Europa Universalis IV

analyzed 2026-08-09 · sample of 555 English reviews across the whole review history

Players consistently praise the core gameplay, with 102 of the 117 reviews mentioning it taking a positive view. They describe a game that "requires you to use your strategic thinking" and is "more nuanced than Civilization in diplomacy options and in events and parameters." The addictiveness and replayability are mentioned without a single negative review in either category, with players noting it "devours all the free time I have" and that "2 games of Europa Universalis IV can never be the same even if you play the same country dozens of times." The dominant criticism concerns the DLC model, which appears in 94 reviews and is negative in 69 of them. Players call it "paradox's dlc policy. Game is literally unplayable without dlcs" and say "it really isn't worth buying hundreds of pounds of DLC." The learning curve is another sore point, with 38 of 60 mentions negative, including "Extremely complex and takes an extremely long time to master" and "Still have no idea how the game works." Smaller but consistent complaints target the UI ("tiny text on modern monitors"), stability ("sync Error every two ingame months"), and developer conduct, with 12 of 13 mentions negative. Opinion splits appear around difficulty, where 12 of 20 mentions are positive, and multiplayer, which is praised for "well working multiplayer abilities" but also described as "Best played in multiplayer" by some. Players also bring up the modding scene, the historical depth, and the sheer content amount as recurring positives, while balance and AI behavior draw recurring criticism.

numbers checked against this report's stored data · quotes copied verbatim from reviews · plain text is the language model's own wording

Aspects

share of sample, axis to 30% · ± is the sampling uncertainty around each share

  • positive
  • mixed / neutral
  • negative
  • gameplay

    102 positive · 10 negative · 4 mixed · 1 neutral

    • Extremely complex and takes an extremely long time to master (which I still haven't done), but it's a great and engaging game for history and alternative history fans.
      positive · Sep 30, 2021 · review 100263231
    • Great game , got this game from friend and this game really kills boredom it`s great game which requires you to use your strategic thinking and also i learned alot of history from this game taught me alot of things
      positive · Jun 30, 2014 · review 10988191
    • Interesting strategy, more nuanced than Civilization in diplomacy options and in events and parameters.
      positive · Jun 30, 2014 · review 10988223
  • dlc

    14 positive · 69 negative · 7 mixed · 4 neutral

    • I still don't like the EA approach to new content, but the older stuff is still very good and still very worth it.
      negative · Nov 30, 2022 · review 127648866
    • First things first, we gotta get this out of the way; [b]this game is simply DLC hell[/b], no way around it.
      negative · Apr 30, 2023 · review 137581710
    • Great game, terrible DLC policy.
      negative · May 31, 2023 · review 139336643
  • learning curve

    15 positive · 38 negative · 4 mixed · 3 neutral

    • Extremely complex and takes an extremely long time to master (which I still haven't done), but it's a great and engaging game for history and alternative history fans.
      negative · Sep 30, 2021 · review 100263231
    • practically unplayable - fonts so small - almost impossible to read - tutorial next to useless - game story line a mysterie - altogether an unmitigated desaster - a waste of money !
      negative · May 31, 2014 · review 10305376
    • A game with a steep learning curve but promises endless hours of strategizing fun.
      negative · Jan 31, 2022 · review 109202582
  • price value

    10 positive · 15 negative · 6 mixed · 7 neutral

    • I get that the game does go on sale quite regularly ($12 for the base game), and in the past there have been the rare bundle deal for most of the content for around $20, but the prices are still flat out inexcusable and still not worth it.
      negative · Apr 30, 2023 · review 137581710
    • If you don't mind though, definitely use the subscription, because it really isn't worth buying hundreds of pounds of DLC.
      negative · Jul 31, 2024 · review 171172149
    • Way too dependent on DLCs, love the game seriously, but ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ does paradox love to strap you down and milk you for money, Paradox couldn't give a ♥♥♥♥ about their audience, great game, ♥♥♥♥ paradox, DLCs are way too expensive.
      negative · Sep 30, 2025 · review 205576924
  • addictiveness

    32 positive · 0 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • + addictive
      positive · Jun 30, 2014 · review 10988006
    • addictive as ♥♥♥♥
      positive · Mar 31, 2022 · review 113137278
    • obtain the game with all it's extras, it'll have you hooked.
      positive · Mar 31, 2022 · review 113140752
  • replayability

