Civilization 7 Details First Paid Expansion Earthrise and Upcoming Atomic Age Update

Developer Firaxis has announced a series of major upcoming updates for Civilization 7, following a bumpy and widely criticized launch two years ago for the 4X strategy game. As the legendary franchise celebrates its 35th anniversary, the team has detailed plans for a free update introducing the atomic age, followed by the game's first paid expansion titled Earthrise.

First in line is the upcoming version 1.5.0 update, scheduled to arrive later this month. This patch introduces the True Start Location Earth map alongside new Terra Incognita and Shuffle Voronoi maps, while also delivering various improvements to diplomacy, resource generation, and user interface elements.

Looking ahead, the free Arc of Tomorrow update is planned to launch next year ahead of the expansion. It extends the game's current end-game timeline from the 1950s into the near future by introducing the Atomic Age. This new era adds period-specific gameplay, buildings, units, and visuals. Players can choose to start a game directly in the Atomic Age or work their way up from Antiquity. The update expands nuclear gameplay with mutual assured destruction twists, Multilateral Agreements for handling global weapons stockpiles through disarmament or escalation, empire management tools to transform settlements into City-States, and proxy warfare mechanics. Additionally, Arc of Tomorrow introduces Great Works of Film utilizing Film Crews and Manufactured Goods to combine commodities like Enriched Uranium. Playtesting for this update is slated to begin this year.

Following the atomic age update, Firaxis will release Earthrise, the game's space-race-themed first paid expansion. While details remain limited, the expansion focuses on space-themed gameplay mechanics that unlock bonuses across every Age. Players can chart the night sky in earlier eras, launch early orbital missions in the Modern Age, and establish a space agency during the Atomic Age to explore planetary features. Earthrise also emphasizes environmental adaptability, introducing civil engineering structures designed to combat rising global temperatures and natural disasters, including the ability to reverse global warming.

Both Arc of Tomorrow and the Earthrise expansion are planned for release in 2027, with the free update launching first. The community has previously voiced strong complaints regarding existing paid downloadable content exceeding £100.