no campaign modes
    - there are no freighters, passenger ships, trade routes, etc.
    - the game is pseudo 3d, and effectively plays out on a flat galaxy map
    - no tactical combat mode, but its well done, with combat seamlessly playing outin real time on the strategic map.
    - current diplomacy is not that complex, no espionage, sabotage, etc. But the sheer number of species and diversity adds its own complexity.
    - being a sandbox, there is currently no campaign, but I am sure the modding community will solve this.
    - while there are leaders (governals, admirals, scientists, etc) with traits, experience and skills, they are randomly generated, not a result of a complex relationship engine as in CK2. Not a big deal to me, but I imagine some would have hoped for this. I can imagne a system like rome total war with governing families leading factions might have worked.

    Many of the tricks the designers missed in the realease version, I imagine can be added in future content, or through modding.    … Expand
  56. socokid
    Aug 11, 2016
    10
    I've only started playing it a few days ago, after the latest large patch. If there were bugs, etc... on first release, they definitely do not seem to be there now. I've played 62 hours, no crashes, lags, etc... Runs great. *shrugs*

    It's an immense, extremely fun, complex but playable classic space RTS. Gaining resources, researching tech, building/designing ships and destroying others.    I've only started playing it a few days ago, after the latest large patch. If there were bugs, etc... on first release, they definitely do not seem to be there now. I've played 62 hours, no crashes, lags, etc... Runs great. *shrugs*

    It's an immense, extremely fun, complex but playable classic space RTS. Gaining resources, researching tech, building/designing ships and destroying others. Throw in exploration, surveying planets, etc...

    It is amazing this game isn't more popular than it is... And some of these bad reviews are so wrong, and I mean flat out untrue, that I either question whether they have actually played the game, or if the first two large updates were just that drastic (never played it when it came out a few months ago).

    On my second play-through, still having a blast, worth every penny IMO.    … Expand
  57. sovereign007
    Jun 17, 2016
    9
    While it isn't perfect, Stellaris has taken over my gaming life. It is gripping and addicting, and even AI shortfalls and some bugs do not detract from the overall experience sufficiently to dock more than 1 point from my review. It is also incredibly easy to mod yourself if you wish to get a slightly different gameplay experience out of it: For example, I wanted a longer eXplore phaseWhile it isn't perfect, Stellaris has taken over my gaming life. It is gripping and addicting, and even AI shortfalls and some bugs do not detract from the overall experience sufficiently to dock more than 1 point from my review. It is also incredibly easy to mod yourself if you wish to get a slightly different gameplay experience out of it: For example, I wanted a longer eXplore phase before the borders were set and we became medieval Europe in space. Well, easy enough, make galaxy larger than the max 1,000 stars the game comes with and don't use too many alien races. Suddenly space is big and wondrous. Want the opposite? Increase the max number of empires on a mid-sized map and everyone suddenly needs to rush to grab the little precious land that exists.

    And as a bonus, it looks beautiful without being hard on your video card. A 750Ti runs it more than fine.    … Expand
  58. obnose
    May 29, 2016
    9
    Wonderful 4X space game, with some traces of the very special Paradox's grand strategy.

    Easier to get into than other Paradox games like Europa Universalis or Crusader Kings, one of its better features is an awesome eXploration phase, neglicted ofently in 4X games. You'll find lot of events, stories, surprises... which will make really enjoyable the first steps of your empire-building.    Wonderful 4X space game, with some traces of the very special Paradox's grand strategy.

    Easier to get into than other Paradox games like Europa Universalis or Crusader Kings, one of its better features is an awesome eXploration phase, neglicted ofently in 4X games. You'll find lot of events, stories, surprises... which will make really enjoyable the first steps of your empire-building. Technology and research (the genetics developments are very welcome), politics (not just elections but managing a diverse and potencially conflicted empire because of divisive issues according to the different ethics of your population), diplomacy (including federations à la Star Trek)... and war, with several options for both your fleet and land forces.

    Best thing in Stellaris is that is a very powerful frame to keep building the game the way their developers have done (and are doing several years after their release) with Europa Universalis 4 or Crusader Kings 2. Stellaris is a must for all space games lovers.    … Expand
  59. pguyton
    May 10, 2016
    9
    I love this game alot, it feels deeper and better developed than any other 4x title out there, paradox will also do a great job supporting it - it's already VERY modable and I'm enjoying it alot

    it will take you a VERY long time to play all the way through as all their games do. if you know their other games you should be aware that it isn't about combat it's about exploring    I love this game alot, it feels deeper and better developed than any other 4x title out there, paradox will also do a great job supporting it - it's already VERY modable and I'm enjoying it alot

    it will take you a VERY long time to play all the way through as all their games do. if you know their other games you should be aware that it isn't about combat it's about exploring development and diplomacy - it's very pretty but combat is a a game/dice rolling in the background not total war type micro .

    it's like a wonderful giant boardgame with a very epic feel

    I for one love it and strongly recommend it .    … Expand
  60. fredhorrigan
    Jun 3, 2016
    4
    A shallow skeleton of a game, almost every feature is either shallow, poorly implemented or simply absent (spying? what's that?)

