Okay, so you know how in all previous Civilization games a city took up a tile and that was it? Well in Civlization VI the new 'Unstacking Cities' approach means that cities will now spread across an entire region. And with the introduction of 'Districts' this means more control than ever before. In fact, after watching the new video that introduces the mechanic you'll be hard pressed to imagine playing it any other way.

There's even a whole Sim City meets Cities Skylines vibe to it, which is very cool.

In Civilization V, you simply queue up a build order, construct your buildings and they all live as one enormous stack within the city screen. With Civilization VI, we’ve unstacked the cities, removing all of that clutter within the city screen. So not only do you need to weigh build order in Civilization VI, but you also have to consider district adjacency bonuses and what terrains around your city center are compatible with certain Wonders. There isn’t one template for success in Civilization VI, and players need to react to the environment around them. No two games will play the same.

Combat is also affected by the Unstacking Cities mechanic in Civilization VI. As cities spread across more territory and become more exposed, adept warmongers may target specific tiles to cripple a city’s infrastructure before going after the city center. Additionally, passive players who would choose to fortify cities in the past must now consider their city’s full perimeter when deciding to pursue this same tactic in Civilization VI. A city is so much more than just its city center now.

Finally, from a visual standpoint, Unstacking Cities presents great aesthetical changes to the Civilization experience. Cities now look more diverse and reflect their growth in more distinct ways. We’ve found this change goes a long way, not only in making players feel more connected to their choices and progress, but also in keeping players immersed in the beautiful world of Civilization VI.