Europa Universalis 5 is blowing up on Steam, rapidly climbing the sales charts, and breaking concurrent player records. The franchise by Paradox Interactive has long been a major name in the grand strategy genre, with a loyal cult following dating back to the early 2000s. But it's still noteworthy that Europa Universalis 5, the sixth installment in the popular series, is doing so incredibly well at launch.
According to Gamalytic data, the previous installment in the franchise is estimated to have sold over five million copies and holds a Very Positive average user review score on Steam. Released in 2013, Europa Universalis 4 reached its all-time peak in 2020 with nearly 50,000 concurrent players. The latest entry, however, shattered that record just hours after launch, becoming one of the most-played grand strategy games on Steam.
Shortly after its anticipated release on November 4, Europa Universalis 5 set a new all-time concurrent player record on Steam, reaching nearly 78,000 players. The grand strategy game also briefly overtook Arc Raiders on the Steam sales charts, a notable achievement given the popularity of Embark Studios' extraction shooter. While Arc Raiders soon reclaimed the top spot, Europa Universalis 5 has remained...
