In Colony Battle Arena you are dealt one of several rival factions at the start of every match. Each one has strengths and weaknesses against the others.

The aim is to destroy your enemy's strongholds.

You must protect your own strongholds, which produce your units. When a stronghold goes down, its production goes with it. You have four, and when the last one falls, the match ends for you.

You advance through unit tiers by fighting, but you must always come out ahead. Every unit you give up makes your opponent stronger. Not all fights are favorable for your faction, and knowing when to engage elsewhere or which enemies to avoid altogether decides the match.

Everything is situational. No two matches play out the same way.

Starting with your faction's unique unit, you work your way up through drones, vehicles and eventually helicopter gunships. Faction techs unlock between those tiers, so even when everyone is on the same ladder, each faction plays differently.

Strategy matters: you can go straight for someone's base early, but bases are heavily fortified with bombard cannons and machine-gun turrets, so think about whether the damage you can inflict is worth the units it will cost you.

How you play

• Up to 8 players in team games: 4v4, 3v3, 2v2, 2v2v2v2 or free-for-all.

• Ranked matches with a rating, or browse casual lobbies.

• LAN on one network, and cross-play with the mobile version.

• Solo or co-op against bots, with a tutorial to start.