12/13/13 Update: With a design overhaul comes an opportunity to add a bunch of great PC games that have made their way over to the Mac. Many of our past and present best PC games now appear on. If you're looking for something more portable, the cheapest capable laptop is the 15in MacBook Pro with Radeon Pro 555X at £2,399/$2,399. That, more than anything else, is the reason why Macs have a reputation for not being good at games - for the price of a 21.5in iMac.

When it comes to strategy games on Mac, there are a lot of impressive choices. Some of these are available through Apple Arcade, while others are just a download away from the Mac App Store. Here are our current favorites.

Civilization V

When it comes to turn-based strategy games, you can't do better than Sid Meier's series of Civilization titles. In this fifth edition, you begin with 20 historical leaders, and your job is to slowly take over the world from the dawn of man into the space age. Along the way, you'll get to discover surprising new civilizations and wonders, excellent gameplay systems, and much more.

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Currently, Civilization V offers 10 in-app purchases, including Brave New World and Gods and Kings. With these options, you get to decide just how far you want to go through the game.

How far will you go?

Civilization V

Diplomacy or War?

Sid Meier's Civilization V offers a brilliant story that's advanced further with a lengthy listing of in-app purchases big and small.

Source: Aspyr Media, Inc.

And here we go again! Similar to the previous installments, Civilization VI has one goal for players: to create and maintain a lasting civilization. In this most recent installment, you achieve victory through military domination, technological superiority, or cultural influence. It offers a nice mix of new and old civilizations. There's also renewed emphasis on the terrain and fresh artificial intelligence mechanics for computer-controlled opponents.

The game's first expansion pack, Rise and Fall, features entry into a prosperous Golden Age and terrifying Dark Age. There's also a Heroic Age. The second expansion pack, The Gathering Storm, features ecosystem difficulties that could impact the entire planet, including floods, volcanoes, and more.

The newest in the series

Civilization VI

Bigger than ever

This game is the newest in the long Civilization series and was first introduced to Mac in 2016.

Source: Dinosaur Polo Club

Being stuck in traffic is never fun unless you're playing Mini Motorways! The strategy simulation game gives you the power to keep existing roads clear while also expanding your digital city by adding new locations and road networks.

Featuring different color modes, including colorblind and night, Mini Motorways is for anyone with an imagination. Better still, like all Apple Arcade games, it comes without in-app purchases or any additional costs.

They will come

Mini Motorways

Create your city

As your city expands, make sure it remains easy to get from point A to point B. Otherwise, no one will be happy.

Source: Feral Interactive

Offering 3D real-time battles on land and at sea, Total War: Empire allows you to lead one of 12 great nations. Your success is determined by your diplomatic skills and military force, when necessary. Set in the 18th century, the game allows you to conquer overseas territories to establish colonies and profitable trade networks. Along the way, you'll need to learn more about your enemies and beat them on the battlefield accordingly.

First introduced on Mac in 2014, Total War: Empire is the fifth installment in the Total War series, which, as a whole, comes recommended. The turn-based strategy game was released for Windows in 2009. Before purchasing the game, just check the Mac App Store for compatibility with your Mac, since some older machines aren't supported.

Non-stop action

Total War: Empire

How will you succeed?

Empire is a thrilling installment in the Total War series. Just make sure your Mac supports it!

Source: Blindflug

In this multi-player real-time strategy game, you are fighting for control of distant planets. You have just seven minutes to destroy your opposition or the world as you know it will collapse and explode right before your eyes.

To accomplish your goal, you slowly gain access to rockets, tanks, and stealth generators. Futuristic troops are also available if you can find a way to unlock them.

Stellar Commanders is currently one of the best-reviewed Apple Arcade games available. Download it today.

Fly those rockets

Stellar Commanders

The world needs your help

You have seven minutes until success or destruction. Which path will you take?

Source: Tortuga Team

Old-school meets the 21st century in this impressive turn-based strategy game from Tortuga Team. Featuring a unique system of dynamic turn-based battles that last no more than 15 minutes, Spaceland features 10 different enemies from alien animals to unnerving monsters.

Offering a squad of space rangers, each with a unique fighting style, the game includes an exciting backstory about a mysterious planet, which you must protect. Use rifles, machine guns, grenade launchers, and more to get the job done. Fail, and you must start again!

Single player fun

Spaceland

Protect this fascinating world

Shoot, kick, blow up, and destroy and achieve greatness in this Apple Arcade game.

