If you like flexibility, though, CK2 is the better choice. If you don’t want the challenge of multimanaging a large nation, you can focus on smaller things (like political marriages) that are more interesting to you.ĮU4 has multimanagment built-in. With CK2, you can make things as easy or as difficult to manage as you want. This includes trade, diplomacy, peace deals, and more. Despite the relative simplicity of your goals, the gameplay still involves managing lots of small details. If you like the idea of managing even the smallest details of your nation, then EU4 is the game for you. But in the world of videogames, micromanagement can be pretty damn fun. No one likes to be micromanaged at work or around the house. In real life, “micromanagement” has become a dirty word. If you want something closer to a standard RTS experience, though, EU4 is your best bet. If you like RPGs, you’ll probably like CK2 a lot more than EU4. At the end of the day, your focus is on your family and your dynasty rather than an entire nation. Most of your gameplay comes down to manipulating your relationships with other people. It is a game about nations, numbers, and little else.ĬK2 is basically an RPG. You are mostly driven by numbers: the size of your forces, the number of your resources, and so on. It is truly like comparing apples and oranges.įor example, EU4 is more of a traditional RTS game. Part of what makes this comparison so difficult is that these are very different games. But if you just want something you can mostly learn in a long weekend, EU4 is your best bet. One person’s steep learning curve is another person’s extended gaming experience. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, of course. In fact, veteran players often mention that they played the game for more than 100 hours before they really knew what they were doing.

While it may take time to truly master the game, you can learn your way around basic combat, diplomacy, and trade very quickly.ĬK2 has a much longer learning curve. Learning Curve LengthĪ related question newbies usually have: what is the learning curve for each game? It’s a good question because the answers vary quite a bit!įor better or for worse, EU4 has a far shorter learning curve. But the basic EU4 gameplay is much simpler than CK2, a game where you are forced to navigate very complex relationships and secret plots that require more subtlety than brute force. There is a lot of micromanagement you must master to get the most out of the game. Now, this doesn’t mean that EU4 is completely simple. In that way, EU4 is more accessible to anyone who has played a standard “expand and conquer” style RTS game. That’s because, for all the fun twists it offers, the basic gameplay is all about expanding your empire and conquering other people. Generally speaking, EU4 is a more beginner-friendly game. Simplicity vs ComplexityĪre you new to strategy games in general? In that case, your biggest question is probably about which game is easier for beginners to begin playing. If you’d rather play through the Renaissance and see its effects on the world, you’re better off playing EU4. What does this mean for players? If you get a kick out of the medieval time period, CK2 is going to be your best bet. Relatively speaking, Europa Universalis IV is a bit more modern. With the right DLC, though, you can actually start as early as 769. With Crusader Kings 2, you start anywhere between 10. If you’re a history buff, this may help you decide which game to play first. The first factor we need to look at is the time period of the two games. Which game, then, is better? We’re going to compare these two titles in a number of areas to try to find the answer! A Tale of Two Time Periods Trying to figure out which game to play next? Both Europa Universalis IV and Crusader Kings II offer deep content, fun DLC, and a dedicated base of players. Instead, the problem is finding time to really dive into a good strategy title. The problem isn’t finding a good game anymore. If you love good strategy games, it’s a hell of a time to be alive.

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