It's probably time to rectify that.
Crusader Kings 3, Paradox’s brilliant RPG/grand strategy hybrid, has reached a pretty significant milestone, hitting the four million sales mark a bit over four years after it launched.
Now, that’s a pretty hefty number for what you might consider a fairly niche strategy romp. Certainly, Paradox has reason to be pleased. And I don’t want to be the one to rain on the parade, but still: the number really should be greater.
I’ve been gushing about the series for about as long as I’ve been spitting out hot takes. While Baldur’s Gate 3 might be the game I gave my highest review score to (at least in the hallowed halls of PC Gamer), CK3 is my forever game.
Every time I start up a new game, picking another dynasty to lead to glory or ignominy, I am still stunned by the absurdity of what’s on offer here—especially when you throw in the DLC.
I can spend the weekend creating a Viking kingdom in Egypt; craft my own bespoke, complex religion; bless the world with an entirely new culture; engage in some cannibalism; host the grandest tournaments the medieval world has ever seen; or just set off on a meandering adventure around the world, making friends, enemies and lovers.
My particular videogame fetish is the crafting of wholly original stories that sprout out of random events and my own whims. It’s why I’m getting stuck into Oblivion Remastered today, why I fell in love with Mount & Blade 2, and why I will never stop yammering on about CK3.
It continues to be the ultimate bizarro story generator. And through the exceptional bounty of mods on offer, I can take those stories to Middle-earth, or live my unlife to the fullest in the Vampire: The Masquerade total conversion.
So yeah, more of you lot should be playing this weird sandbox. And yes, if you have to ask, I am still pretty sore about our 2020 GOTY going to Death bloody Stranding instead of the actual best game of the year. I’m still planning my revenge.
If you are a bit tempted to check it out for the first time, you’ve picked a good moment. The last expansion, Roads to Power, is one of the best DLCs Paradox has ever developed, fully committing to the incredible RPG side of things by letting you become a wandering, landless noble, getting into scrapes and only putting down roots for long enough to get some coin and some stories.
And the upcoming Khans of the Steppe expansion is a pretty exciting prospect, too, allowing you to sit atop your horse as a khan, leading your nomadic horde towards all those tantalisingly wealthy cities, all begging to be pillaged.
Even though it’s been kicking around since 2020, it’s only getting bigger and better, and you probably don’t want to miss out.
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