Civilization 7 will finally enter the Atomic Age with a free update, followed by a space race DLC

Civilization 7 looks quite different from when it first released, thanks in large part to the vast 'Test of Time' rework that developer Firaxis deployed in May. Despite this, there's always been one particular aspect that felt missing: history's latest act. For all its age-spanning recreations, the 4X game stops short of stepping into anything post the mid-20th Century, where traditionally we might have had the likes of the Atomic or Information Age. Now, that's finally set to change - and Firaxis is going one step further with a space-themed DLC.

Celebrating the 35th anniversary of Sid Meier's beloved strategy games at Pax West 2026, Firaxis held a special panel to reveal what's coming to Civilization 7 in the months and years ahead. This includes yet another major free upgrade dubbed 'Arc of Tomorrow' that will extend the playable timeline to the 2050s, and the game's first paid expansion, Earthrise. Before we get to those, however, Civ 7 update 1.5.0 has been confirmed to arrive this September, and it includes a handful of requested quality-of-life improvements.

The 'True Start' Earth map is finally being introduced as an official option, allowing you to play on a recreation of our real world where each civilization begins in the most accurate spot on the map possible. Is it balanced? Perhaps not, but that's true to life, and certainly makes for an interesting playthrough. Expect the likes of Natural Wonders to appear in their correct locations too, although Firaxis notes that different ones will be spawned each game to "keep things fresh even on a familiar map."

Patch 1.5.0 also updates two more maps using the team's new 'Voronoi map generation' algorithm, which is designed to create more varied, natural-feeling layouts. This time, it's Terra Incognita and Shuffle. Diplomacy updates will let you use Influence to stay in an alliance "without joining your allies' misguided wars." Map loading and generation has been sped up, with more varied resource placement, and you can also expect improved plot tooltips, settlement banners, and game setup, along with a tile ruler to aid city planning.

Let's talk about Arc of Tomorrow. This free update is "even bigger in scope" than Test of Time was, and will introduce the game's fourth Age, the Atomic Age. This extends the timeline forward from the roughly 1950s ending to around 100 years later, and will be filled with new civilizations, leaders, buildings, units, and gameplay systems. Expect an expansion to nuclear options both offensively and defensively, along with "a fun twist on mutually assured destruction."

Multilateral agreements will enable several leaders to band together and react collectively to situations, such as answering "a growing stockpile of nuclear warheads with calls for disarmament… or escalation." You'll get the ability to transform your settlements into city-states, along with enhanced city-state interactions and proxy warfare that can help steer away from full empire-scale conflicts. Manufactured Goods will let you combine commodities into powerful resources like Enriched Uranium, and Great Works of Film can be created.

"Our shared proximity to the recent past makes it a unique and fascinating period of history to explore," Firaxis notes. It juxtaposes the "compelling need to honor the uncertainty and fear present" through the past century with its "moments of light, triumph and hope." Alongside the specter of nuclear war came the wonder of spaceflight, and a renewed fight for justice and equality. It says all of these inspirations funnel into the new update.

Arc of Tomorrow won't be arriving until 2027, but it'll be joined next year by another big expansion in the form of the first paid Civ 7 DLC, Earthrise. This is themed around "the historic space race and deploying missions across the solar system." Don't expect to go full Civilization: Beyond Earth, perhaps, although that doesn't mean the new gameplay included in Earthrise is limited to the endgame.

Humanity's interest in the stars can begin in the Antiquity or Exploration Ages, where you're able to "chart the night sky and name the celestial bodies above." Once you reach the Modern Age, you'll gain the ability to launch "early orbital missions around Earth and the Moon," and then the true space race begins in the Atomic Age. Set up your own national space agency, launch missions across the stars, and discover "planetary features and untapped resources" that can feed back into bolstering your civ's power back home.

The Civilization 7 Arc of Tomorrow update is planned to release for free in 2027. Civ 7 patch 1.5.0 will launch in September 2026. Expect more news on the Earthrise DLC "in the coming months."

"This is all just a brief glimpse of the plans we have in store," Creative Director Ed Beach concludes. "35 years of 'one more turn' memories is a tremendous milestone. On behalf of the team at Firaxis Games, thank you for being a part of Civilization, and for making all of this possible."