Victoria 3: Sphere of Influence expansion focuses on The Great Game, releases in May

Paradox Interactive today revealed all-new details for Victoria 3’s first expansion: Sphere of Influence. In Sphere of Influence, rapid technological and societal changes of the Victoria Era allows empires to compete in new lands and with new means. The expansion has a handful of new features including the ability to create your own Power Bloc and then bully, bribe, or befriend other nations to get them to join.

The Great Game

Sphere of Influence also focuses on The Great Game, a 19th-century rivalry between the British and Russian empires over influence in Central Asia. Players can use Prestige to become a Great Power and create their own Power Bloc, from which they can dominate other nations in diplomatic arrangements or use the bloc to pursue common economic or ideological goals.

Players also have the opportunity to play as any of the powers central to The Great Game conflict, including Persia and Afghanistan. The map has been redrawn to highlight the many competing interests during The Great Game.

Other features of Sphere of Influence include Foreign Investments, Nationalization, Subject Interactions, Interest Group Lobbies, and many more systems built around the new Power Bloc feature.

I’ve got about 30 or so hours in Victoria 3so far and have been waiting for an update like this to jump back in. The ability to ccreate a Power Bloc will really change up the strategies you can use to effectively grow your empire, and I’m excited to see how it all works.

To celebrate the news, a Trains Bonus Content Pack with ten new 3D models for trains from the early days of steam to the golden age of rail is available to download for free for anyone who owns Victoria 3.

Victoria 3: Sphere of Influence is set to release on PC on May 6, 2024 for $29.99.