Home / Games / Ara History Untold: Anniversary Edition
Ara History Untold: Anniversary Edition
Build a nation starting at any point in human history and compete for supremacy in this epic turn-based strategy game. Engage in diplomacy, fight wars, and go head-to-head with other leaders from history.
What players say
Steam review score and the most-helpful voices, which may include critical ones. Score via Steam as of 2026-09-02 · quoted reviews as of 2026-05-13.
What reviewers agree on
49 of the 71 reviews raise this.
“Short Version: Game is mid rn, but the devs seem like they care to make it better, keep an eye on it and do not un-wishlist. I am only rating it negative because I do not feel it deserves a positive for its pros by…”
8 of the 71 reviews raise this.
“5/10 would recommend for: - 1-2 playthroughs - newcomers to the 4X genre - if you get it on sale This is NOT gonna be your longterm 4X-fix that you sink thousands of hours into. positives: - nice visuals - basic 4X…”
“Ce jeu avait le potentiel pour être un concurrent sérieux de Civilization. Son approche sur la production est intéressante (quoique lourdingue en fin de partie mais apparemment le correctif arrive en v2.1), et ses…”
“Right now "Ara: History Untold" is something like a solid chassis for a great game but not much more than that. I give it a recommendation mainly because I think the team behind it should be supported to keep developing…”
6 of the 71 reviews raise this.
“Nice GFX ... really .... a couple of good ideas ... but .... sooo many half baked mechanics ... non-sensefull things .... on top an at best medicore AI ... an way to small map size ... ... i like micromanagement .. so…”
“ARA: History Untold is a breath of fresh air for the grand strategy genre. Combining the depth of classic civilization-building games with modern innovations, it delivers a truly immersive and strategic experience that…”
“5/10 would recommend for: - 1-2 playthroughs - newcomers to the 4X genre - if you get it on sale This is NOT gonna be your longterm 4X-fix that you sink thousands of hours into. positives: - nice visuals - basic 4X…”
4 of the 71 reviews raise this.
“If you’re looking to get sucked into a game then you found it. I ran into this game and thought I’d give it a chance since I’ve always wanted to try a game of this style out. Let me tell you I thought I played for 30…”
“I'm loving this game. Very big learning curve as i assumed it would be similar to civ, but its so in-depth.. resource, economy, production (both casual resource and strategic) is completely different and makes you think…”
“Only a few hours in, but I’m liking it so far. Still figuring things out, but the core ideas make sense and the game eases you in without feeling dumbed down. It’s already got that “one more turn” pull. Promising start…”
3 of the 71 reviews raise this.
“5/10 would recommend for: - 1-2 playthroughs - newcomers to the 4X genre - if you get it on sale This is NOT gonna be your longterm 4X-fix that you sink thousands of hours into. positives: - nice visuals - basic 4X…”
“Pleasantly surprised, came back to this game after playing at release through Game Pass and it's changed alot. Absolutely hits like I hoped Civ VII would. Good depth and performance is great now, even on my laptops.…”
16 of the 71 reviews raise this · 6 of them still recommend the game.
“Nice GFX ... really .... a couple of good ideas ... but .... sooo many half baked mechanics ... non-sensefull things .... on top an at best medicore AI ... an way to small map size ... ... i like micromanagement .. so…”
“I wanted to like the game and if you would describe its game mechanics just in general time it sounds really great. But boy, what a disappointment this game is. Its UI is just so bad and painful, in the end I did not…”
“A grand strategy game within a historical framework and there are no Turks, not a single Turkic nation or race :) You could have included Huns at least but no, let’s keep Mexico, Australia and Congo but never mind the…”
8 of the 71 reviews raise this · 1 of them still recommend the game.
7 of the 71 reviews raise this · 3 of them still recommend the game.
“There is an interesting game hidden somewhere underneath the most atrocious UI I have ever seen for any 4X game I have every played.”
“I wanted to like the game and if you would describe its game mechanics just in general time it sounds really great. But boy, what a disappointment this game is. Its UI is just so bad and painful, in the end I did not…”
“Ara: History Untold feels at first like a cousin to Civilization. It's familiar in its grand strategy scope but quickly shows it’s carving its own path. There’s a lot more micro‑management and hands‑on involvement here,…”
6 of the 71 reviews raise this · 2 of them still recommend the game.
“Why the well designed game like that is so obcessed about ending games even whwn the player wish to continue and chose " I want to continue buttom" after two turns again it warn re ending game just because my peresteage…”
“A grand strategy game within a historical framework and there are no Turks, not a single Turkic nation or race :) You could have included Huns at least but no, let’s keep Mexico, Australia and Congo but never mind the…”
“Ce jeu avait le potentiel pour être un concurrent sérieux de Civilization. Son approche sur la production est intéressante (quoique lourdingue en fin de partie mais apparemment le correctif arrive en v2.1), et ses…”
6 of the 71 reviews raise this · 1 of them still recommend the game.
