Europa Universalis V - PC performance graphics benchmarks of Graphics Cards and Processors
We conducted a review and benchmarks Europa Universalis V on video cards of different generations, starting from RTX 3060 to RTX 5090 и RX 6700 to RX 9070 XT and various processors AMD и Intel. Revealed the real system requirements, real SPF, and also during the tests we conducted we assessed graphic display quality the game itself.
| THE GRAFICAL PART |
This subsection of our review highlights the main graphical aspects of this game. Particular attention is paid to the version of the graphics engine used, the version of the API used, graphic settings and the quality of development of the main visual aspects.
| Supported OS and Graphics API |
Europa Universalis V builds on the series' strategic foundation the new generation of the Clausewitz 2 engine, improving map processing, lighting, and world simulation. The game uses DirectX 12, supports interface scaling for 4K resolutions and increased detail at close zoom levels.
System Requirements
Minimal:
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OS: Windows 10 Home 64-bit
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Processor: Intel Core i7-8700K / AMD Ryzen 5 3600
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Memory: 16 GB
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Video card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB) / AMD Radeon RX 580 (8 GB)
Recommended:
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OS: Windows 11 (64 bit)
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Processor: Intel Core i7-14700K / AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
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Memory: 32 GB
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Video card: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (8 GB) / AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT (12 GB)
| DEVELOPMENT HISTORY |
Europa Universalis V has become one of the most anticipated strategy games of recent years. Development of the game began under the codename "Project Caesar" around 2020, when Paradox Tinto (a new division of Paradox Interactive) took on the task of rebooting the renowned series. At the time of its announcement, on May 8, 2025, the developers stated that the game would span the period from 1337 to 1837—five centuries of history.
The project was accompanied by high expectations: fans of the series wanted not just a sequel, but a new step forward—a deeper simulation, broader mechanics, and better optimization. However, there were also compromises during development: some mechanics from previous installments had to be reworked or removed to ensure the game's stability and control. For example, the system for automating economic and military processes was introduced as a feature to reduce micromanagement, but some players felt this reduced depth.
At the same time, the studio positioned EU V as a game where players would not only wage war and trade, but also manage populations, culture, religion, and infrastructure—with a more advanced simulation of "populations" and states. At the same time, it was noted that the developers are deliberately focusing not only on the quantity of mechanics but also on quality—fewer grandiose promises, more focused systems.
The project release is scheduled for Windows PC, November 4, 2025. Early "Tinto Talks"—a series of developer notes showcasing early ideas, the Holy Roman Empire map architecture, and some of the economic and diplomatic systems—played a significant role in preparation. All of this spoke to serious intent. However, the game's launch is only the beginning: the EU series has historically evolved through DLC, patches, and community modifications, and EU V will likely be no exception.
In summary, the development of EU V is the story of a studio attempting to balance the series' rich heritage, modern technical expectations, and internal constraints. The game promises much, but it's clear it wasn't without compromises—the developers were balancing scale, depth, and stability.
| GRAPHICS |
Visually, Europa Universalis V offers a more detailed map, improved interfaces, and increased detail in elements affecting the world simulation. The map looks more vibrant: provinces have improved population models (populations), and culture and religion are now more clearly visible, adding a visual layer to the mechanics. Textures of terrain, buildings, grain, and fields are all presented with a noticeable improvement over previous games in the series.
The interface and nested screens have been improved: panels are now more readable, visual accents are tailored to widescreen monitors, and UI scaling support is improved. Visible highlighting effects for actions have been refined, making it easier to understand the state of the state, trade, and the military.
But there are clear caveats. Despite the improved graphics, EU V is not a visual benchmark for AAA action, and some visual technologies are either not implemented or only partially implemented. For example, there are no high-profile physics effects or complex visual destruction effects, as the game's primary focus is not on action graphics, but on deep simulation. Background locations, interface elements, transition effects, and animations sometimes appear simpler than one might expect from a modern project.
Moreover, players are already noting that optimizing graphics for medium-level systems requires manually lowering settings—the system load is especially noticeable when the map is heavily loaded with population, armies, and passages. Shadows, population animations, and effects may not run as smoothly as desired. This means that EU V's visual impact is strong in terms of simulation and interface, but not cinematic.
