The best strategy games that let you buy options

In the world political video games​You never want to leave anything to chance. Whether you're part of a faction operating within a space empire or a leader trying to usher the Banana Republic into a golden age of prosperity, you'd be wise to use every asset at your disposal to ensure the election goes your way. It's just a smart strategy, and quite a few games explore this side of government in their own unique and fun ways.

Whether it's through money, influence, or good old-fashioned blackmail, these strategy games approach election gimmicks from different angles, implementing all sorts of benefits and consequences for going that route. Let's highlight a few games that make this concept a central part of their gameplay loop.

We've gone with fewer posts here because we'd rather highlight different approaches than similar games. While these are three of the best, there are plenty of other amazing games that use similar mechanics.

Tropico 6

Viva Tropico! Viva El Presidente!

• They are directly asked if you want to rig the election.

• Don't want to risk it? Don't even hold elections.

Under the leadership of El Presidente, Tropico is sure to prosper and reach heights that no other island, be it in the Caribbean, Asia or the Mediterranean, has experienced. Sure, there may be the occasional hiccup like a mass famine or financial crisis, but those are just chapters in the struggle that make the eventual glory all the sweeter. Honestly, the citizens of Tropic should be grateful to have such a benevolent, strong, handsome, and modest leader.

Now El Presidente really shouldn't even bother holding an election and such an act would simply lead to unnecessary public humiliation of his political opponents. El Presidente is, after all, the definition of a species. However, if the need arises to go this route, there is really no reason to leave the decision entirely in the hands of the people. Don't get me wrong, El Presidente loves and respects all of his children, but he also understands that everyone makes mistakes and could accidentally vote for someone else. These things happen; therefore, it is in Tropic's interest to allow mild “officialization” of ballot boxes, purely as a safety net for inevitable voter error.

Rigging an election leaves a permanent scar on the population that lowers your popularity (and you're not guaranteed to win) and makes the next election significantly harder. Fortunately, all you have to do is invoke martial law to avoid those second choices altogether. It is for the good of the people.

Infinite space 2

The power of dust

• Depending on the type of government, you can influence or outright choose who wins the election

• It also depends on the faction; let's do it with Lumeris

Infinite space 2 is an extremely complicated sci-fi 4X strategy game that emphasizes the political and social upheavals that would arise if there was an empire that reached beyond the stars. Now, depending on the realm, government type, and faction, the election takes place in different ways. For the sake of this entry, let's stick with that the Lumeris factionbecause they are among those who most often try to buy elections. Unlike other ideology-driven factions, Lumeris is entirely business-oriented, its existence revolving around trade networks and securing financial dominance.

The game features seven political parties, all of which have unique ideologies, priorities, and government types. Right off the bat, the Lumeris faction is aligned with the pacifist party, which makes sense since they value trade. However, for true dominance I would recommend aligning with industrialists as they are better suited to your game strategy. If you can get industrialists into the government, it will help you increase productivity while reducing costs. You can colonize a planet and build factories much faster than with any other government in the game (though the religious side can work well too).

Actual rigging of elections is simple (at least by standards Infinite space 2). You use “Dust”, the main currency, to bankroll your chosen faction, essentially allowing you to overpower all other opponents simply by overexposing. Here's a bit of a catch, because winning an election and significantly increasing your generation of wealth can increase inflation and make future bribes, I mean “elections”, more expensive.

Crusader Kings 3

Let them see your way with gold or threats

• They vary from empire to empire as they have different succession voting systems

• Feudal and princely electives will be in focus

IN Crusader Kings 3you always think about the future. Succession is the name of the game and you want to ensure that your power is passed down to your heir rather than going to some other vassal who has gained steam with the populace. For this entry, let's just focus on Feudal and Princely Electivesbecause their result is the entire territory goes to a single candidate chosen by voteand votes are cast by vassals rather than the entire population. In other systems, the land is often divided between your children, so it's a completely different matter.

As the Emperor of the Roman Empire, there are several ways you can rig the election to increase the odds that your preferred candidate will win, although there is never a 100% guarantee that the outcome you want will happen. If you have a section where a powerful voter does not want to vote in favor of your candidate, you can simply focus on his weaknesses. Basically, you send them a gift as a small incentive and they will eventually see things your way. The argument is much more compelling when presented next to gold.

Alternatively, blackmail is always an option. If you hate the idea of ​​enriching voters who actively defy you, spend that money on spies instead, which will allow you to learn information that can be used against them. If you have the “Truth is Relative” perk and the spy doesn't find any real damn secrets, you can even use a Fabricated Hook.