Europa Universalis 5 is blowing up on Steam, rapidly climbing the sales charts, and breaking concurrent player records. The franchise by Paradox Interactive has long been a major name in the grand strategy genre, with a loyal cult following dating back to the early 2000s. But it’s still noteworthy that Europa Universalis 5, the sixth installment in the popular series, is doing so incredibly well at launch.
According to Gamalytic data, the previous installment in the franchise is estimated to have sold over five million copies and holds a Very Positive average user review score on Steam. Released in 2013, Europa Universalis 4 reached its all-time peak in 2020 with nearly 50,000 concurrent players. The latest entry, however, shattered that record just hours after launch, becoming one of the most-played grand strategy games on Steam.
Europa Universalis 5 Sets New Concurrent Player Record on Steam
Shortly after its anticipated release on November 4, Europa Universalis 5 set a new all-time concurrent player record on Steam, reaching nearly 78,000 players. The grand strategy game also briefly overtook Arc Raiders on the Steam sales charts, a notable achievement given the popularity of Embark Studios’ extraction shooter. While Arc Raiders soon reclaimed the top spot, Europa Universalis 5 has remained among the top five bestsellers on Steam as of this writing.
As for user reviews, 72% of players appear satisfied with the game, giving Europa Universalis 5 a Very Positive rating on Steam at the time of writing. In terms of critical reception, Paradox Interactive’s latest entry holds an average score of 87 out of 100 on review aggregator OpenCritic, a noteworthy achievement in its own right. Most critics recommend it and consider it one of the strongest entries in the long-running grand strategy and 4X series.
One feature in Europa Universalis 5 that likely boosted its popularity among fans of the genre is its highly detailed depiction of the entire world map. While the previous installment also offered an impressive recreation, Europa Universalis 5 expands on it with more individual locations and points of interest, enhancing immersion. Players have praised developer Paradox Tinto for recreating nearly the entire planet, complete with diverse topographies and geographical variations that enrich the gameplay experience.
It’s also worth noting that Paradox Interactive’s other grand strategy title, Crusader Kings 3, recently trended on Steam due to a “free weekend” promotion. However, many genre fans now seem to be turning their attention to the publisher’s newest release, which arrived nearly 12 years after its predecessor launched in 2013. In the coming days, it will be interesting to see whether the new game can maintain its player base and keep the servers thriving with consistent updates.
Source: SteamDB
