WARNING: this game is extremely addictive!
I keep coming back to Europa Universalis IV at the end of every year. It’s probably the best grand strategy game ever made, and it’s so absorbing I often have to set alarms to remind myself to go to bed before 02:00, a lesson I learned the hard way after it wrecked my sleep schedule more than once.
The game starts in 1444 and simulates about four centuries of history. It’s open‑ended, with no single victory condition apart from, well, survival. To keep you busy, there’s a detailed mission “tree” for each nation, largely based on its historical path.
Europa Universalis IV isn’t just about Europe. You can play as Asian powers, African kingdoms, and even Native American tribes, though I wouldn’t recommend the latter for beginners. Dealing with those nasty colonists is a brutal challenge.
Last time I played as Spain. Right now, I’m playing as England, which has been especially engaging with the English-focused DLC, Rule Britannia.