Humankind 2 Cultures List: All 70 Civilizations & 6 Eras

How Many Cultures and Eras Are in Humankind 2?

In the October 15, 2026 Gameplay Overview, Game Director Benoît Hembert confirmed that Humankind 2 will launch with 70 playable cultures distributed across 6 historical eras. That represents a 16.7% roster expansion over the original Humankind (which launched with 60 base cultures across 6 eras in 2021) and incorporates minor, regional, and specialized cultures directly into the cultural evolution web.

Even more importantly, cultures in Humankind 2 are no longer treated as disposable stat-sticks that you swap out every 30 turns. Every civilization now possesses its own multi-node Cultural Progression Tree of Customs and a capstone Legacy Trait, allowing you to either evolve organically through related civilizations or champion a single culture from the dawn of history into the modern age. For full details on the new era transition rules, read our Culture Evolution, Crossroads & Customs Guide.

Which Playable Cultures Are Confirmed So Far?

Through frame-by-frame analysis of the official Steam reveal and the October 15 Gameplay Overview walkthrough (O4ZTZafqFOw), 12 specific cultures and cultural lineages have already been shown in UI menus, era transition screens, and biome adaptation panels:

Deep Dive: How the Ancient Egyptians Play in Era I

The October 15 walkthrough used Ancient Egypt as its primary showcase civilization, giving us a complete look at how a single culture operates from Turn 1 through the Classical and Medieval Crossroads.

1. Founding Myth (“First Tale”)

When starting in Historical Mode, choosing the Nile Valley spawn triggers the Flood Tamer First Tale:

• Narrative Premise: “Along the banks of the Nile, your people are struggling to survive destructive seasonal floods and violent hippos. With help from the gods, you will tame the waters and lay the foundations for the Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt.”
• Immediate Gameplay Impact: Grants early narrative quests tied to Nile floodplain mastery before you even place your first administrative dynasty.

2. Ancient Egyptian Customs & Progression Tree

Instead of receiving a static passive bonus on Turn 1, Ancient Egypt unlocks a five-step Cultural Progression Tree fueled by Culture Points:

• River Transport: Accelerates unit movement and logistics along navigable river hexes and floodplains.
• Hieroglyphics: Boosts administrative record-keeping, knowledge generation, and cultural influence radiation.
• Priestly Class: Strengthens temple districts, state religion stability, and ceremonial authority.
• Pharaoh’s Authority & Viziers: High-tier governance Customs shown in the Manage Customs interface that unlock Egypt’s permanent Legacy Trait once all five nodes are completed.

How Does Culture Switching Work at the Crossroads?

When your empire accumulates enough progress to enter a new historical epoch, you reach the Crossroads screen. Unlike Humankind 1’s free-for-all race where any player could instantly turn the Harappans into the Celts and then the Aztecs with zero geographical logic, Humankind 2 grounds cultural transitions in three authentic historical connectors:

1. Stay Your Current Culture (Persistence): You can choose to Remain Ancient Egyptians (or your current civilization) into the next era. Because every culture has a multi-node Customs tree and can absorb foreign Customs from neighbors, staying Egyptian remains mechanically competitive and narratively cohesive.
2. Common History: Unlock successor civilizations that historically descended from or shared a cultural continuum with your current people.
3. Shared Land: Transition into cultures whose historical heartland overlaps with the territories and biomes your empire currently controls on the Earth map (for example, an Egyptian empire controlling the North African coast unlocking the Carthaginians or Abbasids).
4. Foreign Contact: Evolve into—or borrow individual Customs from—civilizations your scouts, merchants, and armies have actively interacted with along your borders.

How Does the 6-Era Structure Compare to Other 4X Games?

Players debating between Amplitude’s upcoming sequel and Firaxis’s latest entry often focus on era pacing. While Civilization VII compressed history into 3 broad Ages with mandatory civilization resets at each transition, Humankind 2 retains a granular 6-Era timeline while making culture changes 100% optional and historically gated.

Check out our full Humankind 2 vs Civilization 7 Comparison and our Release Date & Gameplay Overview for a side-by-side breakdown of how all 70 cultures fit into the 2027 launch package.