“Nice GFX ... really .... a couple of good ideas ... but .... sooo many half baked mechanics ... non-sensefull things .... on top an at best medicore AI ... an way to small map size ... ... i like micromanagement .. so…”
Counted across 71 English reviews, sampled to match this game's 69.1% positive rating · as of 2026-05-13
“I like this game a lot! Finally a civilization builder that really tries to simulate something. In the endgame the economy is getting really complex and if you picked the right difficulty, this game will make you think. Every other game in this genre only gives you…”
— a player, Steam review · 301 hrs played“Great game. Picked it up to play while waiting for Civ 7, and still playing it after quickly dropped Civ 7. Really hope they continue to expand on it.”
— a player, Steam review · 72 hrs played“I cannot recommend this game as it is asking full price for an incomplete product. The game has a few good ideas and potential but with a host of issues, uncertain future; it warrants caution before purchasing. That being said, if it can be bought for half price or under, and…”
— a player, Steam review · 61 hrs playedPlayer activity
Monthly average concurrent players. Live data self-collected from the Steam API · history through 2026-06 via SteamCharts.
Achievement stats
Global completion rates across all Steam players — a data view of how far people actually get. Source: Steam official stats · as of 2026-09-05.
Price tracking
US-region pricing (USD), sampled twice daily by our own tracker since 2026-07-11. Steam prices vary by region — always confirm your local price on Steam.
Regional prices at last sample, in local currency — Steam sets each region's price independently.
Cheapest → most expensive, converted to USD at ECB reference rates (2026-09-04). Relative comparison only.
Latest official news
Developer announcements via the Steam news API — links go to the original posts. More across all games on the news hub.
v2.1 Update Now Available
Ara: History Untold v2.1 Update Adds National Crafting Policy System, Now AvailableUpdate addresses the most-requested change since launch by letting players set their empire's crafting priorities at
v2.1 Update Available in Preview
v2.1 Update Available in PreviewA new national crafting system, 27 culture traits, religious verses, and moreView the Changelog The v2.1 preview build is now available on Steam. This update brings a n
Dev Journal #10: National Production Policy in v2.1
Long time no see! Sorry about that. Happy New Year!The sausage factory behind the scenes means that there are often multiple projects happening simultaneously. The Oxide team is busy working towards h
50% Off Ara: History Untold during the Winter Sale
50% off Ara: History Untold and DLCAra: History Untold is an evolution in historical grand strategy, featuring beloved classic PC strategy mechanics alongside innovative gameplay like a national craft
v2.02 Update Now Available
The latest update introduces significant balance changes, tooltip improvements, and technical fixes.View the Full Changelog Below The latest update for Ara: History Untold, v2.02 has been released, br
Games like Ara History Untold: Anniversary Edition
From our knowledge graph — ranked by shared traits, not a black box. Each card says why it's here.
Sid Meier's Civilization® III Complete
90.5% · 5,111 reviews
shares Diplomacy, 4x, Grand Strategy, Alternate History
Heart of the Machine
93.3% · 1,747 reviews
shares Diplomacy, 4x, Grand Strategy, City Builder
Ozymandias: Bronze Age Empire Sim
87.0% · 991 reviews
shares 4x, Grand Strategy, City Builder, Military
Field of Glory: Empires
83.9% · 578 reviews
shares 4x, Grand Strategy, Military, Turn Based
Evil Bank Manager
75.6% · 900 reviews
shares Grand Strategy, Alternate History, Military, Turn Based
Old World
84.1% · 4,221 reviews
shares Diplomacy, 4x, Grand Strategy, Military
Fantasy General II
79.8% · 930 reviews
shares 4x, Grand Strategy, Military, Turn Based
Europa Universalis IV
87.2% · 69,253 reviews
shares Diplomacy, 4x, Grand Strategy, Alternate History
Screenshots
Official Steam store screenshots — click any shot to enlarge.
Facts & details
From the Steam store record, snapshot 2026-05-13.
| Genres | Strategy |
| Player tags | Strategy · 4X · Grand Strategy · Alternate History · Historical · Singleplayer · Resource Management · Turn-Based Tactics · Diplomacy · Management · Military · Tutorial (SteamSpy community voting) |
| Features | Single-player · Multi-player · PvP · Online PvP · Family Sharing |
| Languages | English * , French * , Italian * , German * , Spanish - Spain * , Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hungarian, Japanese * , Korean * , Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese - Brazil * , Portuguese - Portugal, Russian, Simpli… |
| Achievements | 45 |
| Official site | https://arahistoryuntold.com |
Minimum system requirements (PC)
Minimum: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system OS: Windows 10 (20H1) or later Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 2400G – Intel i5-5300U Memory: 8 GB RAM Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 480 – Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 DirectX: Version 12 Storage: 50 GB available space