Installing V3X (players)

V3X adds engine fixes and quality-of-life features to Victoria 3 1.15.1. You install it with one file, V3X-Setup.exe. It needs no admin rights and changes no game file.

Single player only. Do not use V3X in multiplayer. Before you play online, uninstall it, or rename binaries\version.dll (for example to version.dll.off) and rename it back afterwards.

1. Download

Get V3X-Setup.exe from the Releases page (or from whoever sent it to you). The release also lists its SHA-256 checksum (SHA256SUMS.txt) if you want to check the file.

Windows SmartScreen or your antivirus may warn, because the file is new and not signed: choose More info > Run anyway if you trust the source. The FAQ explains why tools like V3X get flagged.

2. Run it

1. Close Victoria 3 (setup refuses to run while the game is open).
2. Double-click V3X-Setup.exe. It finds Victoria 3 through Steam. If it cannot, it asks you for the folder: in Steam, right-click Victoria 3 > Manage > Browse local files, and pick that Victoria 3 folder.
3. Check that the window says Game version: release/1.15.1 (supported), then click Install V3X.
4. Start the game as usual (Steam or the Paradox launcher). A small V3X console window opens next to the game and lists what loaded. Hide it with console=0 in binaries\v3x\v3x.ini.

If the game version is not supported (a newer patch), setup says so and installs only if you click Install anyway. Plugins switch themselves off where the game’s code changed, but that combination was never tested: waiting for a V3X update is the safe choice.

3. What it changes

Everything goes into the game’s binaries folder:

file	what it is
binaries\version.dll	the V3X loader. Windows loads it with the game; it loads the plugins
binaries\v3x\plugins\*.dll	the plugins
binaries\v3x\*.ini	settings. Created only if missing: setup never overwrites your settings
binaries\v3x\install_manifest.txt	the list of files setup installed (with checksums), used by repair and uninstall
binaries\v3x\install.log	what setup did
binaries\v3x\backup\version.dll	only if another tool’s version.dll was there before: it is kept here and put back on uninstall

While you play, V3X writes logs and reports into binaries\v3x\ (v3x.log, crash.log, …). Steam’s “Verify integrity of game files” does not remove V3X.

Which plugins are on

On by default: crash_logger, content_packs, mod_menu, keep_history, ironman_console, log_filter, frame_pacer, cpu_sched, gfx_driver, mem_tuner, fast_load. Installed but off: console_plus, loc_fallback, enhance, asset_stream, lazy_mesh, sim_opt. What each one does: plugins.md.

Turn plugins on or off with the V3X button on the main menu, or in binaries\v3x\v3x.ini:

[plugins]
ironman_console=0
loc_fallback=1

Changes apply at the next start. If achievements matter to you, set ironman_console=0 (it lets the console work in ironman).

4. Repair, update, uninstall

Run V3X-Setup.exe again:

• Repair / update V3X copies back any V3X file that is missing or damaged (or replaces them with the newer version). Your settings are kept.
• Uninstall V3X removes exactly the files setup installed and puts back a version.dll that was there before. Logs, reports and settings you changed stay in binaries\v3x\; tick Also delete logs, reports and settings to remove that folder too.

Lost the setup file? Delete binaries\version.dll and the binaries\v3x folder by hand. That is the whole uninstall.

5. Troubleshooting

problem	what to do
“Victoria 3 is running”	close the game (check the task manager for victoria3.exe), then run setup again
“Victoria 3 was not found automatically”	pick the Victoria 3 folder (the one with the binaries folder)
“This setup file is damaged”	download it again; the file is checked before anything is written
“could not write … is it in use?”	close the game and any tool that may hold the file, then run Repair
the game does not start or crashes right away	rename binaries\version.dll to start without V3X. If that helps, turn plugins off one by one in v3x.ini, or uninstall
something else	send binaries\v3x\v3x.log, crash.log, crash.prev.log and install.log. Copy them before you restart: the next start overwrites the logs

More: troubleshooting.md, faq.md.

For scripts and testing

V3X-Setup.exe --silent [--game-dir "<...>\Victoria 3"] [--repair | --uninstall [--purge]] [--force] [--status] prints to stdout and returns 0 ok, 1 error, 2 unsupported game build, 3 game running, 4 game not found, 5 not installed, 6 damaged setup file, 7 bad arguments. Details: installer/README.md.