Deal | For the next 24 hours you can get Crusader Kings II free-to-keep forever

Crusader Kings II, the grand strategy game from Paradox Interactive, is now free for a limited time via Steam. For the next 24 hours, you can add CKII (valued at US$40) permanently to your Steam library.

Like many of Paradox Interactive’s games, Crusader Kings II is one that rewards your time investment by presenting you with a high degree of depth, but the bandwidth and space investment isn’t very high with the base game only being about 1 GB to download. Typical of Paradox Interactive’s games, there is also an extensive library of DLC released over the last five years (some cosmetic and some containing gameplay changes), and Steam is offering 50 percent off individual DLC or more off of the bundles. This DLC is likely how Paradox Interactive will make money from this offer.

Crusader Kings II was released in 2012 and has an 88 percent positive rating on Steam. It is set throughout medieval Europe starting 1066, where you aim to create a successful dynasty that spans many generations. War, assassinations, and strategic marriages are just some of the mechanics you will encounter on your journey towards the game’s finale in 1453. There is DLC that alters start dates and factions

Paradox Interactive is a Swedish publisher that specializes in strategy gaming for Windows, Mac, and Linux.  They have been around since 1999 — although their development subsidiary ‘Paradox Development Studios’ was founded in 1995 — and some of their well-known games include Cities: Skylines, Hearts of Iron, Europa Universalis, and the recently released Surviving Mars. 

Crusader Kings II has a non-sale price of US$40, and this deal ends at 10 am Saturday Pacific Time (PT/PST). So whether you are a salty veteran of strategy games or a new player looking for a good example of a grand strategy why not give this a go, after all, it is free.