Victoria 3

 PC
User Score
5.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 115 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 43 out of 115
  2. Mixed: 21 out of 115
  3. Negative: 51 out of 115

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  1. ohbane
    Nov 9, 2022
    5
    I am surprised how many fanboys are defending the malpractice of this particular AAA studio, Paradox Interactive, which is why I decided to create an account and write a review. We know that the same people would not defend EA, Ubisoft, or Epic Games like that. Yet, somehow, they are fine with Paradox because what? It was once smaller? Paradox is a publicly traded company with a team sizeI am surprised how many fanboys are defending the malpractice of this particular AAA studio, Paradox Interactive, which is why I decided to create an account and write a review. We know that the same people would not defend EA, Ubisoft, or Epic Games like that. Yet, somehow, they are fine with Paradox because what? It was once smaller? Paradox is a publicly traded company with a team size of approx. 1,000. Paradox should do better than 5/10.

    So, what's the fuzz about Victoria 3, then?

    Well, if you've played Victoria 2 before, you will likely be quite or perhaps a bit more disappointed. If you are optimistic, you'll say that you hope it will get better over time once they get rid of the inexperienced game director and that it hopefully does not end like Imperator (or all the other Paradox games that got canceled or aborted eventually).

    I'd say Victoria 3 is not that bad... it is just not a good game. UI issues. Serious gameplay issues, not just in terms of warfare but also the actual economic gameplay, as many pointed out (there are so many good economic games out there, and Victoria 3 is not as fun to play as the others, economically speaking, despite all the fancy and deep economy system in the background). And once you've figured out how to exploit the economy model, you'll win every time but also notice how every nation, every culture, every government, and economy type plays the same -- and this is a game design issue. Victoria 2, HOI4, EU4 and Stellaris are better designed in this regard.

    The latter is, in my opinion, the actual issue everyone is either meh or not okay with, making them go mad or defend the company. The game is not well designed. It suffers from a bad game direction and an inexperienced game designer. Maybe it is just a lack of talent. We know from EA and Ubisoft that they struggle with talent in game design and game direction in particular, right? So, why would we assume that Paradox would not suffer the same (after multiple years of average to below-average game releases and a large team of approx. 1,000)? I mean, guys, please. We are all adults. We know that this game could be remembered as a turning point of Paradox -- to the better (hopefully), or the worse (if you take the past years into account and if Paradox does not release something truly magical and great soon).    … Expand
  2. Coot
    Oct 30, 2022
    7
    Game is great, music and graphic is great, but for now, it is unpolished, and a bit monotonous. Give it a year or two it would be amazing.
  3. carkisx1
    Oct 26, 2022
    6
    The game is very unbalanced in economy, everything is expensive and slow to build... the war is incredibly boring, you put the option "go to the front" to your general and the artificial intelligence does everything for you. On the other hand, I like the complexity of what they did with the population and government (internal politics), there are a lot of options to choose and ways...The game is very unbalanced in economy, everything is expensive and slow to build... the war is incredibly boring, you put the option "go to the front" to your general and the artificial intelligence does everything for you. On the other hand, I like the complexity of what they did with the population and government (internal politics), there are a lot of options to choose and ways... although unfortunately if the economy is broken, this is not enough.… Expand
  4. Woauus34
    Oct 29, 2022
    6
    At this stage I cannot recommend this game. I enjoyed playing it for about 20 hours, but this feels more like an actual beta than a full release for a full price. There are too many things missing from this game to give it a pass right now.
  5. Murpy
    Oct 28, 2022
    5
    It's a very bland and surface level game. Coming from someone whose played almost every paradox game its just a 5/10 at best. It might be ok for people getting into paradox games, as I think its by far the easiest one they've made. I think it's the second worst game they've made only better than the goat march of the eagles.
  6. ScarlettFire
    Oct 26, 2022
    7
    While the internal politics of the game are remarkable, and I do appreciate a grand strategy game that focuses more on economy and internal politics than external geopolitics, the geopolitics aspect of the game has suffered greatly. Everything feels overly complex yet too simple, with barely anything explained to you in an adequate manner, an issue that is not present in Paradox's otherWhile the internal politics of the game are remarkable, and I do appreciate a grand strategy game that focuses more on economy and internal politics than external geopolitics, the geopolitics aspect of the game has suffered greatly. Everything feels overly complex yet too simple, with barely anything explained to you in an adequate manner, an issue that is not present in Paradox's other games like CK3 or EU4.

