Deep, complex strategy systems
Mentioned in ~1 in 5 positive reviews
“Grand strategy at its finest. Unparalleled depth.”
Steam review · 558.1 h played ↗
Europa Universalis III Complete
Worth buying? What 300 Steam reviews say.Worth buying? Here’s what 300 Steam reviews actually say.
Very Positive · 80%Very Positive · 80%Paradox Development Studio2009Grand Strategy · Sandbox · Strategy
$14.99
Open on Steam ↗US Steam price, checked 1 h ago
The verdict
A deep, replayable Paradox grand strategy with great historical flavor, but dated, clunky and poorly explained. Skip it if you want a modern UI; "Complete" also lacks key expansions.
Great for
Patient history buffs who want a deep, moddable grand strategy sandbox and accept dated visuals
Main risk
Clunky, poorly explained UI and steep learning curve, plus crashes on modern systems and DLC needed
What players love
Preferred over EU4 by some players
Mentioned in ~1 in 7 positive reviews
“I enjoyed EUIII much more than EUIV despite it being older.”
Steam review · 171.5 h played ↗
Huge replayability, play any nation
Mentioned in ~1 in 8 positive reviews
“You can create your own story through history, and there is nearly an endless amount of replayability.”
Steam review · 116.5 h played ↗
Historical accuracy and learning
Mentioned in ~1 in 14 positive reviews
“This game is far more historically accurate than any other game my students have introduced me to.”
Steam review · 315.6 h played ↗
Easy modding and runs on weak PCs
Mentioned in ~1 in 14 positive reviews
“Modding it is easy!”
Steam review · 83.5 h played ↗
Great value versus EU4
Mentioned in ~1 in 15 positive reviews
“For a small fraction of the cost of EU4+DLC you get a very good finished game.”
Steam review · 62.5 h played ↗
What players complain about
Crashes and won't run on modern systems
Mentioned in ~1 in 4 negative reviews
“18 minutes in, and I've already had half a dozen crashes.”
Steam review · 0.3 h played ↗
Review-bombing over Paradox's Atatürk moderation
Mentioned in ~1 in 5 negative reviews
“Banning users from the official Hearts of Iron Discord simply for having Atatürk as their profile picture is completely unacceptable.”
Steam review · 1.2 h played ↗
Paradox DLC and pricing; Complete isn't complete
Mentioned in ~1 in 6 negative reviews
“Half of the important mechanics are locked behind DLCs that cost almost half as much as the game itself.”
Steam review · 2.2 h played ↗
Clunky, unexplained UI and tutorial
Mentioned in ~1 in 6 negative reviews
“I'm sure there's a great game here, somewhere, buried under this awful, dense, obtuse and unintuitive UI.”
Steam review · 1.3 h played ↗
Slow, boring map-painting gameplay
Mentioned in ~1 in 8 negative reviews
“Just sitting around waiting, and waiting, and waiting, and waiting to do literally anything.”
Steam review · 2.2 h played ↗
Obsolete next to EU4
Mentioned in ~1 in 12 negative reviews
“Do not buy. Get Europa Universalis IV. Interface is much better.”
Steam review · 32.9 h played ↗
System requirements
From the Steam store page
Steam Deck: Unsupported1 GB
Minimum
OSWindows® 2000 (with Service pack 1 or higher) or Windows® XP (Home/Professional/Media Edition) with Service Pack 2, or later Windows versions.
Processor1.9GHz Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon processor or equivalent
Memory512MB RAM (1.0GB RAM is highly recommended)
Graphics128MB Video Card with Hardware T&L and support for Pixelshader 2.0 or better
StorageAt least 1GB of free hard drive space to accommodate game files and saved games. This does not include any space used by the Windows® swap file.
OSWindows® 2000 (with Service pack 1 or higher) or Windows® XP (Home/Professional/Media Edition) with Service Pack 2, or later Windows versions.
Processor1.9GHz Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon processor or equivalent
Memory512MB RAM (1.0GB RAM is highly recommended)
Graphics128MB Video Card with Hardware T&L and support for Pixelshader 2.0 or better
StorageAt least 1GB of free hard drive space to accommodate game files and saved games. This does not include any space used by the Windows® swap file.
More games to check
Other games we’ve read the reviews for
Phoenix Point
Mostly Positive · 73%
+ Great XCOM alternative with its own identity
− Bugs, crashes and broken saves
analyzed 1 d ago
Age of Conquest IV
Positive · 80%
+ Simple, easy-to-learn Risk-like gameplay
− Most maps and features locked behind payment
analyzed 5 d ago
Hearts of Iron III
Mostly Positive · 71%
+ Deep, detailed WW2 simulation
− Won't launch or crashes on modern systems
analyzed 5 d ago
−20%
Europa Universalis V
Mixed · 65%
+ Huge depth and ambition
− Unfinished, sold at full price, DLC concerns
analyzed 6 d ago
Weekly digest
Fresh games worth a look, in your inbox
The most interesting games we’ve just analyzed, once a week.Once a week we send the most interesting games we’ve just analyzed: the verdict, top pros and cons, and what changed. No spam.
One email a week · unsubscribe in one click