    22 positive · 0 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • Nearly unlimited replay value.
      positive · Dec 31, 2022 · review 129813803
    • 2 games of Europa Universalis IV can never be the same even if you play the same country dozens of times, the Clausewitz engine finds new problems to throw at you through every playthrough, Paradox …
      positive · Dec 31, 2014 · review 13742675
    • Every play through is different and exciting and just when you think you get the hang of the game a new DLC drops which changes the game entirely.
      positive · May 31, 2023 · review 139342873
  • difficulty

    12 positive · 6 negative · 2 mixed · 0 neutral

    • All these things are why this game is so much fun.
      positive · May 31, 2023 · review 139342873
    • its really good, but hard
      positive · Jun 30, 2023 · review 140997972
    • Offers challenge to strong gamers, and France to those who aren't experts.
      positive · Jan 31, 2015 · review 14269610
  • content amount

    12 positive · 5 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • I still don't like the EA approach to new content, but the older stuff is still very good and still very worth it.
      positive · Nov 30, 2022 · review 127648866
    • 5/5 because I enjoy the way you can alter history and the amount of content allows the user to try new challenges everytime they play.
      positive · Dec 31, 2015 · review 20162830
    • There's so many different ways to play and different nations to play as you'll never run out of things to do.
      positive · Jan 31, 2026 · review 217278376
  • mods

    14 positive · 1 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • Although there are mods that fix the tiny text on modern monitors, I still wish there's an official patch that address this fundamental issue.
      positive · Jan 31, 2022 · review 109202582
    • Mods are also a thing, but other than that it's a great game.
      positive · Nov 30, 2022 · review 127648866
    • I think it’s honestly commendable that the community and developers have stuck around for this long trying to make the best of what’s here, especially mods like Abennar, Ante Bellum and MEIOU and Taxes which show the true potential of this game.
      positive · Apr 30, 2023 · review 137581710
  • multiplayer

    9 positive · 5 negative · 1 mixed · 0 neutral

    • The improved trade system and well working multiplayer abilities makes this one the best EU game so far, and maybe the best "manage your country"- strategy game out there right now.
      positive · Jun 30, 2014 · review 10988006
    • Multiplayer recommended.
      positive · Aug 31, 2022 · review 121539631
    • Best played in multiplayer, but fun in singleplayer nonetheless.
      positive · Nov 30, 2025 · review 212186796
see more
  • updates

    9 positive · 4 negative · 1 mixed · 0 neutral

    • pretty fun game, very fleshed out after years of support
      positive · Feb 28, 2023 · review 133830275
    • … same country dozens of times, the Clausewitz engine finds new problems to throw at you through every playthrough, Paradox outdid themselves constantly updating and implroving this game as more and more players give ideas for new mechanics and playstyles.
      positive · Dec 31, 2014 · review 13742675
    • So far this game has received quite a few updates, tweaking balance, adding/changing features.
      positive · Apr 30, 2016 · review 22728168
  • developer conduct

    1 positive · 12 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • I will ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ point to this review as to how bad The marketting is.
      negative · Apr 30, 2022 · review 114746636
    • Paradox doesn't care about their customers.
      negative · Dec 31, 2024 · review 184365280
    • The devs have abandoned the European aspect of the game in favor of obscure and irrelevant African and SE Asian nations that only a niche group care about.
      negative · Dec 31, 2015 · review 20163754
  • balance

    3 positive · 9 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • Ulm is OP
      negative · Sep 30, 2023 · review 147385703
    • The game’s system of alliances and coalitions only adds to our woes, as the infidel Christians band together at the slightest provocation, turning our just war into a struggle for survival.
      negative · Nov 30, 2023 · review 152614560
    • found this game to be awful,you can only build small armies and when it comes to an attack the ai has all of a sudden 4 times the amount of troops you could muster,so basically you are pounded into the ground without building much,bit crap
      negative · Nov 30, 2024 · review 181174297
  • ai behavior

