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Very PositiveMetacritic 78SimulationStrategy

Stellaris

Explore a galaxy full of wonders in this sci-fi grand strategy game from Paradox Development Studios. Interact with diverse alien races, discover strange new worlds with unexpected events and expand the reach of your empire. Each new adventure holds almost limitless possibilities.

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Guides for Stellaris

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No guide published yet. We only publish when a game has at least three verifiable sources and three verbatim player quotes. This game is queued for review.

About this game

Developer description

Quoted from the Steam store page. Read the full description

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. Stellaris now includes the base game, three expansion packs, and a collection of digital goods.   Stellaris: Chart a vast, procedurally generated galaxy where every star system holds a new mystery to uncover or an alien civilization to encounter.…

Player sentiment

What players actually say

All Steam reviews ↗
86%positive · Very Positive
76.9K Steam reviews · Nov 3, 2026
“Started the game wanting to play as a xenophile empire and explore the wonders of the galaxy and expand my borders through friendly diplomacy, 400 years into the future and my empire sends thousands of ships daily to the meat grinder fighting in an endless war on all sides against filthy xeno scum, eldtrich horrors…”
Ozner

386h played · 591 helpful

Steam ↗
“I'm an old guy who has been playing computer games since the days of the BBC computer. When I grew up in the late 1960's I liked reading classic science fiction - and playing Stellaris is like being immersed in one of those books. James Blish or Isaac Asimov would have LOVED this game!”
jimbibby

2913h played · 940 helpful

Steam ↗
“Started playing Stellaris around 3 years ago when i retired, thinking Space/Strategy thinking"Food for Thought" Its not the future what hold's us back its the past, i am 69 this year, it's never to late. " Let' do it"”
d.j.kearney

1738h played · 807 helpful

Steam ↗
“buy it. spend 500 hours learning it. get bored for a while, come back. remember nothing. spend 500 more hours relearning it. 12/10”
palindrome8

1221h played · 349 helpful

Steam ↗

Quotes are copied word for word and linked to the original review. We never paraphrase a player and present it as their words.

Media

Screenshots

Stellaris screenshotStellaris screenshotStellaris screenshotStellaris screenshotStellaris screenshotStellaris screenshot

Images: Paradox Interactive via Steam, shown for editorial coverage.

Specs

System requirements

Published by the developer on Steam. Not our own benchmark.

minimum

Minimum:
  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
  • OS: Windows® 10 Home 64 Bit
  • Processor: Intel® iCore™ i3-530 or AMD® FX-6350
  • Memory: 4 GB RAM
  • Graphics: Nvidia® GeForce™ GTX 460 or AMD® ATI Radeon™ HD 5870 (1GB VRAM), or AMD® Radeon™ RX Vega 11 or Intel® HD Graphics 4600
  • DirectX: Version 9.0c
  • Network: Broadband Internet connection
  • Storage: 10 GB available space
  • Sound Card: Direct X 9.0c- compatible sound card
  • Additional Notes: Controller support: 3-button mouse, keyboard and speakers. Special multiplayer requirements: Internet Connection

recommended

Recommended:
  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
  • OS: Windows® 10 Home 64 Bit
  • Processor: Intel® iCore™ i5-3570K or AMD® Ryzen™ 5 2400G
  • Memory: 4 GB RAM
  • Graphics: Nvidia® GeForce™ GTX 560 Ti (1GB VRAM) or AMD® Radeon™ R7 370 (2 GB VRAM)
  • DirectX: Version 12
  • Network: Broadband Internet connection
  • Storage: 10 GB available space
  • Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c-compatible sound card
  • Additional Notes: Controller support: 3-button mouse, keyboard and speakers. Special multiplayer requirements: Internet Connection

FAQ

Common questions

When was Stellaris released?+

Steam lists the release date as May 9, 2016.

What platforms is Stellaris available on?+

Windows, macOS, Linux

How is Stellaris reviewed on Steam?+

Very Positive — 86% of 76.9K steam reviews are positive, captured Nov 3, 2026.