I didn’t spend much of my time with Europa Universalis 5 actually playing the game. Rather, what I got during a recent preview at Gamescom was a walkthrough of just some of the mechanics the game has to offer – and this still comfortably took up the half-hour slot I had with the game.
If you have a passion for history, you’ll likely do as I did: spend a good ten minutes just marvelling at the work that has gone into making it the ridiculously detailed strategy game that it is. The developers hope this is the most accurate depiction of Europe throughout the 1300s and beyond. That means many of the countries are split into smaller, independent (often warring) nations, and that I was able to spend a good while focusing on the smaller details, such as all the different kingdoms in Ireland.
Every country I saw had this level of detail, and you can choose to play as any of them, all with their own nuances in populations, demographics, religious conflicts and tolerances, trade, foreign relations, and a bunch of other things to keep track of that I am forgetting.
If the fact that I — someone who enjoyed my time with the game — am struggling to recall the game has you worried, fret not. I assure you that this is actually a selling point. Sure, there’s so much to think about, but almost everything can be automated individually, letting you focus on whatever part of the strategy you want. Trade, religious reformation, industry, scientific achievements, conquest, dynasties – Europa Universalis 5 wants to be a playground for it all. Based on what I have seen so far, it very well could be.
Europa Universalis 5 Lets You Focus On The Wider Picture, Or Micromanage Your Nation To The Smallest Detail
For instance, I had less of an interest in the specifics of war and strategising and more in the wider picture. Someone who feels differently could hone in on each battle, and try to hold whatever provinces are at risk, whereas I could zoom out and handle negotiations, marriage alliances, or even supporting our neighbours through trade. Someone else might automate all of that and just focus on the affairs within their borders.
With all of that said, I imagine you will need to be a veteran of the genre to really understand what the hell you’re doing, even if you are ignoring some of the more complicated features on offer. I also cannot speak for much beyond the start of the game, as I didn’t progress beyond forming some alliances as Portugal, and then continuously trying to invade France as England for a laugh.
In lieu of being able to see the latter parts of the game, the developer helped me get to grips with it by indulging some of my questions about how it will handle certain periods. For instance, could I ensure that Lady Jane Grey, the Nine Days Queen, successfully thwarts Queen Mary I’s attempt to take the throne? Yes. Could I craft an elaborate humiliation for Henry VIII that spares several women the displeasure (and death sentence) of marrying him? Yes. Albeit not in the same playthrough, since that wouldn’t exactly line up.
What it all comes back to is that Europa Universalis 5 does not give the impression that it is good for newcomers to the genre, nor does it have to be. The fact that you can hone in on whatever mechanic you want to isn’t to make it appeal to everyone; it’s to appeal to every type of hardcore strategy lover, and I respect that. Still, I am encouraged to try and figure it all out just so I can sit back and enjoy the diplomatic side of the game, even if I inevitably get my country burnt down to the ground in the process.
Europa Universalis V
Follow Followed Grand Strategy Strategy Simulation Real-Time Strategy War & Military Systems
- Released
- November 4, 2025
- Developer(s)
- Paradox Tinto
- Publisher(s)
- Paradox Interactive
- Engine
- Clausewitz Engine
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
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