It saddens me to no end that Paradox time after time put profit over the players. 600 hours ago I wrote a review recommending this game to people but I cannot do that anymore. I have left that old review at the bottom if you are interested in reading it but its safe to say that I am going to take a break from this game.

The 4.0 release was a joke. Crash to desktop bugs, constant desyncs in multiplayer and unfinished content with bugs to no end, even after 15 patches, yes 15! in the span of about 2-3 weeks, this game is far from playable. The promised performance improvements have not come to fruition, instead we got even worse AI than before, a new pop system that mind you I actually think is an improvement over the old pop system but implemented probably as an after thought modification of an already bastardised tile mechanic which just leads to problems.

I tried to look past the problems, tried to enjoy the new content, but considering the new ships that came with this update desync your game, I didn't get to enjoy them much. Instead we got game breaking exploits in the form of never before seen pop modifying outputs stacking to millions of % boost which ended up taking your science into stack overflow and getting negative science... lol.

After about the 4th multiplayer playthrough (because playing against this dog AI is less than entertaining), we decided to give up due to extreme frustration over the sync issues, newly implemented features that make the game even more tedious to play and the lack of good game design mindset that continues to plague this game update after update.

I know a lot of people would gladly pay for a performance / general ergonomic DLC that would address some of the common frustrations players have but instead we get even more broken garbage, and I have had enough. I think it was around the 6th hour of a playthrough where I was managing only a handful of planets but constantly having to babysit them like never before, that this game broke me. I realised that this was no longer fun... I didn't have time to actually play a strategy game anymore, it was just an economy simulator with a little combat slapped on the back of it, but even that sucks because it causes massive amounts of lag when you get to anything meaningful and potentially fun.

So potential players, unless you enjoy a buggy, laggy, broken mess that has terrible UI features and doesn't allow you to avoid excessive, and I mean EXCESSIVE even for me (and I don't shy away from a grind), repetitive actions for hours on end. Then by all means, go support this game and buy all the DLCs, fatten the pockets of Paradox just that little bit more while the do jack about actually fixing the big problems in this game.

To summarise, don't buy this. Unless Paradox changes its MO, I wouldn't touch this game with a 10 foot pole.
For context, this is currently my most played game on Steam, but I do have similar hours in DayZ and a few other games. Only exceed by FAF which is a far superior strategy game.

See below what my review USED to be...


Well well, 900 hours later I can without a shadow of a doubt recommend this game to anyone interested in the space strategy genre. With an active community and development scene, new DLC's dropping on a regular basis and free content improving the base game every update, the game never feels stale. There is a world of choice when it comes to how you wish to play the game and even if you choose to play the same empire over multiple games, you won't ever play the same game twice.
You want to conquer the galaxy and be the almighty overlord that leads the AI to victory against the end game crisis? Check. You feel like manipulating the galaxy from the shadows and revealing your true power by becoming Palpatine and proclaiming the galactic imperium? Check. You want to play with some mates and have a blast by creating a role play empire that has deep lore and determines the actions you take during the game? Check. Ever thought about becoming a hermit and living underground where the xenos cannot find you? Check!
While the wall of DLC's can look scary the base game is still a wonderful experience on its own. Once you find your style or feel like changing things up, do a little research and get the DLC's that make the most sense for you or join other multiplayer games where the host owns the DLCs you want to play with.
In any case I wish all of you the best of luck and many successful conquests.