Chapter V and every CK3 release date

What Chapter V is

Chapter V is the fifth expansion pass for Crusader Kings 3. Paradox announced it on 20 Apr 2026, the same day the free 1.19 "Scribe" update went out. The pass holds four items: one core expansion, one major expansion, one music pack, and one cosmetic clothing pack.

The four items are By God Alone (core expansion, faith), Silk & Silver (major expansion, trade and republics), Songs of the Realm (music pack, 13 tracks), and Symbols of Authority (crowns and hairstyles). Symbols of Authority unlocks the moment you buy the pass. Steam offers it only inside Chapter V.

The suggested retail price of the pass is 43.99 USD, 36.99 GBP, or 43.99 EUR. On Steam the package is number 1481859, and the US store showed 43.99 USD on 9 Nov 2026. The pass needs the base game. It does not include it.

If you only want the faith rework, By God Alone is also sold alone. Read the By God Alone guide for what it changes, and faith and conversion for the loop it sits on.

• By God Alone
• Silk and Silver
• Patch 1.19

Chapter V release dates

Two Chapter V release days are in the past. The pass, Symbols of Authority, Songs of the Realm, and the free 1.19 update all arrived on 20 Apr 2026. By God Alone and the free 1.20.0 "Crozier" update arrived on 30 Sep 2026.

One date is still ahead. Silk & Silver releases on 17 Nov 2026. Paradox gave that date in a press release on 19 Oct 2026, and the Steam store page lists the same day. One news site printed 19 Nov in its headline. The publisher and the store both say 17 Nov.

The first announcement only gave windows: Q3 2026 for By God Alone and Q4 2026 for Silk & Silver. Both landed inside those windows. By God Alone's day, 30 Sep 2026, was announced on 17 Jun 2026.

Steam, Chapter V package 1481859 and app 4232880 (2026-11-09)

By God Alone, 30 Sep 2026

By God Alone is the faith half of the pass. It came out on 30 Sep 2026 and is sold alone for 19.99 USD, 16.99 GBP, or 19.99 EUR. The store line names playable theocracies, so you can play a landed archbishop or the Pope.

The core of it is the Christian Church situation. Every Christian ruler of county tier or above takes part. The church moves through seven chapters, from Fragile Unity to Concord, and the Investiture Controversy is one of them. The 867 start can end in the Great Schism.

Other paid parts are monastic holy orders, the College of Cardinals, archdioceses, spiritual fulfilment, and puppets. Puppets let a secular ruler steer a cleric, and a cleric steer a secular ruler. Intrigue and hooks covers the hook side of that.

If you play a pious ruler, the traits matter more now. Look at Zealous, Cynical, and Theologian before you pick a lifestyle. The full walk-through is the By God Alone guide. Henry IV in 1066 is the emperor who lived through the real Investiture Controversy.

• By God Alone guide
• Faith and conversion
• The Papacy

Silk & Silver, 17 Nov 2026

Silk & Silver is the trade half of the pass. It releases on 17 Nov 2026. The suggested retail price alone is 29.99 USD, 25.99 GBP, or 29.99 EUR. On 9 Nov 2026 the Steam page offered it only through the Chapter V package.

It adds two playable governments. Merchant is a landless family running a trading company from a mansion. Republic is a patrician family competing to be doge through laws, bribes, and an assembly. Feudal, clan, and tribal explains how government changes taxes and levies before you switch.

Merchants pick one of three paths: Caravaneer, Creditor, or Artisan. Trade routes run on over 40 trade goods. Republics can join trade leagues. Venice is the obvious first republic to try.

Two new bookmarks come with it: 1066 Channels of Commerce and 1178 Guelphs & Ghibellines. 1178 is the year Frederick Barbarossa already rules the empire on the hub's start pages. The full guide is Silk and Silver.

• Silk and Silver guide
• Venice
• Domain and economy

The free updates in Chapter V

You get the free updates without buying anything. 1.19 "Scribe" came out on 20 Apr 2026, after an open beta that started on 27 Mar 2026. It added the Ledger window, Stories in the situations tab, a rework of accolades, and a Kingdom Come: Deliverance collaboration.

1.19 also brought Elder Traits for old characters. Infirm became a tiered trait, next to Faltering Heart, Fragile Bones, Clouded Eyes, and Withering Mind. A game rule keeps the older model. See Infirm and the trait calculator. Patch 1.19 has the full list.

