4X strategy sequel Humankind 2 gets its first extended in-game footage, rich in era-spanning, culture-shaping, history-rewriting action

Amplitude Studios has released the first extended gameplay footage for Humankind 2, marking a departure from brief teaser clips. The nearly seven-minute video highlights a redesigned culture system focused on flexibility rather than preset bonuses. Players can now reshape civilizations to meet era-specific challenges, with over 70 cultures available across six eras. The original game’s option to carry a single civilization through all eras remains intact.

The sequel introduces a new Adaptations system, allowing players to tailor traits and skills to environmental conditions like deserts or snowy biomes. For example, desert settlements can prioritize water gathering and heat protection, while snowy regions may require specialized food sources. Settlements can also specialize further, such as one city focusing on hunting while another excels in foraging, ensuring a balanced food supply.

Culture progression has been overhauled, with each civilization receiving a unique upgrade tree that persists across eras. Traits, customs, and bonuses are carried forward, though the available options depend on exploration, diplomacy, and Adaptation choices. This system discourages creating an overpowered

but encourages a dynamic, evolving civilization. Players can still opt to maintain a single, unaltered culture through the ages if preferred. The video demonstrates this with Egyptian settlers adapting to snowy Greenland, learning Thule skills to form dogsledding units, showcasing the system’s depth and potential for creative play.