Acclaimed 4X strategy title adds colossal structures that create new conflict and diplomatic opportunities for late-game empires 

Get the Galactic Civilizations IV: Megastructures Expansion
Steam   |   Epic Games Store   |  Stardock

The next technological leap for galactic empires is here. Today, Stardock officially releases Galactic Civilizations IV: Megastructures, bringing new opportunities for players to harness the power of stars and create powerful late-game structures.

“Megastructures brings powerful new late-game options that we think players will really enjoy,” said Brad Wardell, CEO, Stardock Entertainment. “Too often in 4X strategy games, trailing players have their fate set near the end of the game; but with Megastructures we give players the opportunity to turn the tables on those sitting comfortably in first.”

While Megastructures can be beneficial, they will present their own challenges with resource management and political situations to navigate. Savvy players who are able to effectively allocate their materials will be able to harness the full potential of Dyson Spheres, Ringworlds, the Stellar Nexus, and Stellar Gateways to achieve ultimate victory!

Megastructures

The pinnacle of technology, Megastructures are powerful structures capable of tipping the cosmic scales in your favor. Each Megastructure has something unique to offer and your decision on which to build can have drastic implications.

Power your Megastructure Ambitions with Dyson Spheres

Dyson Spheres are the ultimate energy engines that drive your civilization’s evolution through fueling massive Megastructures that redefine your empire. The color of a Dyson Sphere’s host star dictates its potential Energy Output making Energy-rich white stars a valuable resource.

The Stellar Nexus: The Ultimate Megastructure

The Stellar Nexus will be the core of your civilization and can be customized to become a Megastructure with many possible powerful benefits. A Stellar Nexus can be upgraded into a powerful new form by installing a Nexus Augment. These Nexus Augments provide various potent effects based on the color of the Nexus' host star and are divided into three tiers denoting the strength and range of their effects. Which Augment will you build?

Transform Galactic Travel with Stellar Gateways

Instantly link distant black holes to revolutionize travel. These powerful Megastructures develop new avenues for military maneuvering, rapid expansion, and even extended trade routes. Additionally, civilizations with Stellar Gateways can forge greater alliances with the Open Gateways Treaty which will allow fleets from either faction to utilize their respective Gateways.

Build Ringworlds to Ensure your Civilization's Legacy

Build colossal, Class 39 artificial ring planets to house immense populations and secure your civilization’s future. Much like the Stellar Nexus, Ringworlds are influenced by the color of their host stars and provide different tile bonuses accordingly. By constructing these gigantic habitable rings, you can ensure that your civilization will never run out of planets to inhabit and forever make your mark on the galaxy.

All New Quests and Events

Uncover cosmic secrets with all new quests and events designed to introduce the awesome features of Galactic Civilizations IV’s latest expansion. Discover Ruined Ringworlds and use their ancient technology to make powerful breakthroughs in Megastructure engineering.

• New Improvements: Harness ancient Ringworld technology to create powerful new Improvements to enhance your colonies and outpace the competition.

• New Orbitals: Further utilize the technology found in Ruined Ringworlds to extend the reach of your colonies beyond by building new Orbital Improvements. Additionally, the same technology can now be used to upgrade existing Orbital Improvements to create unstoppable colonies and core worlds.

• New Ship Components: Build bigger, more powerful ships using cutting-edge technologies inspired by this ancient race of builders.

Each megastructure presents unique benefits and challenges, requiring careful planning and resource management to meet your empire's needs. As your influence grows, rival empires will take notice, leading to new diplomatic interactions, potential alliances, or conflicts. The Megastructures expansion invites players to think bigger and bolder, redefining the scale and scope of their galactic ambitions in Galactic Civilizations IV. 

Get the Galactic Civilizations IV: Megastructures Expansion
Steam   |   Epic Games Store   |  Stardock

 

Free v2.92 Update

• Enhanced Galaxy Map Experience: Enjoy a more immersive journey with our revamped Galaxy Maps, designed to deliver captivating layouts and optimize player positioning for strategic gameplay.

• Stunning Visual Upgrades: Dive into a breathtaking galaxy view with our enhanced graphics, featuring vibrant nebulas and twinkling stars that bring the cosmos to life.

• Balanced Gameplay Enhancements: We've fine-tuned various elements, including technologies, ship ranges, pirate encounters, and the “Invite Leader” Executive Order, ensuring a smoother and more enjoyable gaming experience.

