PSA: Civilization 6 Out Now, as Franchises Marks 25th Anniversary

The newest entry in the Civilization series, Civilization VI, launches today on PC. You can watch the turn-based strategy game's launch trailer in the video above.

As announced previously, Game of Thrones and The Lord of the Rings actor Sean Bean narrates the game's tech tree. People who preordered get early access to the Aztec Civilization pack on launch day. Everyone else will still get to play as them, but they'll have to wait 90 days.

"For over 25 years, gamers of different generations and all ages have enjoyed taking one more turn in Sid Meier's Civilization," 2K president Christoph Hartmann said in a statement. "Today we celebrate those 25 years with the launch of the latest entry in 2K's longest-running franchise..."

2K also reiterated today that the entire Civilization series has shipped over 35 million units worldwide. The franchise debuted in 1991 and has since spawned numerous core entries and spinoffs.

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"The Civilization VI team strived to create the best Civilization game possible to celebrate 25 years of the series and also 25 years with our fans," Firaxis Games lead designer Ed Beach said in a statement. "Including all the ingredients for a true Civilization experience, while adding in exciting new features like active research and unstacking cities, makes Sid Meier's Civilization VI a truly unique experience. We hope that both our fans and new players will join us in taking just one more turn over and over again."

In addition to the standard edition, people can spend $80 to buy the Digital Deluxe Edition, which comes with the game, a soundtrack, and access to four upcoming DLC packs. These will add new maps, scenarios, civilizations, and leaders.

GameSpot will have a full review for Civilization VI in the time ahead. For now, you can check out our review-in-progress, an excerpt of which is available below.

"Overall, most of the changes remind me of the approach Wizards of the Coast employed when designing the fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons: dig deeper into the things that work; incorporate old ideas in smaller ways rather than eliminating them entirely; streamline and simplify everything else," reviewer Scott Butterworth said. "Some annoyances emerged in the process and there's still plenty I need to figure out, but this much is clear: it's still Civilization, and it's still engrossing as hell."