Stellaris: Utopia expansion lets you craft megastructural ringworlds

Between plantoids, Leviathans, and Alexis Kennedy-inspired Horizon Signals, Stellaris' post-launch updates have grown the space-flung 4x-meets-grand strategy game quite considerably since its May release last year. It's now announced its first major update, Utopia, which encourages players to develop their interstellar empires further still.

With a choice of following a biological path, a psionic path, or a synthetic path—"with various options within these broad categories"—players will determine how their species evolves and advances by way of 'Ascension Perks'. "Body, Mind or Machine—how will your species challenge the future," asks developer Paradox.

Building new types of space stations and constructions will further aid your domination of the universe, such as Habitat Stations which house larger populations for smaller planets within your increasingly confined empires. New Rights and Privileges keep your populace in check and allow players to choose "an egalitarian paradise or a caste system" and everything in between.

Perhaps the most exciting feature of Utopia, though, is the addition of megastructures—whereby players can build "wondrous" constructs such as Dyson Spheres and ringworlds, both of which add near-impenetrable levels of defence to your worlds.

More information on Stellaris: Utopia can be found this way, including details on the game's free Update 1.5 Banks which ships alongside the new expansion. Utopia is without a concrete launch date and price, however Paradox says both will be revealed at a "later date".