    Might be worth playing after a few years of patches and with a several dozen DLCs but right now the game offers nothing besides the novelty of naming a space empire after your favorite meme.
  61. djnicey
    May 9, 2016
    10
    I've only played 7 hours so far but this game is better than I expected from watching the pre-release streams. Its a GOTY contender for sure so far. The game is easy to learn and gives you plenty of choices right from the start of the game, so will have lots of re-playability. The graphics are really well done and the orchestral music is superb and really relaxing.

    Its the kind of game    I've only played 7 hours so far but this game is better than I expected from watching the pre-release streams. Its a GOTY contender for sure so far. The game is easy to learn and gives you plenty of choices right from the start of the game, so will have lots of re-playability. The graphics are really well done and the orchestral music is superb and really relaxing.

    Its the kind of game where you say "just 5 more minutes" then look at the clock and see that an hour has gone by and you want just another 5 minutes before you quit and that turns into an hour too.    … Expand
  62. deadsanta
    May 24, 2016
    2
    A game with some potential, it is currently quite broken for many people, especially if you have a high-rez screen, which for some bizarro reason Paradox decided not to support. Currently on my native 4k rez screen, all the UI font is microscopic, and work arounds listed on site, in workshop do NOT fix the problems. Playing at different resolutions than native causes my graphics to glitchA game with some potential, it is currently quite broken for many people, especially if you have a high-rez screen, which for some bizarro reason Paradox decided not to support. Currently on my native 4k rez screen, all the UI font is microscopic, and work arounds listed on site, in workshop do NOT fix the problems. Playing at different resolutions than native causes my graphics to glitch in another known and as yet unfixed bug, and I cannot be resetting my native screen rez to play just one game.

    In terms of gameplay, it starts out like a great 4x game, but then quickly devolves to spreadsheet gaming, with small incremental +2%-type upgrades to weapons, few ship build options, and zero tactical combat. Having a large empire managed by many AI governors and all your battles managed by horrible AI combat doesn't make for a fun mid-to-endgame, and the emptiness of the diplomacy and lack of engagement with scripted storylines that repeat themselves every game make for a game that quickly loses its' shine.

    Wait a year for mods and fixes, and a 50% sale, IMO.    … Expand
  63. wushu
    May 11, 2016
    10
    A fantastic space strategy game, one of the best. True it may have streamlined much mechanics and receives criticism for that but that's what mods are for - which are embraced by the devs, Paradox who have a long standing tradition of post release support and community but I think have taken it to another level on this one. One negative is the lack of options as far as system and guiA fantastic space strategy game, one of the best. True it may have streamlined much mechanics and receives criticism for that but that's what mods are for - which are embraced by the devs, Paradox who have a long standing tradition of post release support and community but I think have taken it to another level on this one. One negative is the lack of options as far as system and gui settings, which hopefully and assuredly will be addressed in a patch by the company which is not an EA or Actiblizzard and actually care about the customers. So in that regard and also in terms of gameplay and a surprisingly bugfree release (how often do we get to say that with AAA releases these days?) I give the game a perfect score.

    10/10, would be enslaved to the master race that is Stellaris again and again.    … Expand
  64. wujekblazej
    May 10, 2016
    9
    My girlfriend doesn't speak to me, my friends think I'm weird, my parents came by to give me food and check if I am alive: this is the type of game that destroys lives.
    On the other hand, AI really needs to be improved, also diplomatic depth is not as deep as I hoped. In few months it will be one of the best games Paradox has ever produced, just give them time to polish it.
  65. nabla
    May 13, 2016
    9
    This is one of the best space strategy games ever made. It's full of content, exploration is fun, graphics look astonishingly good for a Paradox game. I really love playing it and I think Paradox is on the right track making their recent games easier to get into (compared to a Hearts of Iron III). For someone like me who digs really complex games it's maybe a bit too simple regardingThis is one of the best space strategy games ever made. It's full of content, exploration is fun, graphics look astonishingly good for a Paradox game. I really love playing it and I think Paradox is on the right track making their recent games easier to get into (compared to a Hearts of Iron III). For someone like me who digs really complex games it's maybe a bit too simple regarding strategy and gameplay mechanics, but I think it perfectly fits the scenario. Good work Paradox! You already sold me a copy of the forthcoming Hearts of Iron IV.… Expand
  66. Nanostar
    May 17, 2016
    9
    OK I rated this a9.. perfection doesn't exist for me but this comes close. It is a game changer of a 4X games.. Gives me the same buzz as the first Civilization or Stellar Crusade.
    4X games have been following Stellar Crusade and MoO's pattern for years... a few showed game changing advances.. GC2.. SE3.. but then these were followed by prettier versions of the same game. Stellaris    OK I rated this a9.. perfection doesn't exist for me but this comes close. It is a game changer of a 4X games.. Gives me the same buzz as the first Civilization or Stellar Crusade.
    4X games have been following Stellar Crusade and MoO's pattern for years... a few showed game changing advances.. GC2.. SE3.. but then these were followed by prettier versions of the same game. Stellaris brings major changes.. Spending the time researching each world and star near home while you develop a colony ship is really interesting. Then there is the first time you Gene Mod your race to better fit the planet you have dumped them on.. its just astonishing when you realize what you can do. The funny stories research generates.. the decision to change your laws to allow robot (slaves).
    But still not perfect. I expect 2 or 3 major dlc releases this year and a better game after each one.
    My only problem is i am not now inclined to play MoO4 which i have on steam.. and which deserves playing in itself.    … Expand
  67. RomanWolf
    May 15, 2016
    9
    Better than Civ5, simpler than EuropaUniversalis games, deeper than EndlessSpace, more engaging than many other 4x games, and what is most amazing.... the Multiplayer in real time (it does not uses turns !) + the Steam Workshop work flawlessly. If this is only the beginning of journey + with DLC for good price this could be the game of the year and i am not joking.
  68. SoreelTheShort
    May 17, 2016
    9
    I created an account specifically to write a review for this game. I am a fan of the Europa Universalis and Crusader Kings and have been playing Stellaris now for about 40 hours. I find it an amazing game. It has a lot of the core mechanics I love from EU4, leaders gaining experience, a rich multi-currency system for advancing, and good diplomatic options but in a setting that isnt anI created an account specifically to write a review for this game. I am a fan of the Europa Universalis and Crusader Kings and have been playing Stellaris now for about 40 hours. I find it an amazing game. It has a lot of the core mechanics I love from EU4, leaders gaining experience, a rich multi-currency system for advancing, and good diplomatic options but in a setting that isnt an already-colonized Europe -- 1000 planets and the chance to expand.

