Update 2: As of April 29, 2017 Stellaris has had it's first major expansion. Which along with the free update that came along with it have further improved the game and also fixed one of the big issues I had with the game, the Ethics Divergence system. I look forward to even more updates and expansions for this game.

Update 1: Since release, Stellaris has now had three content updates in the form of patches and one story pack DLC. The three updates for the game have added new content/features, refined and update older features, and overall have improved the game significantly since release. The DLC, Leviathans, added some new things to do in the typically boring and slow mid-game of most 4X games.

Original: Stellaris is a great mix of 4X and Grand Strategy. It plays alot like a mix of Civ, with exploration and meeting empires in the early game, and then shifts over towards a more grand strategy like feel as you start establishing both friendships and rivalries with neighboring empires and your borders began to collide. If you've been wanting to try other Grand Strategy games such as Europa Universalis, Hearts of Iron, or other Paradox games, but have felt intimidated by the depth then Stellaris is a good place to start to get the feel of the genre.

I fully recommend this game and consider it a definite buy if you are interested in this genre!