The next big DLC from masterful 4X strategy developer Paradox Interactive is finally here, as Stellaris The Machine Age brings a new robot empire, another endgame crisis, and a slate of new origins to the sci-fi grand strategy game. Out now, you can expect a whole host of premium content alongside a free update, both of which offer up a plethora of new ways to play.
Sci-fi is at its best when it asks tough technological and ethical questions. Where will we be in one hundred, or two hundred years? What will our relationship with technology look like, and will we still even be around to make it work? Will we instead be at the whims of synthetic consciousness and arguing over the rights of AI? These are the types of questions the new Stellaris expansion explores, as one of the best 4X grand strategy games makes robotics and its relationship with organic life the star of the show.
You’ll be a part of this conversation with a brand-new Endgame Crisis, as a new synthetic threat will come for you and your expanding empire. Otherwise, you can flip the script and become that synthetic force yourself, in the new Crisis Path. Machine empires are also more individualistic now, with three new Ascension Paths available to you that offer up more diverse origins and stories.
Questions of consciousness, biological species, cybernetics, and all the ethical quandaries that come with them underpin Stellaris’ The Machine Age, which is when sci-fi is at its best. It’s not all just about looking cool, after all.
There are also three new origins in the Cybernetic Creed, Synthetic Fertility, and Arc Welders. Cybernetics is all about fusing the body and technology, Synthetic leaves your society unable to reproduce thanks to a genetic disease, and the Arc Welders have turned to space for more resources.
To round it all out, every Stellaris player also gets the 3.12 ‘Andromeda’ update, which rebalances the Genetic, Cybernetic, and Synthetic tradition trees while enhancing AI functions related to leader assignment and economic management. Modders can even introduce new Crisis paths, so get creative with it.
You can pick up Stellaris The Machine Age for $24.99 / £16.45 on Steam right now, or as part of the expansion subscription that provides “unlimited access to all additional content.”
If you keep finding yourself lost in the sea of Stellaris content, we’ve got you covered with a breakdown of all the Stellaris DLC and a look at the best Stellaris mods – to keep your 4X space adventures feeling fresh.
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