Source: iMore

In This War of Mine, you aren't a great commander or a space fighter looking to protect the outer reaches of the universe. Instead, you're just one in a group of civilians trying to survive in a besieged city. Along the way, you must struggle with the lack of food, water, and medicine. At the same time, there's a constant worry that snipers and hostile scavengers could cause further pain.

This War of Mine has been well-received since it was first released and continues to receive kudos with each new expansion. While it's not necessarily a 'fun' game to play, per say, it tells a relevant and emotional story that should not be missed.

Can you survive?

The War of Mine

There's no escape

Can you find and explore all of the different outcomes of the game?

What's your favorite?

Strategy games and Macs go together well. Which games are you currently enjoying on your desktop or laptop? Let us know in the comments below. Perhaps we'll add it to our list on a future update!

macOS Catalina

Main

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C.J.'s next Fishing Tourney will be in July

There are four Fishing Tourneys each year in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Here's when they are and what the rules are for participating.

Gaming on your iPad couldn't be sweeter. It's small enough to take with you everywhere, but with a big enough screen to allow for more precision with your taps, and it's that deadly combination that makes me reach for my iPad to play my favorite mobile games over and over.

Whether you're new to iPad gaming or are just looking for your next game to download, here are my top picks for iPad games.

Alto's Odyssey

Alto's Odyssey trades in the bright, snowy, and colorful palette of the first game for a much warmer, darker environment. The desert — while stunningly gorgeous — feels harsher and less forgiving than the slopes Alto's used to and the new landscape provides a plethora of new challenges for players to discover.

The very core mechanics of the game haven't changed. You're still controlling a cast of offbeat characters who explore a terrain-heavy endless runner while attempting an array of board-based tricks across a beautiful, ever-changing landscape. Collecting coins, dodging obstacles, and completing goals will allow you to level up and purchase power-ups for the in-game store. As you may have guessed, it all flows extremely smoothly and is just as addictive as the first incarnation. Alto's Odyssey continues to build on that well-defined core and throws awesome new challenges at players in almost every run.

If you liked Alto's Adventure, then downloading Alto's Odyssey is a no-brainer. You're getting everything you loved about the first game in a more robust and polished package.

• $4.99 - Download Now

Ticket To Ride

One of my favorite things about mobile gaming is being able to bring my favorite board games everywhere I go. Leave the boxes, the game pieces, and the cards at home, and enjoy classic board games on your iPad! Ticket to Ride is a personal favorite of mine. I have the board game to play with my family and friends, and I love the iOS version to take on the road.

The object of the game is for players to build sprawling railways by gathering colored cars to connect cities across the map. Every turn, a player gets to either pick two cars, claim a line by spending cars, or take on a new ticket (this challenges players to connect two cities before the first player runs out of cars). The longer the railway between two cities is, the more victory points they're worth.

Ticket to Ride is a great balance between competition, strategy, and construction, making it a great party game.

• $8.99 - Download Now

Leo's Fortune

Leo's Fortune is a cute platforming game for the iPad that features finely crafted stages with beautiful graphics and clever puzzles. The story is whimsical, but the little-mustachioed fluff ball takes it in stride.

What stands out to me about Leo's Fortune is the gameplay physics. Making Leo float or sink to reach the precious gold coins is a nice break from the old side to side movement in a lot of platformers.

• $4.99 - Download Now

Invisible Inc.

Invisible Inc. was a game that took me by complete surprise. Considering this game relies on being sneaky, I suppose that means the jokes on me.

This turn-based stealth game randomly generates levels that you need to make your way through to complete objectives and avoid enemies. You can control ten unique characters through the perilous missions, and each of them have loads of customization options, making sure characters never get stale.

The gameplay is complex, and it does take awhile to get used to the in-and-outs, but once you do I promise you hours of fun await.

• $4.99 - Download Now

Minecraft: Pocket Edition

Minecraft is a force that just won't quit, the game's original release on PC back in 2011 has spawned versions on every single console and platform you can think of, and the iPad was no exception.

Endless exploring, mining, and crafting await you in the 3D pixelated world, which offers almost limitless possibilities for what you can create. It's this reason that makes Minecraft: Pocket Edition amazingly fun to play for hours and hours. Just don't forget to eat, drink water, or — y'know — breathe.

• $6.99 - Download Now

Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery

Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery is an adventure game with a spooky story and a unique, rather intoxicating soundtrack.