    Starship Design isn't the most intricate but I believe that the decisions I am given truly matter in Combat. I prefer that over customization that doesn't make a difference. I also very much appreciate the established ancient civilizations that start out overwhelmingly more powerful than my fledgling Interstellar Republic. I dont remember a game that has done as well as Stellaris in introducing multiple movement techniques (warp versus wormholes) and making them all work together.

    The tutorial and tools tips ran well and I can count on only one hand the major rules that werent clear from the beginning to an experienced strategy gamer. You need to understand some of the nuances of generating sectors and the importance of Influence Currency but once you get that the rest is pretty straightforward.

    In short, a pretty amazing game so far and I know the Paradox user and developer community will nurture the game and help it to continue to flourish.    … Expand
  69. cast87
    May 24, 2016
    8
    Good game to my preference. And it have easy interface compared with other paradox games, So i don't have barrier of entry. Likewise, there's no need to long tutorials. But I need DLC !!!
  70. mindw0rk
    May 9, 2016
    10
    I didnt play other Paradox games, but I did play plenty of 4x space games. And since Galactic Civ 2 I couldnt find the one I would enjoy. CG3 was just boring copypaste of previous, other 4x space games were either too primited and copypaste or overcomplicated like Distant Worlds. This is the first game in a loong time that feels fresh, intuitive and very indepth at the same time. I likeI didnt play other Paradox games, but I did play plenty of 4x space games. And since Galactic Civ 2 I couldnt find the one I would enjoy. CG3 was just boring copypaste of previous, other 4x space games were either too primited and copypaste or overcomplicated like Distant Worlds. This is the first game in a loong time that feels fresh, intuitive and very indepth at the same time. I like almost everything in it except maybe font which is too small for me. But thats minor complain. Hats off to Paradox and I hope to see many DLC's for this fantastic franchise.… Expand
  71. ariefbud
    May 9, 2016
    10
    This game is great and has good potential. I am sure paradox will support this game for years to come. Just like Crusader Kings 2 and Europa Universalis 4.
    And just ignore IGN they suck.
  72. Remrrg
    May 9, 2016
    9
    I played a lot of 4x space games and this game sticks out the most! And since Galactic Civ 2 I couldn't find the one I would enjoy. A lot of 4x games I played feels recycled but Stellaris is the first game that feels really fresh from other 4x games.
  73. shaund91
    May 9, 2016
    10
    just what you would imagine from a Paradox game, great 4x in a space setting this time which is a good departure from their typical historical settings. They know 4x in and out
  74. MortumSK
    May 9, 2016
    10
    Awesome game! Must have for all gamers who like smart 4X games and Paradox strategies. Worth it's price and i think there will be a lot of nice hours to play.
  75. NameUsedBefore
    May 14, 2016
    10
    Fantastic engaging game. Breath of fresh air from the current release of games. Only gripe is some of the layout presentation and design choices of alien races.
  76. Shane_
    May 9, 2016
    10
    I almost had to give this an 0 out of spite. Paradox has really let me down here. They released a game like this in the first half of the year. Now what? Do I use all of my vacation time in May? Sick days too? Do you guys expect me to just abandon my friends and family? Will my pets be neglected? You can't keep releasing games like this. It's insane. Too much quality, too muchI almost had to give this an 0 out of spite. Paradox has really let me down here. They released a game like this in the first half of the year. Now what? Do I use all of my vacation time in May? Sick days too? Do you guys expect me to just abandon my friends and family? Will my pets be neglected? You can't keep releasing games like this. It's insane. Too much quality, too much replayability, too much fun. This is why cocaine is illegal.

    Paradox needs to rethink their mission, because this approach to game development is ruining lives.    … Expand
  77. PeppyPanda
    May 12, 2016
    10
    Stellaris is an extremely in depth strategy games that takes elements from other paradox interactive games and a little from Endless Space and combines them all together to create a wonderful expierence.
  78. Paul_Kingtiger
    May 14, 2016
    9
    I've been playing this game for 11 hours now, over the course of 2 play sessions. TLDR - I love it, buy it, it's not perfect, but it's very very good, and well worth the price!

