Victoria II

Amazing game. THE LITERAL ROMULUS TO ALL MODERN STRATEGY GAMES! THEY STUDY THIS GAME IN UNIVERSITIES I BET!

Nice

Amazing

Grand Strategy Gaming (GSG). The only problem that I have (and it's good!) is that the game's too short. Those 100 years go by too quickly, meaning that if you win the Great War and complete your empire's path, you don't have much time to enjoy it and see the aftereffects.

if victoria 2 was a women, i would sleep with them.
8/10

Victoria II isn’t just a game — it’s a sprawling, intricate simulation of the 19th century world, packed with political ideologies, economic revolutions, cultural shifts, and imperial ambitions. It’s the kind of game that doesn’t hold your hand, but if you’re willing to learn, it rewards you with one of the richest strategy experiences ever made.

Let’s get this out of the way: Victoria II is complex. The learning curve is steep, and the interface can feel archaic by modern standards. But behind the spreadsheets and clunky menus lies a powerful machine — one that lets you reshape history in astonishing ways.

Whether you're guiding Prussia into German unification, turning Belgium into an industrial powerhouse, or leading Japan’s Meiji Restoration, every decision echoes through decades of diplomacy, warfare, and reform. It’s like directing an entire civilization through the most volatile century in modern history.

What truly sets Victoria II apart from other Paradox titles is its focus on internal politics and economics. This isn’t just about winning wars — it’s about managing population needs, dealing with rising socialist movements, navigating nationalist uprisings, and watching your middle class grow (or revolt).

The POP system (population groups) is a brilliant mechanic, tracking individual demographics based on occupation, literacy, ideology, and more. You’re not just ruling a country — you’re managing the aspirations and frustrations of its people.

Warfare exists, but it’s more about maneuvering than blitzkrieg. Wars in Victoria II are often about limited goals — grabbing a colony, asserting dominance, or defending an ally — and every war has a cost in global prestige, infamy, and internal stability.

Diplomacy is subtle but powerful. Great Powers jostle for influence over smaller nations, while alliances and spheres of influence shift constantly. Becoming (or staying) a Great Power is a game in itself.

The community has kept Victoria II alive and thriving with fantastic mods, most notably HPM (Historical Project Mod) and Divergences of Darkness, which add layers of realism or alternate history flavor. With every country offering a unique experience, no two playthroughs feel the same.

Victoria II is not flashy. It’s not easy. But it’s one of the most intelligent, absorbing grand strategy games ever made. If you’re fascinated by the 1800s — a time of revolutions, railroads, and rising empires — and enjoy deep systems that reward patience and planning, this game is a crown jewel in the Paradox library.

A brilliant, brainy historical simulator. A niche masterpiece for strategy purists.

A Grand Strategy Gem for the Truly Ambitious

Rating: 9/10

Best historic map game i am aware of. Great for modding also

Juego de mierda

Still superior to Vic 3

When the Free Market Free Markets

best game of all time

pretty good, have no clue what i´m doing 99.9999999% percent of the time. Oh, and it ruined my sleep schedule.

This is the PEAK of Paradox's Grand Strategy Games. It's both a classic and a game that always feels like there's more to learn. Somehow, it always stays fresh while at the same time feeling like a classic.
The sheer amount of things you can do even in the base game is MASSIVE, and with the DLCs, it's even more incredible.
If you love Grand Strategy games, History (especially Politics and Economics), and Alt-History scenarios, this is a must-have.
And if the base game isn't enough for you, there's a HUGE collection of mods available online, ranging from alt-history mods, flavor expansions, and total overhauls to small QoL improvements and fun gimmicks.
If you're truly into this genre, I highly recommend buying it with all the DLCs. It's worth EVERY SINGLE PENNY.

