Victoria 3 is a strategy game that simulates societies from 1836 to 1936. At the centre of it all, you’re a leader whose ultimate goal is leading your people to a glorious future. Having said that, Player.com has compiled the gameplay of six games like Victoria 3. We broke down their strengths and weaknesses.
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6 Games Like Victoria 3 and Their Gameplays Explained
Victoria 3 is a good strategy game with many strengths, such as its great music, demand and supply economy, and alliances. To that end, you can enjoy short reviews of six games like Victoria 3. Yes, they’re all strategy games that emphasise military prowess and resource management. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is a worthy pick if you don’t mind a FPS.
#1: Crusader Kings 3
Crusaders King 3 is available on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox. Its learning curve is rather steep, but you’ll enjoy the strategy game the more you play it. For one, it’s a super realistic simulation of running a kingdom in the Middle Ages, so it earns its position as one of the top games like Victoria 3. Luckily, gamers have the chance to choose their preferred kingdom and era. Both settings make a world of difference because some technologies haven’t been developed during certain eras.
Nonetheless, you’ll still participate in far-reaching politics that determine your kingdom’s approach to allies and enemies. You can make many decisions about unique issues, such as:
- Your wife’s cheating habits.
- Your approach to reprimanding your daughter’s habits.
- Your approach to blackmail: Use them on enemies immediately or stack them.
The game plays out over centuries so you’re never worried about personal benefit. Rather, you want your kingdom or country to stand the test of time. Crusader Kings 3 still has flaws, such as the lack of language support and the sheer number of DLCs. However, mindful modders can easily solve these issues using mods.
#2: Europa Universalis 4
Europa Universalis 4 is a grand strategy game that lets you control a country over four centuries. That’s enough time to witness its growth or demise, depending on your decision throughout the title. Thankfully, in-game events are historically accurate but you’re still given the freedom to dominate the world in any way you see fit. The sheer level of depth you’ll witness allows you to write your history, cementing your name in time.
That said, unlike Crusader Kings 2, Europa Universalis 4 is a full-blown war game like Victoria 3, where invasions and coups are the norm. Along the way, you’ll also experience more than 100 events, like the Protestant Reformation. Likewise, imports and exports are yours to exploit to the extreme, so use government policies to bring the world’s wealth to you.
#3: Anno 1800
Anno 1800 is a city-building simulator where your goal is to upgrade your kingdom’s structures and might. That said, resources are integral to development, so part of your job is to manage your materials. The amount of micromanagement needed reminds us of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. You can also choose different protagonists who can exploit, liberate, conquer, or innovate. Eventually, you’ll decide how the world remembers your name.
Other features of Anno 1800 that we love are the high replayability, individual AI opponents, importation of trade goods, and random maps. Additionally, it’s the 19th century so you will engage in many naval wars. Upgrade your ship, its personnel, and its weapons if you want to gain an edge in combat. It’s the human mind against AI rulers whose trade routes are in direct competition with yours. It’s a similar game to Victoria 3 in the sense that you manage societies too.
#4: Stellaris
Stellaris is a 4X grand strategy game that focuses on sci-fi elements instead of revolutionary tropes and civil wars. It’s similar to Destiny 2 in the sense that you’ll meet different alien races and interact with them to accomplish your goals. Along the way, you’ll also explore fantastic new worlds and establish new trade routes.
Luckily, the game tickles the part of our brain that wants more action. The events of the game stuck to us even after we dropped our keyboards and mice. They’re so memorable that we included Stellaris in this list to share our perspective. Other features you can look forward to experiencing in a game like Victoria 3 are:
- Interstellar combat that involves spaceships.
- Cutting-edge graphics with 4K texture packs.
- A huge range of technology upgrades can be made.
- Play however you want, including as an advanced humanoid or as a murderous mushroom society.
#5: Victoria 2
Victoria 2 is the prequel to Victoria 3 and it still deserves a look because of its 19th-century monarchies. That said, it’s a game like Victoria 3 in lots of ways. You aim to expand your kingdom or country by the time the 20th century rolls in and resources are the key. Finding certain resources is as tough as finding Error Cubes in Deep Rock Galactic.
You’ll guide your country using political reformations, military dominance, colonisation, and industrialisation. The population will also react to your reforms, so be careful of pushing your workers with steep tax plans. Other awesome features that we love are:
- Engage in politics with allies, foes, and everything in between.
- You can lead over 200 countries from 1835 up to WWII.
- There are thousands of inventions to invest in across a century.
- Many quality-of-life features have been introduced to the game. This includes changes to the graphics, interface, and multiplayer features.
- A detailed economy with over 50 types of goods to explore.
- You can automate trades and population promotion, so you don’t need to micromanage all the time.
- Battle against enemy AI rulers to control the wealth of the world.
- Your missions will be historically accurate sometimes and dynamic at other times. It all boils down to the decisions that you make.
#6: Hearts of Iron 4
Hearts of Iron 4 is also developed by Paradox Development Studio and it’s a strategy war game that takes place during World War II. You can lead any country to victory on the frontlines but that’s only if you make the right decisions. Other highlights of the game that were memorable are:
- It occupies around 2 GB of space.
- Design your army down to the last man.
- Managing your war cabinet is why this game is like Victoria 3. You have the freedom to prioritise tasks depending on the dangers ahead (Warfare or otherwise).
- Employ the help of innovators and researchers to push the boundaries of technology.
- The game supports up to 32 players who can compete against each other or cooperate.
- Build factories and government offices to establish balance within society.
Our Final Say: We Need More Games Like Victoria 3
Strategy games are quite addictive once you understand the in-game mechanics and restrictions. That said, most of the games on the list were created by Paradox Development Studio, so they have tight control over the space. Hopefully, a competitor will introduce better gameplay mechanics that’ll force the studio to innovate.