EU5 Reviews
Deep Dive
What Major Gaming Media Really Think - Based on IGN, Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer & More
What Critics Say
Honest analysis from gaming's most trusted voices
IGN
Cautiously Optimistic
"Most on-paper impressive historical strategy game of all time"
Rock Paper Shotgun
Mixed but Appreciative
"Intriguing monster with depth vs complexity trade-offs"
Eurogamer
Honest Struggle
"Personal challenge with complexity, acknowledges quality"
"For Certified Grand Strategy Sickos"
Even 2000+ hour EU4 veterans need time to adapt
IGN: Expert Warning
2000+ Hour EU4 Veteran
"I have over 2000 hours in EU4. It's my most-played game on Steam of all time. And even then, it took about an hour before I even felt comfortable unpausing EU5 – and dozens before I thought I knew what I was doing."
Reality Check: Your EU4 expertise helps, but expect a significant learning curve anyway.
RPS: UI Reality
Submarine Control Panel
"It's like waking up in front of a submarine's control panel: an exciting and paralysing array of buttons to push, not always tidily arranged."
Eurogamer: Newcomer
Information Overload
"As another nested tooltip coughs up a list of country subcategories - settled, extraterritorial, army based, or a pop society - I can already feel my brain beginning to swell. And I'm still only on the first tutorial screen!"
Reality: Many want to love these games but struggle with complexity
Unprecedented Ambition
What all reviewers agree on: EU5's scope is genuinely unprecedented
"Attempting to conquer the 500-year period from 1337 to 1837 CE while modeling every single individual person in the world – yes, you heard that right – at a level of detail that's completely unprecedented, seems unbelievable."
— IGN's Technical Marvel Assessment
More Detail
For every province in EU4, there are roughly 7 individual locations in EU5
Individual People
Every person has culture, religion, and social class tracked individually
Enhanced Geography
Topography, climate, and vegetation are separate factors affecting everything
Performance Surprisingly Good:
Automation: Double-Edged Sword
The Promise vs Reality of AI Assistance
"You can cognitively offload the hiring of admirals, the construction of buildings, the next items on the research tree - almost everything - to the AI. But such automation is a double-edged halberd."
— Rock Paper Shotgun's Experience
💸 Money Mystery
"Every time my income neared 300, a chunk of change would disappear"
⚔️ Military AI Issues
Armies ordered to "hunt enemy navies" would idle while enemies passed by
🤖 Lack of Transparency
No clear explanation of why automated systems make certain decisions
The Bottom Line
Technical Marvel
Unprecedented scope and ambition in strategy gaming
Complexity Warning
"Like a submarine control panel" - overwhelming for newcomers
Worth It If...
You're a strategy veteran ready for the ultimate challenge
"This is the most ambitious strategy game ever made, but it demands serious commitment"
— Professional Review Consensus
⚡ Performance Reality Check
Good News: Better Optimization Than Expected
IGN's Performance Testing:
- • Hardware tested: Ryzen 7 3700X (below recommended specs)
- • Start of game: Under 1 second per day
- • Late game (1800s): Around 2 seconds per day maximum
- • Total campaign: 60 hours at fastest speed
"Never ground to a halt or turned into a slideshow like Victoria 3 or Hearts of Iron 4 sometimes can in the late game, and the interface remains sharply responsive even when the simulation is chugging a little"
💡 Key Takeaways for Potential Players
🎯 If You're a EU4 Veteran:
- • Expect a Learning Curve: Even experts need time to adjust
- • Performance is Good: Technical optimization exceeds expectations
- • Foundation is Solid: Core systems are excellent, just need tuning
🆕 If You're New to Grand Strategy:
- • Start with Tutorials: But be prepared for information overload
- • Use Automation: Accept the trade-offs for learning purposes
- • Consider Waiting: Six months of patches might improve accessibility
🤔 If You're on the Fence:
- • Technical Achievement: Genuinely unprecedented in scope and detail
- • Balance Issues: Current AI behavior and historical authenticity concerns
- • Time Investment: Requires significant patience and learning commitment
🔗 Source References
All analysis based on direct quotes and observations from:
Last Updated: November 2024 | Review Analysis based on launch period coverage
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