Altay: Dawn of Civilization is an original blend of deck-building, civilization development, and area expansion. Players control one of four factions, each represented by a starting deck with unique cards and with subtle differences in the number of "basic" cards. Each turn, players use their cards to produce resources (stone, metal, wood, knowledge), build new settlements and expand on the board, attack or defend against their enemies, or manipulate their decks or card hand.