Europa Universalis V is the latest installment in Paradox Interactive’s long-running grand strategy series. The game begins in 1337, at the onset of the Hundred Years’ War, and lets you shape nearly five centuries of world history—covering events like the Reformation, the age of colonization, the rise and fall of empires, and countless other historical turning points. Rather than following a scripted storyline, history unfolds based on your decisions within a dynamic, simulated world. One of the key new features is an overhauled population system: individual population groups within your empire now have distinct cultural, religious, and social identities. These have to be taken into account when making political and military decisions, leading to more realistic internal conflicts like uprisings or religious tensions.