If you have a very old CPU and your game crashes on the main menu while waiting for game resources to load, the problem has a fix. Older CPUs don't support something called 'AVX2,' but if you can use Intel's software emulator as a workaround.
Search for Intel's SDE - the file you're looking to download is sde-external-(version number whatever)-win.tar.xz
Extract the files until you have the sde.exe. Right click it and create a shortcut. Then, right click the shortcut, and under 'properties' find the 'target' text box. Add a space, and add '-hsw -- "(eu5 path)"
Your eu5 path will depend on where you downloaded the game.
An example would look like this: C:\Users\user\Desktop\sde-external-9.58.0-2025-06-16-win\sde.exe -hsw -- "C:\games\Europa Universalis V\binaries\eu5.exe"
Start SDE from the shortcut. You'll get a black box command prompt, and after a few minutes (it will take a long time) eu5 should launch, and then in a few more minutes (it will take a REALLY long time) the main menu will finish loading resources. At that point you'll be good to close the game. Start it as normal and it shouldn't crash.
All thanks to finn on the discord for finding this solution!
guys, i spent several hours to find the issue with starting the game... and i found it! The "controlled folder access" of the windows ransomware-protection denies EU5 the permission to write in the documents folder... place an exception for the EU5.exe in your windows security settings and everything runs fine :) Open Windows Security
→ Press Start, type Windows Security, and hit Enter.
Go to: Virus & threat protection → Ransomware protection → Manage ransomware protection
Look for Controlled folder access.
If it’s turned ON, click Allow an app through Controlled folder access.
if that would have worked i wouldn´t have spent that much time on that... the ransomware-protection blocks it altough all users on my pc have full access to that folder and i am starting as admin... check it if u want.
Anyone know why the game won't launch after the first time it creates temp files in the documents file? I have to delete the Entire EU5 folder every time for it to launch. Even leaving an empty folder is not good enough.
EU5 right now cant handle if your documents folder and EU5 installation are on on different drives so you need to add launch option -userdir"[PathtoyourEU5filesinDocuments]"
Big duh, that's what I did not paying attention when following the shortcut target that it is in a subfolder, and the files need to go in the root directory.
so you pasted the wrong path.... Paste it into the root folder, not the "binaries" subfolder... Because the devs don't just update that folder lol, they update dozens of other folders @_@.
A variant of Generik.FCTHWLL trojan found in uninstaller provided with the 1.0.7 update from this site. Just posting for info and acknowledge it could be a false positive but unusual for an uninstaller to flag as a false positive.
EDIT: Uninstaller came from the widely available original TENOKE release and not from 1.0.7 update. Hopefully a false postive.
Thanks for clarifying. Also, I just realised that the uninstaller was not updated in the 1.0.7 update from this site and came from the original TENOKE release. Will edit original post.
Is there a way to play multiplayer like in the other Paradox games? I know you can change the game version from Steam to GOG in the Launcher settings but i don't know if it's possible to the same in EU5. Anyone know if there is a way to play with people who bought it on Steam?
hey guys whenever i open the game its just a black screen and then it stops responding, i updated the game and i copied the crack and i tried to run as admin , what should i do?
Hi there, this is the second time I've tried downloading the game from here and both times it loads into the main menu being all distorted and says I only have 256 mb of RAM and need 600 mb minimum... the thing is, I have 64 gb of RAM and no other game from this website has ever caused me issues with not being able to access all my ram. I am wondering if anyone else has had this issue, and how it may be fixed? Is there a setting in the files I can access to make the game use more RAM? maybe I'm misunderstanding the whole thing idk.
Additionally, I was wondering, I am launching the game from the application file in the binaries folder, but usually when I download a Paradox game from here there is a filed named "dowser" that is the launcher. I figure Paradox must have released EU V with a launcher as it has with all its games so I am not sure if I am missing something.
Thanks for your comment, like I said I figured I was missing something because I don't know shit lol. I just know I have lots of ram and storage and a pretty good laptop for games and whatnot. I have tons of RAM so I was confused, I didn't realize VRAM was different lol.
So basically, I just checked, I have 495 MB of "Display Memory" which I think is the same as VRAM based on googling. Am I screwed since it's less than 6 GB? That's crazy, I've literally never had this problem before I am surprised EU V of all games is the first one.
I am still googling, sorry but thanks again for responding I really appreciate it.
EDIT: Been looking into it some more, yeah I think I am screwed lol. That's crazy! I really thought I had a good gaming laptop! (it only being able to access 256 MB of VRAM aside lol) 6 GB seems kinda nutty to me if a pretty good laptop such as mine only has 512 MB total (I just checked). So I guess EU V is just... a gaming desktop only game? are we already in that era? how sad!
I believe so. But the easiest if you dowload the whole thing from online-fix. It's already up. But you can try to download only the fix and see if it works
Guys, if its crashing at start up, it probably means you already started clicking the moment the menu appeared. On top of the screen, you'll see a buffering pop-up that says "loading resources' or something. Wait for it to finish loading. Then start the game.
