Sid Meier's Civilization VI

Sid Meier's Civilization VI pushed turn-based strategy a step further by having the city, for the first time in the series, stop being a single tile and instead spill out into the surrounding landscape in the form of separate districts. A science quarter, a commercial hub, or a theater square suddenly occupy their own tiles on the map, turning development planning into a spatial puzzle where terrain, neighboring civilizations, and natural resources matter just as much as the tech tree. On top of that came a system of policy cards that can be swapped depending on the current situation, and the technology and social (cultural) trees were separated, so the player develops science and civilization in parallel.

The game keeps the basic skeleton of the series based on building an empire from antiquity to the space age, turn-based unit movement, and diplomacy with AI leaders who have distinct personalities and their own agendas. Firaxis Games supported the game long-term after launch with the Rise and Fall and Gathering Storm expansions, which added eras of decline and golden ages for civilizations as well as climate change as a game mechanic. Visually, the game went with a stylized, more colorful look than the previous entry, which initially split fans, but with gradual interface updates and balance changes it settled into the most complete version of the 4X strategy concept the series has offered so far.

Thanks to the number of civilizations, leaders, and game modes, it's among the titles that can absorb dozens of hours in a single playthrough, even without multiplayer. For genre newcomers, entry is somewhat more demanding than in older entries due to the number of systems learned gradually over time.

Why play it: For fans of turn-based strategy who want the most elaborate and branching entry of Civilization with districts and policy cards, but should expect a longer learning curve.