It's hard to go into too much detail without spoiling the experience, but here's what I can tell you: Its 140-character story snippets are easy to toss on Twitter for co-op play. You can ask for help and lead your friends into the mystery of the Megatome and the Trigon Trifecta.

The pixel-art and stick figure sprites work well to add to the atmosphere the game creates, because everything is supposed to be unclear.

• $3.99 - Download Now

Stranger Things 3: The Game

As a huge fan of both the Netflix Original series and retro gaming, Stranger Things 3: The Game was like a match made in heaven.

Travel through Hawkins with your favorite characters from the series and use their unique weapons to battle enemies, complete quests, and solve the latest supernatural mystery in everyone's favorite 80s town.

The 8-bit graphics harken back to a time when arcades were the coolest place to be and since the show is set in the 80s, it's a perfect call back to an era of fun 8-bit dungeon crawlers. The gameplay is super smooth and with each character being unique, the gameplay doesn't ever get stale.

• $4.99 - Download Now

Mini Metro

Do you ever look at you city's public transportation and think you could design it better? Well, Mini Metro will let you try to create your own subway system.

Minimalist in design but complex in its mind-boggling puzzles, Mini Metro provides hours of fun — even if for some of those hours you will be scratching your head.

• $4.99 -Download Now

Red's Kingdom

Red's Kingdom is a perfectly crafted adventure puzzle game that has a lot of depth. The goofy but heartwarming story with its colorful characters is bound to grab your attention, and the incredibly fun gameplay never seems to go stale as the game layers in plenty of elements to surprise you at every turn.

Red's Kingdom opens the doors to its world and allows you to take non-linear paths giving you the opportunity to explore different areas and find alternate routes to hidden treasures. Although it's a puzzle game at its core, the game feels more like an action-adventure game than anything else. I can't recommend Red's Kingdom highly enough!

• $2.99 - Download Now

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The Witness

If you're looking for a challenging and beautifully designed open-world game, The Witness is a solid choice for any gamer.

You wake up on a mysterious island with no idea where you are or even who you are. Your only option is to explore the island around you and uncover clues to the real reason you find yourself stranded.

With more than 500 puzzles to find and solve and a vast island to explore, The Witness will keep you enthralled for hours on end.

• $9.99 - Download Now

Ticket to Earth

Ticket to Earth is an incredible game and is a must-download for gamers everywhere, and I can't recommend it highly enough!

The story is littered with surprising plot twists, impactful characters, and a well-written narrative that will keep you invested in the rich world of New Providence and the people who populate the planet.

Beautifully designed graphics that blend the manga/comic book style artwork with brightly colored backgrounds and landscape make Ticket to Earth pop off the screen in a delightful burst of colors, which never gets old.

An original battle system that breathes new life into the strategy RPG genre, the Movement system offers an incredibly deep and complex combat experience that never goes stale, as there is always new powers and abilities to acquire. It's refreshing to see a strategy RPG that heavily relies on the strategy part of its genre. Ticket to Earth will kill you if you're not careful, you must examine the map carefully and choose your action wisely, or you'll be doomed to repeat the same mission over and over again. It can be mildly frustrating as you're still learning the game, but it's wildly entertaining the whole time.

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Plus, since the birth of ARKit, the developers have added a beautiful AR mode that lets you play all the story missions and a bunch of new original missions in AR.

$4.99 - Download Now

Plague Inc.

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Plague Inc. is a fantastically fun strategy game where you play as a new virus infected the world. The goal of the game is to become so deadly and contagious that you infected and kill the entire population of earth.

Throughout the game, countries will respond to your efforts to infect more people by shutting down air travel, closing borders, setting up disease centers, and more. The good news is you can fight back by upgrading your virus to mutate into different modes of transferring from person-to-person, more severe symptoms, and more.

You have to react to what the world is trying to do to stop the spread of the disease and act accordingly, which makes this game really fun and engaging the entire way through. What's more? Each game is relatively short, but still offers great decisions to made and no two viruses ever spread the same, making the game highly replayable.

$0.99 - Download Now

What do you think are the best iPad games?

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Games are subjective and I tried to pick a selection of games from different genres, but I'm sure I missed some great games that you love. Leave a comment below or shoot me a Tweet and tell me what iPad games you think are the best of the best!

Updated September 2019: Did some fine-tuning of the list and added Plague Inc. to the list.

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C.J.'s next Fishing Tourney will be in July

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There are four Fishing Tourneys each year in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Here's when they are and what the rules are for participating.