    2 positive · 8 negative · 1 mixed · 0 neutral

    • I've spent over $300 on this, I think I deserve AI allies who don't sit in their territory while I'm in need of their help.
      negative · Jun 30, 2022 · review 117953364
    • However, the allied AI is one of the worst i've ever seen.
      negative · Jan 31, 2023 · review 131969787
    • The learning curve is steep, the AI is far superior at micro managing several countries and units, and the liklihood of being destroyed by a much powerful nation is always on the horizon.
      negative · May 31, 2023 · review 139342873
  • community

    7 positive · 3 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • Lots of good youtube content which helps you learn as you play.
      positive · Dec 31, 2022 · review 129813803
    • I think it’s honestly commendable that the community and developers have stuck around for this long trying to make the best of what’s here, especially mods like Abennar, Ante Bellum and MEIOU and Taxes which show the true potential of this game.
      positive · Apr 30, 2023 · review 137581710
    • Youtube and google is your friend for questions and some tutorials.
      positive · Jan 31, 2024 · review 157288842
  • realism

    7 positive · 3 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • With EU IV, they found the balance between an in-depth historical simulation and an easy-to-get-into strategy game.
      positive · Dec 31, 2014 · review 13746290
    • it's realistic.
      positive · Nov 30, 2024 · review 181191553
    • its a very challenging game for new players, but its worth it if ur into history, warfare, ect.
      positive · Mar 31, 2026 · review 222214626
  • stability

    0 positive · 9 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • It crashes every two months.
      negative · Oct 31, 2022 · review 124742723
    • game sucks doesnt work keeps glithing out and i cant pay
      negative · Dec 31, 2014 · review 13747908
    • Oh and maybe playtest your games.
      negative · Dec 31, 2015 · review 20163754
  • ui

    0 positive · 9 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • practically unplayable - fonts so small - almost impossible to read - tutorial next to useless - game story line a mysterie - altogether an unmitigated desaster - a waste of money !
      negative · May 31, 2014 · review 10305376
    • Although there are mods that fix the tiny text on modern monitors, I still wish there's an official patch that address this fundamental issue.
      negative · Jan 31, 2022 · review 109202582
    • Disclaimer: It wont be fun until you learn the HUD and the mechanics of the game.
      negative · May 31, 2016 · review 23312092
  • game length

    6 positive · 2 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • You will sink in for hours, only to realise your campain has barely started.
      positive · Mar 31, 2022 · review 113140752
    • 2000 hours.
      positive · Apr 30, 2022 · review 114746636
    • I spent an enormous amount of time in EU4, don't regret a second of it.
      positive · Jul 30, 2019 · review 54379885
  • player choice

    6 positive · 2 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • even though I never bought dlc for this game it's fun for a few hours a day play as you like no one cares if cheat
      positive · Feb 28, 2022 · review 111265152
    • I am a casual player but this is my single player game when I'm not in the discord with friends but this game is for someone that would like a choice game.
      positive · Jun 30, 2024 · review 168635056
    • This game gives you the ability to "shape the world" as you want which in itself is awesome.
      positive · Jun 30, 2016 · review 23966410
  • combat

    2 positive · 4 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • -Battles can be improved on.
      negative · Nov 30, 2016 · review 28091479
    • nothings perfect, so the constant pop ups drive me a bit mad, theres probably a way to stop that, the military is a hard nut to crack, but i love it.
      negative · Nov 30, 2019 · review 58815106
    • it has a dice system for battles, which is pretty eh, but otherwise an incredibly fun game.
      negative · Dec 31, 2020 · review 83688197
  • build variety

    5 positive · 0 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • All sorts of alternatives and ways to play.
      positive · Nov 30, 2021 · review 104896090
    • So much choice and yet every option seems just as valid and detailed as every other.
      positive · Jun 30, 2014 · review 10986485
    • I can play many different styles, because of the difference between nations, whether it be large or small, landlocked or coastal.
      positive · Dec 31, 2014 · review 13746290
  • lore

    5 positive · 0 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • + you can actually learn quite a bit of history from this game
      positive · Jun 30, 2014 · review 10988006
    • Great game , got this game from friend and this game really kills boredom it`s great game which requires you to use your strategic thinking and also i learned alot of history from this game taught me alot of things
      positive · Jun 30, 2014 · review 10988191
    • The creators have added history to great detail, depth of gameplay and mechanics, and you can tell they take pride in their work and the continue to add more content and update the game regularly.
      positive · Feb 28, 2017 · review 30249111
  • performance

