Easy choices are scarce in the ice-bound world of Frostpunk 2. Set 30 years after the original post-apocalyptic city-builder, this sequel puts you in charge of New London, one of the last bastions of civilisation in an alternate 1900s gripped by a global ice age.

Plunder scarce coal and oil deposits to heat neighbourhoods. Build factories and research institutes to drive progress. More than anything, just try to keep your people safe and alive. Do you pass laws to keep influential factions happy or prioritise your townsfolk’s needs? Angering the wrong people could lead to strikes, riots – even your removal from office. A fate worse than death!

What we love: The new, expanded scope. Construct entire districts instead of individual buildings; time passes in days and weeks rather than minutes and hours. Untethered from the original game’s central hub, you can now build a sprawling, snowy metropolis stretching for miles along the edge of a deep glacier gorge... if you can keep your citizens alive long enough.

Quick tip: Nothing derails your city faster than the spread of sickness – fewer able-bodied workers means decreased food and fuel production, leading to more people falling ill. To avoid this vicious cycle, nip disease in the bud by reducing squalor, building hospitals and making sure everyone is well-fed, well-rested and warm. Easier said than done!

Meet the creator: Formed in 2010 in Warsaw, Poland, 11 Bit Studios released the tower-defence-in-reverse game Anomaly: Warzone Earth the following year. The studio crafts games that challenge players to make difficult choices, like in the thought-provoking 2014 survival game This War of Mine and 2018’s original Frostpunk.