Publisher Stardock Corporation and developer Ironclad Games have released Sins of a Solar Empire 2 for PC, via early access.

The highly-anticipated sequel 4X / RTS is out now for PC (via the Epic Games Store), and will give players a taste of the game’s single-player. There’s also a limit on just one faction, the TEC, though the goal is for Ironclad to test out and refine new mechanics as they go.

New systems in Sins of a Solar Empire 2 include a new diplomatic engine (which has AI behaving in different ways), new gameplay mechanics like real-time planet orbits (which close and open lanes between systems), and even customizing planets to your purposes, ranging from industrial, residential, warfare, and more.

“Phase 1 begins today, and curious players can get a glimpse of what is to come via the Sins of a Solar Empire II Early Access road map,” the developer said in the update.

Ironclad noted the early access timeline will “serve as a constantly evolving sample of the things” that make the sequel unique: immense scale, a careful balance between the strategic and tactical, exciting new mechanics, dynamic map strategies with planets orbiting the sun and a new level of visual fidelity.

Here’s a previous trailer for Sins of a Solar Empire 2:

Sins of a Solar Empire 2 will get more phases in its early access release, eventually leading up to big milestones like finally adding multiplayer in Q1 2023.

There’s naturally key development milestones like hitting alpha, beta, and eventually gold master – where the September-announced game will finally hit full release.