Ultrawide gaming monitors are the kind of hardware that might seem too excessive, maybe even a bit too gamer> to bother with for playing games on PC, especially when their demanding resolutions often require powerful graphics cards to make the most of them. Once you try one, though, there’s no going back. I’ve been a big fan of ultrawide gaming monitors for years now, mostly because supported PC games just look fantastic on them. And that’s why I’ve put together this list of the best ultrawide games on PC – to show you exactly what they look like in the flesh, complete with GIFs and photos of them running on an ultrawide monitor so you can see them in motion with your own peepers.

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Looking back at it now, 2020 doesn’t feel like a banner year for strategy games, but that doesn’t mean there haven’t been a few gems. The list below – gathered by a panel of experts and regularly updated – contains games from as recently as 12 months ago alongside classics from as far back as 28 years ago. They’re all games we think you could play and love right now.

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Frankly, it’s about time someone took the expansionist nations of Sid Meier’s Civilization VI down a peg. This month’s free update for the hegaxonal society generator adds the Pirates multiplayer scenario, daring you to wear in those sea legs by becoming the most feared fleet commander on the high seas. Plunder trade routes, inspire fear, flee the forces of burgeoning imperial powers… hang on, Sid, haven’t we been here before?

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Gather ’round and take a seat, Steam have now kicked off their first Digital Tabletop Fest, an event of panels, announcements, and demos for games that “run across the lines between digital and physical games”. From now until next Monday you can catch panels from the likes of developers adapting tabletop RPGs, building digital deck-builders, and other such table to screen fare.

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“Just one more turn.” For all that the phrase is most commonly attributed to the Civilization franchise, I’ve never really experienced that feeling with the games. Whenever I’ve wanted to pack the game in and continue another day, I’m able to do so. If the phrase were instead “Just one more game,” then that would much more accurately capture the influence Civilization VI in particular exerts over me. I’ve probably played through as many early-games in Civ VI as I’ve played turns in any single game of Civ. I’m utterly and eternally in love with those first few dozen turns.

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Sid Meier, that legendary game dev whose name sits before the names of Civilization games, had a lovely chat with our very own Nate Crowley this weekend, as part of PAX Online X EGX Digital. The pair talked all about some of the most notable parts of Meier’s career – including, Railroad Tycoon, Pirates!, and Civilization – as well as chat about his upcoming book, Sid Meier’s Memoir!: A Life In Computer Games. And thanks to computers, you can watch their whole chat in full below.

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When one turn blends into the next and you’ve become a strategy zombie—no not the Red Death zombie mode—it’s time to shake up your game. Firaxis Games are bringing another free update to Civilization VI that will help you put some surprise back in your 4x. A new Tech and Civics Shuffle Mode and other changes are coming at the end of August.

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The Civilisation series is a fascinating thing. Each new update takes the place of the older game on Steam’s top 100 most played games list and just sits there as other games come and go. I’ve never known a series to be quite so consistent like that. Like Jack Nicholson in The Shining. Sid Meier’s Civilization VI is there right now. It’s always been there. And it always will be.

People play for life. They while away evenings raising empires, maybe even not knowing that there are tweaks for the UI, bigger maps, and more in-depth city planning waiting to be installed. For a game with the long, long tail of Civ, grabbing moments back with mods can be a huge boon, which is what a few do here – but this group of best mods includes some fabulous add ons too. Ask yourself: can I afford to miss out?

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I wouldn’t say I’m an expert on history, but surely Civilization VI is taking the mick here, no? As the first “community update” to run alongside Civ’s new “New Frontier” pass, Firaxis are rolling battle royale spin-off mode Red Death into Season 2 with sneaky aliens and shambling zombies in a free patch next week – now narrated by the gravelly Yorkshire tones of Sean Bean

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The latest giveaway on the Epic Games Store is a doozy: Civilization VI, for free, for keepsies. I’m pretty sure some countries consider handing out free Civ to be an act of economic terrorism, for encouraging innumerable late nights and sick days in people who couldn’t resist the siren call of just one more turn. The turn-based strategy game may be almost four years old but it still has a £50 price tag so damn, okay Epic. This right after GTA 5 too.

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