Overall, Europa Universalis V's graphics represent a significant step forward for the grand strategy genre: the map is more vibrant, the interface is improved, and the simulation is deeper. However, the game isn't a technological benchmark for visuals—it emphasizes simulation and mechanics, not just visuals.
| GAME ENGINE |
The PC version of Europa Universalis V runs on the Clausewitz Engine, an updated version of the one Paradox uses for its grand strategy games. At the time of its announcement, it was reported that the engine had been redesigned for better multithreading, support for large data sets (population, culture, and economy), and improved performance.
However, it's immediately obvious: despite the redesign, the engine still bears the legacy of previous games in the series. Users note that many subsystems (for example, trade, diplomacy, and military) require significant calculations, and if the PC configuration isn't up to par, performance may drop or stutter during major events (massive battles, era transitions, or rapid map movement).
Optimization of the PC version is important: there's a frame rate unlock—the game doesn't lock to 60 FPS, but if your system can handle it, you can get more. Graphics settings, scaling, interface, and operating system preferences are also available. However, even with a powerful system, you may encounter performance issues—for example, when maximizing population, economic, and cultural details simultaneously.
Network and simulation calculations are another aspect. When a game simulates huge countries, armies, trade, and populations, the engine must process a ton of data per frame. This places a strain not so much on graphics as on computing resources: CPU, memory, and streaming calculations. Players note that even with a powerful graphics card, a fast processor and SSD are essential.
Finally, the engine supports modifications—the EU series has always been renowned for its mod community, and EU V includes mod support, a mod map, and other features. However, data-heavy mods can put additional strain on the engine and reduce stability.
| QUALITY |
On the minimum settings The map has a simplified appearance: landscape textures are smoothed, city and army details are rendered at close range, and lighting is fixed without dynamic shadows. The atmosphere of countries and continents is clearly conveyed, but visual depth is limited—water surfaces and cloud effects are presented in a basic manner.
On the maximum settings The game features enhanced visuals, including dynamic global illumination, volumetric clouds, and detailed models of fortresses, fleets, and units. Sea surfaces are reflected in the sky and feature realistic swells, while cities and battlefields are filled with vibrant elements. Natural effects and soft light transitions lend the map a three-dimensional, natural feel.
| TEST PART |
Below you will find a table of equipment that was kindly provided by our sponsors: GIGABYTE, ASUS, Kingston и Deep Cool. It reflects the list of motherboards, video cards, memory modules and cooling systems used in the tests, and also indicates the current configuration of the operating system and drivers.
| Test configuration | |
| GIGABYTE | |
| motherboards | |
| ASUS | |
| motherboards | |
| Video Cards |
Asus GeForce RTX 5070 TUF Gaming OC ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4070 Ti OC |
| KINGSTON | |
| RAM |
16 GB DDR4 4600 CL19 Kingston FURY Renegade 32 GB DDR4 3600 CL16 Kingston FURY Renegade 32 GB DDR4 4000 CL18 Kingston FURY Renegade 32 GB DDR5 5600 CL40 Kingston FURY Beast 32 GB DDR5 6000 CL30 Kingston FURY Renegade 32 GB DDR5 7200 CL36 Kingston FURY Renegade 48GB DDR5 7200 CL36 Kingston FURY Renegade |
| Storage devices |
Kingston FURY Renegade PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD |
| Deep Cool | |
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Cases and cooling |
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| Software configuration |
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| Operating system | Windows 11 24H2 |
| Graphics driver |
Nvidia GeForce/ION Driver Release 581.57 WHQL AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition 25.10.2 |
| Monitoring programs | MSI Afterburner 4.6.6 Beta 5 Build 16555 |
All video cards were tested at maximum graphics quality using MSI Afterburner. The purpose of the test is to determine how video cards from different manufacturers behave under the same conditions. Below is a video of a test segment from the game:
Our video cards were tested at different screen sizes of 1920×1080, 2560×1440 and 3840×2160 with maximum graphics settings in native mode.
| Test GPU |
In the video card test, the default resolution is 1920x1080, other resolutions are added and removed manually. You can also remove and add any video card positions. You can also select any of our test processors from the list in the drop-down menu, comparing its performance with the given video card tests (the most productive solution is selected by default). The test is carried out on the most productive in this game CPU and scales to other processors, taking into account their testing on NVIDIA and AMD video cards.
