I really tried to love this game, and honestly, I will probably try again in the future. There is so much here that should make Victoria 3 one of my favorite Paradox games. The foundation is strong, the ideas are ambitious, and when everything is working properly, the game can be genuinely fascinating. But at the same time, it is hard to ignore how unfinished, unstable, and frustrating the experience still feels.

Paradox needs to hire more QA testers, or at the very least dedicate more time and resources to polishing the game before pushing out additional content. There are simply too many bugs, too many strange performance issues, and too many moments where the game feels like it is fighting against itself. The frame drops in particular are incredibly frustrating. I can run Crusader Kings III perfectly fine, and Hearts of Iron IV runs well for me until around 1944, where even then I am still usually averaging somewhere around 50–80 FPS. So it is hard for me to understand why Victoria 3 gives me so many issues by comparison.

What makes it even more disappointing is that there is a genuinely great game buried underneath all of these problems. The map is beautiful, and it might be one of the best Paradox has ever made. Watching the world change over time, seeing borders shift, economies grow, and political movements develop is incredibly satisfying. I also love how customizable your nation can be. The ability to shape your country’s laws, institutions, economy, production methods, and diplomatic position gives the game a level of depth that is very appealing.

The diplomacy system is also one of the more interesting parts of the game. It gives the world a sense of movement and tension, and there are times when the diplomatic plays almost create genuinely engaging situations. (At least in my opinion after charters of commerce this portion is pretty satisfactory especially in multiplayer where it really excels) The economy, when it is not bugging out or behaving strangely, is probably the strongest part of the game. Building industries, managing trade, responding to shortages, and trying to balance the needs of your population can be very stimulating. There are moments where everything clicks, and you can see exactly what Victoria 3 is trying to be.

That is why the current state of the game is so frustrating. This should be one of Paradox’s best titles. It has the setting, the mechanics, the scope, and the ambition to be incredible. But the bugs, performance drops, and overall lack of polish constantly get in the way. Instead of being fully immersed in the simulation, I keep getting pulled out of it by technical issues or systems that do not seem to work as intended.

Paradox owes it to its community to go back and properly fix this game. Many of us have supported their games for years, bought DLCs, recommended their titles, and stuck with them through rocky launches. But it gets exhausting to feel let down again and again by one of the few companies whose products I have consistently enjoyed. I do not want to dislike Victoria 3. In fact, I want the opposite. I want this game to become what it clearly has the potential to be.