Ara: History Untold, built by a team that includes many of the leads behind one of the most popular historical grand strategy games of all time, invites players to build and lead a nation throughout global history as they explore new lands, develop arts and culture, conduct diplomacy, and go head-to-head with rivals to prove they are the greatest leader ever known.

Players will become the architect of a dynamic, living world fully rendered and brought to life through the power of Oxide’s proprietary Nitrous Engine, where their play style and decisions will shape the world they create, the lives of their people, and their legacy as a leader.

Featuring both familiar and innovative gameplay mechanics, Ara: History Untold delivers an evolution in historical grand strategy with no pre-set paths to victory, leading to endless possibilities.

The choices you make will define the world you create, your experience and your legacy. It’s Your World Now.

Stardock Entertainment and Oxide Games, in partnership with Xbox Game Studios, announced Ara: History Untold – Version 2.0: Revolutions Update.

Launching on September 24 for free to all players, v2.0 is a massive expansion of new features and content such as the addition of Culture & Influence systems to the game, Nation-specific units like Japanese Samurai, Leader ability overhauls, gives greater player control while simultaneously reducing micromanagement, improves performance, includes a major AI revamp and much more.

“We’re really excited to bring Culture as a game mechanic into Ara,” said Brad Wardell, Chief Executive Officer for Stardock and Oxide. “The role of ‘soft power’ cannot be overstated.  While military conquest remains the most direct way of expanding one's territory, we really wanted to give players other means of expanding their control of the world. This is especially true in the late game when the explore and expand parts of the game have reached their maximum.”

Key Features of the Revolutions Update:

• Culture & Influence Systems – Cities gain a new quality of life category called Culture. Culture generates Influence, a new currency used to acquire cultural traits and expand territory through claims. This creates meaningful alternatives to military expansion.
• Agitator Unit – Introduced with the Revolutions technology at the end of the Renaissance, Agitators can be sent into adjacent foreign regions to stir rebellion and, through Influence, bring those territories into your nation. This unlocks a second form of conquest in Act II: ideological subversion.
• Per-Nation Units – Every civilization now commands unique historical forces, from Mongol Horse Archers to Japanese Samurai, adding tactical depth and flavor.
• Leader Redesigns – Every leader has been reimagined with unique mechanics, traits, and abilities, ensuring more replayability and personality-driven diplomacy.
• Priority & Quota Crafting System – Micromanaged production queues are replaced with smarter stockpile and priority controls, freeing players to focus on high-level strategy.
• Adaptive AI – A more dynamic and personality-driven AI responds to player performance, making diplomacy, warfare, and resource management more challenging and believable.
• Map Generation Overhaul – Realistic natural resource clustering plus new exclusivity rules modeling historical trade and competition.
• High DPI UI & Visual Update – A sharper, scalable UI built for modern displays, with new accessibility and customization options.
• Performance Boosts – Major engine optimizations deliver faster turns, smoother framerates, and reduced CPU usage.

Ara: History Untold v2.0 – "The Revolutions Update" is currently available as a Preview on Steam. This free update is scheduled for final release on September 24, 2025 on Steam and Xbox Game Pass for PC.

Key Features:

• EXPLORE AN IMMERSIVE LIVING WORLD: Explore a dynamic living world filled with life and charm across sweeping landscapes ranging from tropical jungles to sand-swept deserts as you discover the resources you need to develop your nation. Witness the world come to life in vivid, realistic detail as citizens move throughout the world and react dynamically to times of health and sickness, war and peace, wealth and despair with unique biomes, cultures, and eras that represent the diversity of the human experience.
• BUILD YOUR NATION: Your land is your canvas – construct a variety of improvements from forges to libraries to citadels and cathedrals. Research diverse technologies. Optimize a richly detailed industrial and economic crafting system. Manage every detail, the output of a single mill, the citizen stats of a city, and the combined resources of an entire nation. Weave a future of infinite possibilities.
• RULE YOUR WAY: Take up the mantle of history’s most influential figures and reshape the world through your choices. Will you rule the Egyptians as Queen Nefertiti, the Greeks as Sappho, or the United States as George Washington? Choose from unique leaders representing different nations, people, and playstyles with gameplay-impacting traits players can experiment with, and distinct personalities that help determine their behaviors as your AI neighbors, allies, or enemies.
• EXPERIENCE TRUE SIMULTANEOUS TURNS: Every turn each nation's actions and choices resolve simultaneously, leading to suspense, anticipation, unique outcomes, and surprising twists on the classic turn-based formula. The fate of your people will be determined by your decisions and your ability to predict your opponent’s next move, putting your skill as a leader to the ultimate test.

Ara: History Untold is available for PC (Steam) and on PC Game Pass.