Choose Europa Universalis IV
Choose Europa Universalis IV if you want the Online PvP, Online Co-op, and PvP side of the pairing. On Steam, it's currently about 50% cheaper on the Steam Store. 47,407 Steam reviews back the pick.
Europa Universalis IV vs Stellaris
Europa Universalis IV and Stellaris both land in Strategy, Simulation on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Strategy, Simulation on Steam. Europa Universalis IV (2013) is 3 years older than Stellaris (2016). Both sit near 87% positive on Steam (Europa Universalis IV: 47,407 reviews, Stellaris: 75,169). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Stellaris
Choose Stellaris if it's the newer release (2016) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 75,169 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Europa Universalis IV and Stellaris sit in Strategy and Simulation on Steam and both list Multi-player, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (87.4% vs 86.5% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Europa Universalis IV |  Stellaris | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2013 | 2016 |
| Genres | Strategy, Simulation | Strategy, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Deck Playable |
| Price | 4.99 USD | 9.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 87.4% positive (47,407 reviews) | 86.5% positive (75,169 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer |
| Developers | Paradox Development Studio, Paradox Tinto | Paradox Development Studio |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Simulation on Steam.
- Europa Universalis IV (2013) is 3 years older than Stellaris (2016).
- Both sit near 87% positive on Steam (Europa Universalis IV: 47,407 reviews, Stellaris: 75,169).
- Europa Universalis IV is currently ~50% cheaper on Steam than Stellaris (4.99 USD vs. 9.99 USD).
- Europa Universalis IV has co-op; Stellaris does not.
- Steam Deck: Europa Universalis IV is Deck Unsupported, Stellaris is Deck Playable.
Europa Universalis IV vs Stellaris — FAQ
- Which is better, Europa Universalis IV or Stellaris?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Europa Universalis IV sits at 87.4% positive (47,407 reviews), Stellaris at 86.5% (75,169). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play Europa Universalis IV or Stellaris first?
- If you want chronology, Europa Universalis IV (2013) came out before Stellaris (2016). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Europa Universalis IV and Stellaris similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, Simulation on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.