Europa Universalis V: The Ultimate Review Guide
▼ Summary
– The reviewer struggled to write a definitive review of Europa Universalis V because Paradox games frequently change through expansions and patches, making launch reviews feel irrelevant.
– Despite weeks of playtime, the reviewer felt they had barely scratched the surface of EU5’s complex systems and had only played as three nations due to save-breaking updates.
– The game features extensive automation tools that allow players to delegate management tasks to AI, which the reviewer found liberating for focusing on broader strategic goals.
– EU5 offers a vast amount of content with hundreds of playable nations, customized events, and deep systems, making it overwhelming to fully explore or judge at launch.
– The reviewer enjoyed the game’s immersive historical experience and sees themselves playing it long-term to understand its evolution, rather than just its initial state.
The challenge of reviewing a game as vast and dynamic as Europa Universalis V becomes apparent when you consider the sheer scope and constant evolution of Paradox’s grand strategy titles. Even with weeks of pre-release access, forming a definitive opinion feels almost premature, given how dramatically these games transform through expansions and patches over time.
Take Victoria 3 and Crusader Kings III as prime examples, both have undergone substantial changes since their initial releases, shifting core mechanics and expanding their worlds. This ongoing development cycle makes any day-one assessment feel fleeting. What’s the value in detailing every feature of EU5 in late 2025, when by 2027 it could be a fundamentally different experience? This is especially true for a game that spans centuries, from the 1300s to just before the American Civil War, juggling countless variables and historical possibilities.
During my preview period alone, multiple balance adjustments were made, addressing issues like an overpowered Papacy that disrupted player campaigns. It’s clear that the foundation laid at launch is just the beginning, future updates are expected to introduce richer storylines for minor nations and make remote tribes fully playable, expanding an already enormous game.
Another hurdle in reviewing EU5 is its staggering depth. Even after dedicating over a hundred hours, I’ve only explored a fraction of its systems. Playing as Holland, England, and Scotland provided glimpses, but broken saves from updates meant restarting often. Fully grasping elements like economic management could take months, reinforcing that these titles have evolved into persistent worlds, much like MMOs, where the most meaningful critiques often come years after release.
What I can confidently share is that my time with EU5 has been thoroughly engaging. As someone more familiar with Crusader Kings and Hearts of Iron, I approached this entry with fresh eyes, having skipped the series since 2019. Learning, or relearning, the mechanics was a days-long process, even with robust tutorials.
One standout feature is the impressive suite of automation tools, reminiscent of Football Manager. Nearly every menu includes a gear icon that lets the AI manage specific aspects of your nation. While veterans may prefer hands-on control, I found this invaluable when overseeing larger countries like England. Delegating routine tasks freed me to focus on exploration, diplomacy, and military strategy without getting bogged down by minutiae.
This automation also highlighted how much I had yet to learn. Simple oversights, like forgetting to manually upgrade a town to a city, revealed hidden layers of gameplay. Fellow players in online communities pointed out features I’d missed entirely, such as bridge construction. There’s simply too much content to absorb quickly, making any final judgment at this stage incomplete.
Constant event pop-ups kept gameplay dynamic, with decisions tailored to your nation’s culture and era. As Scotland, I faced uniquely Scottish dilemmas, complete with historical choice indicators for players seeking authenticity. Warfare and diplomacy operate with classic Paradox precision, while exploration unfolds gradually, you reveal the map piece by piece, which feels immersive if occasionally slow.
Focusing on the “big picture” provided immense satisfaction. Without delving into granular economic or production systems, I felt like a demigod steering my people through five centuries of history. I waged war in Ireland, broke from the Catholic Church, established colonies from Greenland to Georgia, survived the Black Death, and balanced the competing interests of nobles, clergy, and commoners, all without touching deeper mechanics lurking beneath the surface.
Family marriages, international alliances, technological research, and infrastructure projects added layers of meaningful decision-making. Each choice produced tangible consequences: shifting prices sparked unrest or migration, while investing in education boosted literacy and societal benefits. Though I can’t vouch for long-term balance, the cause-and-effect felt authentic and empowering.
While EU5 may lack Crusader Kings’ personal drama or Hearts of Iron’s military intensity, it excels as a sweeping historical simulator. Paradox has created a platform where players don’t just witness history, they shape it. I’ve enjoyed every hour spent so far and look forward to returning as the game evolves, hopefully gaining enough insight to appreciate what EU5 becomes, not just what it is today.
(Source: Aftermath)