    0 positive · 5 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • was to big if you have a labtop dont buy
      negative · Dec 31, 2017 · review 38916257
    • Engine is an old POS that is heavy single thread dependent, used to be only an issue with heavy mods but base game just get worse and worse as well.
      negative · Jun 30, 2019 · review 52661082
    • the load times for getting the game to the main menu are INSANE.
      negative · Nov 30, 2019 · review 58815106

Review timeline

monthly peak 3,591 reviews · all languages

review volume 1,000 2,000 3,000 0 positive review share 100% 50% 0% 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 Aug 2013 · 125 reviews (122 up · 3 down) · 98% positive Sep 2013 · 68 reviews (65 up · 3 down) · 96% positive Oct 2013 · 52 reviews (50 up · 2 down) · 96% positive Nov 2013 · 190 reviews (178 up · 12 down) · 94% positive Dec 2013 · 458 reviews (429 up · 29 down) · 94% positive Jan 2014 · 295 reviews (268 up · 27 down) · 91% positive Feb 2014 · 212 reviews (201 up · 11 down) · 95% positive Mar 2014 · 187 reviews (174 up · 13 down) · 93% positive Apr 2014 · 153 reviews (139 up · 14 down) · 91% positive May 2014 · 181 reviews (166 up · 15 down) · 92% positive Jun 2014 · 742 reviews (700 up · 42 down) · 94% positive Jul 2014 · 287 reviews (268 up · 19 down) · 93% positive Aug 2014 · 183 reviews (173 up · 10 down) · 95% positive Sep 2014 · 176 reviews (164 up · 12 down) · 93% positive Oct 2014 · 382 reviews (346 up · 36 down) · 91% positive Nov 2014 · 375 reviews (349 up · 26 down) · 93% positive Dec 2014 · 510 reviews (475 up · 35 down) · 93% positive Jan 2015 · 307 reviews (288 up · 19 down) · 94% positive Feb 2015 · 406 reviews (376 up · 30 down) · 93% positive Mar 2015 · 425 reviews (385 up · 40 down) · 91% positive Apr 2015 · 232 reviews (215 up · 17 down) · 93% positive May 2015 · 234 reviews (211 up · 23 down) · 90% positive Jun 2015 · 667 reviews (581 up · 86 down) · 87% positive Jul 2015 · 283 reviews (239 up · 44 down) · 84% positive Aug 2015 · 222 reviews (197 up · 25 down) · 89% positive Sep 2015 · 181 reviews (155 up · 26 down) · 86% positive Oct 2015 · 346 reviews (302 up · 44 down) · 87% positive Nov 2015 · 376 reviews (342 up · 34 down) · 91% positive Dec 2015 · 509 reviews (449 up · 60 down) · 88% positive Jan 2016 · 429 reviews (385 up · 44 down) · 90% positive Feb 2016 · 373 reviews (327 up · 46 down) · 88% positive Mar 2016 · 290 reviews (258 up · 32 down) · 89% positive Apr 2016 · 485 reviews (414 up · 71 down) · 85% positive May 2016 · 311 reviews (260 up · 51 down) · 84% positive Jun 2016 · 382 reviews (319 up · 63 down) · 84% positive Jul 2016 · 280 reviews (231 up · 49 down) · 82% positive Aug 2016 · 221 reviews (192 up · 29 down) · 87% positive Sep 2016 · 354 reviews (295 up · 59 down) · 83% positive Oct 2016 · 400 reviews (337 up · 63 down) · 84% positive Nov 2016 · 2,520 reviews (2,406 up · 114 down) · 95% positive Dec 2016 · 529 reviews (466 up · 63 down) · 88% positive Jan 2017 · 479 reviews (407 up · 72 down) · 85% positive Feb 2017 · 399 reviews (353 up · 46 down) · 88% positive Mar 2017 · 300 reviews (258 up · 42 down) · 86% positive Apr 2017 · 593 reviews (464 up · 129 down) · 78% positive May 2017 · 545 reviews (347 up · 198 