    If you LOVE internal politics in your games, I do recommend it, but most of my game was spent in the buildings tab. I would recommend waiting until this game gets the updates it needs, and do hope it isn't abandoned like Imperator was.    … Expand
  7. PenetratorGod
    Aug 26, 2023
    5
    Paradox games have always been enjoyable but always complicated. They will be aware of this in their new games, so they started to prefer interfaces that make games easier in order to fix this complexity in their games. I think they achieved this in Crusader Kings 3, but I can't say the same for Victoria 3. The learning process of the game seemed extremely difficult and boring. YouParadox games have always been enjoyable but always complicated. They will be aware of this in their new games, so they started to prefer interfaces that make games easier in order to fix this complexity in their games. I think they achieved this in Crusader Kings 3, but I can't say the same for Victoria 3. The learning process of the game seemed extremely difficult and boring. You probably need to play 50-100 hours to start enjoying this game, but I don't have that patience. Maybe I will try again in the future.… Expand
  8. Atyra
    Jan 11, 2023
    7
    Victoria 3 is a hard game to rate. The term 'wide as an ocean' rarely applies better, this is truly a monstrously ambitious and grand game, but at the same time, many of that width feels barebone and leaves the player feeling more like they're playing a game of Chess than an excellent RPG experience. It's unfortunate, but this is just Paradox's standard. I do believe that in a few yearsVictoria 3 is a hard game to rate. The term 'wide as an ocean' rarely applies better, this is truly a monstrously ambitious and grand game, but at the same time, many of that width feels barebone and leaves the player feeling more like they're playing a game of Chess than an excellent RPG experience. It's unfortunate, but this is just Paradox's standard. I do believe that in a few years this could be a real 9/10, but it isn't there yet.

    Still, this is just putting it up to the very high standard that Grand Strategy gamers have for replayability and complex simulation. It's not as if Victoria 3 is a poor game in any way, it just attempts and advertises far more than it current achieves.    … Expand
  9. mordwand
    Jun 10, 2023
    5
    There is a good game in here somewhere its just hidden behind terrible performance, underbaked features, bugs galore, balance issues, and an overall simplification of the formula of its predecessors. It strikes me that Paradox spent way too much time developing the graphics when you barely ever look at that level of resolution. Ive spent a decent amount of time playing but wouldn'tThere is a good game in here somewhere its just hidden behind terrible performance, underbaked features, bugs galore, balance issues, and an overall simplification of the formula of its predecessors. It strikes me that Paradox spent way too much time developing the graphics when you barely ever look at that level of resolution. Ive spent a decent amount of time playing but wouldn't recommend without some major updates/changes.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

65
#65 Best PC Game of 2022
39
#39 Most Discussed PC Game of 2022

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 36 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 31 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 36
  3. Negative: 0 out of 36
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 25, 2024
    60
    Victoria gives players a glimpse of the changing world of the nineteenth century. The player forms nations, oversees ethnic groups, colonizes a world untouched by Western civilization, and most importantly, manages trade and industry. The game itself has shortcomings that disappoint. Prussia doesn't always succeed in unifying Germany, and in 20 hours of play I have yet to see a war between the US and Mexico, or even an attempted civil war in the US. [Issue#323]
  2. GameCritics
    Jan 23, 2023
    55
    Overall, Victoria 3 offers a lot of play for those interested in grand strategy, with a number of detailed and complex systems to learn over time. It’s also a solid entry point for people newer to the famously complicated genre, but experienced vets looking for engaging wars or more historically-focused titles should either keep an eye on future updates or look elsewhere.
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  3. Games.cz
    Jan 19, 2023
    80
    Be patient, work through your failures. If you do, you’ll get to enjoy a truly fascinating simulation of the 19th century world with all its diplomacy, trade and social developments. War is secondary. And it’s for the best.
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