Release date: October 2016
Like other entries in the award-winning Civilization series before it, Sid Meier's Civilization VI challenges you to build an empire to stand the test of time. Playing as one of 20 leaders in the base game with different perks and abilities, you guide your chosen civilization from the Stone Age to the Information Age. Research new technologies, conduct diplomacy, and wage war as you pursue one of five possible victory conditions.
If you played previous games in the series, you need to learn some new tricks if you want to achieve a Science or Culture victory in Civilization VI. Winning with Science now involves landing on the Moon and later establishing a Martian Colony, while Culture victories are earned via Tourism. Domination and Score victories are largely unchanged. Religious victories are a new addition to the series, and challenge you to spread your Religion to other civilizations using things like Apostle and Missionary units. When your Religion becomes predominant in every civilization on the map, you win.
Regardless of which victory condition you pursue, Civilization VI offers new ways to engage with your world: cities now physically expand across the local terrain, active research in Culture as well as in Technology unlocks new potentials for growth, and competing leaders pursue their own agendas based on their historical traits. Interactions with those leaders now evolve with the passage of time, from primitive first interactions where conflict is a fact of life, to the strategic nuances of late-game alliances and negotiations.
Civilization VI eases new players in with tutorial systems that introduce them to the game's underlying concepts, and provides a plethora of ways for veterans to build and tune their civilizations for success. In the months and years following the game's launch, several DLC packs as well as the two full expansions—all detailed below—added something for everyone, including new leaders, new civilizations, and even a new victory condition.
