In Gathering Storm, the second expansion to Civilization VI, the world around you is more alive than ever before.

Chart a path to victory for your people by developing new advanced technologies and engineering projects and negotiating with the global community in the World Congress on critical issues.

The choices you make in the game will influence the world ecosystem and could impact the future of the entire planet. Natural disasters like floods, storms, and volcanoes can pillage or destroy your Improvements and Districts – but they may also refresh and enrich the lands after they pass.

In addition to these new systems, Civilization VI: Gathering Storm introduces eight new civilizations and nine new leaders. Seven new world wonders can be constructed, as well as a variety of new units, districts, buildings, and improvements.

• ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS: Volcanoes, storms (blizzards, sand storms, tornados, hurricanes), climate change, floods, and droughts.
• POWER AND CONSUMABLE RESOURCES: Strategic resources play an additional role in Gathering Storm. These resources are now consumed in power plants to generate electricity for your cities. Initially you'll be powering your most advanced buildings by burning carbon-based resources like Coal and Oil, but renewable energy sources also unlock as you progress to current-day technologies. Your choices about resource usage will directly affect the world's temperature and can cause melting ice caps and rising sea levels.
• ENGINEERING PROJECTS: Shape the world around your empire to overcome unfavorable land conditions by making improvements like canals, dams, tunnels and railroads. When settling cities, consider the flood risk to coastal lowland areas, but keep in mind that in the late-game, new technologies like Flood Barriers can be used to protect these tiles.
• WORLD CONGRESS: Make your voice heard among the other leaders of the world. Earn Diplomatic Favor through Alliances, influencing city-states, competing in World Games, and more. Use Diplomatic Favor to extract promises from other leaders, vote on Resolutions, call a Special Session to address an emergency, and increase the weight of your votes in your quest to achieve the new Diplomatic Victory.
• 21st CENTURY TECHNOLOGIES & CIVICS: A new era has been added to the Technology and Civics trees. Combat new environmental effects with speculative ideas such as relocating your population out to seasteads and developing technologies to recapture carbon emissions.
• NEW LEADERS AND CIVS: Nine new leaders from eight new civilizations are introduced. Each brings unique bonuses and gameplay, as well as a total of nine unique units, four unique buildings, three unique improvements, two unique districts and one unique governor.
• NEW SCENARIOS: The Black Death: The Black Death ravaged Europe and western Asia in the mid-14th century, killing a greater share of the population than any other event in world history. The pandemic killed millions, ruined economies, upended political dynasties and transformed the face of the Western world. Your task is to lead your nation through the calamity: keep your population alive, your economy strong, and your faith unshaken amidst a world of terror and desperation.
• War Machine: At the outset of WWI, the German Imperial Army had a daring plan: invade neutral Belgium and then rush the French heartland before they could mobilize to resist. If successful, the German forces would capture Paris within a month and end their resistance forever. In counter, the French command prepared Plan 17, an all-out onslaught designed to meet and stop a German offensive. When war was declared, both armies swung into motion and set up one of the most incredible and shocking military campaigns in world history. In this multiplayer scenario, players take the side of one of these two great powers at this same precipice. As Germany, your task is to capture Paris. As France, your task is to prevent its capture. The clock is ticking, and the enemy is moving. Advance!
• MORE NEW CONTENT: Seven new world wonders, seven natural wonders, 18 new units, 15 new improvements, 9 new buildings, 5 new districts, 2 new city sets, 9 new techs and 10 new civics have been added.
• IMPROVED GAMEPLAY SYSTEMS: The Espionage system has been enhanced with new options, the Culture and Science Victories have been updated, new Historic Moments have been added, and additional improvements have been made to other existing systems.

Review

Civilization VI: Gathering Storm

Taking the Planet by Storm

by Ben Reeves

8.75

Concept

Add massive environmental disasters and diplomatic maneuvers to Civilization VI's incredibly robust empire-building sim

Graphics

The exaggerated characters are full of personality, and the new worldwide disasters are eye-catching

Sound

This soundtrack remains epic and sweeping, but also feels a bit generic

Playability

Civilization VI is already a complex game, and Gathering Storm adds new layers to its interwoven systems. Fortunately, these elements also provide greater richness to Civ's deep strategy

Entertainment

Growing a small group of settlers into a world-spanning superpower is rewarding at every step

Replay

High

The Earth is the only home humanity has ever known, but our planet isn't a safe haven; nature's wrath can bring a nation to its knees faster than a marauding army. In Firaxis' second expansion for Civilization VI, players don't merely contend with raiding barbarians and two-faced dictators, they must endure mother nature's temperamental streak.

The influence of Gathering Storm's ecosystem is evident from the start. Settlers now warn you of potential natural threats before you even found your first city, which is helpful. However, early on, I failed to listen to my people and lost a lot effort when a flooding river washed away one of my districts. Despite the danger, you have good reasons to cozy up near natural danger zones. For example, floodplains and volcanos are often extremely fertile and allow for accelerated city growth. In Gathering Storm, the surrounding environment sometimes feels like a friend, but it also acts as an enemy, like when a sandstorm tore the roof off my capital. This shifting relationship with nature continually pushed me from one risk/reward moment to the next, and the stakes only got higher as my civilization advanced and I had to balance my need for fossil fuels against the devastation of rising sea levels.

Just as nature has never pushed this hard against my civilizations, I've also never had this much control over my environment. New engineering projects like tunnels and dams allow you to circumvent natural dangers and prevent flooding. Hydroelectric dams even provide additional power to your empire, which boosts productivity. Once you move into Civilization's new future era, you gain access to dream technology that allows you to recapture atmospheric carbon or build seasteads and move your inhabitants onto the ocean. I had a blast playing with this future tech, and even as the world around me descended into chaos, I always felt like I was making progress and unlocking new ways to either fix the planet or spin a bad situation in my favor.

Read more of the review at Game Informer