1.20.0 "Crozier" came out with By God Alone on 30 Sep 2026. Its free half adds rites for every faith. A rite that drifts far enough from the mainline counts as heresy. A rite at maximum divergence breaks off as a new faith. Hotfixes followed on 1 Oct, 6 Oct, 13 Oct, and 21 Oct 2026.

This hub uses patch 1.20.1.2, the 21 Oct 2026 hotfix. That hotfix keeps existing 1.20 saves and mods working. Before you load an old save on a new patch, back it up, and read first 100 years if you plan a fresh start instead.

• Patch 1.19
• Infirm
• Faith and conversion

Is the pass worth it, and for whom

Add up the parts. By God Alone is 19.99 USD, Silk & Silver is 29.99 USD, and Songs of the Realm is 4.99 USD on Steam. That is 54.97 USD bought one by one. The pass is 43.99 USD, so it costs 10.98 USD less and adds Symbols of Authority, which is not sold alone.

Buy the pass if you want both expansions. Players who live in faith and conversion and players who want to run a merchant house or a republic each get one big expansion.

Buy By God Alone alone if you only care about the church. Christian rulers feel it most, because the situation covers all of Christendom. Rites are free in 1.20, so a non-Christian faith player gets part of the change without paying. Skip the pass if you play non-Christian clan or tribal realms and have no interest in merchants or republics.

There is also a subscription on Steam. It starts at 9.99 USD a month, needs the base game, and covers every piece of content released so far, including the instant unlocks from chapters. It suits a player who wants to try everything for a month or two.

Chapters I to IV

Each chapter bundles a year or two of paid content with a cosmetic pack that unlocks on purchase. Chapter I covered Northern Lords, Royal Court, and Fate of Iberia. Chapter II covered Tours & Tournaments, Wards & Wardens, and Legacy of Persia. Chapter III covered Legends of the Dead, Roads to Power, and Wandering Nobles. Chapter IV covered Khans of the Steppe, Coronations, and All Under Heaven.

Chapter III, Chapter IV, and Chapter V were each announced at about 44 USD. Chapter II was 34.99 USD. The table gives the price each pass had when it was announced.

On 9 Nov 2026 a Steam store search for CK3 chapters returned Chapter V only. Console stores list Chapter I to Chapter IV, often on later console dates. On PC the older expansions are bought one by one, or through the subscription.

Official (Paradox press release, 6 Feb 2024)

Every CK3 expansion release date

Crusader Kings 3 launched on PC on 1 Sep 2020. The table lists every paid expansion, flavor pack, and event pack since, plus the Chapter V music pack, with Steam release dates. Cosmetic and creator packs are left out.

Big expansions usually ship with a named free update. Royal Court came with 1.5.0 "Fleur-de-Lis". Tours & Tournaments came with 1.9.0 "Lance". All Under Heaven came with 1.18.0 "Crane" on 28 Oct 2025. By God Alone came with 1.20.0 "Crozier".

Dates here are PC dates. The console versions launched on 29 Mar 2022, and console expansions follow later on their own dates.

Steam store API, CK3 downloadable content (2026-11-09)

What the hub guides need installed

Most hub guides work on the base game. A few need an expansion.

Hybrid culture needs Royal Court or Khans of the Steppe. Royal court needs Royal Court, because the throne room screen is paid. Activities and tours needs Tours & Tournaments for grand tours, tournaments, and grand weddings. Travel itself is free.

Hegemony needs All Under Heaven, which added the hegemony title tier. The Christian church, cardinals, and puppets on the faith pages need By God Alone. Rites do not. Merchant and republic play needs Silk & Silver from 17 Nov 2026.

Court artifacts need Royal Court too. The Crown of Justinian is a pedestal item for the throne room and asks for Royal Court. Inventory pieces such as the Papal Tiara are carried by the character instead.

• Hybrid culture
• Royal court
• Activities and tours
• Hegemony

Taking a save further

Some players finish a long campaign and carry the world into Europa Universalis V. That runs through a save converter, not through Chapter V. Read the EU5 converter guide for the steps and the version limits.

Converters read a specific game version. Note your patch before you convert. This hub's numbers are for 1.20.1.2. Check the launcher version again after 17 Nov 2026, when Silk & Silver arrives.

If you are still mid-game, the next jobs are on the core pages: succession before you grow, and partition survival before your ruler dies. The FAQ has short answers on dates and prices.

• EU5 converter
• FAQ
• Sources