Westminster awaits - 5 political games that put you in the Prime Minister's shoes
The psychodrama of British politics often makes us feel like MPs, councillors and the ilk are playing one giant game with us, the electorate, as pawns. After another chaotic week in Westminster, the UK has lost another Prime Minister, with Sir Keir Starmer announcing his resignation.
But what if you had a chance to do a better job? There are plenty of political simulations out there that allow us to step into the shoes of our nation's leader. You can take your pick from web-based click-and-go games, engaging mobile apps to fully-fledged strategy games built for your console.
After all the chaos of recent years, maybe it's time for us to play the politics game? If that sounds like a bit of you, here are some of the best to try out.
Democracy 4We'll start with the obvious one - Democracy 4 is arguably the biggest name in political sims, allowing players to take on the role of Prime Minister - or President - of their chosen nation.
Gamers govern the country by choosing policies, laws and more while juggling the ever-difficult task of remaining popular enough to get re-elected.
The latest in a series that dates back to 2005, Democracy 4 added unique dynamics for each playable country, a revamped UI and new events like crypto crashes, social media problems and, yes, a virus outbreak.
A mobile game for iOS that's climbed the App Store charts this week (unsurprisingly), Full Confidence is all about holding onto power in the midst of a collapsing government. Sound familiar?
Every decision the player makes as the beleaguered Prime Minister has an impact on the four warring factions they must manage - forcing political coalition during times of crisis. It'll be impossible to keep the cabinet, backbenchers, media and the public onside at all times, and therein lies the hardest juggling act of British politics.
Fantasy ParliamentA slightly different take on the genre, in that Fantasy Parliament serves as a hub of all kinds of political shenanigans. You can create your own Fantasy Parliament using MPs, who score 'publicity points' based on how often they appear in the news.
There's also a career mode, Fantasy Chancellor, referendum testers and more to get your teeth into. Creating your own party, running as a candidate in whatever constituency you fancy and more are all available, too.
Currently available in Steam's early access, Governance "aims to fuse a real-time approach" with real world data to provide a unique UK political simulation game. Governance gives players the option to step into the shoes of an MP, a party leader ot the PM with more than 1,000 dynamic events and 50 unique policies.
Claiming to marry "realism with fun political wargaming", the aim of the game is networking well enough that your new friends in the halls of power will further your policy goals. You can also start your own party and see if it wilts or flourishes under the weight of the British political machine.
Tropico 6If the usually rainy - or in this week's case, unfathomably humid and unbearably hot - climes of Great Britain have got you down, Tropico is the political sim for you. Gamers take on the role of El Presidente, the leader of a fictional Caribbean island nation of the game's title.
The sixth installment is the most recent in the series, having relasd in 2019 for Windows and on current gen consoles in 2022. With a new game coming at some point this year, Tropico 6 is usually available for a little less than the standard RRP for console and PC games.