Update – January 4, 2022: Now’s your last chance to check out the games going cheap in the Steam winter sale
The 2021 Steam winter sale is in full swing, and that means a ton of the biggest and best PC games going for cheap right now. While there’s obviously a whole lot of discounted stuff to check out across a bunch of different genres, one slice of the sale is offering some decent deals on various Paradox strategy games, including bundles aimed at helping bring new players aboard.
The Paradox winter sale has up to 75% off some of the studio’s various games, with that full three-quarters discount currently available on city-building simulation game Cities: Skylines, military strategy game Hearts of Iron IV, sci-fi adventure Stellaris, and historical grand strategy game Europa Universalis IV. Crusader Kings III discounted by less, but still 20% off, bringing it down to £33.59 / $39.99, in case you’ve got that on your wishlist.
Elsewhere there are several starter packs going for cheap, which should prove handy if you’ve got your eye on any of these but are yet to dive in. The Cities: Skylines new player bundle has the base game plus three key DLC packs – Mass Transit, Industries, and Sunset Harbor – for 64% off.
The Stellaris and Europa Universalis IV starter packs are each 65% off in the sale, and include five pieces of DLC that add new gameplay elements, respectively. For example, the Utopia expansion for Stellaris gives you new ways to build and then develop thriving empire in space, while EUIV’s Art of War adds a bunch of improved mechanics to – yep, you guessed it – enhance your prowess in the art of war, particularly in facets such as naval and army combat. A bunch of the games’ DLC packs are also discounted as standalones.
If strategy games aren’t really your thing, you’ve got until December 5 to browse the rest of the winter sale. Some big games of this year (or near enough) such as Cyberpunk 2077 and Deathloop are currently half-price. Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Frostpunk, Sekiro, and Dark Souls III are all among those discounted, too, though you can check out the full set of offerings on Steam’s homepage at that link.
If you’re after the ultimate low-cost games, check out our rundown of the best free PC games around right there.