down) · 64% positive Jun 2017 · 2,090 reviews (984 up · 1,106 down) · 47% positive Jul 2017 · 737 reviews (430 up · 307 down) · 58% positive Aug 2017 · 373 reviews (263 up · 110 down) · 71% positive Sep 2017 · 500 reviews (376 up · 124 down) · 75% positive Oct 2017 · 432 reviews (329 up · 103 down) · 76% positive Nov 2017 · 2,197 reviews (1,977 up · 220 down) · 90% positive Dec 2017 · 558 reviews (472 up · 86 down) · 85% positive Jan 2018 · 471 reviews (394 up · 77 down) · 84% positive Feb 2018 · 400 reviews (333 up · 67 down) · 83% positive Mar 2018 · 647 reviews (513 up · 134 down) · 79% positive Apr 2018 · 388 reviews (307 up · 81 down) · 79% positive May 2018 · 481 reviews (345 up · 136 down) · 72% positive Jun 2018 · 458 reviews (374 up · 84 down) · 82% positive Jul 2018 · 422 reviews (325 up · 97 down) · 77% positive Aug 2018 · 314 reviews (254 up · 60 down) · 81% positive Sep 2018 · 455 reviews (315 up · 140 down) · 69% positive Oct 2018 · 372 reviews (268 up · 104 down) · 72% positive Nov 2018 · 2,363 reviews (2,256 up · 107 down) · 95% positive Dec 2018 · 561 reviews (452 up · 109 down) · 81% positive Jan 2019 · 339 reviews (285 up · 54 down) · 84% positive Feb 2019 · 339 reviews (268 up · 71 down) · 79% positive Mar 2019 · 336 reviews (256 up · 80 down) · 76% positive Apr 2019 · 271 reviews (214 up · 57 down) · 79% positive May 2019 · 272 reviews (225 up · 47 down) · 83% positive Jun 2019 · 1,534 reviews (1,431 up · 103 down) · 93% positive Jul 2019 · 2,001 reviews (1,903 up · 98 down) · 95% positive Aug 2019 · 214 reviews (184 up · 30 down) · 86% positive Sep 2019 · 473 reviews (336 up · 137 down) · 71% positive Oct 2019 · 874 reviews (712 up · 162 down) · 81% positive Nov 2019 · 3,591 reviews (3,410 up · 181 down) · 95% positive Dec 2019 · 2,293 reviews (2,109 up · 184 down) · 92% positive Jan 2020 · 1,546 reviews (1,406 up · 140 down) · 91% positive Feb 2020 · 1,168 reviews (1,072 up · 96 down) · 92% positive Mar 2020 · 1,283 reviews (1,175 up · 108 down) · 92% positive Apr 2020 · 1,215 reviews (1,121 up · 94 down) · 92% positive May 2020 · 1,225 reviews (1,089 up · 136 down) · 89% positive Jun 2020 · 1,740 reviews (1,504 up · 236 down) · 86% positive Jul 2020 · 1,261 reviews (1,122 up · 139 down) · 89% positive Aug 2020 · 830 reviews (747 up · 83 down) · 90% positive Sep 2020 · 748 reviews (659 up · 89 down) · 88% positive Oct 2020 · 900 reviews (813 up · 87 down) · 90% positive Nov 2020 · 1,325 reviews (1,241 up · 84 down) · 94% positive Dec 2020 · 1,066 reviews (969 up · 97 down) · 91% positive Jan 2021 · 1,048 reviews (923 up · 125 down) · 88% positive Feb 2021 · 987 reviews (868 up · 119 down) · 88% positive Mar 2021 · 1,016 reviews (876 up · 140 down) · 86% positive Apr 2021 · 952 reviews (705 up · 247 down) · 74% positive May 2021 · 1,509 reviews (813 up · 696 down) · 54% positive Jun 2021 · 807 reviews (649 up · 158 down) · 80% positive Jul 2021 · 896 reviews (758 up · 138 down) · 85% positive Aug 2021 · 992 reviews (823 up · 169 down) · 83% positive Sep 2021 · 821 reviews (705 up · 116 down) · 86% positive Oct 2021 · 810 reviews (670 up · 140 down) · 83% positive Nov 2021 · 1,258 reviews (1,073 up · 185 down) · 85% positive Dec 2021 · 856 reviews (745 up · 111 down) · 87% positive Jan 