PC Critic Reviews

What is here though is a deep simulation where every aspect of your nation interweaves with itself telling a story that you built. I’ve never been this in love with a strategy game before. I finally found the one for me, and I won’t need another one for quite a long while.

Victoria 3 is a video game that existed as a hope and a meme for so long that it’s hard for any real-world product to satisfy every fan. But the game as it stands on launch, with its focus on pops, its economic model, and its diplomatic plays concept, should satisfy most newcomers and long-term fans. Some mechanics feel a little undercooked but will surely be built upon via expansions. I really want to see more depth for internal politics and diplomacy. The launch version of Victoria 3 still delivers a great grand strategy experience that allows players to engage with an exciting historical period, as long as they invest time and energy.

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.

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 amazing from the get-go, with so many systems that it's going to take dozens – if not hundreds – of hours to get completely comfortable with everything there is.

Victoria 3 is a game that has captivated me now for weeks. I love the level of granular detail Paradox Games allow me to dive into, and Victoria 3 has this in droves. But my favorite parts of Paradox Games are the alternate history playthroughs. I found myself talking to friends and family about the quirks of the countries in my playthrough as if it were real geopolitical news. Every second in Vicky 3 I was hooked, sometimes finding myself sitting at my desk for hours into the night, losing track of the time yet never getting tired of the simulation. I craved more. And for me, that is high praise. As someone for who it takes quite a bit to really hook me, Victoria 3 certainly has in a big way. In fact, I think I’ll start my next campaign right now.

Victoria 3 hides its light under a bushel, but once you invest enough time to get acquainted with all of its mechanics, you’ll realize it’s one of the best, most engaging grand strategies ever.

Victoria 3 finally arrives after years of incessant requests from the Paradox community and grand strategies, and it does it in style. The team responsible for the new chapter has managed to implement what fans were hoping for: expand, innovate and simplify a system of social and economic simulation without sacrificing the complexity that had so amazed already in the second title of the series. Victoria 3 is not a game for everyone but all those who want to play it hard will see this "investment" highly rewarded.

If not the most complex socio-economic simulator out there, Victoria 3 is certainly the most fun and user-friendly. Another hit and another "nextgen" strategy game after Crusader Kings 3.

A deep and well-crafted economic simulator, not without flaws or room for improvement, but still immensely fun and faithful to the spirit that made the series great.