Stellaris will be the first grand strategy PC game to arrive on consoles

We know what you’re thinking: “Why is this news of any import in a PC gaming site?” Well, the answer is simple. Stellaris and many Paradox Interactive titles have been mainstays on PC since time immemorial. The grand strategy genre has games like Europa Universalis, Crusader Kings, Victoria, and Hearts of Iron — all Paradox Interactive titles. These were originally thought of as only-for-PC. After all, these games have you conquering every tile in the world or expand to new galaxies. That’s gotta be impossible to do on consoles, right? Wrong. At least that’s what Paradox Interactive aims to disprove. Check out the announcement trailer for Stellaris: Console Edition below.

Stellaris: Console Edition – Err, console master race?

Stellaris is Paradox Interactive’s foray into the great unknown of space. Previous games from the developer focused on our history — the past. This franchise from Paradox looks to the future, a grand strategy game with 4X themes, set in the vast expanse of a procedurally-generated galaxy.

The trailer for Stellaris: Console Edition does not give away too much which means there’s still a lot left to consider. How would the game look? What would the controls be like — assuming you’re just going to use a controller and not a mouse-and-keyboard setup? Will there be some noticeable framerate drops given the size of certain maps/galaxies? The natural disadvantages of consoles compared to PCs will come into play.

And yet, perhaps the most important question to ask is: “Will you get it if you already own Stellaris for the PC?” I personally do not know yet, but what I do know is this. Stellaris coming to consoles shows that there is room for more strategy games to finally make their way to those systems as well. If you have a buddy who plays on consoles more than on PC, Stellaris: Console Edition might be the grand strategy game that you can convince them to try.

Another good news is that PC players need not worry too much. According to Paradox Interactive, a different team is working on Stellaris: Console Edition. This team is working in conjunction with the group focused on the PC version. So yes, there’s no need to have qualms about the PC version getting forgotten in favor of consoles.