anno 117 - The Romans are coming! And they brought a free demo with them.

Anno 117 launches this November, with a free demo dropping on September 2nd. The city builder will be playable on Steam, the Epic Game Store, and Ubisoft Connect, so you'll have no excuse not to check it out. But there's a catch, because.. well.. there's always a fucking catch. The demo is only playable for a limited time, ending on September 16th, and each playthrough is capped at one hour. You can, however, restart as many times as your heart desires.

To Caesar or not to Caesar?

For the first time in the franchise's history, Anno 117 will feature two equally important factions for players to choose from at the start: the Romans and the Celts. Previously, only the Romans were available for press and streamers to play, but now the Celts and their region of Albion have been officially unveiled. As a player, you can choose to lead the Celts down two different paths, either protecting their traditions or adopting Roman customs.

Each faction has its own unique technology and religion trees, which unlock different bonuses. Creative director Manuel Reinher stated that if you're not a "hardcore" Anno player, you can stick to playing with a single faction, like Latium, without being completely excluded from the game's progression. While this means you'll miss out on some goods and bonuses, it won't stop you from building up your empire. If you're lucky enough to be at Gamescom in Cologne, you can also try out the demo at the Ubisoft booth in Hall 6.