- "Silk & Silver" Dev Diary #6 - Merchants, Republics, & the Silk Road - 15 September 2026
Hello everyone, It is time for us to give another update on all things that are happening on Silk & Silver. As Joachim mentioned during the last Dev Diary, we are currently deep in the Iteration phase of the project. Lots of progress has been made so far, and we want to share some of the recent developments when it comes to our two new Government types for the expansion: Merchants and Republics.\ In the third Silk & Silver Dev Diary, Profit Above All: Merchants Vision, we covered the Merchant player experience in a broader sense: who they are, what matters to them, as well as the tools and connections they have access to in order to achieve their goals. If you haven’t already, you can read this first to get a better understanding of Merchant Monopolies, Trade Expertise, Trade Contracts, Company Domicile, and the Merchant relationship to their Patron.Today, we will mainly focus on what t…
- "By God Alone" Dev Diary #6 - Performance - 8 September 2026
When the All Under Heaven update released we shared an update on our performance work here: (Dev Diary #187 - Performance & Optimization). In that update we also included some hopes and dreams for Crusader Kings III going forward and this is the Dev Diary where we add up the status as we reach the By God Alone update. Hello again, I am Carl-Henrik, Principal Programmer on the Crusader Kings III team. Around the release of All under Heaven I discussed speeding up the load screen and improving various other systems soon. That is what this Dev Diary is about, along with where the day by day performance is heading, and how much memory the game is holding on to while you play. This article lands a few weeks before the release of By God Alone and we are still working hard to improve the systems even further. Anything can happen in this period so be prepared for any final numbers being wrong b…
- "Silk & Silver" Dev Diary #5 - Iteration - 1 September 2026
Hello there, and welcome back to the first Silk & Silver dev diary after summer!Like always, for those who don’t know me, I am Joachim, the Deputy Game Director in charge of Silk & Silver. Today, we are going to talk a little bit about iteration. To give a quick crash course on how we work at Crusader Kings 3, we usually split our development into some core phases:Concepting - 1 Month - The core idea of the DLC is createdPre-Production - 1-2 Months - We craft a proper game design document, do experiments, test ideas, and prepare the DLC for productionProduction - Variable time period - All the core systems are created and hooked inIteration - 1-3 Months - We iterate on everything we have put in, and make everything hook together properlyRC (short for Release Candidate) - 1-2 Months - An intense bug-fixing period right before releasePRS (short for Post-Release Support) - However long is…
- "By God Alone" Dev Diary #5 - Investiture Controversy - 25 August 2026
Hello everyone! In today’s dev diary, we’ll explain how a historical conflict between the church and monarchs, known as the Investiture Controversy, is translated into Crusader Kings III, and also serves as one of the seven chapters in the new Christian Church situation of By God Alone.Your feedback from earlier dev diaries regarding this subject has been especially helpful, and we thank you all for your valuable contributions and suggestions. Now, let's move on to what has been in the works.A significant update is the new Conditional clerical appointment doctrine, adopted by Christian faiths at game start. Under Conditional appointment, neither secular rulers nor the clergy need permission to appoint clergymen within their jurisdictions, and either side can act on a disagreement immediately.Unlike the existing appointment doctrines, Conditional appointment lets both sides make these ch…
- Dragon Age: Thedas at War is a BioWare RPG-inspired Crusader Kings 3 total conversion mod that's here to keep the series alive while it sits in EA limbo - 27 July 2026
Who knows when or if BioWare'll ever be allowed to make a follow-up to Dragon Age: The Veilguard . Whatever ends up being the future of a series EA've left in a rather ambiguous place, a group of Crusader Kings 3 modders have stepped up to make a Dragon Age total conversion that lets folks play out a bit of their own kingdom-battling history in Thedas. Read more
- PDX ModCon: July 24-26 - 24 July 2026
Rulers! Great tidings to all from PDX ModCon!We are a fan-organised three-day showcase and celebration event for Paradox mods; specifically those of Crusader Kings III, Victoria 3, and this year, Europa Universalis V. We will be presenting no less than 60 mods over the coming weekend. Besides trailers and presentations, we will have the developers of some of the biggest mods - including After the End and MEIOU and Taxes - answering your questions! But not Morgenröte, they will be asking the questions instead as all viewers compete in a live quiz.Throughout the event we will be raising money for the Video Game History Foundation, a group that preserves our digital heritage by collecting and archiving video game materials, everything from source code to magazines, open to access for all.Join us, starting this Friday the 24th and running until Sunday! For more information, visit the offici…
- PC Game Pass takes a fresh blow with eight big losses, including Crusader Kings 3 - 19 July 2026
Eight more games will leave PC Game Pass at the end of July, including heavy hitters CK3, Mount and Blade 2, Rain World, and Whiskerwood. Read the full story on PCGamesN: PC Game Pass takes a fresh blow with eight big losses, including Crusader Kings 3
- Faith, Power, and the Medieval Church - A Crusader Kings III Documentary - 7 July 2026
In the latest episode of our ongoing documentary series, medieval historian Eleanor Janega explores the real history at the heart of our upcoming Core Expansion for Crusader Kings III: By God Alone.Filmed inside one of London’s oldest medieval churches, this video enters a world where the Church did more than shape belief: it helped decide who held power, who could be challenged, and what counted as a rightful claim. For medieval rulers in Christendom, faith and politics were two sides of the same coin.
