Paradox Interactive has shown off another new gameplay deep dive for its highly anticipated strategy title, Europa Universalis 5, this time focusing on the Religion, Culture, and Military features.
Religion has always played a pivotal role in history, so Europa Universalis 5 will make it a centerpiece of its gameplay, featuring 300 distinct religions that accurately represent the spiritual diversity of the early modern world. They will be structured into denominations under broader religious groups, with Christianity encompassing traditions such as Catholicism and Orthodoxy, and the Buddhist religious group expanding to the Far East (Sanjiao, Shintoism, Theravada, Eastern Buddhism).
Each religion has its own unique bonuses, limitations, interactions, and customization available, meaning no two will result in the same gameplay experience.
Culture in Europa Universalis 5 has expanded considerably, now featuring over 2,000 different cultures, each boasting its own unique set of aspirations, acceptance levels, and more, depending on your primary culture. Cultural opinion defines the relationship between two cultures, with all five levels of opinions listed below:
- Enemy – This culture sees your culture as a lifetime enemy, they will be heavily dissatisfied and rebellious being a part of your nation. Enemy cultures cannot be tolerated or accepted.
- Negative – This culture sees your culture negatively, they will also be dissatisfied but can be managed if their needs and wants are met. Negative cultures cannot be accepted.
- Neutral – This culture neither sees your nation negatively or positively. They can be both tolerated and accepted.
- Positive – This culture sees your culture positively and cheaper to tolerate and accept in your nation compared to neutral opinion.
- Kindred – This culture sees your culture as kindred friends, almost one in the same. They are much cheaper to tolerate and accept in your nation.
Europa Universalis 5 is set to release for PC (Steam) on November 4, 2025. Be sure to check back to Simulation Daily for more updates, including next week’s development diary, which is set to cover all of the Military and War aspects of the game. You can also look at previous posts, including content for Trade and Economics, a dedication to the new Pope, and more.