Sid Meier’s Civilization VI sets another milestone in the Civilization franchise, which has sold-in over 34 million units worldwide and changed the gaming landscape by bringing the strategy genre to unparalleled heights.

In Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, cities will physically expand across the map to create new, deep strategic layers, active research in technology and culture will unlock new potential ways to play; and the large variety of leaders will pursue their own agendas based on their historical character traits as players race to achieve victory however they choose to play.

The Civilization VI August game update, which is scheduled to go live on Thursday, August 27, will bring changes, adjustments and additions.

In addition to balance and update changes, each game update includes a new feature such as a scenario, game mode or customization. This month’s update includes the Natural Wonder Picker, Tech and Civic Shuffle Mode and changes based on player feedback.

The Natural Wonder Picker enables players to manually select which of Civilization VI’s natural wonders will randomly generate on the map.* This is a great feature for players to discover some wonders that they may not have seen before or exclude some that they dislike, giving players even greater control over how they want to play the game.

The Tech and Civic Shuffle Mode adds a new wrinkle to how players can progress their civilizations forward. In this mode, positions and identities of each Tech and Civic are hidden while prerequisites and costs are randomized. The benefits of completing Techs and Civics are the same – for example, researching Mining will always unlock mining improvements – and the randomized tree is the same for all players. This results in a fair and level playing field for everyone and introduces an element of discovery and randomization, rewarding those who can react and adjust quickly.

Following player feedback, some new adjustments are making their way to Civilization VI. This includes changes to forest and jungle fires, which will burn longer before changing to a burnt-out state, as well as tweaks to Government Plaza effects. Full details will be available in patch notes that release alongside the update on Aug. 27.

The August game update is one of many free updates that are a part of the overall content roadmap for Civilization VI, available to anyone who owns the game.

Key Features:

• EXPANSIVE EMPIRES: See the marvels of your empire spread across the map like never before. Each city spans multiple tiles so you can custom build your cities to take full advantage of the local terrain;
• ACTIVE RESEARCH: Unlock boosts that speed your civilization’s progress through history. To advance more quickly, use your units to actively explore, develop your environment, and discover new cultures;
• DYNAMIC DIPLOMACY: Interactions with other civilizations change over the course of the game, from primitive first interactions where conflict is a fact of life, to late game alliances and negotiations;
• COMBINED ARMS: Expanding on the “one unit per tile” design, support units can now be embedded with other units, like anti-tank support with infantry, or a warrior with settlers. Similar units can also be combined to form powerful “Corps” units;
• ENHANCED MULTIPLAYER: In addition to traditional multiplayer modes, cooperate and compete with your friends in a wide variety of situations all designed to be easily completed in a single session;
• A CIV FOR ALL PLAYERS: Civilization VI provides veteran players new ways to build and tune their civilization for the greatest chance of success. New tutorial systems are designed to introduce new players to the underlying concepts of Civilization so they can easily get started on a path to victory.

Sid Meier’s Civilization VI is available for Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One and PC.