- Crusader Kings III × Dogecore: A Collection for the Chronically Medieval - 26 June 2026
Rule kingdoms. Wear the trauma.The medieval era wasn't pretty, and neither are you. Crusader Kings III has teamed up with Dogecore to bring you a collection that captures every glorious, cursed corner of the game you know and love.From hoodies and tees to tote bags and posters, this drop is for the player who's lost an heir to smallpox, tortured a vassal into submission, and somehow still calls it a good Tuesday.The collection features four original apparel designs:Sorry, Princess — I Only Date War Machines. Because love is a siege engine.Maslow's Hierarchy (CK3 Edition). Self-actualization is the Pope liking you. Physiological needs? Gold surplus. We don't make the rules.I Did Not Ask To Be Born. Blind. Bastard. Imbecile. Hideous. At least you have the genes for it.I Love Medieval Torture. The UI pop-up said it loses stress. You clicked the button. No further questions.And for those wh…
- By God Alone Dev Diary #4 - Christian Church Situation - 23 June 2026
Greetings! You may remember me from the days of Khans of the Steppe, but today I am here to welcome you to another By God Alone dev diary.When we set out to rework how Christianity feels in Crusader Kings III, we kept returning to the same question: how do you make a thousand years of Church history feel alive in a sandbox, without turning every playthrough into the same timeline? Our answer is The Christian Church; a new Situation that tracks the spiritual health of Christendom across seven different Chapters.Today we will walk you through how the Situation works: who participates, how Chapters change, what Catalysts push the Church forward, and what each era means for your ruler, both as a ecclesiastical government or not. \The Situation's sub-region is Christendom: the sum of every independent Christian realm whose lands fall within an archdiocese. The Church may become bigger or sma…
- Crusader Kings III - By God Alone expansion coming September 30 - 19 June 2026
Crusader Kings III from Paradox Interactive is set to get even bigger, with the By God Alone expansion coming September 30th bringing new ways to play. Read the full article here: https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/06/crusader-kings-iii-by-god-alone-expansion-coming-september-30/
- The next Crusader Kings 3 expansion is finally giving religion a complete makeover - 18 June 2026
I certainly wouldn't accuse Crusader Kings 3 of feeling shallow; Paradox's medieval grand strategy game continues to spawn fresh tales of political intrigue and family drama almost six years on from launch. One aspect core to the era that has always felt ripe for expansion, however, is the way it handles religion and faith, and it's finally time for developer Paradox to do just that. New Crusader Kings 3 DLC By God Alone promises many more ways that belief systems can influence your journey through the ages, and even lets you step into the Papacy for yourself. Read the full story on PCGamesN: The next Crusader Kings 3 expansion is finally giving religion a complete makeover
- Crusader Kings III: By God Alone - Available September 30th - 17 June 2026
Navigate through a medieval era with a rich religious life in Crusader Kings III: By God Alone, our latest Core Expansion releasing on September 30th! Wrestle with sin as your rulers try to live up to the tenets of their faith and tangle with church authorities who have power on earth, as well as heaven. Instigate or settle religious debates, negotiate the limits of crown and Papal authority, and ponder the afterlife.Coming to Crusader Kings III in By God Alone:Playable TheocraciesTake control of landed realms headed by an archbishop or even the Pope himself. As the Papacy, new resources of power and wealth will be at your disposal.The Christian “Situation”A new persistent Situation for Christian realms, allowing actions and decisions connected to the development and progress of the Faith.You can participate in Ecumenical Councils to decide on religious tenets and beliefs.Rites & Heresi…
- Crusader Kings 3 devs Paradox will make the roaming mercenary lifestyle of playing as a landless adventurer free for everyone later this year - 17 June 2026
While Crusader Kings 3 typically deals in the fantasy of sitting on a big chair in one place and shouting at underlings, roaming its world as a the unlanded leader of a band of travelling adventurers is just as fun and arguably the best way to kick off a custom dynasty. Up to now, the freedom to pursue the life of a ruthless mercenary, valiant knight, or stuffy bureaucrat surviving off of favours for rulers while searching for the ideal title or throne to claim as their own once they're ready has been locked behind 2024's Roads to Power expansion . Thankfully, Paradox plan to whisk it out from behind that curtain and make it a free part of the base game later this year. Read more
