Upcoming industrial grand strategy game Victoria 3 finally has a release window, along with a new trailer.
Revealed shortly after the Xbox and Bethesda Showcase during the PC Gaming Show (opens in new tab), Victoria 3 should be released later this year. While developer Paradox hasn’t set a more specific release date, a 2022 release will be welcome news for fans of the series who have been waiting for the sequel since it was revealed last year.
Created by the same studio behind Crusader Kings 3, Victoria 3 transports Paradox’s grand strategy formula into the era of the industrial revolution. You are given a country to lead through 100 years of political, economic and social upheaval, starting in 1836.
In a twist on Crusader Kings 3, however, Victoria 3 doesn’t let you play as an individual ruler or dynasty, but the country itself. You will be managing many facets of the nation, judging between the disputes of its many demographics, enacting domestic policies to try to satisfy your desires, and maneuvering between conflicts on the global stage.
Both the macro and micro elements of your country must be finely tuned and watched as you try to lead your people to prosperity. Check out the new trailer for Victoria 3 below.
Unlike many other turn-based, real-time strategy games, Victoria 3 is designed to encourage peaceful resolutions to conflicts. While you can invade other nations and defend their borders through military actions, Paradox says diplomatic efforts can achieve anything gained by war. When Victoria 3 was first revealed last year, the studio was keen to present its diplomatic systems as more robust than any of its previous titles.
Like the other grand strategy games, however, Victoria 3 leans heavily towards alternate history. While the central campaign is punctuated by historically significant events that were vital in shaping the 19th century, the world’s many nation states will respond to its actions. Victoria 3 appears to be both a fun sandbox and a historical simulator.
