Stellaris: Willpower adds ideologies and Galactic Halls on Nov. 23 for $24.99

Stellaris turns conviction into a weapon on Nov. 23: Willpower lets fanatic ethics spread across borders as Ideologies. Here’s the unlock time where you live, the price and what the expansion adds.

When does Stellaris: Willpower come out?

Monday, Nov. 23, 2026, on PC. Paradox set the date on Oct. 21 in Dev Diary #437 and a press release, after promising only the fourth quarter since the Season 10 reveal in April. Steam lists the unlock at 14:00 UTC, GOG gives the same hour, and Paradox hasn’t confirmed it.

The hour fits Paradox’s recent pattern: Nomads, the Infernals Species Pack and Shadows of the Shroud all went live on Steam at about 3 p.m. Stockholm time. The free 4.6 Corona Borealis update releases the same day for every Stellaris owner.

How much does Stellaris: Willpower cost?

$24.99, £20.99 or €24.99, Paradox’s suggested price, and R$94.99 in Brazil. Steam, GOG and the Microsoft Store already sell it as a pre-purchase at full price, with no pre-order bonus.

The Season 10 pass bundles Willpower with Nomads, the Vipra the Vapor species portrait and two Scenario Packs. Paradox priced it 20% below buying everything separately. Its April dev diary listed each Scenario Pack at $5.99, which makes $61.96 for the two expansions and two packs, though Steam shows no price for the packs yet.

Ideologies and Galactic Halls

Willpower’s core system turns a fanatic ethic into an Ideology that ignores borders. Fanatic factions push your empire to adopt one, at a monthly Influence cost, and it spreads from your colonies through Starbases, Hyper Relays and Ideological Beacons. Its Ideological Reach, shown in a new map mode, converts foreign pops and cuts claim and starbase costs beyond your borders.

As the founding authority, you codify three Tenets, and other empires can adopt your Ideology. Negative Ideological Momentum risks revolts that can spawn rival creeds or split off colonies. Dev Diary #438 adds Absolute Ethics: a strong enough Ideology lets an empire spend Unity to drop every other ethic and amplify its fanatic effects. Hive Minds codify Instincts, Machine Intelligences adopt Directives, and foreign ideas breed Deviancy instead of converting drones.

Galactic Halls are relocatable megastructures, unlocked by research, with a unique model for each ethic. Parked over a colony, a Hall lifts that world’s output and Reach; placed near the border, it projects your Ideology outward. Each relocation costs Energy and starts a 10-year cooldown.

Force of Will, origins and civics

Force of Will is a new Ambition, a victory path through persuasion: spread your beliefs, win empires over and defeat every Fallen Empire. A pre-release Steam screenshot shows five levels, from Seeds of Unity to Utopia. Diplomacy changes too, with Federation laws that set an official belief, Espionage Operations that manipulate Reach and a casus belli that imposes your creed by war.

Five Fanatic Civics arrive, and Paradox has named two: Open Stars Sovereignty, for fanatic xenophiles, and Warmongers, for fanatic militarists who grow stronger by fighting bigger empires. The expansion also brings eight Ideological Paragons, more than 40 events, Ideological Buildings and the Inquisitor shipset, city set and advisor.

Who makes Willpower and what comes next

Paradox Development Studio builds Willpower with Abrakam, the Belgian Faeria studio that co-developed Astral Planes, Grand Archive and Shadows of the Shroud. Scenarios, first planned alongside Willpower, moved to the 4.7 Capricornus update in Q1 2027 for more polish.

Willpower runs on Windows, macOS and Linux and needs only the base game, and Paradox hasn’t announced Season 10 for Stellaris: Console Edition. For another Paradox launch the same month, see our Crusader Kings III: Silk & Silver page, and our November 2026 release calendar covers the rest.

This page is updated as soon as Paradox confirms the unlock hour and posts the 4.6 patch notes.