Victoria 3: How to Make More Money (The Fast Way)

The key to success in Victoria 3, Paradox Interactive’s newest grand strategy nation-simulator game, is for players to expand their economy and maximize their income. Set on Earth from 1836 to 1936, the game covers the historical period and rapid industrialization of the technological revolution, as nation-states began to rapidly produce new technologies and massively expand their economic might and reach. Players take the role of one of these countries, and the core gameplay is focused around using Victoria 3’s robust and semi-realistic economic simulator to become the mightiest empire in the world.

Players familiar with Paradox’s other games will find this a whole new game, with many differences between Victoria 3 and Crusader Kings 3. Who rules a nation or how strong the nation’s military is, is not as important as how much money that nation is earning and spending. Spending money is a tried and tested method, and it’s doubly true if the player wants to keep developing their Victoria 3 economy. Industry, trade, taxation, raw vs finished goods are all mechanics that require more and more investment to keep running. Unless the player is ridiculously ahead, they should not have a large treasury of hoarded gold.

Making Money Fast in Victoria 3

The first method to earn more money is by making buildings dedicated to two or three industries. As seen in the Victoria 3 gameplay preview, each nation starts with its own array of geography, resources, population, and culture, and all these factors influence which industries are best. In the beginning, the player should take a minute to scope out everything related to their nation. What bonuses does a nation’s province give to certain goods, which goods have the most favorable supply and demand on the market, and most importantly, what do the people of the player nation want? Figure out the best answers to these questions, and invest in two or three. Investing in just one industry is more profitable but leaves the player at the whim of the market.

Trade is vital to putting excess goods to use (remember, spend money to make money, don’t leave stuff lying around). However, in contrast to many grand strategy games, expanding a nation’s territory is far from necessary for this. While larger nations have larger internal markets and thus more room for supply and demand, smaller nations can easily band together to form trade unions, and trade routes don’t care for nation size. Instead, the player can use the market tab to find markets with high demand and low supply for their goods and then set up routes to start raking in profits. Supply and demand can change, however, so while ramping up income, it is a supplement to add to Victoria 3’s taxation mechanics.

Unlike simply increasing taxes on vassals to earn gold in Crusader Kings 3, Victoria 3 has a robust and complicated taxation system that affects the price of goods, standards of living, and political militancy within a nation. If a nation’s pops are struggling to buy essential items like food and clothing, it will start to cause instability, reducing overall taxable income. If the player is strapped for cash, they can jack all the taxes for a brief time but should be toned back as soon as problems start to emerge. Consumption taxes on luxury goods are a neat way around the problem, as they tax the use of a specific item and won’t affect the more numerous lower classes who are just trying to get by.

Victoria 3 does not have the family dramas of Crusader Kings 3 and focuses on the growth of newly industrialized nations and their rapidly developing economies. These tips will put the player well on their way to mastering the game.