CivFanatics — Civilization News, Downloads & Community

Firaxis has reopened the Feature Workshop for Civilization VII.

The next rounds focus on early builds of two 2027 releases: the free Arc of Tomorrow update (new Atomic Age, ~1950s–2050s) and the paid Earthrise expansion (space exploration + environmental tools). Workshop builds include hands-on features from both.

How to apply: fill out the player-interest form by September 29. Requirements: own Civ VII on Steam (console-only ownership does not qualify), be 18+, comfortable in English, and active on Discord. A 2K Account is required for invites. Previous Workshop players must reapply.

Selected Round 1 testers get an email to their 2K Account address (Firaxis expects October), then sign an NDA and receive a one-time Steam key plus Workshop Discord access. Unselected applications stay in the pool for Round 2. Round 1 access carries into Round 2. Progress and saves do not transfer to retail. Streaming, screenshots, and YouTube during Round 1 are not allowed under the NDA.

Sources: Steam announcement, Feature Workshop page.

Many people are probably excited about Civ7 due to the recent announcements. In case you’d also be excited, but haven’t had the chance yet to even try Civ7, then now is your chance! Civ7 is free to play until September 10, so this gives you an option to get sucked into “one more turn” again! You get can your free weekend of Civ7 on Steam here, check it out!

If you want to discuss with other people who also did a quick try, then join us here.

Thanks to Civinator for pointing this out!

Firaxis just pulled the curtain on Arc of Tomorrow, a major free Civilization VII update coming in 2027.

Per @CivGame and 2K, Arc of Tomorrow introduces the Atomic Age — a fourth Age that extends the playable timeline from roughly the 1950s into the 2050s. Alongside period-specific gameplay, buildings, units, visuals, and music, it brings new civilizations and leaders, including the return of Gandhi.

Other systems called out in the official brief: expanded nuclear gameplay with a new twist on mutually assured destruction; empire tools to recognize Settlement independence and release them as City-States; Great Works of Film via Film Crews; and Manufactured Goods recipes that combine commodities into resources like Enriched Uranium. Firaxis is also opening Feature Workshop playtests for Arc of Tomorrow content later this year.

It’s free for all Civ VII owners on release. The paid Earthrise expansion (solar-system exploration + environmental tools) was announced in the same PAX West panel.

Sources: @CivGame, 2K Newsroom.

Firaxis and 2K just announced Civilization VII’s first paid expansion: Earthrise.

Per @CivGame and the new Steam page, Earthrise is built around solar-system exploration and environmental adaptability. In Antiquity and Exploration, chart celestial bodies for strategic advantage. In Modern, launch early orbital missions. In the Atomic Age, found a space agency, fly missions across the solar system, and bring planetary resources back to Earth.

On the ground side: new units and technologies that alter terrain and tile bonuses, civil-engineering tools to weather intensifying natural disasters as temperatures rise (including reversing the warming), and biome mastery bonuses for tundra, desert, and tropics. More systems, civs, and leaders are still to be announced. Release window is 2027; exact date TBD. Base game required.

Wishlist: Sid Meier’s Civilization VII: Earthrise on Steam.

Same PAX West panel also teed up Arc of Tomorrow — a major free 2027 update that adds a fourth Atomic Age (~1950s–2050s) — and Update 1.5.0 later this month with the True Start Location: Earth map.

Sources: @CivGame, Steam Earthrise, 2K Newsroom.

Civilization is officially 35.

@CivGame marked the milestone: “Celebrating 35 years of reimagined possibilities, boundless empires, and history written in your image. Happy 35th Anniversary, Civ fans!”

Firaxis followed with a community giveaway. Reply on their post with your favorite Civilization memory and the hashtag #Civ35Contest. Three winners will receive a Steam code redeemable for any one game from a selection of Civilization titles, ranging from Civ III to Civ VII.

The on-stage celebration is this Saturday at PAX West 2026. Firaxis is hosting a Civilization VII developer panel on September 5 from 2:00-3:00 PM PT (5:00-6:00 PM ET) at the Seattle Convention Center’s Blue Dragon Theatre.

On the panel: Creative Director Ed Beach, Lead Producer Tom Shaw, Game Director Matt Owens, and host Matt Schembari. Official copy frames it as both a 35th-anniversary celebration and a look at what’s next for Civ VII.

Can’t make Seattle? Official livestreams are planned on the Civ VII Steam page, plus Twitch and YouTube.

The Test of Time update is now live for Civilization VII – Arcade Edition on Apple Arcade (iPhone, iPad, and Mac).

That brings Apple Arcade players the same headline changes that hit other platforms in May: stay as one civ across Ages (Time-Tested civs), Legacy Paths replaced by Triumphs, and the reworked victory model, plus the broader balance and systems work that came with it.

Arcade Edition is the Behaviour Interactive / Firaxis build on Apple Arcade. It still differs from the storefront versions in places (no multiplayer at launch, no paid DLC), and updates have historically lagged. This closes a big gap for mobile and Mac Arcade players.

Official post: @CivGame on X. Apple Arcade patch notes. Our May write-up for the other platforms: Test of Time 1.4.0.