2022 · 947 reviews (825 up · 122 down) · 87% positive Feb 2022 · 652 reviews (567 up · 85 down) · 87% positive Mar 2022 · 778 reviews (681 up · 97 down) · 88% positive Apr 2022 · 640 reviews (560 up · 80 down) · 88% positive May 2022 · 713 reviews (624 up · 89 down) · 88% positive Jun 2022 · 616 reviews (532 up · 84 down) · 86% positive Jul 2022 · 711 reviews (622 up · 89 down) · 87% positive Aug 2022 · 569 reviews (505 up · 64 down) · 89% positive Sep 2022 · 730 reviews (615 up · 115 down) · 84% positive Oct 2022 · 653 reviews (577 up · 76 down) · 88% positive Nov 2022 · 839 reviews (783 up · 56 down) · 93% positive Dec 2022 · 658 reviews (586 up · 72 down) · 89% positive Jan 2023 · 714 reviews (628 up · 86 down) · 88% positive Feb 2023 · 592 reviews (472 up · 120 down) · 80% positive Mar 2023 · 632 reviews (532 up · 100 down) · 84% positive Apr 2023 · 646 reviews (531 up · 115 down) · 82% positive May 2023 · 543 reviews (452 up · 91 down) · 83% positive Jun 2023 · 532 reviews (437 up · 95 down) · 82% positive Jul 2023 · 584 reviews (497 up · 87 down) · 85% positive Aug 2023 · 512 reviews (439 up · 73 down) · 86% positive Sep 2023 · 424 reviews (371 up · 53 down) · 88% positive Oct 2023 · 432 reviews (387 up · 45 down) · 90% positive Nov 2023 · 1,121 reviews (1,029 up · 92 down) · 92% positive Dec 2023 · 545 reviews (485 up · 60 down) · 89% positive Jan 2024 · 579 reviews (491 up · 88 down) · 85% positive Feb 2024 · 450 reviews (380 up · 70 down) · 84% positive Mar 2024 · 525 reviews (456 up · 69 down) · 87% positive Apr 2024 · 402 reviews (347 up · 55 down) · 86% positive May 2024 · 608 reviews (505 up · 103 down) · 83% positive Jun 2024 · 439 reviews (367 up · 72 down) · 84% positive Jul 2024 · 479 reviews (400 up · 79 down) · 84% positive Aug 2024 · 389 reviews (350 up · 39 down) · 90% positive Sep 2024 · 455 reviews (386 up · 69 down) · 85% positive Oct 2024 · 850 reviews (714 up · 136 down) · 84% positive Nov 2024 · 778 reviews (713 up · 65 down) · 92% positive Dec 2024 · 725 reviews (634 up · 91 down) · 87% positive Jan 2025 · 663 reviews (575 up · 88 down) · 87% positive Feb 2025 · 1,067 reviews (418 up · 649 down) · 39% positive · Steam-marked period Mar 2025 · 668 reviews (416 up · 252 down) · 62% positive · Steam-marked period Apr 2025 · 398 reviews (349 up · 49 down) · 88% positive May 2025 · 570 reviews (481 up · 89 down) · 84% positive Jun 2025 · 450 reviews (392 up · 58 down) · 87% positive Jul 2025 · 522 reviews (468 up · 54 down) · 90% positive Aug 2025 · 514 reviews (445 up · 69 down) · 87% positive Sep 2025 · 329 reviews (278 up · 51 down) · 84% positive Oct 2025 · 393 reviews (343 up · 50 down) · 87% positive Nov 2025 · 458 reviews (404 up · 54 down) · 88% positive Dec 2025 · 301 reviews (250 up · 51 down) · 83% positive Jan 2026 · 294 reviews (263 up · 31 down) · 89% positive Feb 2026 · 229 reviews (201 up · 28 down) · 88% positive Mar 2026 · 258 reviews (235 up · 23 down) · 91% positive Apr 2026 · 261 reviews (223 up · 38 down) · 85% positive May 2026 · 340 reviews (304 up · 36 down) · 89% positive Jun 2026 · 251 reviews (223 up · 28 down) · 89% positive Jul 2026 · 306 reviews (274 up · 32 down) · 90% positive Aug 2026 · 62 reviews (53 up · 9 down) · 85% positive
  • Steam-marked period

