Crusader Kings 2, Paradox's mammoth grand strategy game, is a beast, totalling more than 13 major expansions and other assorted DLC after six years in development. The complete experience is also prohibitively expensive too, weighing in at over £200, and that's an issue Paradox is attempting to address with the launch of its new monthly subscription service.

Despite having been superseded by last year's stellar Crusader Kings 3, there's still plenty of demand for Crusader Kings 2, in no small part thanks to its staggering bounty of rich, post-launch DLC. It's an intimidating proposition, though, and Paradox made initial attempts to ease entry into Crusader Kings 2's world of medieval sword swinging and subterfuge back in 2019 by making the base game free-to-play.

Following that first step, and a few limited experiments with subscriptions in Europa Universalis 4, the developer is now ready to go all in, and, as of today, is offering punters the opportunity to access the full Crusader Kings 2 catalogue - including 13 majors expansions, 12 unit packs, 14 music packs, 10 portrait packs, and more - for £3.99/$4.99 USD a month.

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Paradox has insisted it has yet to decide whether to include the phrase "Deus Vult" in Crusader Kings 3 after suffering a backlash sparked by its reported removal from the game.

Our friends at Rock, Paper Shotgun reported Crusader Kings 3 would not include the controversial battle cry after it was told as much by Paradox's community manager during a recent press trip.

That sparked a backlash within the game's community, with multiple threads across Reddit, Paradox's website and Steam - the latter of which is home to an enormous Crusader Kings community - bemoaning the move and citing "historical accuracy" to back up the position. There was even an online petition that called on Paradox to reverse its decision.

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Crusader Kings 2 is now free to play.

You can download Paradox's grand strategy game for nothing from Steam now.

The promotion coincides with the imminent Paradox Con, the company's annual showcase event set to kick off this weekend.

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A new Humble Bundle has just launched that can offer some considerable value if you've ever been tempted to immerse yourself within the grand strategy of Crusader Kings 2.

From my outsider's perspective, it's always seemed like an impenetrable series, though the number of stories I've heard from players who get it suggests there's an intricate and absorbing game there once you've cracked it.

So, considering the fact that you can pay just 82 pence to get the Crusader Kings 2 base game and the first five DLC expansions, I'm more tempted than ever to take the plunge and see how my lord might fare in medieval Europe.

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"I forget everything between footsteps.

"'Anna!' I finish shouting, snapping my mouth shut in surprise.

"My mind has gone blank. I don't know who Anna is or why I'm calling her name. I don't even know how I got here. I'm standing in a forest, shielding my eyes from the spitting rain. My heart's thumping, I reek of sweat and my legs are shaking. I must have been running but I can't remember why.

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Paradox is getting into the business of making board games via Kickstarter.

The Swedish publisher, known for its grand strategy video games on PC, is working on tabletop versions of four of its biggest titles: Crusader Kings, Europa Universalis, Hearts of Iron and Cities: Skylines.

The first game to be made is the Crusader Kings board game, which is designed and published with Free League Publishing (Mutant Year Zero and Tales from the Loop RPG). In the medieval-set game, players compete for military, religious and political power while keeping their personal dynasty strong using cards and miniatures.

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What are you doing this weekend? Forget about it; Crusader Kings 2 is free on Steam!

Dive into historical strategy as you pull on the luxuriously shiny shoes and flouncy rouches of your favourite - or most detested - monarch, and devise your way to a conquering lineage. Perhaps you will play fair, perhaps you won't. And if you die, don't worry - you can jump straight onto controlling one of your offspring.

Crusader Kings 2 is one of those seminal strategy games. It's one of those games Chris Bratt always bangs on about - so much so he forced Johnny Chiodini to sit down and play it for an episode of Late to the Party, embedded below. And Johnny ended up sleeping with his sister-in-law.

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