    I'm still very much in the exploration phase of the game, founding new colonies, meeting other empires and exploring with my science ships. I've been running the game at normal speed with the odd pause to catch    I've been playing this game for 11 hours now, over the course of 2 play sessions. TLDR - I love it, buy it, it's not perfect, but it's very very good, and well worth the price!

    I'm still very much in the exploration phase of the game, founding new colonies, meeting other empires and exploring with my science ships. I've been running the game at normal speed with the odd pause to catch up, and there is never a time when nothing is going on and I feel bored.

    I know there have been some complaints about the research system. Basically you get to pick from a small number (never less than 3) projects to research. These projects are weighted by what you have just unlocked and your progress in the game. So there is a loose tech tree of sorts, but you aren't limited by a set tech tree like say, Civ V, where you know what is coming and quickly build an optimal path that will be repeated with every play though. With the Stellaris system there is no obvious path to follow and it more realistically follows real discoveries, where scientist look for funding to work on a project. More importantly it keeps the game fresh and very repayable.

    As to the depth, another complaint. I keep finding whole new game systems I haven't really encountered yet. Planetary armies and air forces, multi-species empires, the list goes on. For espionage, I imagine that is something that will come with DLC.

    Oh, the Paradox DLC model. Sure they really crank out the DLC for their games, but they match that with a low entry price. $39 in a market where many games cost #60. Even if you don't buy the DLC it always comes with a free patch with many new systems, expanding the game at no additional cost.

    I've been a big Paradox fan since CK2 and this is a great additional to the grand strategy family.
    Recommended.    … Expand
  79. Sne
    May 20, 2016
    3
    Unfinished product. Not "unpolished", just incomplete.

    It pretends to be real time, but the turns are just short. Don't worry, they grow longer the more you play. Much longer. In fact, after a couple decades in game a turn that took a fraction of a second at the start now takes a fraction of a minute. Pause doesn't actually stop the action, it's just a temporary off switch for the    Unfinished product. Not "unpolished", just incomplete.

    It pretends to be real time, but the turns are just short. Don't worry, they grow longer the more you play. Much longer. In fact, after a couple decades in game a turn that took a fraction of a second at the start now takes a fraction of a minute. Pause doesn't actually stop the action, it's just a temporary off switch for the automatic next turn thing, and can also take a while to kick in. You will find yourself tapping space twice, unsure if it worked.

    Many little features are missing, like clearing last order on the queue. It's painfully annoying to wait several real time seconds for the orders to be acknowledged in the first place. I cannot imagine what kind of hardware would that game need to work fluidly, or at least make the battles seem less like trying to play StarCraft with someone from antipodes on V.90 while your dog pirates mp3s on the same line. In fact, I vividly remember it was better 18 years ago. In actual real time, and the AI was smarter.

    Speaking of which, evasive behavior is totally broken and it's better to just disable it most of the time. Top tier ship AI adds bonuses to stats but is stupider than lower tier algorithm and will kill your support battleships and you can't do anything about it. Micromanaging fleets to attack neutral targets is useless, as either it ends up annoying you or straight up doesn't work, especially on "alien vessels". Chains of events are buggy in similar ways. Some are impossible to start, some impossible to end. Some undo after finishing, leaving you with confused, passive objects sitting there, clogging up your systems. And you can't even shoot them.

    Sector management is overcomplicated (for something designed to reduce micromanagement) and the AI governing it is insanely inefficient. It doesn't take control of starports from you, but there is no interface for managing starports left. Increasing micromanagement... Personally, I develop the planets individually and when they're half cooked I add them to one, single sector. It has the minimal potential to break your special resources. But it still can, you have to keep watch on the automation system. Ironically.

    War is based on making an OK fleet (enough to take on space amoebas) and aggressively flying around the enemy territory until they give up and cede a planet, apparently. They won't take your planets, because despite the presence of a battle predictor thingy, it doesn't work for the AI players.

    So maybe ship designer? Well, it has some nifty ideas, but the number of available components seems small and boring. Automatic designer makes your ships weak and expensive. Especially the military stations end up silly. Never build the auto designs. You can even save them to a custom class and then build it, but doing it from the auto design will force you to disband ships. It feels there should be an option of refitting a ship to a different class. Essentially, one of the most enjoyable thing to do in MoO or GalCiv, in Stellaris became a chore.

    There seem to be no special ships, weapons or buildings. Maybe I didn't play long enough, but as I mentioned the game becomes unplayable due to slowdown pretty quickly. There are no wonders in this game. It's not very imaginative at all. This is barely sci-fi.

    Diplomacy feels messy, unclear and restrictive, as most other empires will always find a reason to refuse literally any attempts at trade. Except if they got allied with someone who miraculously isn't a jerk, then you can weasel your way in to get the silly crystals you wanted. But beware, from now on you'll get an endless, impossible to disable barrage of federation votes.

