Want a Galaxy as your playground? Then this is your game.

Stellaris is a 4X empire-builder, where you can do everything,
from creating your very own race to destroying planets (with certain mods even whole star-systems) with them.
But lets start at the beginning...

The Menu/Empire-Creation
Right at the beginning you have the option between the beautifully and well thought through Paradox-made Empires, all with backgrounds, Government types, different, uniquely animated, but still wonderfully well drawn Species-Portraits and a set of starter traits and civics, that pave the empires way across the stars, OR you just create your very own combination of said things.
There is also an seemingly unlimited number of Steam-Workshop Species created by other Players and other mods that add even more depth and also some (more noticeable) RPG-Elements to the Empire-Creation.

The Beginning
So now that you have an Empire (Or Republic or MegaCorp) you start as everything, of course, on your capital planet.
From there you set out to discover the always different but sadly not very alive galaxy (they are truly trying thou and a lot of things have indeed made the galaxy fell more like a place of living beings crawling under every... third or fourth... stone).
With nothing more than three corvetts a science- and a construction-ship you are now building the foundation of your future Empire. Then comes the very First Contact with your new best friend or worst rival, and so on...

Mid-Game
Here happens most of the stuff. Engage in Diplomacy while still discovering more of the galaxy through trade or exploration, wage wars with your enemies or begin to form pacts with others and maybe become a mighty Federation.
Also the many DLCs are set to begin here.
Find and fight gigantic Leviathans (leviathan DLC), uncover the mysteries of ancient gateways (Distant Stars DLC) and lay the foundation for massive Megastructures (Utopia)

The End-Game
Here happens the really challenging stuff, the entire game builds up to this in a myriad different ways.
Federations are tested, gigantic star empires crumble under rebellions, extradimensional invaders, and much, much more will challenge your empire and its place in history.

The Mechanics
Well ist a 4X, Grand-Strategy game so it is kinda self explaining, but still...
The game utilizes a typical strategy perspective which is mostly top down but can be changed with the mouse to any position you like. The commands are standard strategy-ish as well: selecting units you have produced and then sending them to other systems to, survey, colonize, construct infrastructure and outposts or to conquer them from your enemies and protect them with your allies. The entire game can be played with the mouse only, but Keybinds are possible, the UI is somewhat complicated and Grand at first, but after an hour or so in the game it is, if anything a little to newcomerfriendly, as for example the Fleetmanager can get quite small and annoying when having more than 15 fleets (can happen really fast), also that every ship is a fleet even when it is send to reinforce another fleet can lead to a lot of temporary fleets.

Mods
Some examples I consider to have enriched my playthroughs immensely:
Two example (vanilla-ish) Mods:
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1121692237
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1885775216

Total Conversion Mod Example:
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=688086068

The Grand Strategy Game Stellaris is delivering on all accounts and thanks to the Modsupport its even grander.
Truly a game to spent Hours straight in.
10/10 points