What if this weekend, instead of going outside and having a social life, you turned into a dictator and tried to take over the world? In Humankind, at least, since this historical 4X strategy game is free to play this weekend on Steam. Alongside this free weekend, Humankind announced the release date of its first expansion, Together We Rule.
Humankind is a turn-based strategy game, where your goal is to lead your tribe to greatness. You can combine various cultures to create your own civilization and crush your enemies to become the one and only ruling empire.
The first expansion of Humankind, Together We Rule, focuses on diplomacy. It brings major elements to the game, changing the dynamic between the fighting civilizations. Together We Rule introduces the Congress of Humankind, an inter-empire forum allowing players to vote and decide on global doctrines and arbitrate international conflicts together. It also brings Embassies for empires to sign agreements like joint training or research agreements. But since this game is first and foremost a strategy game, everything doesn’t have to be peaceful: Together We Rule features Agents, a new kind of unit players can use to infiltrate, sabotage, and disinform other empires.
Cultures play a large role in Humankind. Each player can pick a selection of cultures, tailoring them to create the perfect civilization for their rule. The Together We Rule expansion introduces six new cultures with a Diplomatic Affinity increasing their impact on the world.
Between two plots to take over the world, you can also build six new wonders, including Monument Valley, Pamukkale, Chocolate Hills, Eldgjá, and the Palace of Versailles. Together We Rule also packs new narrative events and new music so you wouldn’t get bored anytime soon.
If you haven’t played Humankind yet, you can try it for free on Steam this weekend. And since Thursday is the new Friday, the weekend begins today: you can already play Humankind for free, and this offer ends on Sunday.
Humankind is also 50% off until October 13, 2022. Its first expansion, Together We Rule, will come out almost a month later, on November 9, 2022. It will cost $19.99, with a 10% discount for all pre-orders.
Whether you decide to try Humankind’s expansion or not, the game will receive a major free update on November 9, 2022. The Metternich update will add new Stealth mechanics, revamp independent peoples, allow for third-party battle reinforcements, and improve the interface with new options.
Humankind is available on Steam, Epic Games Store, and the Microsoft Store. The game is set to release on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on November 4, 2022 – right on time for players to try the game before its first expansion, Together We Rule.