Total War vs Civilization: which strategy series is for you?

Two very different kinds of conquest

Strategy fans love a good rivalry, and few are as enduring as this one. Total War: SHOGUN 2 and Sid Meier's Civilization IV both let you build an empire, but they scratch completely different itches. Here is how to tell which suits you.

Play Total War for…

The thrill of the battlefield. Shogun 2 pairs a turn-based campaign map with vast real-time battles, where positioning, morale and terrain decide the day. Watching thousands of samurai clash across a hillside is a spectacle no spreadsheet can match, and the tight focus on feudal Japan makes it one of the most elegant entries in the series.

Play Civilization for…

The one-more-turn compulsion. Civ IV is many fans' favourite in the franchise, a deep turn-based sandbox where you guide a people from a single settler to a spacefaring superpower. Its religion, culture and diplomacy systems are wonderfully moreish, and the ticking rhythm of research and expansion is famously hard to put down.

The verdict

• Love commanding armies in real time? Shogun 2 is your battlefield.
• Prefer the long game of building a civilisation? Civ IV will devour your evenings.

Both are old enough to be heavily discounted year-round, so if you cannot decide, let price settle it — check the current price on each page and take whichever is nearest its all-time low. And there is no wrong answer here: both are cornerstones of PC strategy, and either will happily swallow a hundred hours before you notice.

For more of the same energy, see our best Total War games and a broader look at the best strategy games on sale. Our deals page keeps watch across every store.