Please update the VGA driver, bro. Same as DirectX.
Or simply, create a shortcut for the exe file, then right click on the shortcut you just created -> Properties -> Shortcut tab -> In the "target" field, add the following string "-dx12" (note, there is a space before), save -> Start the game from the shortcut you just created
Yes... its supposed to be complicated bro, and I am sure thousands of people will play it considering its one of the most highly anticipated game for grand strategy enjoyers.
It feels like they went for the terrible MEIOU 3 update that was very memory intensive and turned the game into V2, which ultimately resulted into people requesting the prior version updated to the latest EU4 version because it was more interesting.
It also feels like it lacks identity. It is somewhere between Victoria 3, Europa Universalis IV, Crusader Kings III... But Not quite any of those while lacking all the identity of the other games. For holy wars and religious conflict, CK3 does it better. For map painting and state management, EU4 is better. And for economics that simulate industrialization, V3 is better.
Perhaps they will rework it down the road, make it more like EU4 but I do not think so.
Stellaris took years to become an awesome game, EU5 is not irredeemable. But as-is it is just not fun for me.
https://igg-games.com/request-pcgames-pc6.html
All comments asking for updates have been deleted. Any further such comments will also be deleted.
PS: update v1.0.8 work on any version
Search for Intel's SDE - the file you're looking to download is sde-external-(version number whatever)-win.tar.xz
Extract the files until you have the sde.exe. Right click it and create a shortcut. Then, right click the shortcut, and under 'properties' find the 'target' text box. Add a space, and add '-hsw -- "(eu5 path)"
Your eu5 path will depend on where you downloaded the game.
An example would look like this: C:\Users\user\Desktop\sde-external-9.58.0-2025-06-16-win\sde.exe -hsw -- "C:\games\Europa Universalis V\binaries\eu5.exe"
Start SDE from the shortcut. You'll get a black box command prompt, and after a few minutes (it will take a long time) eu5 should launch, and then in a few more minutes (it will take a REALLY long time) the main menu will finish loading resources. At that point you'll be good to close the game. Start it as normal and it shouldn't crash.
All thanks to finn on the discord for finding this solution!
Open Windows Security
→ Press Start, type Windows Security, and hit Enter.
Go to:
Virus & threat protection → Ransomware protection → Manage ransomware protection
Look for Controlled folder access.
If it’s turned ON, click Allow an app through Controlled folder access.
Then add your game executable
the ransomware-protection blocks it altough all users on my pc have full access to that folder and i am starting as admin... check it if u want.
EU5 right now cant handle if your documents folder and EU5 installation are on on different drives so you need to add launch option -userdir"[PathtoyourEU5filesinDocuments]"
https://eu5.paradoxwikis.com/Patch_1.0.X
EDIT: Uninstaller came from the widely available original TENOKE release and not from 1.0.7 update. Hopefully a false postive.
no its not. its stil 1.0.0
Additionally, I was wondering, I am launching the game from the application file in the binaries folder, but usually when I download a Paradox game from here there is a filed named "dowser" that is the launcher. I figure Paradox must have released EU V with a launcher as it has with all its games so I am not sure if I am missing something.
Thanks so much for your effort in general :))
So basically, I just checked, I have 495 MB of "Display Memory" which I think is the same as VRAM based on googling. Am I screwed since it's less than 6 GB? That's crazy, I've literally never had this problem before I am surprised EU V of all games is the first one.
I am still googling, sorry but thanks again for responding I really appreciate it.
EDIT: Been looking into it some more, yeah I think I am screwed lol. That's crazy! I really thought I had a good gaming laptop! (it only being able to access 256 MB of VRAM aside lol) 6 GB seems kinda nutty to me if a pretty good laptop such as mine only has 512 MB total (I just checked). So I guess EU V is just... a gaming desktop only game? are we already in that era? how sad!
And yes, as always, its buggy as F.
Or simply, create a shortcut for the exe file, then right click on the shortcut you just created -> Properties -> Shortcut tab -> In the "target" field, add the following string "-dx12" (note, there is a space before), save -> Start the game from the shortcut you just created
Yes... its supposed to be complicated bro, and I am sure thousands of people will play it considering its one of the most highly anticipated game for grand strategy enjoyers.
If not then I just gave you useless information.
It feels like they went for the terrible MEIOU 3 update that was very memory intensive and turned the game into V2, which ultimately resulted into people requesting the prior version updated to the latest EU4 version because it was more interesting.
It also feels like it lacks identity. It is somewhere between Victoria 3, Europa Universalis IV, Crusader Kings III... But Not quite any of those while lacking all the identity of the other games. For holy wars and religious conflict, CK3 does it better. For map painting and state management, EU4 is better. And for economics that simulate industrialization, V3 is better.
Perhaps they will rework it down the road, make it more like EU4 but I do not think so.
Stellaris took years to become an awesome game, EU5 is not irredeemable. But as-is it is just not fun for me.