- Dev Diary #203 - Adventurer Changes - 16 June 2026
Greetings! Alexander Oltner here, Game Director for Crusader Kings III. Today's diary is a little different from our recent ones, in that it's not about a new mechanic we're building for an expansion, but about something we've already made. So, let's talk about Landless Adventurers! When we first designed Landless Adventurers, we envisioned them as a transition state, something you'd hop into for a bit and then hop back out of. A deposed ruler licking their wounds, a dynasty member off making their name before claiming a title, a brief interlude between two different, landed lives. We included them as a tertiary feature in Roads to Power with exactly that in mind.Well, we underestimated how powerful the player fantasy of working your way up from nothing ultimately was. The Adventurer playstyle has resonated with players far beyond what we expected, and we've been very pleasantly surpris…
- Makeship | Genius & Lunatic Pin Pack - Last Chance - 15 June 2026
A Genius would have claimed this weeks ago. A Lunatic would have forgotten entirely. Either way, your last chance is here.We partnered with Makeship to bring two of CK3's most iconic traits to life as a dual pin set. Whether you're the calculated ruler who schemes three wars ahead, or the unpredictable wildcard your council fears, there's a pin for you.The Genius & Lunatic Pin Pack limited campaign closes on Thursday. No extensions. No second claims.Secure your legacy: https://pdxint.at/43iXafz
- Crusader Kings 3's new republics get to the heart of its politics at a more manageable size - 10 June 2026
Upcoming Crusader Kings 3 expansion Silk and Silver promises to "rework the economy of the entire game," from the widespread integration of trade across the world to the introduction of merchant governments and republics. These allow you to run what are effectively small city-states, inspired by (but not limited to) the likes of Venice, Florence, and the free cities of the Holy Roman Empire. Size isn't everything, and these tightly packed hotspots can quickly escalate into bubbling cauldrons of internal politics and schemes. Read the full story on PCGamesN: Crusader Kings 3's new republics get to the heart of its politics at a more manageable size
- Silk & Silver Dev Diary #4 - Republics Vision - 9 June 2026
Hello there!Today, we are going to take a look at republics. We talked a little bit about them in both the announcement video and the original Silk & Silver vision dev diary, but today we will go a bit more into the weeds. Without further ado, let’s get started. \To start us off, what are republics? Republics in Silk & Silver are effectively small city-states, with all the “relevant” people who live there. That means whoever is the current ruler, and all patricians of the city. The patricians are landless nobility and burghers who are part of the assembly of the city, who can vote on matters, and who are (possibly) aiming to become the next head of the republic themselves. In other words, the patricians aren’t landed, but they are all rooted to the city and the politics of the realm. These city-states are inspired by many historical city-states of the Middle Ages, including republics su…
- "Silk & Silver" Dev Diary #3 - Merchants Vision - 26 May 2026
Hi all! I’m PinkAxelotl. Today, we’re taking a look at our vision for Merchants in Silk and Silver. Who are they, what is the experience they provide, which are the relationships that matters to them the most, and what specific systems are used to support their gameplay?For the purposes of this Development Diary, the term “Merchant” only includes the new landless Merchant government. We won’t delve into details about their administrative-focused counterparts, i.e. Patricians or Republics. That’s a topic for another time.Let’s get an important disclaimer out of the way: We’re right in the thick of development and all of this is subject to change.By introducing Merchants we have an unique opportunity to provide a new playstyle that covers a previously untapped historical fantasy around trade and wealth-based power dynamics. Fight other Merchant families over important Trade Goods, win the…
- Update 1.19.0.6 - 25 May 2026
Hello everyone! We have a small update today to address some issues reported to us by the community. Check the changelog below for more information.Update 1.19.0.6 ChangelogBug FixesFixed an issue preventing players from manually inviting agents to schemesFixed an issue causing epidemics and natural disasters to be less lethal than intended
