After struggling on Steam, new Victoria 3 DLC lets you curb or coax an uprising

If you've ever dreamed of ruling a 19th-century country, there are worse ways you can do it than by loading up Victoria 3. We called it, "the most beautiful game Paradox has ever made," and stand by that statement. The grand strategy title puts you in the shoes of various world leaders in order to simulate this tumultuous and transformative period of world history. And now, Paradox is turning its gaze on the Balkans. During an unstable epoch for central Europe, the National Awakening immersion pack focuses on the ideological struggles of the region as it wrestles with nationalism and bureaucratic reform.

If that sounds like your sort of thing, then Victoria 3 is the game for you. As a British man, I am well-learned in European history, but some American players might be less clued up. If that's the case, the National Awakening immersion pack, which releases on PC very soon, is the best place to jump in. If it's not your first Balkan rodeo, you can see if you can keep this simmering pot from boiling over.

As the Ottoman Empire loses its grip on Europe and its Austro-Hungarian counterpart begins to form, you can dive headlong into the fray. An addition to one of the best strategy games, National Awakening has content "related to" Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Montenegro, and Yugoslavia and Illyria.

It's not clear exactly how many of these will be playable nations or whether they'll just host key events in the national fervor stirred up in the region. However, with new historical characters including Klemens von Metternich and members of the Serbian royal houses, you're in for a tumultuous ride.

Will you create a united Balkan front or will petty rivalries usurp your plans for Slavic domination? There's only one way to find out. Modeling the rise of nationalism, theocratic states, and the rebellions of the Great Eastern Crisis, National Awakening promises to be an evocative addition to Victoria 3.

Victoria 3's National Awakening DLC drops on Tuesday September 23.

If you can't wait for September, however, take your pick of the best grand strategy games or the best 4X games to get lost in for the next month and a half. I can't promise nationalistic reform, but I can promise a good time.

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