UPDATE (06/07/23): Paragons is a decent DLC with some interesting mechanical changes and a lot of QoL improvements, but one specific change has made playing on anything other than tiny maps insufferable: leaders are now soft capped, but science ships still require leaders to function. Change science ships to cost more (like colony ships) and take away the scientist requirement, then I'll recommend the game again. As is, it's extremely annoying to play.

Original Review: This is probably the most well realized 4X of all time. There's very little you could think to suggest that Paradox has not already implemented in some fashion. Does that make it the BEST 4X of all time? Ehhhhhhhhhh... maybe. It's in the running, for sure. Very expensive DLC (that is quite hit or miss), a lack of any reasonable tutorial, and occasionally unacceptably buggy behavior all bring it down, but the core is still extremely satisfying, and even sans DLC, massive updates have been routinely made to the base game. If the thought of playing Twilight Imperium has ever appealed to you, but you have too many hours and not enough friends, this is a very good substitute. Put on a tutorial video and play along; within half an hour you won't need it anymore because you'll already have some idea of how you want to solve the problems of your burgeoning empire, and your journey into the land without sleep will begin.

UPDATE (06/07/23): Paragons is a decent DLC with some interesting mechanical changes and a lot of QoL improvements, but one specific change has made playing on anything other than tiny maps insufferable: leaders are now soft capped, but science ships still require leaders to function. Change science ships to cost more (like colony ships) and take away the scientist requirement, then I'll recommend the game again. As is, it's extremely annoying to play. Original Review: This is probably the most well realized 4X of all time. There's very little you could think to suggest that Paradox has not already implemented in some fashion. Does that make it the BEST 4X of all time? Ehhhhhhhhhh... maybe. It's in the running, for sure. Very expensive DLC (that is quite hit or miss), a lack of any reasonable tutorial, and occasionally unacceptably buggy behavior all bring it down, but the core is still extremely satisfying, and even sans DLC, massive updates have been routinely made to the base game. If the thought of playing Twilight Imperium has ever appealed to you, but you have too many hours and not enough friends, this is a very good substitute. Put on a tutorial video and play along; within half an hour you won't need it anymore because you'll already have some idea of how you want to solve the problems of your burgeoning empire, and your journey into the land without sleep will begin.