monthly share rated positive · 50% reference · months with <5 reviews faded

the timeline as a table
Reviews per month, all languages; months with no reviews are left out.
month reviews up down positive note
Aug 2013 125 122 3 98%
Sep 2013 68 65 3 96%
Oct 2013 52 50 2 96%
Nov 2013 190 178 12 94%
Dec 2013 458 429 29 94%
Jan 2014 295 268 27 91%
Feb 2014 212 201 11 95%
Mar 2014 187 174 13 93%
Apr 2014 153 139 14 91%
May 2014 181 166 15 92%
Jun 2014 742 700 42 94%
Jul 2014 287 268 19 93%
Aug 2014 183 173 10 95%
Sep 2014 176 164 12 93%
Oct 2014 382 346 36 91%
Nov 2014 375 349 26 93%
Dec 2014 510 475 35 93%
Jan 2015 307 288 19 94%
Feb 2015 406 376 30 93%
Mar 2015 425 385 40 91%
Apr 2015 232 215 17 93%
May 2015 234 211 23 90%
Jun 2015 667 581 86 87%
Jul 2015 283 239 44 84%
Aug 2015 222 197 25 89%
Sep 2015 181 155 26 86%
Oct 2015 346 302 44 87%
Nov 2015 376 342 34 91%
Dec 2015 509 449 60 88%
Jan 2016 429 385 44 90%
Feb 2016 373 327 46 88%
Mar 2016 290 258 32 89%
Apr 2016 485 414 71 85%
May 2016 311 260 51 84%
Jun 2016 382 319 63 84%
Jul 2016 280 231 49 82%
Aug 2016 221 192 29 87%
Sep 2016 354 295 59 83%
Oct 2016 400 337 63 84%
Nov 2016 2,520 2,406 114 95%
Dec 2016 529 466 63 88%
Jan 2017 479 407 72 85%
Feb 2017 399 353 46 88%
Mar 2017 300 258 42 86%
Apr 2017 593 464 129 78%
May 2017 545 347 198 64%
Jun 2017 2,090 984 1,106 47%
Jul 2017 737 430 307 58%
Aug 2017 373 263 110 71%
Sep 2017 500 376 124 75%
Oct 2017 432 329 103 76%
Nov 2017 2,197 1,977 220 90%
Dec 2017 558 472 86 85%
Jan 2018 471 394 77 84%
Feb 2018 400 333 67 83%
Mar 2018 647 513 134 79%
Apr 2018 388 307 81 79%
May 2018 481 345 136 72%
Jun 2018 458 374 84 82%
Jul 2018 422 325 97 77%
Aug 2018 314 254 60 81%
Sep 2018 455 315 140 69%
Oct 2018 372 268 104 72%
Nov 2018 2,363 2,256 107 95%
Dec 2018 561 452 109 81%
Jan 2019 339 285 54 84%
Feb 2019 339 268 71 79%
Mar 2019 336 256 80 76%
Apr 2019 271 214 57 79%
May 2019 272 225 47 83%
Jun 2019 1,534 1,431 103 93%
Jul 2019 2,001 1,903 98 95%
Aug 2019 214 184 30 86%
Sep 2019 473 336 137 71%
Oct 2019 874 712 162 81%
Nov 2019 3,591 3,410 181 95%
Dec 2019 2,293 2,109 184 92%
Jan 2020 1,546 1,406 140 91%
Feb 2020 1,168 1,072 96 92%
Mar 2020 1,283 1,175 108 92%
Apr 2020 1,215 1,121 94 92%
May 2020 1,225 1,089 136 89%
Jun 2020 1,740 1,504 236 86%
Jul 2020 1,261 1,122 139 89%
Aug 2020 830 747 83 90%
Sep 2020 748 659 89 88%
Oct 2020 900 813 87 90%
Nov 2020 1,325 1,241 84 94%
Dec 2020 1,066 969 97 91%
Jan 2021 1,048 923 125 88%
Feb 2021 987 868 119 88%
Mar 2021 1,016 876 140 86%
Apr 2021 952 705 247 74%
May 2021 1,509 813 696 54%
Jun 2021 807 649 158 80%
Jul 2021 896 758 138 85%
Aug 2021 992 823 169 83%
Sep 2021 821 705 116 86%
Oct 2021 810 670 140 83%
Nov 2021 1,258 1,073 185 85%
Dec 2021 856 745 111 87%
Jan 2022 947 825 122 87%
Feb 2022 652 567 85 87%
Mar 2022 778 681 97 88%
Apr 2022 640 560 80 88%
May 2022 713 624 89 88%
Jun 2022 616 532 84 86%
Jul 2022 711 622 89 87%
Aug 2022 569 505 64 89%
Sep 2022 730 615 115 84%
Oct 2022 653 577 76 88%
Nov 2022 839 783 56 93%
Dec 2022 658 586 72 89%
Jan 2023 714 628 86 88%
Feb 2023 592 472 120 80%
Mar 2023 632 532 100 84%
Apr 2023 646 531 115 82%
May 2023 543 452 91 83%
Jun 2023 532 437 95 82%
Jul 2023 584 497 87 85%
Aug 2023 512 439 73 86%
Sep 2023 424 371 53 88%
Oct 2023 432 387 45 90%
Nov 2023 1,121 1,029 92 92%
Dec 2023 545 485 60 89%
Jan 2024 579 491 88 85%
Feb 2024 450 380 70 84%
Mar 2024 525 456 69 87%
Apr 2024 402 347 55 86%
May 2024 608 505 103 83%
Jun 2024 439 367 72 84%
Jul 2024 479 400 79 84%
Aug 2024 389 350 39 90%
Sep 2024 455 386 69 85%
Oct 2024 850 714 136 84%
Nov 2024 778 713 65 92%
Dec 2024 725 634 91 87%
Jan 2025 663 575 88 87%
Feb 2025 1,067 418 649 39% Steam-marked period
Mar 2025 668 416 252 62% Steam-marked period
Apr 2025 398 349 49 88%
May 2025 570 481 89 84%
Jun 2025 450 392 58 87%
Jul 2025 522 468 54 90%
Aug 2025 514 445 69 87%
Sep 2025 329 278 51 84%
Oct 2025 393 343 50 87%
Nov 2025 458 404 54 88%
Dec 2025 301 250 51 83%
Jan 2026 294 263 31 89%
Feb 2026 229 201 28 88%
Mar 2026 258 235 23 91%
Apr 2026 261 223 38 85%
May 2026 340 304 36 89%
Jun 2026 251 223 28 89%
Jul 2026 306 274 32 90%
Aug 2026 62 53 9 85%

