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Crusader Kings II

Crusader Kings II

Paradox Development Studio · released Feb 14, 2012

RPGSimulationStrategyFree To PlayPC

Explore one of the defining periods in world history in an experience crafted by the masters of Grand Strategy.

Steam page ↗Metacritic 82 · users 8.6 ↗
84
VGC Score
■Stablehigh confidence
86%
At launch
91%
Steam all-time
82%
Press
85%
Player sentiment
93%
Recent sentiment

Screenshots & trailers

What players say

Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 299 sampled Steam reviews (251 positive / 48 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.

What positive reviews talk about

  • Story & writing5% mention it

What negative reviews complain about

  • Controls & UI13% mention it

Satisfaction by hours played

Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.

Under 5h

62%

50 reviews

5-15h

75%

48 reviews

15-40h

85%

33 reviews

40-100h

88%

43 reviews

100h+

94%

125 reviews

Review sentiment over time

Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.

How this score was computed

The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.

ComponentPositiveQuality (0-100)Weight (pseudo-reviews)
Press reviews (Metacritic)–826
All-time Steam reviews91%851000
Metacritic user ratings–9024
Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted)93%8757
Calibration prior (typical game)–7250

Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 156 reviews sampled · 164 total reviews in window · weighted 119.8 up / 9.3 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →

Press & Creators reviews (31)

Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.

  • 95
    GameWatcherGameWatcher
    trust 69Feb 13, 2012

    “Whilst the subject matter and the set-up may not be to everyone's liking, Crusader Kings II is definitely the most impressive Paradox game to date. The game mechanics are an interesting twist on a well-known genre, the code itself is highly polished, and it's just a really fun and interesting game to play. ”

    read full review ↗
  • 91
    GameShark
    trust 67Feb 29, 2012

    “This is a brilliant game, a masterful work by the people at Paradox. Perhaps the biggest praise I can give it is that I plan on playing it on a regular basis far beyond the time it takes to review it. It's rare when a game captures my imagination to this degree, but Crusader Kings II still has its hooks in me.”

    read full review ↗
  • 90
    EurogamerEurogamer
    trust 66Feb 24, 2012

    “So deep, so intensive, a great challenge, Cruasder Kings II is the best strategic game of the last years and the mature child of Paradox's evolution.”

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    GameSpotGameSpot
    trust 66Feb 16, 2012

    “Through a complex system of diplomacy and backstabbing, Crusader Kings II makes every power struggle an engrossing one.”

    read full review ↗
  • 70
    PC PowerPlay
    trust 64Apr 27, 2012

    “A brilliant treatment of feudalism in terms of strategy and story, but requires major investment to overcome information overload. [May 2012, p.52]”

    read full review ↗
  • 87
    PC GamerPC Gamer
    trust 64Mar 21, 2012

    “With unconventional subtleties like plotting, matchmaking and title distribution, CK2 never cramps your creativity with mundane victory conditions. [May 2012, p.67]”

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    GameSpy
    trust 63Feb 22, 2012

    “The historical accuracy of Crusader Kings II leaves a little bit to be desired, and the restriction of only being able to play Christian dynasties is frustrating given the dynamism of the Middle East in that era. Yet when actually playing the game, there's always something to keep me motivated to keep going. There's always a plot that can be instigated, or a war with victory just out of reach, or an heir to find a suitable wife for. That's what makes a great strategy game, albeit one that tantalizingly feels like it could be even greater if it'd cut out some of the barriers to entry.”

    read full review ↗
  • 90
    LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    trust 62Mar 22, 2012

    “One of the best strategies we have ever got from Paradox Interactive, Crusader Kings II offers a huge amount of sophisticated entertainment in the rich and living medieval world. [March 2012]”

  • 95
    Absolute Games
    trust 62Mar 13, 2012

    “The best Paradox Interactive game to date. No game has ever explored feudalism so deeply.”

    read full review ↗
  • 60
    Quarter to Three
    trust 61Mar 1, 2012

    “But there's something mildly sadistic about Crusader Kings II's complexity and reach. Maybe even passively aggressively sadistic. I'm not saying it's not accessible, becuase it is, to an extent. ”

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    IGNIGN
    trust 61Mar 5, 2012

    “One of the surprising things about Crusader Kings II is that, for a Paradox title, it's actually relatively easy to pick up. ”

    read full review ↗
  • 79
    PC Master (Greece)
    trust 61Mar 12, 2012

    “Its presentation is poor compared to similar titles, but it's what is required. But in the most important element, gameplay, Crusader Kings 2 has no match. It offers a cornucopia of options that grant us the ability to organize our strategy plan in extreme detail. [April 2012]”

…and 19 more tracked reviews.

Patch history

  1. Hotfix Patch 3.3.5.1
    Sep 28, 2021
  2. CKII Subscription Service Update
    Sep 16, 2021
  3. Patch for MAC users: OSX Big Sur
    Feb 8, 2021significant · resets scoring window
  4. CK3 - August Update
    Aug 28, 2020
  5. CK3 - June Update
    Jun 26, 2020
  6. April and May Update
    May 29, 2020
  7. 3.3.3 Patch Released!
    May 15, 2020
  8. CK3 - March Update
    Mar 27, 2020
  9. CK3 - February Update
    Feb 28, 2020
  10. CK3 - January Update
    Jan 31, 2020
  11. CK3 - December Update
    Dec 20, 2019
  12. Crusader Kings 3 - November Update
    Nov 29, 2019
  13. Vote for Crusader Kings II as nominee in the Labour of Love Category!
    Nov 26, 2019
  14. 3.2.1 Patch Released!
    Jun 4, 2019
  15. Crusader Kings II: 3.2 Iron Century is now live!
    May 28, 2019significant · resets scoring window
  16. Finale and Patchnotes
    May 24, 2019
  17. Patch 3.1.1 is now live!
    May 16, 2019significant · resets scoring window
  18. A Great Patch
    May 10, 2019
  19. Crusader Kings II: 3.1 Great Works Update is now live!
    Apr 2, 2019significant · resets scoring window
  20. 3.1 'Great Works' Patchnotes
    Mar 29, 2019
  21. 3.1 Great Works is in the Works
    Mar 8, 2019
  22. Crusader Kings 3.0.1.1 hotfix patch released!
    Jan 17, 2019
  23. Crusader Kings II: 3.0.1 Update is live!
    Dec 5, 2018significant · resets scoring window
  24. Crusader Kings II: 3.0 Update is live! (PXTU)
    Nov 13, 2018significant · resets scoring window