Europa Universalis 5 feels like the ultimate grand strategy game, drawing on Paradox's entire history—and it makes me feel like an idiot

Paradox has finally unveiled the worst-kept secret in strategy gaming: Europa Universalis 5 is coming. This reveal also means I can finally talk about my failed attempt to unite the British Isles under Scotland, my tumultuous conquest of Byzantium as the Ottomans, and how even after many hours of unravelling this behemoth it still makes me feel like a stupid child.

While Crusader Kings is the series that really introduced Paradox's complex brand of grand strategy to the wider world, the...