CivFanatics user Blake00 has released his Red Alert 2 Siege of New York Scenario for Sid Meier’s Civilization 2. This scenario converts Civ2’s world map into a sprawling urban metropolis of towering skyscrapers to recreate first Allied mission in New York from Red Alert 2 using converted graphics from RA2 and some of the great RA2 fan projects out there! Many parts of Civ2 have been changed making this one of the larger Civ2 Gold total conversion mods made (although no match for the recent Civ2 Heroes of Might & Magic modpack) and its little sister project the Civ2 Command & Conquer Tiberian Africa scenario was recently released too. It’s a few decades too late but he did it anyway! Interested? Check it out here!
Firaxis Feature Workshop reopens for Arc of Tomorrow and Earthrise playtests
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.
Civilization VII devs detail the upcoming True Start Location Earth map
Firaxis has shared a detailed look at Civilization VII’s upcoming True Start Location (TSL) Earth map, one of the free features planned for Update 1.5.0 during the week of September 14. The Huge map places civilizations near the real-world locations of their historical capitals, while adapting the globe for Civ VII’s Age system and modern map features.
According to Live Lead Taymoor, TSL Earth has three landmasses — the Americas, Africa & Eurasia, and Oceania — which remain Distant Lands from one another until the Exploration Age. Players retain their position through Age Transitions, even if they choose a different civilization.
The team built the map from scratch and made it Huge-only, with the far north and south compressed to create more useful space in crowded regions. Islands such as Japan, the UK, and Hawaii have also been enlarged so their starting civilizations have room to develop.
Other details include hand-placed, historically inspired resources; major navigable rivers; and seven randomly selected Natural Wonders, each appearing in its appropriate geographic region. When multiple civilizations would begin within three tiles of one another, AI players can be moved to unused TSL locations; human single-player starts will not be moved. TSL Earth will not support Advanced Starts, so campaigns begin in Antiquity.
Firaxis says the map will be available on PC, Mac, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2. Read the full developer breakdown on Steam, then join the discussion in the CivFanatics forums.
Civ7 free to play until September 10!
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!
Civilization VII’s Arc of Tomorrow adds a free Atomic Age in 2027
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.
Civilization VII announces Earthrise expansion for 2027
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 turns 35 – Firaxis giveaway and PAX West panel Saturday
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.
Solver’s Apolyton archive restoration project
A major piece of Civilization community history has been preserved! CivFanatic’s member and current day Apolyton owner Solver has completed a huge archive restoration project, rebuilding the classic Apolyton Civilization Site from September 2005 and restoring lost forums, hosted Civ sites, downloads, thousands of previously missing or incorrectly sorted posts, and even recreated the original 1998–2001 UBB forums. If you were there back in the day then you’ll want to check out this fantastic piece of gaming and internet history preservation work! You can check out the Apolyton archive here and you can discuss it with us here.