Simulation · May 9, 2016

Stellaris (2016)

Stellaris (2016) scores 86% positive on Steam from 185.4k reviews, 78 Metacritic, developed by Paradox Development Studio.

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Stellaris (2016) is a Simulation title from Paradox Development Studio available on Windows, macOS, Linux. The title carries a 86% Steam positive rating across 185.4k reviews, a 78/100 Metacritic score, and 13.7k peak concurrent players — making it a measurable reference point when comparing to peers in the Simulation category.

Get ready to explore, discover and interact with a multitude of species as you journey among the stars. Forge a galactic empire by sending out science ships to survey and explore, while construction ships build stations around newly discovered planets. Discover buried treasures and galactic wonders as you spin a direction for your society, creating limitations and evolutions for your explorers. Alliances will form and wars will be declared. Like all our Grand Strategy games, the adventure evolves with time. Because free updates are a part of any active Paradox game, you can continue to grow and expand your empire with new technologies and capabilities. What will you find beyond the stars? Only you can answer that. DEEP AND VARIED EXPLORATION Every game begins with a civilization that has just discovered the means to travel between stars and is ready to explore the galaxy. Have your science ships survey and explore anomalies, leading you into a myriad of quests, introducing strange worlds with even stranger stories and discoveries that may completely change your outcome. STUNNING SPACE VISUALS With characteristically complex unique planets and celestial bodies, you will enter a whirlwind of spectacles in a highly detailed universe. INFINITE VARIATION OF SPECIES AND ADVANCED DIPLOMACY Through customization and procedural generation, you will encounter infinitely varied races. Choose positive or negative traits, specific ideologies, limitations, evolutions or anything you can imagine. Interact with others through the advanced diplomacy system. Diplomacy is key in a proper grand strategy adventure. Adjust your strategy to your situation through negotiation and skill. INTERSTELLAR WARFARE An eternal cycle of war, diplomacy, suspicions and alliances await you. Defend or attack with fully customizable war fleets, where adaptation is the key to victory. Choose from an array of complex technologies when designing and customizing your ships with the complex ship designer. You have a multitude of capabilities to choose from to meet the unknown quests that await. ENORMOUS PROCEDURAL GALAXIES Grow and expand your empire with thousands of randomly generated planet types, galaxies, quests and monsters lurking in space. PLAY THE WAY YOU WANT Customize your Empire! The characters you choose, be it a murderous mushroom society or an engineering reptile race, can be customized with traits like ethics, type of technology, form of preferred space travel, type of habitat, philosophies and more. The direction of the game is based on your choices. FREE UPDATE HISTORY

Release & Availability

Release date May 9, 2016
Developer Paradox Development Studio
Publisher Paradox Interactive
Base price $9.99 -75%
DLC / Add-ons 32 released
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux
Estimated owners 1M–10M
External links Official site · Metacritic page · Support · [email protected]

Release timeline

Stellaris launched on May 9, 2016.

Studio and publishing

The title was developed by Paradox Development Studio and published by Paradox Interactive.

Platform support

Playable natively on Windows, macOS, Linux.

Packages & editions

  • Buy Stellaris

  • Subscribe to Stellaris: Expansion Subscription

Reception & Reviews

Steam community score

Steam users rate Stellaris 86% positive across 185.4k reviews — categorised as Very Positive.

159.5k positive · 26.0k negative

Critic consensus (Metacritic)

Critics aggregated on Metacritic awarded a 78/100 score.

Read the critics →

User score

Metacritic user score stands at 8.0/10.

Curator & community recommendations

Steam curators and players have issued 136.6k recommendations for this title.

Peak concurrent players

Peak concurrent Steam players reached 13.7k — a measurement of how active the playerbase got at launch or during a surge.

Press quotes

“Calling Stellaris Europa Universalis in space is probably reductive, but it was the first thing I did in this review not because they are almost exactly alike, but because, when I put away my empires and get on with my day, the stories that have played out in these digital worlds embed themselves in my brain, and I so desperately…

Gameplay Profile

Genres

  • Simulation
  • Strategy

Community tag consensus

  • Space · 2.6k
  • Grand Strategy · 2.2k
  • Strategy · 2.2k
  • Sci-fi · 2.1k
  • 4X · 2.0k
  • Exploration · 2.0k
  • Sandbox · 1.9k
  • Simulation · 1.9k
  • Multiplayer · 1.1k
  • Singleplayer · 992
  • Real-Time with Pause · 985
  • Moddable · 969

Playtime profile

Community average playtime is 133 hours, with a median of 28 hours — a extensive (100+ hours) commitment. Two-week average sits at 10 hours per active player.

Steam achievements

The title ships with 211 Steam achievements to unlock.

Languages supported

Interface / subtitles: English, French, German, Spanish – Spain, Polish, Portuguese – Brazil, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Korean.

Frequently Asked Questions

When was Stellaris released?

Stellaris was released on May 9, 2016 by Paradox Development Studio.

Is Stellaris worth playing?

Based on 185.4k Steam reviews, Stellaris holds a 86% positive rating (Very Positive) — suggesting the game resonates with most players who try it.

What platforms does Stellaris support?

Stellaris runs natively on Windows, macOS, Linux.

How much does Stellaris cost?

Base price on Steam is $9.99 (before seasonal discounts).

What Metacritic score did Stellaris receive?

Critics rated Stellaris 78/100 on Metacritic.