At PAX West 2026, Firaxis announced the first major expansion for Sid Meier’s Civilization 7: Earthrise. Earthrise will arrive sometime in 2027. A free new update is also coming next year that will add an entirely new fourth Age with “Arc of Tomorrow.”
Earthrise introduces the space program, letting players launch missions, discover planetary features, and boost their standing on Earth. But you won’t have to wait until the later stages of the game. As early as the Antiquity Age, players can begin charting the night sky, naming celestial bodies, and gaining important insights about planets, stars, and the solar system.
The new Science victory will reflect a Civ’s dedication to discovery and the space race.
The expansion will also explore “environmental adaptability,” along with new unit abilities, technologies, and civil engineering structures geared toward altering terrain and stemming the rise of global warming and natural disasters.
The developers specifically cite Civilization 5’s Brave New World expansion, and Civilization 6’s Gathering Storm, as inspirations for big, well-received expansions focused around a central theme and new gameplay systems.
Before Earthrise, Civ fans will receive their next big free content update, “Arc of Tomorrow.” This update will be even bigger than the last big update, “Test of Time” from earlier this year, which added the ability to play as a single Civ throughout each Age.
Arc of Tomorrow adds a new fourth Age to Civ 7’s age-driven gameplay structure, the Atomic Age. The Atomic Age represents around 1950 to present day and into the near future of 2050.
The new Atomic Age brings new buildings, units, visualizations, and more. New gameplay systems include expanded nuclear options, modern diplomatic agreements, advanced empire management tools, and films as Great Works.
Playtesting for Arc of Tomorrow will begin later this year via the Firaxis Feature Workshop.
Coming much sooner is Update 1.5, arriving later this month. The next update will add a popular feature from Civ 6: True Start Earth Map! Players will play on a realistic map of earth, with their starting location mirroring that of their chosen Civilization.
Sid Meier’s Civilization series turns 35 this year, and they recently released a new trailer celebrating its legacy.
Civilization 7 still struggles to win over fans, however. The 2025 strategy game still has a Mixed user rating on Steam. It finally surpassed Civ 5’s active player count (a game released in 2010), but still lags behind Civilization 6 from 2016. Still, the genre is practically known for needing a few years, updates, and expansions to reach the depth and breadth of its predecessors.
Hopefully Earthrise and the Arc of Tomorrow can continue restoring Civ 7’s place in time.
Sid Meier’s Civilization 7 is available on PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation, Switch, and Xbox, and rated E10+.
