This is a strategy game in which players must guide their people from the Ancient Era through the Spaceflight/Information-Age Eras of human history. Players can develop their nation's culture and technology, manage its economic and social infrastructure (e.g., diplomacy, trade) and expand territory through military conquests. Combat with rival nations is presented from a pulled-back, overhead perspective, and military units are represented by small armies of soldiers on a grid map. Battles include animations of swords clashing, gun fights, and vehicular combat that results in icons collapsing, exploding (in the case of vehicles), or disappearing. Historically based text from Civilopedia entries (i.e., reference text) occasionally includes suggestive material (e.g., “From prostitute to pirate lord. . . not the usual career path for a great admiral,” “John didn't think much of Herod's marriage to his half-brother Philip's wife, the adulterous and incestuous Herodias,” and “When Queen Bodica objected, she was flogged and her daughters raped.”). The game also includes historical references to the opium trade (e.g., "[T]he Qing rulers objected, and attempted to seize incoming opium shipments, inciting the First Opium War in 1839."). The words “bastard,” “damn,” and “hell” appear in text.

The content of this game is suitable for persons aged 12 years and over only. It contains: Non realistic looking violence towards human characters