Europa Universalis 4 release date set for August, pre-orders now live

Paradox have revealed the date of their upcoming grand strategy sequel, Europa Universalis IV. You'll be able to trade, war, diplomatize and explorate your empire towards global dominance come August 13th. In celebration of the announcement, the studio has released a trailer showing 47 seconds of hot cartographic action.

Mmm, maps.

Pre-orders are now live, with early buyers gaining access to the 100 Years War Unit Pack for free. The DLC adds "unique unit models to the belligerent nations of the 100 Years War".

I'm interested to see how this one performs. Historically, Paradox's Clausewitz engine powered strategies have had a reputation for being on the wrong side of impenetrable. But Crusader Kings 2 was a huge success for the developer, and I think it's gone a long way to dispel the image of these games as being dry or over-complicated. That said, it remains to be seen whether CK2 fans are happy to make the voyage to Paradox's older, less character-driven strategy series.

Are you planning to tactically ravage these particular maps?

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Phil has been writing for PC Gamer for nearly a decade, starting out as a freelance writer covering everything from free games to MMOs. He eventually joined full-time as a news writer, before moving to the magazine to review immersive sims, RPGs and Hitman games. Now he leads PC Gamer's UK team, but still sometimes finds the time to write about his ongoing obsessions with Destiny 2, GTA Online and Apex Legends. When he's not levelling up battle passes, he's checking out the latest tactics game or dipping back into Guild Wars 2. He's largely responsible for the whole Tub Geralt thing, but still isn't sorry.