Following the success of last year's Chapter Four expansions—which expanded the map across Asia to include Mongolian nomads, Chinese courtly bureaucrats, and Indonesian god-kings—Paradox is already looking ahead. The studio recently unveiled a reveal video detailing what Crusader Kings 3's next major expansions will bring to the table, focusing on deep religious overhauls and new mercantile playstyles.
Religious Overhauls in "By God Alone"
The first of Chapter Five's two major paid expansions, By God Alone, is slated to arrive in Q3 2026. This expansion focuses heavily on reworking the game's religion systems, particularly for Christian characters. During the reveal, design lead Mikael Andersson noted that Paradox is "fleshing out the Christian church to make the institution itself feel like a living entity."
The expansion introduces several new layers to medieval faith:
- A new Rites mechanic to represent localized religious variations and divergences.
- Playable theocracies, finally allowing players to step into the shoes of the Pope.
- New systems for managing excommunications and navigating potential religious schisms.
- A reworked spiritual fulfillment system that centers character relationships to their faith through updated religious tenets.
"Silk & Silver" and the Rise of Merchant Republics
The second half of Chapter Five, Silk & Smith, will be available in Q4 2026. This expansion introduces a dedicated merchant playstyle where players act as the head of a trading company. The goal is to establish trade routes, secure monopolies, and undermine competitors to amass both wealth and political influence.
This update also introduces a new Republic government type. Players will be able to:
- Jockey with other merchant families to set the republic's constitution.
- Pass influential laws.
- Form trade confederations with other republics for mutual commercial and military benefit.
It is clear that Crusader Kings 3's next major expansions are designed to significantly diversify how players approach political power in the medieval era.
Free Update 1.19 and Kingdom Come: Deliverance Collaboration
To help set the stage for these upcoming expansions, Paradox also dropped a free 1.19 update today. This patch includes several quality-of-life features, such as a new Ledger window for better access to realm and character information and the addition of age-related ailments. Additionally, a new modular Stories system will present special event chains in a more visible and coherent format.
As a bonus, the update features a delightful collaboration with Kingdom Come: Deliverance. If you are playing from an 867, 1066, or 1178 start date, you may encounter Henry appearing as an in-game adventurer.
