Stellaris: Nemesis will be out in April if you want to watch the galaxy burn

If you enjoy seeing fleets of spaceships translating in and out of hyperspace with a big old whoosh I heartily recommend the new trailer for the Nemesis expansion for Stellaris. First announced in February with another flashy trailer, Nemesis will be the add-on for you if you want your sci-fi strategy to come with an endgame challenge—in this case, a choice between becoming a Custodian who unites the galaxy against a single threat, or a Menace who embodies that threat.

When Nemesis was announced, Paradox mentioned that it would come with new espionage options. You'll be able to rank up an infiltration level to unlock operations you can send envoys on, from sabotaging starbases to acquiring assets or stealing tech, as well as manipulating allies into turning on each other.

Further details were given at the latest Paradox Insider. The Custodian will have to campaign for their position, and the emergency powers that come with it. If you successfully use that to build a Defense Force Fleet and save the galaxy, it's up to you whether you give up that power, or cling to it and declare yourself God-Emperor. The Menace, meanwhile, will be able to blow up stars and eventually destroy the universe.

Expect to see some new ships too, "inspired by some of the most imposing empires in science fiction."

Nemesis will be available on April 15, along with a final cinematic trailer. Right now you can get Stellaris for cheap in a Humble Bundle raising money for One Warm Coat and another charity of your choice.

Jody's first computer was a Commodore 64, so he remembers having to use a code wheel to play Pool of Radiance. A former music journalist who interviewed everyone from Giorgio Moroder to Trent Reznor, Jody also co-hosted Australia's first radio show about videogames, Zed Games. He's written for Rock Paper Shotgun, The Big Issue, GamesRadar, Zam, Glixel, Five Out of Ten Magazine, and Playboy.com, whose cheques with the bunny logo made for fun conversations at the bank. Jody's first article for PC Gamer was about the audio of Alien Isolation, published in 2015, and since then he's written about why Silent Hill belongs on PC, why Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale is the best fantasy shopkeeper tycoon game, and how weird Lost Ark can get. Jody edited PC Gamer Indie from 2017 to 2018, and he eventually lived up to his promise to play every Warhammer videogame.