• Revitalized Lighting Effects: Explore the game like never before with our comprehensive lighting improvements, which elevate the visual appeal across key areas, creating a more atmospheric and engaging environment.

Get Galactic Civilizations IV
Steam   |   Epic Games Store   |  Stardock

Key Features 

• Improved Galaxy Map Generation: Galaxy Maps will generate satisfying layouts and create better player positioning.    

• Galaxy View Graphics: We have improved the appearance of the galaxy view, nebulas, and stars.   

• Gameplay Balance Improvements:  We have updated techs, ship range, pirates, and the “Invite Leader” Executive Order to make for a more enjoyable experience.   

• Lighting Changes: We went through many of the major areas of the game to improve the overall appearance of the lighting.

• Warlords DLC Update: Updates regarding Warlords War Aims and other features can be found at the bottom of the changelog.

Art  

• Updated Terran Leader portrait to blink  

AI 

• AI is more likely to make Supply ships 

• AI makes better use of ship space  

• AI is better about researching Armor Tech 

• AI is much better about protecting transports 

Audio  

• Lowered Yor Shipyard volume  

• Fixed doubling audio in the advanced settings menu  

Gameplay   

• Increased Human default approval from 40 to 50  

• Replaced “Colonizer” trait with “Warriors” trait for the Xendar  

• Added crime effect to “AI Planetary Monitor” event  

• Fixed “Precious Gem Synthesizer” trade route bonus  

• The “Optimization Engine Augment” now properly displays the Leader Cost stat percentages  

• Executive Order “Invite Leader” increased the Control, Cost and Cooldown  

• Optimized Advisor generation such that you have more options to choose from.  

• Increased effects of the Orbital upgrades.  

• Armor mitigation always starts at 50% of the max armor rating at the time 

• Armor degradation reduced from 5% to 3% per round 

• Armor no longer returns fractional mitigation 

Lighting  

• Updated Main Map scene lighting   

• Updated Starbox lighting  

• Updated Battle Viewer lighting  

• Rebalanced lighting for ships  

• Updated point lights for star systems  

• Changed the appearance of the default stars  

Map Generation  

• Maps will generate a more satisfying layout and create better player positioning   

• Optimized the amount of time it takes to generate a map  

• Slight increase in the number of sectors a map can generate  

• Increased overall map size  

• Fixed hyperplane cluster connection  

• Increased single sector size  

Multiplayer 

• Fixed Asteroid Mining Base Desync 

Ships  

• Decreased the default Ship Range  

• Pirate ships no longer start with Avenger Missiles  

• Ship Range from techs are reduced by –2 per tech  

• Adjusted tiny ship behavior in battle screen  

• Transport conquest rating increased from 40 to 50 

• Siege ship conquest rating increased from 12 to 20 

Research  

• Added a clear indicator for Capstone Techs to help them stand out better.  

• Decreased “Subspace Scanning” Range  

• Fixed construction costs for Supply Depot in the tooltips  

Text  

• Fixed typo under “Influence Victory” in the Galactapedia  

• Fixed typo for the “Cosmic Contaminant” radioactive worlds  

• Fixed text to be capitalized in Executive Orders  

UI  

• Fixed Population, Crime, Planetary Defense and Approval tool tips in the planet context window  

• Updated the names and descriptions of some Planetary Improvements  

• Updated Yor Manufacture Population tooltip   

• Fixed misleading “Planet of Luminous Planets” event  

• Adjusted Artifact UI layout  

• Optimized the Fleet Screen UI layout  

• Increased zoom out on the galaxy map  

• Battle Viewer  

  • Fix stretching issues in turn speed icon (Medium UI)  

  • Hooked up win/loss progress bar  

Warlords DLC  UPDATE

Note: The following changes are only meant for owners of the Warlords DLC

We listened to your feedback on the War Aim feature included with the Warlords DLC. We created over thirty new War Aim events that are triggered when a War Aim is completed (or failed).  This makes the ending of a War Aim feel more impactful to your Civilization and your strategy.  

We also updated the UI to display the loss percentages and balanced the durations to be generally shorter

• Added over thirty new events that are triggered when a Civilization completes (or fails) a War Aim 

• Added UI to display the War Aim loss percentage

• War Aim durations are now shorter