    In conclusion, Stellaris is great if you have a terminator rig from outer space, don't care about roleplaying a story, broken quests, factions or AI, and either abuse or can be bothered to use the demented sector mechanic. Exploring you do only for amoeba strike ships, expanding makes the game sluggish, exploiting is made annyoing through bad economic AI, and extermination is something you won't look at because it stutters and you can barely see anything anyway. This is not a real 4X game. Just play Master of Orion 2.    … Expand
  80. Nemyue
    May 26, 2016
    4
    The first impression was F*cking great.

    For the first several hours, I was like 'F*ck yeah! this is some quality 4x game that I've been waiting for that long!'. The BGM and atmosphere were nice. But after that several hours, you will notice this game is missing too many things. Yeah i mean it. It's incomplete. For example, slaves never start revolt even if they are extremely    The first impression was F*cking great.

    For the first several hours, I was like 'F*ck yeah! this is some quality 4x game that I've been waiting for that long!'. The BGM and atmosphere were nice.

    But after that several hours, you will notice this game is missing too many things. Yeah i mean it. It's incomplete.

    For example, slaves never start revolt even if they are extremely unhappy. And Arc Emitter does not deal AOE damage(It says it has chance to do that). I think the devs meant to make it to do something special but it's not in it yet. There are so many suspicious things but i can not remember.

    Also there's no unique government types, factions and weapons. They are all the same but it has different valuables that make numerical differences. I guess the devs never tried games like Endless Legend or many other strategy games.

    Some might say 'it's just released, give it a time.', 'it worth 20 hours gameplay. so i am happy with that' and etc. F*ck that logic. whoever think like that I presume they are slaves of greedy game devs. Since when it's okay to release incomplete games?

    Paradox announced their upcoming 'free' updates. Good god.
    If you have no will to improve the game, just reveal all the scripts like XCOM2 developer did.
    People will make it much better.    … Expand
  81. Malten
    May 12, 2016
    10
    This game is so good. It really gives you a feeling of running an interstellar empire with gameplay that includes managing the ethos and expectations of your subjects, administrative sectors and more. There is always something interesting to do, with random events, planet development, empire management and ongoing politics.

    The game is incredibly well presented. Everything is gorgeous    This game is so good. It really gives you a feeling of running an interstellar empire with gameplay that includes managing the ethos and expectations of your subjects, administrative sectors and more. There is always something interesting to do, with random events, planet development, empire management and ongoing politics.

    The game is incredibly well presented. Everything is gorgeous and the music is fantastic.

    The user interface is a dream to use with mouse over information, right click menus, queuing up orders, and various screens.

    There is strategy in your fleet design and choosing the right technologies to gain an edge over your opponents is important. Then you watch the battle play out. It looks fantastic.

    The technology system is fantastic with random choices each time you finish a tech. There is a lot of depth to the technology system and hard choices to make sometimes on what to research.

    The ability to customise your race and empire in this game is the best I've ever seen. Stellaris is a game where you can really create any kind of space faring empire that you can imagine, from the noble houses and Emperor of Dune to the space faring states of other sci fi settings.    … Expand
  82. Telkanes
    May 10, 2016
    10
    Well there goes the Mortgage, I think I should be able to play this until I get evicted....My god it shows what real dedication into a genre can do, as for the IGN review? quicker that site goes under the better.
  83. BlockerJack
    May 10, 2016
    10
    This game is outstanding! A game that can steal 7 hours of my day on the day of release AND will have an active modding community is completely worth the entry price. The scope is huge, it's graphically smooth, the music is fantastic, the AI are light-years ahead of other space strategy games I could name (especially looking at you Endless Space >.>), and the learning curve is easy forThis game is outstanding! A game that can steal 7 hours of my day on the day of release AND will have an active modding community is completely worth the entry price. The scope is huge, it's graphically smooth, the music is fantastic, the AI are light-years ahead of other space strategy games I could name (especially looking at you Endless Space >.>), and the learning curve is easy for such a big game. There is a bug as of release causing stuttering with Logitech devices installed but the devs are communicating well and there should be a patch today (day 2) to fix it. Active communication with the community = thumbs up from me.… Expand
  84. Jcourtney
    May 9, 2016
    10
    This game is only going to get better with years worth of expansions and full total conversion mods. 4x + Grand Strategy = Beast mode.

    This game will really be good once the talented mod makers get their hands on it. They'll expand this game out and add more depth to the content.
  85. An00b1s
    May 12, 2016
    10
    A great space strategy game. The music and atmosphere are great. Like any Paradox title, give it time to fully flesh out with more content that will come later down the road. Or check out the built in mod support that the game comes with. Early game plays a little slow, but that is so you can get the feel of it. Later game becomes the strategy game folks are craving.
  86. Benjamin99
    May 10, 2016
    9
    Stellaris is one of these small jewels that happen very rarely in the game industry today. It one of the best 4x games atm it rivals Galactic Civ III and in some areas surpass it. 9/10 a great game you can spend many hours on.
  87. Preddrone902
    May 10, 2016
    10
    I have a long history with Paradox from their Early games. This is a Sci-Fi Strategy Game done PERFECTLY! They have Aced this on the spot and with Hearts of Iron IV coming on June 6th. I am Hooked on Paradox games again,
  88. Joshua_Jones
    May 13, 2016
    9
    One of the best space games I have played in years, bar none. Stellaris isn't perfect, but it's closer than any game I have played in a decade. Given Paradox's history it will continue to get better over coming months and years. The simplest way I can put it is I have not dared to load the game for the last few days because if I do I will start after work and suddenly the sun will beOne of the best space games I have played in years, bar none. Stellaris isn't perfect, but it's closer than any game I have played in a decade. Given Paradox's history it will continue to get better over coming months and years. The simplest way I can put it is I have not dared to load the game for the last few days because if I do I will start after work and suddenly the sun will be coming up and it will be time to head back to work.… Expand
  89. RiccD
    May 10, 2016
    10
    Amazin game. Runs very smooth. Plays like a 4x in the beginning and switches over to a grand strategy game in mid/late game.

