It’s time to get medieval in historical city-building game Townsmen – A Kingdom Rebuilt. As an ambitious noble who’s just arrived in a small village, it’s up to you to guide your subjects to a prosperous future – even when they don’t want to follow your lead.

What we love: Ruling a fiefdom is a fun but complicated business. You need satisfied Townies to keep things ticking along, but they won’t be much help without houses to live in or food to see them through the tough winter months. You’ll need to establish production chains, encourage trade and protect your people against invaders and natural disasters. Every action you take has a consequence, though. Tax hikes might get the money rolling in, for example, but you’ll likely end up with a dissatisfied populace – there’s no guarantee that jazzing up their surroundings with fountains and statues will keep them on side.

Quick tip: Make it as easy as possible for your Townies to get from A to B – well-paved roads and smartly placed buildings will make them much more efficient.

Meet the creator: The original Townsmen game was released by German developer HandyGames (now THQ Nordic Mobile) in 2003. There have been numerous sequels and reboots since, including a VR version.