- Max DX 12
- Max Vulkan
DirectX 12
When resolved 1920x1080:
- Average FPS (25 frames): Reached on video cards of the level of Radeon RX 6700 XT or GeForce RTX 3060.
- Minimum FPS (25 frames): Provided by video cards of the Radeon RX 6700 XT or GeForce RTX 3060 level.
- Comfortable average FPS (60 frames): Possible with video cards of the Radeon RX 6750 XT or GeForce RTX 3060 level.
When resolved 2560x1440:
- Average FPS (25 frames): Reached on video cards of the level of Radeon RX 6700 XT or GeForce RTX 3060.
- Minimum FPS (25 frames): Provided by video cards of the Radeon RX 6700 XT or GeForce RTX 3060 level.
- Comfortable average FPS (60 frames): Possible with video cards of the Radeon RX 6900 XT or GeForce RTX 4070 Ti level.
When resolved 3840x2160:
- Average FPS (25 frames): Reached on video cards of the level of Radeon RX 6750 XT or GeForce RTX 4070.
- Minimum FPS (25 frames): Provided by video cards of the Radeon RX 7800 XT or GeForce RTX 4070 level.
- Comfortable average FPS (60 frames): Possible with video cards of the GeForce RTX 5080 level.
Vulkan
When resolved 1920x1080:
- Average FPS (25 frames): Reached on video cards of the level of Radeon RX 6700 XT or GeForce RTX 3060.
- Minimum FPS (25 frames): Provided by video cards of the Radeon RX 6700 XT or GeForce RTX 3060 level.
- Comfortable average FPS (60 frames): Possible with video cards of the Radeon RX 6700 XT or GeForce RTX 3060 level.
When resolved 2560x1440:
- Average FPS (25 frames): Reached on video cards of the level of Radeon RX 6700 XT or GeForce RTX 3060.
- Minimum FPS (25 frames): Provided by video cards of the Radeon RX 6700 XT or GeForce RTX 3060 level.
- Comfortable average FPS (60 frames): Possible with video cards of the Radeon RX 7700 XT or GeForce RTX 2080 Ti level.
When resolved 3840x2160:
- Average FPS (25 frames): Reached on video cards of the level of Radeon RX 6750 XT or GeForce RTX 4060 Ti.
- Minimum FPS (25 frames): Provided by video cards of the Radeon RX 7700 XT or GeForce RTX 4060 Ti level.
- Comfortable average FPS (60 frames): Possible with video cards of the GeForce RTX 5070 level.
| VIDEO MEMORY CONSUMPTION |
Testing of the video memory consumed by the game was carried out by the MSI Afterburner program. The results on video cards from AMD and NVIDIA at separate screen resolutions of 1920x1080, 2560x1440 and 3840x2160 with different anti-aliasing settings were taken as an indicator. By default, the most current solutions are displayed in the graph. Other video cards are added and removed from the graph at the reader's request.
- Max DX 12
- Max Vulkan
GameGPU
DirectX 12
Resolution 1920x1080:
- Video cards with 12 GB of video memory: consume 8 GB
- Video cards with 16 GB of video memory: consume 8 GB
- Video cards with 24 GB of video memory: consume 9 GB
- Video cards with 32 GB of video memory: consume 9 GB
Resolution 2560x1440:
- Video cards with 12 GB of video memory: consume 8 GB
- Video cards with 16 GB of video memory: consume 8 GB
- Video cards with 24 GB of video memory: consume 9 GB
- Video cards with 32 GB of video memory: consume 10 GB
Resolution 3840x2160:
- Video cards with 12 GB of video memory: consume 10 GB
- Video cards with 16 GB of video memory: consume 10 GB
- Video cards with 24 GB of video memory: consume 11 GB
- Video cards with 32 GB of video memory: consume 11 GB
Vulkan
Resolution 1920x1080:
- Video cards with 12 GB of video memory: consume 8 GB
- Video cards with 16 GB of video memory: consume 8 GB
- Video cards with 24 GB of video memory: consume 8 GB
- Video cards with 32 GB of video memory: consume 8 GB
Resolution 2560x1440:
- Video cards with 12 GB of video memory: consume 8 GB
- Video cards with 16 GB of video memory: consume 8 GB
- Video cards with 24 GB of video memory: consume 9 GB
- Video cards with 32 GB of video memory: consume 9 GB
Resolution 3840x2160:
- Video cards with 12 GB of video memory: consume 10 GB
- Video cards with 16 GB of video memory: consume 10 GB
- Video cards with 24 GB of video memory: consume 10 GB
- Video cards with 32 GB of video memory: consume 10 GB
| TEST CPU |
Testing was carried out at a resolution of 1920x1080. In the processor test, you can remove or add any processor positions. You can also select any tested video card from the list in the drop-down menu, comparing its performance with the given processor test results (by default, the most productive solution from NVIDIA is selected). Testing takes place on the most powerful NVIDIA and AMD video cards and scales to low-end models.
