After more than a decade since it launched, Europa Universalis 4 remains one of developer Paradox’s best grand strategy games to date. Still a central pillar of its lineup alongside the likes of Crusader Kings 3, Stellaris, and Age of Wonders 4, new EU4 content is still coming out. As we look towards the future and a potential Europa Universalis 5, you can give the current iteration a go completely free on Steam right now, with what Paradox calls its “best deal ever” to pick up the full package.
Europa Universalis 4 is a stalwart. Long-established and still one of the best grand strategy games on PC, Paradox chief content officer Henrik Fåhraeus told me during a recent interview that he considers it as the core of what the studio excels at. “I like to draw circles with Europa Universalis in the middle and the other games circling it,” he says, “I think most of our players should play Europa Universalis, there’s the biggest overlap with that [and each of our other games].”
If you’ve ever been curious to try EU4 but been intimidated by the sheer amount of add-ons and DLC available, now is a fantastic time to start. Paradox has just folded four Europa Universalis DLC into the main game, making it a more robust offering from the get-go. In addition to that, the game’s ultimate edition bundle has been updated to include every single expansion and immersion pack.
Both the base and ultimate versions of the game are 87% off in a Steam sale right now – Paradox says that the discounted ultimate edition is “the best deal ever” for anyone looking to pick up everything the game has to offer. If, for example, you’re a regular user of the Europa Universalis subscription that gives you access to the full roster of content on a month-by-month basis, now might be the time to make the switch.
You can play Europa Universalis 4 for free from Friday October 18 to Wednesday October 23, ending at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BST / 7pm CEST. There’s also an 87% discount, meaning the updated base game is $5.19 / £4.54 and the new ultimate edition including all expansions and immersion packs will cost you $43.77 / £36.94. Head here to get started.
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