T-minus 22 Days: Galactic Civilizations 3 Gets Release Date

If I'm going to blast off into the far reaches of the galaxy, I'd probably rather the technology be perfected first. There's a lot to be said for going up in a multi-billion dollar fireball and raining ashes over the Pacific, but perhaps that's not for everyone. By the same token, you might not be willing to attempt galactic conquest while a game's on Steam Early Access.

If so, good news: Galactic Civilizations III now has a launch date for blasting out of Early Access and becoming a proper fancy full video game, whatever that is. Start a countdown: t-minus 22 days. Or May 14th, if you find that easier to understand; you probably do.

Do I need to explain Galactic Civilizations to you? Maybe. I don't know. It's a turn-based strategy game about trying to conquer a corner of the galaxy, competing economically, diplomatically, and militarily with other spacefolk. You research things, pick your own path to victory... you know: it's a 4X game. You get to design your own race and spaceships too. Jeez, leave me alone, go watch lead designer Paul Boyer playing the latest beta build:

Developers Stardock first launched their 4X strategy game on Early Access back in March 2014, in alpha form through a 'Founder's Elite Edition' that cost a steep £75.99/$99.99 but also included all future expansions and DLC. It entered beta last August, letting folks buy the game for a more reasonable price of £29.99/$49.99.