Crusader Kings III: By God Alone Expansion Launches September 30

Paradox Interactive is expanding Crusader Kings III once again. The developer confirmed that the next major expansion, By God Alone, will arrive on September 30, 2026. This release focuses heavily on religious mechanics, aiming to deepen how players engage with church politics and the spiritual lives of their characters.

New Religious Mechanics and Theocracies

The core of By God Alone is the introduction of playable theocracies. Players can now govern realms headed by archbishops or the Papacy, granting them access to unique resources of power and wealth. To manage these new responsibilities, the expansion adds a "Christian Situation" system, which allows rulers to participate in Ecumenical Councils to shape religious tenets and beliefs.

The expansion also introduces significant changes to how the Church functions within the game world:

• College of Cardinals: Rulers can now influence the appointment of Cardinals, creating a push-and-pull struggle between secular and religious authority.
• Archdioceses: New clerical titles that grant religious authority over specific geographic regions, operating independently of the ruler's secular lands.
• Puppets: Secular rulers gain the ability to puppet clerical characters, forcing them to act in the ruler's best interests.
• Great Schism: For those starting in the 867 bookmark, the game now features the historic split between Western Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy.

Spiritual Life and Heresy

Beyond political maneuvering, the expansion introduces a Spiritual Fulfillment system. Traits, religious tenets, and player actions now combine to represent a character's internal spiritual life. Virtue and sin are no longer just mechanics for managing stress; they now influence a character's relationship with God and their concerns regarding the afterlife.

Religious divergence has also been overhauled. If a faith deviates too far from established norms, it can be declared heretical. Players will then face the choice of conforming to the Church or rebelling to maintain their own rites. Additionally, Monastic Holy Orders are being added as hubs for theological power and research, offering bonuses to rulers who host their headquarters.

The update also includes dynamic holy sites that grow with a faith over time, and the ability for cathedrals to become focal points for specific saints, further impacting the religious map of the game.