Civilization VI adds Red Death battle royale mode… because why not?

There was a time around last year when loads of games decided to have a battle royale mode added for good measure. Both Battlefield V and Call of Duty did it, and even Path of Exile had its battle royale mode as an April Fool’s joke for good measure. Well, Civilization VI might be a bit late, but it’s definitely here to party. The game has a multiplayer battle royale mode known as “Red Death” and it’s part of the newly released September update. Check out the trailer below:

Civilization VI Red Death – 4X meets battle royale

You might notice how Firaxis added quite a lot of humor and campiness in the trailer. It almost seems like a nod to the over-the-top themes you’d see from games and movies with a post-apocalyptic setting (Mad Max, Fallout, Borderlands, and the like).

Civilization VI‘s Red Death battle royale mode does follow similar tropes in that the world has been ravaged by a nuclear holocaust. Cities are now in ruins, survivors are trying to get by, various factions have risen from the ashes, and bodies of water are irradiated. Oh, and there’s also the titular Red Death, a radioactive mass that’s slowly consuming the planet.

The objective in this Civilization VI multiplayer mode to stay alive as long as possible, ensuring that your opponents are dealt with. Every few turns or so, an in-game counter will tell you when the deadly ring known as the Red Death will shrink. It’s up to you to find the next safe zone.

You can move your units to the hexes of ruined cities which might provide new units or experience points. You could also clear out raider camps that might grant gunships and even a thermonuclear device. What better way to survive a nuclear apocalypse than having a nuclear bomb?

Red Death’s factions of the apocalypse

Again, the post-apocalyptic themes and tropes are in full display in Civilization VI‘s Red Death battle royale mode. Gone are the old civs and leaders in the regular games. Instead, you’ll have eight factions to choose from such as:

• Mad Scientists: all units heal 2x faster
• Pirates: units ignore penalties from embarking and disembarking; take 50% less damage from moving through irradiated water hexes
• Goth Borderlords: +10 combat strength when three tiles away from safe zone borders
• Mutants: -50 Red Death damage; increased movement for units inside the Red Death

Civilization VI‘s Red Death battle royale mode is only for multiplayer and it’s now available for free as part of its September 2019 update. The September 2019 update itself adds a number of tweaks and reworks to the game such as changes to Great Admirals and Rock Bands. Players who want to check out Civilization VI can head over to its Steam store page.