Stellaris

Stellaris is a science fiction grand strategy game from Paradox Development Studio. A game begins with a civilization at the start of its interstellar age and develops through exploration, colonization, research, diplomacy, economy and war into its own galactic history.

Galaxies are generated procedurally. Empires can be heavily customized through species traits, ethics, government types, origins and other rules, so the setup and political options of a campaign can vary significantly.

The PC version was released on May 9, 2016. Stellaris: Console Edition followed on Feb 26, 2019 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Since Nov 6, 2025, there are also native versions for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Paradox continues to develop Stellaris over the long term. Major expansions regularly change permanent systems and ways of playing. In 2026, older core DLCs were, among other things, added to the base game, and Nomads added another major PC expansion.

Native versions exist for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. The PC version covers Windows, macOS and Linux or SteamOS. The PS5 and Xbox Series versions are standalone native versions and are not derived solely from backward compatibility.

Stellaris combines real-time grand strategy with pausable game speed. Science ships explore star systems and anomalies, while colony ships, starbases and fleets expand an empire's influence.

Research, economy, population growth and politics interlock. Diplomacy ranges from trade and federations to rivalries and vassal relationships. In war, fleets are made up of individually configured ship classes.

Stellaris has been expanded for years through major expansions, story packs, species packs and free system updates. Notable expansions include Utopia, Federations, Nemesis, Overlord, The Machine Age, BioGenesis and Nomads.

In May 2026, Utopia, Synthetic Dawn and the Humanoids Species Pack were permanently integrated into the PC base game. Nomads introduced nomadic empires with arkships, wayline networks and a contract system in June 2026.

On Windows, Stellaris requires at least Windows 10 (64-bit), an Intel Core i3-530 or AMD FX-6350, 4 GB RAM and a GeForce GTX 460 or comparable graphics. Recommended are a Core i5-3570K or Ryzen 5 2400G, plus a GeForce GTX 560 Ti or Radeon R7 370.

The PC version also supports macOS and Linux or SteamOS.

A campaign begins with an empire you define yourself. Species, ethics, government type, civics and origin determine starting conditions and long-term options. Science ships uncover star systems, explore anomalies and run into event chains, alien civilizations and space fauna.

The procedural structure means political neighborhoods, resources, crises and events vary greatly between games. The core long-term loop consists of expansion, specialization, diplomacy and dealing with galactic power shifts.

The PC version supports single player, multiplayer and Steam Workshop. This lets community mods be added directly via Steam.

On PlayStation, the Console Edition supports online games with up to four players. PC and console versions are maintained separately, as their update and DLC schedules are not identical.

Stellaris: Console Edition brings the grand strategy structure to controllers and console interfaces. The original PS4 and Xbox One versions came out in 2019.

The native PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions from 2025 offer, according to Paradox, improved performance, 4K output and additional options for galaxy size. Existing players received a free upgrade on supported platforms for this.

Stellaris: Willpower launches on Nov 23, 2026 for PC. The expansion introduces ideologies that let empires spread their beliefs beyond their own borders. Highly pronounced ethics can give rise to political doctrines that gain influence through starbases, hyperrelays and ideological broadcasters. If an ideology lacks support, tensions and uprisings can break out within your own empire.

Galactic Halls strengthen influence across colonies or carry it from border systems into neighboring areas. They can be relocated. Federations can set a shared ideology, espionage actions weaken foreign beliefs, and the Force of Will ambition opens a path to victory that combines spreading your own ideology with defeating all Fallen Empires.

The three new origins Golden Generation, Lost Makers and Great Mosaic focus on training leaders, a machine intelligence searching for its creators, and a free start with an extra country trait. Also included are five fanatic country traits, eight ideological paragons, more than 40 events and new buildings. Willpower is part of Season 10 and launches alongside the free 4.6 “Corona Borealis” update.

With Scenarios, Paradox is planning additional standalone challenges for Stellaris. The developer diary from Oct 8, 2026 moves the system, previously announced for late 2026, to update 4.7 “Capricornus”. The new target is Q1 2027. The older Season 10 roadmap still shows Q4 2026. Exact scenario rules and specific release dates are not confirmed.