    No crashes or serious bugs so far on day 1 (for me) Would strongly recommend if you like the genre(s)
  90. Injun
    May 13, 2016
    9
    Great game, very addictive.....as addictive and good as any strategy game I've played in the last 20 years.

    Definately the best I've played in the last 5 years.
  91. PaperThing
    May 13, 2016
    9
    Truly excellent - despite some minor flaws in the UI and the ship design being far from as in-depth or customisable as is in equivalent games such as 'Galactic Civilizations'.

    An excellent blend of Civilization and Paradox's grand strategy games such as EUIV. Will definitely be better through patches, updates, dlc and mods as happened with CK2 and EUIV.
  92. dinin70
    May 11, 2016
    8
    I'm noting the game as it is now, knowing that, as with any other Paradox game, within a couple of years it will be HUGE.

    It is, for me, after about 5 hours of gameplay, by far the best Grand Strategy game in space. Much better than the empty Endless Space, ridiculously overwhelming but simple Galactic Civilizations. Much better since for the first time it's another gameplay than    I'm noting the game as it is now, knowing that, as with any other Paradox game, within a couple of years it will be HUGE.

    It is, for me, after about 5 hours of gameplay, by far the best Grand Strategy game in space. Much better than the empty Endless Space, ridiculously overwhelming but simple Galactic Civilizations. Much better since for the first time it's another gameplay than simply: expand, spawn troops, expand, meet neighbor, crush him. Expand, spawn troops, crush and so forth.

    Unfortunately, it is by far inferior than Hearts of Iron or Crusader Kings. It is way more superficial. Maybe you need to have 50hours gameplay before you start feeling the small subtleties, but after 5 hours, you seem to have understood most of your challenges which is unique in Paradox games. After 100h+ in Hearts of Iron or CK2, you still discover new things. Not the case here.

    However, I'm certain that Paradox will keep on updating the game providing much more features (real politics, Ministers, political parties, social unrest). For me, they just need to add a flexible social and political environment (parties providing pros and cons) coming from things happening in the universe: i.e.: you are peaceful, technological and xenophile Empire (party). But you are weak: pirates roam your galaxies, neighbors too strong, you are loosing a war: people will start voting a Warmonger party providing bonuses in production, military technologies etc. but provide opposite effects to Social techs, diplomacy, trade...

    On the other side, you have battled for centuries. People is happy. After long time, they are fed up with war: another party may win the election, providing other bonuses. Or the economy is turning sour (starvations, lack of funds...) a more socialist party with less individualist bonuses but high collectivist bonuses. Or you have several species in your Galaxy, if you don't invest in Education people will turn xenophobe and a party with genocidal views may win the elections.

    Or maybe laws: a belligerent party wins the election. Parliament votes a low for forces Military Service against education. If you refuse, unrest could increase and Democracy overthrown by Militaristic Despotic regime.

    Also adding ministers, like Hearts of Iron. Ministers depending on the winning party, providing bonuses here and there.

    Well things like that...

    THAT IS COMPLETELY FEASABLE and would make this game the best game ever... And I'm sure Paradox will do that.

    Yet, it is not case. And after 5 hours of gameplay I understand I will need at least extra 95 hours before finishing the game. I am NOWHERE yet and everything still needs shape. And that makes me want to play game    … Expand
  93. fenrishero
    May 17, 2016
    9
    This is the best 4x space strategy sim since MOO2, but that undersells whats great about it. Paradox calls their 4x games 'Grand Strategy' games, but the more appropriate moniker for this particular game would be 'space opera simulator'.

    Pros -The quest storylines are engaging -Randomized races and rare techs offer replayability -Mod friendly, allowing for customization to the way    This is the best 4x space strategy sim since MOO2, but that undersells whats great about it. Paradox calls their 4x games 'Grand Strategy' games, but the more appropriate moniker for this particular game would be 'space opera simulator'.

    Pros
    -The quest storylines are engaging
    -Randomized races and rare techs offer replayability
    -Mod friendly, allowing for customization to the way you want to play.

    Cons
    -Middle game is clearly not complete, with Paradox admitting as much.
    -Game doesn't properly explain some features and late game options that require early game planning, leading to a somewhat long learning curve (don't mix the venerable racial trait with military despotism, for example).
    -Still some bugs that can completely derail your game many hours in.

