Stardock Entertainment and Oxide Games, in partnership with Xbox Game Studios, announced a massive new content expansion for their historical strategy game, Ara: History Untold. The “Revolutions Update,” or Version 2.0, introduces new features and quality-of-life improvements designed to expand strategic options and enhance the player experience.
As with other games in the genre, the deeper the systems, the better, and the Ara team is meeting that. The developers shared that the 2.0 Update is informed by community feedback. As a result, the Revolutions Update focuses on new systems, AI overhauls, and improved performance, offering both new and veteran players a fresh perspective on historical strategy.
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On release, our critic had this to say about Ara: History Untold, “While Ara: History Untold asks a lot of players, it rewards those willing to put in the hours with a deeply rich gameplay experience that makes them feel like every choice they made shaped their nation and helped their people achieve greatness. From large-scale design innovations to the smallest details, the game delivers an almost flawless experience.”
What to expect from the Revolutions Update:
Soft Power is coming into Ara’s 2.o era in a big way. The Revolutions Update introduces a brand-new Culture and Influence System, providing players with a meaningful alternative to traditional military expansion. This rounds out the game’s dedication to cultural history and development. Additionally, cities now have a “quality of life” category called Culture, which generates a new currency: Influence. Plus, players can now use Influence to acquire cultural traits and expand their borders without a single sword or spear.
“We’re really excited to bring Culture as a game mechanic into Ara,” said Brad Wardell, Chief Executive Officer for Stardock and Oxide, in a release to press. “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.”
The update also introduces a new unit type: the Agitator. Available after researching the Revolutions technology, this unit allows players to send agents into foreign regions to stir up dissent. Through the use of Influence, Agitators can incite rebellion, bringing new territories under your nation’s control. This adds a new layer of “soft power” to the game, allowing for ideological conquest in addition to military might.
Key Features For 2.0
In addition to the new systems, the Revolutions Update reworks many of the game’s core mechanics to provide a more refined and strategic experience.
- Unique Nation Units: Every civilization now commands its own unique historical units, such as Mongol Horse Archers or Japanese Samurai, adding both tactical variety and historical flavor.
- Leader Redesigns: Every leader has been reimagined with unique traits and abilities, ensuring greater replayability and more personality-driven diplomacy.
- Streamlined Production: A new Priority & Quota Crafting System replaces micromanaged production queues. This frees up players to focus on high-level strategy rather than getting bogged down in minute details.
- Smarter AI: The AI has been completely revamped, with a more dynamic and personality-driven system that responds to player performance, making diplomacy and warfare more challenging and realistic.
- Visual and Performance Upgrades: The update also includes a sharper UI for modern displays and significant engine optimizations that deliver faster turns and smoother frame rates.
What is the Revolutions Update release date?
Ara: History Untold will release September 24, 2025, on Steam and Xbox Game Pass for PC.
