Manor Lords publisher signs Gilded Destiny, a new Victoria 3 rival

If you're looking for a new grand strategy game to while away the hours, Gilded Destiny is for you. An upcoming rival to Paradox's Victoria 3, everything about this industrial spin on the genre sounds impressive. With a colossal map and a focus on giving you complete control, developer Aquila Interactive has a huge experience on its hands. Now, I'm hoping Gilded Destiny can get even bigger, as Manor Lords and Against the Storm publisher Hooded Horse signs the game to its portfolio.

In Gilded Destiny, you need to guide a blossoming nation through the Industrial Age. The world is moving towards manufacturing and machines, and this rapid technological growth is the perfect opportunity for you to seize whatever power you can. With a focus on diplomacy, warfare, and industrialization,  Gilded Destiny may just join Victoria on our list of the best grand strategy games.

What sets Aquila Interactive's take on the genre apart, however, is its focus on scale. Gilded Destiny's map is handcrafted, and made up of over one million hexes reflecting biomes and terrain found in the real world. Countries are true to scale, so whoever you pick to dominate during the rise of industry will have an array of unique challenges to face.

To make sure your nation expands, though, you've got to put in the work. You can do this by placing new cities, railways, and buildings right on the map, creating the ideal production chain. With plenty of factories and industries, raw resources and finished goods, and labor and healthcare reforms all working together, you've got a lot to consider right from the jump.

Once everything you need is in place, it's time to take control of your armies. Whether you're defending or expanding, you can command units individually or automate them, letting you focus on what truly matters at any given moment. Your soldiers need supply lines and transport hubs to stay sharp, however, so you'll have to embrace any new technologies the Industrial Age throws at you.

With Gilded Destiny joining the Hooded Horse portfolio, the Manor Lords publisher has officially been on a bit of a roll recently. Earlier this month, it signed Sandustry, a physics-based automation game that blends Terraria and Factorio, which you can try right now.

Gilded Destiny is set for a Steam Early Access launch sometime in 2025, but you can wishlist the game now on Steam. Just head here.

While you wait for Gilded Destiny, make sure you check out all the best strategy games and simulation games on PC today.

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