Forgot password
Enter the email address you used when you joined and we'll send you instructions to reset your password.
If you used Apple or Google to create your account, this process will create a password for your existing account.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Reset password instructions sent. If you have an account with us, you will receive an email within a few minutes.
Something went wrong. Try again or contact support if the problem persists.
Image via Paradox

How to Colonize and Establish a Colony in Victoria 3

To start a Colony in Victoria 3, you must first research the Colonization research tree. Depending on your nation, you should already have the tech unlocked. If this is the case for your nation, you can skip the research step and start the process of colonizing the new world. That said, you must pass the Colonial Resettlement or Colonial Exploitation laws

Recommended Videos

Passing either of these laws will enable your nation's Colonial Affairs institutions. Having Colonial Affairs Institutions active is required before starting Colonies in the game. You can also improve your Colonial Affairs Insituiton by unlocking the following social technologies:

  • Quinine
  • Civilizing Mission
  • Malaria Prevention

After unlocking all three of the technologies above, we recommend enacting one of the Colonial laws to start the process of forming a Colony. Once one of the Colonial laws is passed, you need to declare an interest in a region not controlled by a European/advanced nation.

Related:  How to declare war in Victoria 3

How to declare interest in Victoria 3

To declare interest in Victoria 3, open the Diplomacy menu and select the declare interest option. After clicking the declare interest option, select a region you want to console in the game. We recommend selecting a region controlled by a weaker nation than yours. Doing so will ensure you have the best results for the initial phase of starting your Colony. That said, after declaring your interest, you can start a colony by right-clicking on a region you are interested in and selecting the Establish Colony option.

 Once established, your Colony will steadily grow. You can improve how fast your Colony grows by adding more points to the Colonial Affairs Institution. To add more points to the Colonial Affairs Institution, we recommend unlocking more technologies and gaining the support of certain special interest groups that support it.  

For more on Victoria 3, we at Pro Game Guides have you covered with guides like Formable Nations in Victoria 3, explained and All Victoria 3 Console Commands and Cheats.


Pro Game Guides is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
We have upgraded our commenting platform! Existing comments will be imported over the next few weeks.
Author
Image of Andrew Vaughan
Andrew Vaughan
Andrew Vaughan is a Contributing Writer at Pro Game Guides that has written guides on popular RPGs and FPS survival titles for several years. Andrew Vaughan specializes in survival and roleplaying games and has been a lifelong gamer.