PC's best city builder, Cities: Skylines, is only $9 right now—and you can pick up excellent Paradox strategy games like Stellaris and Crusader Kings 3 for cheap too

Skyscrapers at night in Cities: Skylines. — (Image credit: Colossal Order)

If you've ever fancied becoming the mayor of your own city, a member of European royalty, or the rule of your own space empire, then you're in luck—this week you can do it for less than the price of a takeaway. Publisher Paradox Interactive is running a week-long sale on Steam, with deep discounts on its best games.

You can pick up Cities: Skylines—easily the most accomplished of Sim City's successors—for just $9 / £7.50, with loads of its DLC similarly slashed in price. Excellent space strategy game Stellaris is just $10 / £8.75, and you can pick up Crusader Kings 3 for $25 / £21. Similarly robust discounts on Hearts of Iron 4, Europa Universalis 4, and Age of Wonders: Planetfall make this an absolute feast for anyone who loves staring at a big map as much as I do.

Easily lost in all that tactical treasure is the fact that you can also grab the wonderful and oft overlooked Shadowrun games for a pittance too—not only are they all on deep discount individually, but you can grab all three for $10 / £7.40. That's a stunner of a price for three of the best modern isometric RPGs—Shadowrun: Hong Kong is a particular favourite of mine.

This week, Steam is running Tacticon, a "digital convention celebrating strategy games", which means there are a few choice non-Paradox games on sale too, if mostly at smaller discounts. It's 20% off The Last Spell, which is very good; ditto Mechabellum which friend of the site Jon Bolding recently described as a "masterpiece". I'd also recommend streamlined RTS Northgard at 70% off, puzzley roguelike Backpack Hero at 20% off, and innovative 4X Old World at 25% off.

Alternatively, if you've already played all of those, maybe it's time to just try taking over the real world instead?

Formerly the editor of PC Gamer magazine (and the dearly departed GamesMaster), Robin combines years of experience in games journalism with a lifelong love of PC gaming. First hypnotised by the light of the monitor as he muddled through Simon the Sorcerer on his uncle’s machine, he’s been a devotee ever since, devouring any RPG or strategy game to stumble into his path. Now he's channelling that devotion into filling this lovely website with features, news, reviews, and all of his hottest takes.