Fanatical gift guide - Best strategy PC games to buy this Christmas

Prepare for one of the most challenging, yet addictive society survival PC games with Frostpunk, from the creators of This War of Mine. With this strategy sim, you must show true leadership and strategy skills when pushed to the brink of extinction.

What decisions will you make to ensure the survival of your society? What will you do when pushed to the limit?

In an entirely frozen world, players are tasked with ruling the last surviving city on Earth, developing steam-powered technology to face the overwhelming cold. You’ll need to manage both citizens and the infrastructure they live in.

Be sure to optimize your city with the correct resource management whilst dealing with empathy, morality and thoughtful decision-making.

Survival is about hope and the will to live. Your ability to spark and maintain them both in your people will be a deciding factor in your success. Citizens will come to you with problems, ideas and potential solutions – and how you respond will affect their hope levels.

Establish laws that regulate the existence of your growing city. Decide on their working routine, healthcare, food provision and other crucial aspects of everyday life. Maintain their hope and contentment – the moral condition of your society is as important as securing the basic means to keep them fed and safe.

Failure to keep your people happy will see the hope bar decrease and discontentment rise.

Be the Viking leader you were born to be with Northgard. Lead your people to new lands and fight for survival in the 'Very Positive' rated strategy game, based on Norse mythology.

Northgard; a mysterious land filled with danger and riches for anyone brave enough to step ashore. After years of tireless explorations, brave Vikings have set sail to explore and conquer, to bring fame to their Clan and write history through conquest, trading, or devotion to the Gods. But Northgard is unforgiving, as these Northmen will need to survive the harsh winters, dire wolves and undead warriors that roam, as well as befriending – or killing – giants.

To ensure that you and your Viking brothers survive, players will need to build a settlement on the newly discovered continent of Northgard. Assign your Vikings to roles within your community, such as farmers, warriors, sailors and loremasters, and manage resources carefully.

Much like the weather and seasons, enemies will arrive at your settlement with the cruelest intentions – burning your buildings and attacking your villagers. Prepare your settlement by expanding your army and protecting your people.

Winner of 15 E3 awards including Best PC Game and Best Strategy Game, witness the next exciting entry in the popular Civilization franchise with Sid Meier’s Civilization VI. This turn-based strategy game sees players attempt to build an empire to stand the test of time.

In order to establish and lead a civilization from the Stone Age to the Information Age – players will need to wage war, conduct diplomacy, advance your culture, and go head-to-head with history’s greatest leaders as you attempt to build the greatest civilization the world has ever known.

Advancing from its predecessor, Civilization VI cities now physically expand across the map, active research in technology and culture unlocks new potential, and opposing leaders will pursue their own agendas based on their historical traits – as you race for one of five ways to achieve victory in the game.

Take advantage of local terrain as each city spans across multiple tiles, allowing you to custom build your cities. Unlock boosts to help advance quickly through the eras, whilst using your units to explore, develop and discover new cultures.

Interacting with other civilizations will change over the course of the game, from conflict and disputes to alliances and negotiations. Be the voice of your people and choose how your civilization will work with, or against, others.

Civilization VI’s multiplayer mode now allows players to co-operate and compete with one another in an assortment of situations – designed to be completed in a single session.

Lead your dynasty through the Middle Ages in the sequel to one of the most popular strategy games ever made with Crusader Kings III. This strategy sim RPG is the heir to a long legacy of historical grand strategy experiences and arrives with a host of new ways to ensure the success of your royal house.

Choose a royal or noble house from a number of realms on a map that stretches all the way from Iceland to India, from the Arctic Circle to Central Africa. Choose a royal or noble house from a number of realms on a map that stretches from Iceland to India, from the Arctic Circle to Central Africa.

Guide a dynasty through the centuries, ensuring the security and power of each new generation, and gather new lands and titles to cement your legacy. Be a pious king to bring the religious powers to your side, or strike out on your own, designing your own splinter religion and earning everlasting fame or eternal damnation.

Knights, peasant revolts, pilgrimages, Viking raiders...experience the drama and pageantry of the Middle Ages.

Adopt one of five different lifestyles, perfecting your skills in military strategy or kingdom management. Acquire character traits that will guide your actions, but beware if you act against your nature!

The stress from denying your truest self could bring a new host of troubles. Choose appropriate guardians for your heirs, or train them yourself.

But what do you do if the legal heir is not quite up to the job?

Violent characters may develop a fearsome reputation, cowering your timid subjects into obedience with the dread you inspire.

From a team including former designers of HITMAN and PAYDAY comes Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden, a tactical strategy adventure game that combines the turn-based combat of XCOM with a real-time stealth and exploration of a post-human world reclaimed by nature… and Mutants!

The humans are all gone. Scavenging through the remains of civilization are the Mutants, deformed humanoids and animals alike, searching for salvation or just something to eat. To survive, you and your companions must venture out to explore the Zone.

Maybe one day you will find the Eden of legends, the ancients' haven in the middle of hell. That’s where truth awaits, the stories say. Maybe you will find your answers there.

You'll journey through a post-human world of abandoned cities, crumbling highways, and overgrown countryside. Check back at the Ark, a neon-bathed oasis of ill repute and questionable characters, to restock your supplies and plan out your next adventure.

Sneak through shadows to avoid conflict or to catch enemies unaware. Real-time stealth allows you full control of approach - sneak into an enemy camp, position the team of Mutants to your advantage, and gain the element of surprise.

Use the environment to your advantage. Stay out of floodlights, hide from line of sight, or just blast down fully destructible walls and buildings and wreak utter havoc.

Unlock new mutations and abilities for your Mutants, such as Selma’s Stoneskin, Bormin’s Charge, and Dux‘ uncanny ability to sneak into a camp full of enemies unnoticed, despite being a 4-foot tall walking, talking duck with a crossbow.

It's the return of El Presidente!

Are you a feared dictator or peace-loving statesman? It's time to find out in the simulation strategy Tropico 6. You'll take control of the island state of Tropico, and shape the fate of your very own banana republic through four distinctive eras.

Witness times of political turmoil and social unrest as the people call out for visionary leaders to help steer the fate of their country. Face new challenges on the international stage and keep the needs of your people in mind as you build a better (or worse) tomorrow, today!

Manage extensive archipelagos for the first time in the Tropico franchise - take on the task of multiple islands at the same time and adapt to various new challenges. Put your leadership and construction skills to the test as you build bridges to connect your islands, and use new means of transportation and infrastructure.

Send your loyal Tropicans on raids to steal the wonders of the world, including the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower, and enjoy completely new transportation and infrastructure possibilities.

Give compelling election speeches from your balcony in order to win the favor of your subjects and make use of Tropico's revised research system, which focuses on the political aspects of being the world’s greatest dictator.

Bring out the politician in you and make promises that you can’t possibly keep!