Europa Universalis vs Europa Universalis IV
Europa Universalis is a strategy game from Paradox Interactive (2000) while Europa Universalis IV is a sandbox simulation game from Development Studio (2013).
Quick answer: Europa Universalis IV has the higher Metacritic, 87 to 86.
Europa Universalis
What each one is
Europa Universalis is filed under Strategy. In contrast, Europa Universalis IV under Sandbox and Simulation.
Europa Universalis is a grand strategy video game developed by Paradox Development Studio and published in 2000 by Strategy First.
Rule your land and dominate the world with unparalleled freedom, depth and historical accuracy. Write a new history of the world and build an empire for the ages.
Story, characters and reception
Reception
Reception The game received "favorable" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic . John Lee of NextGen said, "A full-bodied simulation of European turmoil and global expansion between the 15th and 18th centuries, Europa Universalis isn't all that original, but if historic realism is your passion, you'll like what you see. " Computer Games Strategy Plus gave the game acclaim while it was still in development in Europe. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Europa Universalis IV was met with very favourable reviews, receiving a score of 87/100 on aggregate website Metacritic . Critics praised the improvements from Europa Universalis III , especially the new mechanisms and graphics. T. (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Europa Universalis | Europa Universalis IV | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | — | 8.0/10 |
| Steam rating | — | Very Positive (88%, 137,275) |
| Critic aggregate | 86/100 | 87/100 |
| Price | Unknown | $49.99 |
| Install size | — | — |
| Steam Deck | Untested | unsupported |
| Released | 2000 | 2013 |
| Developer | Paradox Interactive | Development Studio |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Europa Universalis vs Europa Universalis IV, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Europa UniversalisStrategy gameEuropa Universalis IVSandbox simulation gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Europa UniversalisNo descriptive tagsEuropa Universalis IVGrand Strategy, Strategy, HistoricalThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Europa UniversalisMetacritic 86Europa Universalis IV ✓Metacritic 87Metacritic's critic aggregate, from the game's Wikipedia reception where it was never on Steam.
Content and scale
Europa Universalis—Europa Universalis IV137,275 reviews · 33 add-onsReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Europa UniversalisUnknownEuropa Universalis IV$49.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
Europa Universalis IV takes 1 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The better reviewed of the two: Europa Universalis IV (Metacritic 87)
Where they differ
Grand StrategyStrategyHistoricalSimulation4XAlternate History
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Europa Universalis is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Europa Universalis IV is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| Europa Universalis | Europa Universalis IV | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | — | Nvidia® GeForce™ GTX 460 / AMD® Radeon™ HD 5850 |
| Minimum CPU | — | Intel® Core™ i3-2105 / AMD® FX 4300 |
| Minimum RAM | — | 4 GB |
| Install size | — | — |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Europa Universalis · Europa Universalis IV.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 0 accessibility features for Europa Universalis and 0 for Europa Universalis IV. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Europa Universalis and Europa Universalis IV in scope?
Europa Universalis lists little scope data. Europa Universalis IV has drawn 137,275 Steam reviews and ships 33 add-ons.
Is Europa Universalis or Europa Universalis IV better?
Neither carries enough reviews for us to score it reliably, so we do not call a winner. The table above shows what each does have.
Which is cheaper, Europa Universalis or Europa Universalis IV?
One or both do not have a current listed price, so a straight comparison is not possible. See the table above.
Should I get Europa Universalis or Europa Universalis IV?
Europa Universalis IV has the higher Metacritic, 87 to 86. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
All comparisonsHow we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.