Choose Victoria 3
Choose Victoria 3 if you want the Multi-player, Online PvP, and PvP side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2022) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 20,081 Steam reviews back the pick.
Victoria 3 vs Bad Government
Victoria 3 and Bad Government both land in Strategy, Simulation on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Strategy, Simulation on Steam. Bad Government (2018) is 4 years older than Victoria 3 (2022). Bad Government is currently ~93% cheaper on Steam than Victoria 3 (0.99 USD vs. 14.99 USD). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Bad Government
Choose Bad Government if you want an Indie, RPG, and Casual game with Touch Only Option. On Steam, it's currently about 93% cheaper on the Steam Store. Bad Government launched in 2018.
Both Victoria 3 and Bad Government sit in Strategy and Simulation on Steam and both list Custom Volume Controls, Stereo Sound, and Playable without Timed Input, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 Victoria 3 |  Bad Government | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2022 | 2018 |
| Genres | Strategy, Simulation | Strategy, Indie, Simulation, RPG, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | 14.99 USD | 0.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 70.7% positive (20,081 reviews) | 5 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer | Single-player only |
| Developers | Paradox Development Studio | FreeTimeDev |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Simulation on Steam.
- Bad Government (2018) is 4 years older than Victoria 3 (2022).
- Bad Government is currently ~93% cheaper on Steam than Victoria 3 (0.99 USD vs. 14.99 USD).
- Victoria 3 is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Bad Government has no Deck rating yet.
Victoria 3 vs Bad Government — FAQ
- Should I play Victoria 3 or Bad Government first?
- If you want chronology, Bad Government (2018) came out before Victoria 3 (2022). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Victoria 3 and Bad Government similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, Simulation on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
- Does Bad Government have multiplayer like Victoria 3?
- No. Victoria 3 supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer), while Bad Government is listed as single-player only.
- Does Victoria 3 run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Victoria 3 is rated Deck Playable by Valve. Bad Government doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.