Aspyr ships 'Sid Meier's Civilization VI' on iOS with high-powered iPad required to play

Originally produced by Fixaris Games and brought to the iPad by Aspyr, "Sid Meier's Civilization VI" follows on from previous installments by challenging players to take command of a small civilization, expanding the empire and leading the rest of the world. Taking place over centuries, the player must take their civilization from the Stone Age to the Information Age, advancing their culture and researching new technologies over time.

There are 20 historical leaders to play as, or against, including Queen Victoria and Theodore Roosevelt. Players will also have to maintain diplomatic relations with these other sides as they grow, forming alliances and negotiating with each other, or waging war if agreements cannot be met or kept.

Gameplay introduced in this iteration include a greater emphasis on terrain surrounding cities, which can be developed into districts however the player wants it to grow. Research for the technology trees are also based on nearby terrain, while the game also includes improvements to the government civics structure, a tree for cultural improvements, and better artificial intelligence mechanics.

For the iOS release, Aspyr has included a local multiplayer mode alongside other traditional playing setups, with the ability to compete and cooperate with others in situations designed to be completed in a single session.

'Sid Meier's Civilization VI' is regularly priced at $59.99, but is offered at launch at half price until January 4. The game itself is downloadable for free, with players able to try the game out for 60 turns before paying to unlock it fully via an in-app purchase.

Weighing in at 3.14 gigabytes and rates 12+, the game requires iOS 11.0 or later to run. Notably, it requires a recent or powerful iPad, and is listed as compatible with an iPad Air 2, 2017 iPad, and any iPad Pro.

The macOS version released last year also has fairly high requirements, including a 2.7 gigahertz quad-core i5 processor, 6 gigabytes of RAM, and either Radeon HD 6790, GeForce 775M, or Iris Pro graphics. That version is currently available for $30 on Steam as part of the holiday sale, and $30 on the Mac App Store.