    Judgement
    This game is about 90% finished, and it's still the best 4x game in more than a decade. Paradox has acknowledged the problems and stated how they plan to fix them. When they do, this game will easily be a 10/10 to 4x fans. If you are the type of person who can lose entire weekends to a single game of Civ, this is the space 4x you have been waiting for.    … Expand
  94. Brogam4r
    May 15, 2016
    10
    Awesome game. Just what I wanted, a bit of fresh air in the 4x genre. Its a bit rough on the edges but generally very stable and playable. I am sure treats it the same way it has treated its other titles it will grow into the best game in the genre.
  95. Cleglaw
    May 18, 2016
    9
    this is a fantastic game with a very addictive system. as a guy who played nearly all big startegy games that been released in last 20 years, i can safely say that this game deserves a well earned place at my top 5 strategy games... learning curve, balance, randomness can make you rage and flip your table but its all part of this addiction. its not forgiving. its not easy. and everythingthis is a fantastic game with a very addictive system. as a guy who played nearly all big startegy games that been released in last 20 years, i can safely say that this game deserves a well earned place at my top 5 strategy games... learning curve, balance, randomness can make you rage and flip your table but its all part of this addiction. its not forgiving. its not easy. and everything can turn to **** in a moment. but i love it.

    last time i played, there were titanic beast on of my planets... we decieded to watch them but after 5 minutes, some idiot scientist from the main team enraged them. result? instead of getting possibly best army in the entire game under my flag, or learning their biology to modificate my assault army, they crushed and invaded whole planet. they destroyed everything on the planet and afterwards, no matter how hard i try i couldnt take planets control back. see.. before that event, i was marching towards entire galaxy and there were none to stop me. this randomness.. is fun.. but its not for everyone.    … Expand
  96. TsukasaHiiragi
    Apr 17, 2017
    2
    :updated: Ended up lower my initial review, essentially this game will piss you off, it'll make you curse at your monitor and enrage you 90% of the time, the other 10% you're endlessly scanning planets and building resource bases, until the AI decides it's time to screw your civilization over.

    Stellaris is that game that couldn't capture the psudo 4X crown from Galactic Civilization,    :updated: Ended up lower my initial review, essentially this game will piss you off, it'll make you curse at your monitor and enrage you 90% of the time, the other 10% you're endlessly scanning planets and building resource bases, until the AI decides it's time to screw your civilization over.

    Stellaris is that game that couldn't capture the psudo 4X crown from Galactic Civilization, mostly due to the fact even nearly a year later - the game is still horribly buggy with many issues, some even gamebreaking not to mention, very obvious cheating AI issues and terrible mid/endgame experience, the biggest problems is related to how Influence and RNG research ruin the game.

    The way influence is handled is one of the biggest crutches in the game, it prevents you from spreading out rapid because it uses up valuable influence, but at the same time - when you don't need to spread out, you'll always have it maxed out...but when you actually 'need' it, you can never get enough of it, this is one of the gameplay issues that affects the game and personally I think the system doesn't work very well.

    Another bad....no HORRIBLE system in the ridiculous RNG system for researching tech, it is quite possible to get royally screwed by a some poor card draws literally possible preventing you access to bigger ships, the entire tech system should be scrapped and redone with a proper tech tree, this is just lazy and bad...half the time, the best method for research is by waging war and scanning the wreckage left behind...heck, ironically sometimes you can scan your own wreck for tech boosts..

    It's kinder sad because what Stellaris attempts to do is over an almost mixture of Command and Conquer mixed with Master of Orion style gameplay, whilst its all highly strategic and obviously has the 4X emphasis, the game falls flat on it's face as soon as the bugs appear. This could have something special if more time had been spent on development before releasing in a very obvious "Alpha" state, I wish steam would honestly stop with the 'early access' because you end up with potentially great games that takes years before they can live up to the potential.

    Another note; players who love 4x // empire building strategy games be careful with this title as it can become quite frustrating, especially early when your trying to get a foothold and you discover your sandwiched between several aggressive species who...magically will almost always hate you and force you to scramble, often turning the game into a no-win situation for the player forcing a restart.

    Summary; Stellaris has (had) potential but being almost nearly a year after launch and many issues still remain, and highly doubt they will be fixed anytime soon. I'm going to assume this title will remain a 'cult' classic, meaning if you really enjoy space empire building games and are willing to put up with many hours to learn the complex structure of the game, and willing to put up with glitches and even gamebreaking bugs, then I'm sure you would enjoy Stellaris, for the rest - I'd be cautious.    … Expand
  97. HaloFever
    Jun 1, 2020
    6
    At the fastest speed, a game of Stellaris on a small map will take 16.67 hours. (Big thank you to my son for running those numbers.) My first real game of Stellaris took me over 40 hours. I suppose that makes Stellaris a great deal assuming you have nothing better going on in your life. I thought if I got to the end, there might be a big pay-off, like a cutscene or a memorial to all of myAt the fastest speed, a game of Stellaris on a small map will take 16.67 hours. (Big thank you to my son for running those numbers.) My first real game of Stellaris took me over 40 hours. I suppose that makes Stellaris a great deal assuming you have nothing better going on in your life. I thought if I got to the end, there might be a big pay-off, like a cutscene or a memorial to all of my space empire's achievement. There weren't. The game just says "victory" and that's it.

