Sid Meier's Civilization III

Sid Meier's Civilization III from 2001 by Firaxis Games brought several elements to the turn-based civilization-building strategy genre that became a standard of the series for many years to come – cultural borders that expand according to a city's influence and can take over foreign territory without a single arrow being fired, and a corruption system that makes territories far from the capital function worse, forcing the player to think more carefully about the size of their empire than before. The player thus plans not just military expansion, but also where it makes sense to found more cities so the empire doesn't collapse under its own inefficiency.

Each civilization also received its own distinctive traits, leaders, and units, giving the game a stronger individual identity for each nation compared to older entries in the series and making every playthrough feel different depending on the chosen civilization. The Play the World expansion brought multiplayer for more players, and Conquests then added a set of historical scenarios along with further balance tweaks, which gave the third game a long afterlife in the community of turn-based strategy players even after later entries in the series were released.

In its time it was one of the most beloved entries in the series, though later sequels, especially the fourth and fifth games, brought more modern systems that will likely appeal more to today's newcomers without a nostalgic attachment and introduce them to the genre better. Still, the third game remains an important milestone – many mechanics the series is still used to today, and which even newer entries rely on, first appeared here and spread from there.

Why play it: A tip for Civilization fans who want to learn the roots of cultural borders and corruption before diving into newer, more accessible entries in the series.