Choose Europa Universalis III Complete
Choose Europa Universalis III Complete if it's currently about 70% cheaper on the Steam Store. Europa Universalis III Complete launched in 2009.
Europa Universalis III Complete vs Europa Universalis IV
Europa Universalis III Complete and Europa Universalis IV both land in Strategy 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 are Strategy games on Steam. Europa Universalis III Complete (2009) is 4 years older than Europa Universalis IV (2013). Both sit near 87% positive on Steam (Europa Universalis III Complete: 913 reviews, Europa Universalis IV: 47,407). 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 Europa Universalis IV
Choose Europa Universalis IV if you want a Simulation game with Online PvP, Online Co-op, and PvP. On Steam, it's the newer release (2013) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 47,407 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Europa Universalis III Complete and Europa Universalis IV sit in Strategy on Steam and both list Multi-player, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (86.9% vs 87.4% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Europa Universalis III Complete |  Europa Universalis IV | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2009 | 2013 |
| Genres | Strategy | Strategy, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Deck Unsupported |
| Price | 14.99 USD | 49.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 86.9% positive (913 reviews) | 87.4% positive (47,407 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op |
| Developers | Paradox Development Studio | Paradox Development Studio, Paradox Tinto |
Side by side
- Both are Strategy games on Steam.
- Europa Universalis III Complete (2009) is 4 years older than Europa Universalis IV (2013).
- Both sit near 87% positive on Steam (Europa Universalis III Complete: 913 reviews, Europa Universalis IV: 47,407).
- Europa Universalis III Complete is currently ~70% cheaper on Steam than Europa Universalis IV (14.99 USD vs. 49.99 USD).
- Europa Universalis IV has co-op; Europa Universalis III Complete does not.
- Both are Deck Unsupported.
Europa Universalis III Complete vs Europa Universalis IV — FAQ
- Which is better, Europa Universalis III Complete or Europa Universalis IV?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Europa Universalis III Complete sits at 86.9% positive (913 reviews), Europa Universalis IV at 87.4% (47,407). 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 III Complete or Europa Universalis IV first?
- If you want chronology, Europa Universalis III Complete (2009) came out before Europa Universalis IV (2013). 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 III Complete and Europa Universalis IV similar?
- They overlap on Strategy 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.