How this report was made

Population
all Steam reviews of the game (every language, purchase type, and verdict), walked newest-first per window; only English-language reviews are analyzed
Sample
555 English reviews, time-proportional draw over 157 windows (newest-first within each), taken from an all-language walk and kept English-only — where English is a minority the sample runs smaller than the draw, and every margin of error is computed at 555
Aspect yield
269 of 555 analyzed reviews carry at least one aspect (48.5%); every share on this page divides by all 555
Interval regime
calm: standard margins of error for a share of a sample (Wilson interval), no widening needed
Fetch paths
157 time windows fetched directly (windowed)
Language mix
1,000 fetched: english 558 · turkish 132 · russian 57 · 20 more
Steam-marked windows
Feb 14, 2025 – Mar 31, 2025: 2 sampled inside
Marked share
0.4% of sample inside marked windows, under the 2% floor
Narrative
passed the grounding gate first try
Evidence floor
aspects and emergent themes appear only with 5+ supporting reviews; smaller counts sit at the classifier's false-positive floor
Instrument readings
measured once on the study corpus for this model and prompt: frozen calibration, not properties of this run
· aspect tagging vs. human labels
0.766 [0.713–0.811] (F1 against a human-labeled test set; 1.0 is best)
· quotes filed under the wrong aspect
11.6% [6.6–19.6] of quotes, measured by hand on a sample; lower is better
· independent model vs. production labels
0.791 [0.772–0.810] (F1 of the production labeler against an independent judge model)
Versions
deepseek-v4-flash · prompt classify-v1 · ontology v2
Run
serve-20260809T003831Z-5cb3a6e8 · code ae36d38

full methodology in the milestone write-ups