Civilization 7 to get Atomic Age via free update, major sci-fi expansion planned for 2027

Civilization 7 will finally advance beyond 1950, its long-standing endpoint, via a free 2027 update called Arc of Tomorrow. According to an extensive blog post from creative director Ed Beach, the patch will add a fourth era stretching from the 1950s into the 2050s, adding modernised city visuals, refreshed tech and civic trees, new leaders (such as a returning Gandhi), and expanded nuclear mechanics such as new offensive and defensive units built around a reworked take on mutually assured destruction. Players will also get atomic-era diplomacy, the ability to build settlements as independent city-states for proxy-style conflict, and production chains for resources such as enriched uranium.

Earthrise, the first major expansion for Civilization 7, is expected to release sometime in 2027 and will focus on humanity as a spacefaring species. Rather than being confined to a late-game space race, space-exploration content will span across the entire timeline: players can chart constellations in the Antiquity era, launch orbital missions in the Modern Age, and eventually establish full space agencies during the Atomic Age.

2K is yet to announce a specific release date or month for Arc of Tomorrow, with Beach further stating that the update is still in development and that timing and details are subject to change. Community playtesting is expected to begin sometime in the next few months, for which interested players can sign up here.

Last but not least, Beach also provides details on Update 1.5.0, expected sometime this month, which will introduce the long-requested True Start Location: Earth map, alongside new Voronoi versions of the Terra Incognita and Shuffle maps. Resource generation will also get improvements for faster map loading and resource placement will be more varied. Additional interface changes include improved plot tooltips and Settlement banners, expanded game-setup options and a new tile ruler designed to assist with city planning. Further details will be provided when the update launches later this month.