Deal | Best price on Steam: Popular strategy sandbox now $5 instead of $50

Anyone looking to dive deep into a strategy game should feel right at home with Europa Universalis IV. The strategy sandbox may not be especially pretty, but its gameplay depth is hard to beat – and it is currently available on Steam for around $4.99 instead of $50. According to SteamDB, this is the lowest price so far. Handheld players, however, are out of luck: the strategy game is not supported on the Steam Deck.

In Europa Universalis IV, players take control of one of hundreds of nations and guide its fate across almost four centuries – from 1444 to 1821. Instead of real-time battles like in Total War, the game features a pausable real-time world map, lots of numbers, countless menus and a rather sober visual style. Europa Universalis IV thrives on its enormous depth: trade, war, diplomacy, religion and technology are constantly intertwined. Sometimes a small duchy becomes a dominant power; sometimes a poorly planned war dismantles a great power within minutes.

German gaming magazine GameStar praised the strategy game for its vast scope and historically accurate implementation, including many unique mechanics such as forms of government and colonialism. The biggest point of criticism is the complex entry barrier. Anyone looking for a quick taster is in the wrong place with Europa Universalis IV. GameStar awarded it 87 out of 100 points. Steam and Metacritic paint a similar picture: 85% positive Steam reviews from almost 140,000 ratings, alongside a Metascore of 87 and a User Score of 8.7. It is also worth noting that Europa Universalis IV has numerous expansions. The Ultimate Bundle usually costs around $204, but is currently available for roughly $105 thanks to a 49% discount.

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