Civilisation meets Crusader Kings in Ara: History Untold

Announced at today's Xbox & Bethesda Game showcase, Ara: History Untold is a new turn-based historical grand strategy game in development from Oxide Games. This studio was founded in 2013 by Firaxis Games and EA veterans, and previously was behind the extremely decent Ashes of the Singularity.

In Ara players to build and lead a nation through history, though unfortunately the reveal was a CG trailer rather than a glimpse at the nuts-and-bolts. Going by the way it's described, this is Civ-meets-Crusader Kings, with your duties including exploration, social development, diplomacy and, of course, conflict.

The trailer runs us through many different locations and time periods of history, showcasing cultures including the Ancient Greeks, locations like the Himalayas, and characters trying out the kite experiment. There is a sense of grand scale here, the implication clearly being that you'll take your chosen culture from its earliest origins through ages of technological change and into the future.

A still from the announce trailer of Ara: History Untold.

(Image credit: Oxide Games)

The PR promises Ara will deliver a "dynamic, living world", though we'll have to wait and see exactly what that means, in which your decision shape the future. Oxide Games reckons it can deliver a "truly groundbreaking evolution in the turn-based strategy genre", and has launched an insider program for players to follow development: the first chance to play it will apparently arrive later this year for those who sign up. The website is not live at the time of writing, but one assumes it'll be up quick sharp.

We gave Ashes of the Singularity 75% in a mostly enthusiastic review, saying it "delivers thoughtful real-time strategy with tons of units in play", and there's no doubting Oxide Games has a bunch of top strategy talent. Whether this can be the grand move forward for the strategy genre it promises... well, history will be the judge. Ara will be available on Xbox Game Pass when it releases.

Rich Stanton
Senior Editor

Rich is a games journalist with 15 years' experience, beginning his career on Edge magazine before working for a wide range of outlets, including Ars Technica, Eurogamer, GamesRadar+, Gamespot, the Guardian, IGN, the New Statesman, Polygon, and Vice. He was the editor of Kotaku UK, the UK arm of Kotaku, for three years before joining PC Gamer. He is the author of a Brief History of Video Games, a full history of the medium, which the Midwest Book Review described as "[a] must-read for serious minded game historians and curious video game connoisseurs alike."

Read more
A bird's eye view of a nuclear bomb detonating in Ara: History Untold.
Microsoft's Civilization 7 competitor escalates tensions with Firaxis' embattled 4X, announcing that nukes are coming with its impending diplomacy update
Cropped Civilization 7 concept art featuring Amina, Queen of Zazzau, pointing a sword menacingly.
Civilization 7 senior historian prays it'll be a 'gateway drug' into textbooks: 'I teach undergraduates in my other life, and my God, man, they don't read'
Wartorn
Wartorn is a top-down fantasy tactics game co-created by BioShock's lead designer, inspired by a forgotten Bungie title where you command dwarves to blow up zombies
Tides of Annihilation screenshot - huge dude with a huge axe on a huge horse
Tides of Annihilation looks like Elden Ring if it was based on Arthurian legend and set in modern-day London
Broken Lords faction
Endless Legend 2, the sequel to Amplitude's sublime 4X, is finally coming, and it's fully leaning into the joy of exploration: 'It is a feeling that will stick with you until the end'
Two men fighting on horseback.
Why Rise of Nations is one of the hidden gems of PC Game Pass
Latest in Strategy
Mongolian throne room
Crusader Kings 3 saddles up for a long-awaited return to the east with its first Asian DLC, Khans of the Steppe
Manor Lords promo art - knight on horseback looking at a medieval village in the distance, viewed from behind
PCG's best city builder of 2024 is adding a map with a gigantic hill in the middle: the perfect spot for your next castle
Maximillian from Evil Genius 2
Rebellion CEO says Evil Genius 3 could happen but wonders 'what else could we do with it other than a base-building game?'
A city from 1800
One of the best city builders of the last decade is currently 90% off on Steam
Company of Heroes 3
Company of Heroes 3 is free to try and 50% off, so it's the best time to check out the beefy 2.0 overhaul
People swimming in a pool and lying on floats
Planet Coaster 2's spring roadmap splashes down, with 'round-bottomed flumes' coming in March and buildable restaurants arriving in April
Latest in News
Man facing camera
The Day Before studio reportedly sues Russian website for calling infamous disaster-game a 'scam'
Will Poulter holding a CD ROM
'What are most games about? Killing': Black Mirror Season 7 includes a follow-up to 2018 interactive film Bandersnatch
Casper Van Dien in Starship Troopers
Sony, which is making a Helldivers 2 movie, is also making a new Starship Troopers movie, but it's not based on the Starship Troopers movie we already have
Assassin's Creed meets PUBG
Ubisoft is reportedly talking to Tencent about creating a new business entity to manage Assassin's Creed and other big games
Resident Evil Village - Lady Dimitrescu
'It really truly changed my life in every possible way': Lady Dimitrescu actor says her Resident Evil Village role was just as transformative for her as it was for roughly half the internet in 2021
Storm trooper hero
Another live service shooter is getting shut down, this time before it even launched on Steam