Victoria 3 Reviews
Victoria 3 is a political and economic simulation of unparalleled depth, complexity and indifference to you. Stumble upon a narrative hook and it can reel you in, even if it struggles to maintain a human connection
Victoria 3 is a deep, engaging, grand strategy game to get lost in. It is pretty clear that Paradox Development Studios have put a lot of care and attention into the game to make it accessible for new players to try. It’s a slow and well-structured game that rewards patience for players who like to see their long-term planning playout. However, I don’t think it is a game for all strategic players to enjoy; the micromanagement will put many players off the game. But players like myself who love the game’s deepness and strategy will be rewarded with hours of enjoyment.
An ambitious, beautiful, and obsessively detailed society simulation that still needs to iron out a few rough edges.
An extraordinarily detailed economy and range of interlinking systems make Victoria 3 a grand strategy to rival some of Paradox's best.
Victoria 3's attractive historical sandbox is filled with potential, but it's on you to unlock it.
All in all, Victoria 3 does a brilliant job of bringing this era of global politics alive. Its brilliant law systems create a truly enigmatic power struggle that will keep us playing for many hours to come. While there is a lack of flavour for some of the smaller nations and a handful of other problems that stop Victoria 3 being as good as it could be, there’s a vast myriad of strategies available to players, and many ways to plot out a successful campaign. And ultimately, that’s all that we want from a strategy game: the freedom to make credible choices.
Victoria 3 is a niche game that at its core is about enacting social and political change through close internal management of your nation, and nothing on the market comes close to replicating it.
Victoria 3 is a well-done, amazing, deep and potentially infinite grande strategy, exactly what we expected from Paradox.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Victoria 3 is an incredibly detailed strategy game that's as laborious as it is rewarding. You'll need to put in the work and be prepared to spend a lot of time busying yourself while waiting for things to complete.
A warts and all take on a tumultuous period in history results in a surprisingly thought-provoking experience.
If you'd like a chance to lead millions and create a nation to rival all others, then this is the game for you. Just be careful what you wish for. The role of a leader can be fickle and overwhelming at times.
Victoria 3 is an excellent game. Despite its complexity and intransigence, it is a real pleasure to play. A game that we can only recommend to history lovers.
Review in French | Read full review
Victoria 3 is a grand strategy game with perhaps too much depth and complexity for genre newbies, and genre veterans might find the simplified warfare a turn-off. That said, I am wholly invested. It’s the most sandboxy of the Paradox lineup so far and I’ve been enjoying my time with it immensely. It is gorgeous, impressive, and absolutely worth the time it takes to learn. Now onto my fourth playthrough. The World Welsh Order will rise, mark my words.
A hallmark of excellence. There may be flaws, but they are negligible and won't cause massive damage.
Even the world itself is a bummer. Victoria 3's map is beautiful, even more than Crusader King 3's, a globe bristling with colour and variety and an ever-changing landscape as cities and railroads expand over the decades. But you rarely, if ever, actually use it. This enormous 3D recreation of the entire planet is sitting in the middle of your screen for almost the entire time you play the game, taking up huge amounts of real estate, and you almost never (there are a few exceptions) have to click on it, since the game’s primary interactions are all more quickly and easily handled via sidebars and buttons. It’s a real shame!
The wait for Victoria III has been worth it. The new mechanics need some time to correct certain problems, but the content offered by Victoria III is very high level and will eat us hundreds of hours of gameplay.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Victoria 3 is a complex grand strategy game, however Paradox Development Studio went above and beyond to make it accessible to anyone with enough patience to learn the basics of how it works.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Victoria 3 is, without a doubt, grand in scale and scope, and it's downright gorgeous, too. Sadly, the countless mechanics mean that there are too many moving parts, which lead to more questions than answers. The automation and streamlining of battle is, likewise, a baffling change. Even as a veteran of Paradox Interactive's games, this is still one series that I can't get behind.
Victoria 3 is an excellent addition to the Grand Strategy genre that I think will very much live up to expectations. There are a few issues but it does many more things right than it does wrong. Victoria 3 is a highlight amongst strategy games released this year, and I’m extremely impressed by the developers making peace just as fun and engaging as war. This is a must play for anyone who likes grand strategy titles, but wants to play something a little different compared to its competitors.
Victoria 3 is a winner across the board. The title confidently takes up the baton of one of the Paradox sagas most mythologised by users, carefully avoids grafting arduous or uninspiring superstructures, and inserts the winning elements of the latest domestic strategy games to deliver a complete, complex but (virtually) for all experience.
Review in Italian | Read full review