As far as the grand strategy genre goes, there are few that do it quite as well as Civilization. Debuting all the way back in 1991, the Civilization franchise puts players in the boots of an iconic historical leader, and tasks them with creating their very own bustling civilization, all the while working towards a military, scientific, cultural, economic, or religious victory. Though many strategy games have tried to imitate Civilization's addictive formula, few have succeeded, though it seems like Ara History Untold could be one of those few.

First announced back in June 2022 as part of the Xbox Showcase, Ara History Untold is a grand strategy game that wears its Civilization influences clearly on its sleeve, but unlike other imitators, Ara could have the pedigree and talent to back up its borrowed formula. Being developed by Oxide Games, some of Ara's creators are ex-Firaxis devs, and have therefore worked on Civilization in the past. And with Civilization 7 likely still a ways off, Ara History Untold could be the perfect stop-gap for fans eager to jump into the next grand strategy series.

RELATED: How Civ 7 Can Improve Diplomacy and Negotiation

Ara History Untold Could Be The Ideal Stop-Gap For Civilization Fans

Civilization 7 was first announced fairly nonchalantly back in February of this year, with Firaxis and 2K releasing a simple statement confirming that the next entry in the long-running grand strategy franchise was officially in development. Since then, Firaxis has been tight-lipped about Civilization 7. There's been no official word on the game's release date, any new gameplay mechanics, or even what world leaders will be brought over to this new installment. Based on this lack of information, and based on the increasing development time between entries, it seems likely that Civilization 7 is still at least a year or two away from release, which paves the way for competitors like Ara History Untold to swoop in and offer a similar experience.

From the moment Ara History Untold was first unveiled back in 2022, its Civilization inspirations were immediately evident. Players will be choosing a real-world leader, creating cities, researching technologies, building Wonders, waging war, and increasing their people's culture, population, and economy, all in the hopes of claiming victory over other civilizations, who can all be bartered with via Ara's diplomacy system. This will all sound extremely familiar to Civilization fans, with Ara's general gameplay loop being practically the same, but there are a few unique tricks Ara has up its sleeve.

The biggest difference between Ara History Untold and Civilization is the game's approach to its turn-based design. In Civilization, players take turns to complete their designated set of actions, moving, attacking, and building one after the other. In Ara History Untold, turns occur simultaneously. While players will still only have a set number of actions they can take in one go, every player will apparently complete these actions at the same time, giving Ara a whole unique layer of strategy that isn't present in Civ. It isn't enough to just counter an opponent's actions in Ara, players will need to predict and react to their enemy's movements and actions well in advance.

Alongside its first gameplay trailer, Ara History Untold announced a 2024 release date during the Gamescom Opening Night Live showcase. While there's no indication of whether Ara will come earlier or later in the year, that 2024 release date might still put it ahead of Civilization 7, which could still be a few years out at this point. And if Ara drops well before Civilization 7, then it could scratch that itch for fans waiting for the next installment of Firaxis' series.

Ara: History Untold is set for a 2024 release for PC.

MORE: Civilization 7: The Case for Fantasy and Mythological Elements