Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth will release globally on October 24, 2K has announced.

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The latest entry in the popular franchise will hit PC on that date, while anyone who pre-orders will receive the Exoplanets Map Pack at launch, which adds six custom maps inspired by real exoplanets to the game.Beyond Earth is a science fiction-themed entry in the popular series, and a spiritual successor to Alpha Centauri which launched way back in 1999. It starts where Civ V takes off, as you head to the stars to find a new home.We've spent an extensive amount of time with the game and are big fans of what we've seen so far. It's different from other Civ games in a number of key ways , and very much offers us a whole new frontier to explore . For more on the game in the coming weeks, stick with IGN.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK News Editor. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on Twitter