    If I am to be totally fair, I have to let you know that you can adjust the game settings to make games go quicker. Choose the smallest, fastest tech improvements, and earlier events. Even so, Stellaris has long stretches where you have nothing to do while you wait for your workers to make more resources or science ships to scan objects. Then you hit pause so you don't lose time versus the computer opponents, and thus turn Stellaris into a kind of turn based game like Civilization. (Though even in the heyday of Civilization 2, games would never take more than 40 hours to play.)

    Back in Mass Effect days, I might have marveled at the diversity of star systems and the sci-fi storylines built into the game. Times have changed, and with games like "No Man's Sky" that let me explore a galaxy in first person, I find look and feel of the game to be uninteresting. The voice options of the a.i. assistant are nice. The planet destroying Colossus is also good fun. The giant space battles are kind of "meh" when the player has no control over the ships and the frame rate tanks.

    The strategy game is entirely familiar, and any veteran of these kinds of games will win easily. You can see which resources are important, but one of them, energy, is also the game's currency. Spam energy production and you will have an easy time. The game also gives the players many tools to assure victory. I love tools. If you play as a race who cannot inhabit any world other than a perfect "Gaia" world, then you can genetically engineer them to survive on any world. If your empire is to big then you can build some administrative buildings to ease the burden of expansion. You can dedicate planets and orbital habitats to maximize production of research, resources, or trade. You can also build a super giant fleet to terrorize the galaxy. Play it your way.

    The game has some limiters. The first is the "Influence". You cannot simply take an area of space by planting a space station. You first have to build up enough influence. I don't know how influence is supposed to work in the dead of space. This isn't like a city annexing the unincorporated county. No one will protest. When you form a galactic council, then influence is understandable. Early in the game, though, it is simply a limiter and not an elegant one.

    The other minor limiters are empire sprawl, starbase capacity, and star fleet capacity. You can solve empire sprawl and fleet capacity issues with buildings. Starbase capacity is more of a hard limit and seems very arbitrary considering the game world lets you staff hundreds of giant space ships but not more than a dozen starbase's. Much of the game seems arbitrary, like trading with the a.i. My son plays this game with his friends on-line and they will trade constantly. The limiters in the game to keep the human in check versus the a.i.

    Lastly, the a.i. in the game can be dumb. For starters, if you give the a.i. control over your planets, a complicated task in itself, the a.i. will do a terrible job. The best way to play is to micromanage everything. I am always baffled when I play a game on a computer and the game won't let me use the computer to reduce the tediousness of playing the game. War with the a.i. is frustrating. The a.i. will not send their ships on suicide missions, but they will break up their fleets and make picking them off a more tedious task than it should be. In real war, armies tend to congregate at chokepoints. Not in Stellaris. The a.i. doesn't understand the meaning of the word. Perhaps the a.i. strategy is to exhaust the player with tedious actions per minute.

    All in all, my feelings about Stellaris are mixed. There is a lot of game here and I appreciate what the game has to offer. There is just too much of it and too much of it that is not fun to play.    … Expand
  98. Moo-vies
    Aug 13, 2016
    5
    Game is pretty but UI is not up to the task.
    Game mechanics are pretty shallow and kind of illogical on many aspects.
    AI is dumb. Game needs mods to become slightly interesting. At the moment, do not buy it. It may become good in two years with lots of DLC to enrich the experience and filter out the numerous bugs (that transparently touch a lot of invisible things in the AI the    Game is pretty but UI is not up to the task.
    Game mechanics are pretty shallow and kind of illogical on many aspects.
    AI is dumb.
    Game needs mods to become slightly interesting.

    At the moment, do not buy it. It may become good in two years with lots of DLC to enrich the experience and filter out the numerous bugs (that transparently touch a lot of invisible things in the AI the player does not see are just not working.

    Bitter about the fact most games today are released in such a poor state.    … Expand
  99. Filaton
    May 28, 2016
    7
    A fun 4x game which biggest problem right now seems to be lack of content. The early game event chains do not link very well into the almost stagnant mid-game. UI is also, despite PDX's claims, quite unintuitive.

    My thought on buying this game: don't buy it until you get it on sale along with a few DLCs.
  100. XavierAgamemnon
    Mar 28, 2017
    10
    This game is the best ever. I love it so deeply that I look forward to every DLC that is released with childlike enthusiasm on the eve of Christmas. It is an RTS that makes someone who grew up watching Babylon 5 jump with glee. I want to in the future role play this game with friends and act like the civilisation that I am. I will support this game just like I have for Star Citizen and sayThis game is the best ever. I love it so deeply that I look forward to every DLC that is released with childlike enthusiasm on the eve of Christmas. It is an RTS that makes someone who grew up watching Babylon 5 jump with glee. I want to in the future role play this game with friends and act like the civilisation that I am. I will support this game just like I have for Star Citizen and say shut up and take my money. every cent is worth it and I would love to meet the dev someday just to say thank you and make more of Stellaris and boldly go where no game has gone before.… Expand
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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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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. Games Master UK
    Jul 25, 2016
    90
    A stunning first step into space for strategy's superstars - and a great gateway to their other games. [July 2016, p.76]
  2. CD-Action
    Jul 21, 2016
    85
    It was really hard for me to break away from Stellaris’ grip to write this review. It’s one of those gems you launch in the evening for a moment but quit at dawn. [07/2016, p.50]
  3. 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.
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