Peak ass game

Contrary to literally every other paradox game, the AI in this game is absolutely retarded and cannot think for themselves whatsoever. Why the FUCK does the UK NOT have transports?????????????????????????????????? Like hello, the biggest navy in the history of the world, has no fucking troop transports????????????????????? Genuinely don't waste your money on this piece of shit game lmao

steam dışında yüzlerce saat oynadığım, oyun eski olsa bile hala gideri var victoria 3 den iyi olan yönleride var ayrıca savaşlar daha gerçekçi ve victoria3 ten çoğu konuda daha ayrıntılı daha komplike bir oyun gerçekten devlet yönettiğinizi hissettiriyor size bence bu oyunu oynamadan ölen eksik yaşamıştır

Yup, it's good!

Come out ye black and tans, come out and fight me like a man
Show your wife how you won medals down in Flanders
Tell her how the IRA made you run like hell away
From the green and lovely lanes of Killashandra

Old but gold. Better than Victoria 3 in terms of warfare, otherwise it's garbage in comparison to everything else. Send a small 10 stack to china and solo the entire country's 1 million peasant army. Machine guns and poison gas attack cut through primitives like butter. The economy is completely broken: build a few random factories and max out taxes and tariffs and you'll never worry about money ever again. Your people can be starving and riot but your faithful army is ready to massacre their surprise party every time. It's funny how the Jacobins, anarcholiberals, communists and fascists love taking turns to rebel every few months like it's harvesting season. Millions and millions of pops can die but the west will never fall. The only exception is Russia who transitions between Tsarists and Soviets faster than a gender dysphoric teenager. Besides, high militancy allows me to pass health care to breed more soldiers for the meat grinder. Only weak betas emigrate to the Americas. Devs were far more based during this era. Just reading the racist, xenophobic and misogynistic pop up events would make the Paradox HR karen have a seizure.

Prussia is the best country ever, the british are my best friends and screw the russians and the french

Its good game for its time but I scream and cry when I play this I can not be bothered to learn its mechanics

Great and immersive GSG!

It good alright its a classic

Imperialism and Capitalism is amazing.

i found it difficult and somewhat frustrating but still a good game

tab unfriendly and crashes frequently. the map looks garbo

I do recomend this game but the Ai country’s will dog walk you so don’t go to crazy. Ex: you can be at war with a country in Africa or the Caribbean then a great power would declare a containment war and then the rest of Europe will join

dopamine dispensing game !

Muito bom

this game sucks ass. 10/10

I love you Victoria II

Great game, detailed economy and political system, a little dated and the combat system can get a little micro-managey, get all of the DLC's for the best experience.

It's a very good strategy game and way more people should play it.

Love this game bro, I did nothing as Japan for a century and France somehow became Communist and the USA lost New England.... 10/10 would westernize Japan again

My favorite game of all time. It's a mess but I cannot praise it enough. You need the DLCs and the tutorial takes forever but it is SUPER worth it.

Better then Vicky 2

Game is growing on me

I like this game more then the sequal, The combat is just supperior and thus this game is better then victoria 3

unplayable in 2025. Tried the tutorial to refresh my understanding of the game play and it repeatedly crashes to desktop over and over just trying simple things like moving a ship or landing an army. I cannot recommend this and give it a thumbs down. Do not buy it is like fruit left rotting in the sun. Tasty when fresh but now will just make you sick.

If you do decide to buy, I suggest trying immediately and keeping you time to under what is needed for a refund.

good game, actually has interaction required from the player unlike it's sequel

I love being able to play as Texas in this game

One of Paradox's best games overall. It's not a perfect game but it's quite unique and the pop mechanic is very interesting, making a nice change to the standard map-painting. I play only with the Historical Project Mod whenever I play now days.

Beautifully crafted strategy game as long as you use one of the main mechanics mods (HPM) HFM)

Greatest game ever made. At least to me. 4.5/5

I would argue it is the Paradox game that is the easiest to get into, where you can tell what is going on the majority of the time. If you are losing, you can usually see what is going wrong, same the other way around. endless replays. DLC needed, but its practically nothing.

Fuck the Reactionaries (:

Better than Vic 3

Amazing game with both DLC. Far better than Vic3 and doesn't leach your wallet.

fun

Great game

better than vic3

very fun and wholesome game