November 2025 brought new Kirby and Zelda spin-offs, but neither was as well reviewed as Europa Universalis V. Paradox’s grand strategy game came out on PC on 4 November, twelve years after its predecessor, and every critic counted by OpenCritic recommended it. It is also forbiddingly complicated, which our pick has to reckon with.
Five centuries in one campaign
You pick a country, horde, trade league or clan and guide it from 1337 to the early nineteenth century. The big new idea is population. Every person on the map now has a culture, religion and social class, so a plague that halves your workforce also empties your workshops and your army. At home you’re keeping five estates happy: the crown, nobles, clergy, burghers and commoners. Abroad it’s trade, diplomacy and war, with optional automation for nearly every system.
What critics praised
PC Gamer gave it 87 after more than a hundred hours and called it Paradox’s strongest set of core mechanics since Hearts of Iron 4. Its reviewer singled out the historical situations, such as the Wars of the Roses, which make for a richer sandbox than the fixed mission trees in older games. IGN, whose reviewer has more than 2,000 hours in the previous game, found the detailed map and the systems for control and proximity endlessly absorbing.
The catch
The same reviews had misgivings about balance and polish at launch. IGN described ahistorical outcomes, with odd colonies and borders that stayed frozen for centuries, and ran into crashes on one of its two campaigns. PC Gamer thought the AI rivals were too passive to be a threat. Rock Paper Shotgun enjoyed it but found the menus a maze and the automation unreliable. Money once kept vanishing from the reviewer’s treasury for no clear reason.
Critic scores and details last checked in September 2026.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Release date | 4 November 2025 |
| Platforms | PC |
| Developer | Paradox Tinto |
| Publisher | Paradox Interactive |
| Critic score | 87 Top Critic Average on OpenCritic, 100% of critics recommend (as of Sep 2026) |
Verdict
Europa Universalis V might be the most ambitious historical strategy game ever created. At launch it was ambitious in excess of being properly tuned. For fans of maps, markets and long campaigns, yes, it’s the game. New to Paradox games? Then be warned: it will take a few nights to learn to play.
Quick questions
How long does a campaign take?
The length of a full campaign can stretch to dozens of hours. As for completion time on the fastest speed, IGN’s reviewer took about 60 hours to finish a campaign, and PC Gamer reckons a proper run would clock in at over 70 hours. Rock Paper Shotgun’s reviewer was still only 150 years into a campaign after 45 hours.
Is Europa Universalis V good for beginners?
With patience, new players can start to play the game within the tutorial, which IGN found surprisingly good at getting them moving. IGN’s reviewer, with thousands of hours in the previous game, needed an hour before feeling comfortable enough to un-pause and dozens of hours before it clicked, but automation allows you to hand over entire systems to AI while you learn the game.
Do I need to have played Europa Universalis IV?
No. It is a standalone game with a new tutorial. None of the content from the last game carries over, and EU4 veterans will recognise much of the interface and structure, according to Rock Paper Shotgun. The population, estates, and control systems all function differently from the previous game, and even very experienced players will have to relearn many things.
More Review of the Month: Previous pick: October 2025, Ghost of Yōtei | Next pick: December 2025, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
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