Stardock today released Galactic Civilizations IV: Federations & Empires, an expansion that replaces the series' single government track with four completely distinct forms of government. The base game gives players one way to govern. Federations & Empires rebuilds the entire Government screen around each form's own resource, core loop, and free hero ship, so picking one means playing what feels like a different strategy game. The expansion is available now on Steam, Epic Games Store, and direct through Stardock with a launch discount price of $19.99, and it ships alongside a free Version 4.0 update for every Galactic Civilizations IV owner.

"Our goal is that each government type changes the way players play the game," said Brad Wardell, Lead Designer of the expansion. "Each government has its own special ships, resources, improvements, and more."