- Max DX 12
- Max Vulkan
DirectX 12
When using NVIDIA video cards:
- Processors for acceptable FPS (not lower than 25 frames per second):
- AMD Ryzen 3 3100
- Intel Core i3-10100
- Processors for comfortable FPS (at least 60 frames per second):
- AMD Ryzen 5 5600
- Intel Core i5-10600
When using AMD video cards:
- Processors for acceptable FPS (not lower than 25 frames per second):
- AMD Ryzen 3 3100
- Intel Core i3-10100
- Processors for comfortable FPS (at least 60 frames per second):
- AMD Ryzen 3 3100
- Intel Core i3-10100
Vulkan
When using NVIDIA video cards:
- Processors for acceptable FPS (not lower than 25 frames per second):
- AMD Ryzen 5 3600
- Intel Core i5-10600
- Processors for comfortable FPS (at least 60 frames per second):
- AMD Ryzen 5 5600
- Intel Core i5-10600
When using AMD video cards:
- Processors for acceptable FPS (not lower than 25 frames per second):
- AMD Ryzen 3 3100
- Intel Core i3-10100
- Processors for comfortable FPS (at least 60 frames per second):
- AMD Ryzen 3 3100
- Intel Core i3-10100
- Max DX 12
Loading and using streams:
- Maximum load: The game can load up to 12 streams.
- Optimal loading: Uses up to 8 threads as efficiently as possible.
| RAM TEST |
The indicator was taken as all used RAM. The RAM test on the all system was conducted on various video cards without launching third-party applications (browsers, etc.). In the graphics, you can add and remove any resolutions and video cards as desired.
- Max DX 12
- Max Vulkan
GameGPU
DirectX 12
Resolution 1920x1080:
- Video cards with 12 GB of video memory: consume 18 GB of RAM
- Video cards with 16 GB of video memory: consume 18 GB of RAM
- Video cards with 24 GB of video memory: consume 19 GB of RAM
- Video cards with 32 GB of video memory: consume 20 GB of RAM
Resolution 2560x1440:
- Video cards with 12 GB of video memory: consume 18 GB of RAM
- Video cards with 16 GB of video memory: consume 18 GB of RAM
- Video cards with 24 GB of video memory: consume 19 GB of RAM
- Video cards with 32 GB of video memory: consume 20 GB of RAM
Resolution 3840x2160:
- Video cards with 12 GB of video memory: consume 18 GB of RAM
- Video cards with 16 GB of video memory: consume 18 GB of RAM
- Video cards with 24 GB of video memory: consume 19 GB of RAM
- Video cards with 32 GB of video memory: consume 21 GB of RAM
Vulkan
Resolution 1920x1080:
- Video cards with 12 GB of video memory: consume 18 GB of RAM
- Video cards with 16 GB of video memory: consume 20 GB of RAM
- Video cards with 24 GB of video memory: consume 20 GB of RAM
- Video cards with 32 GB of video memory: consume 20 GB of RAM
Resolution 2560x1440:
- Video cards with 12 GB of video memory: consume 18 GB of RAM
- Video cards with 16 GB of video memory: consume 20 GB of RAM
- Video cards with 24 GB of video memory: consume 20 GB of RAM
- Video cards with 32 GB of video memory: consume 20 GB of RAM
Resolution 3840x2160:
- Video cards with 12 GB of video memory: consume 18 GB of RAM
- Video cards with 16 GB of video memory: consume 20 GB of RAM
- Video cards with 24 GB of video memory: consume 20 GB of RAM
- Video cards with 32 GB of video memory: consume 20 GB of RAM
| SPONSORS TESTS |
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