Everything Announced About Civilization VII At PAX West

Firaxis Games and 2K used PAX West 2026 to celebrate Civilization 's 35th anniversary with a trio of announcements for Sid Meier's Civilization VII : a major free update called Arc of Tomorrow , the game's first paid expansion, Earthrise , and the return of the Firaxis Feature Workshop for early playtesting. Here's everything revealed.

Quick Facts

• Price:Arc of Tomorrow is a free update; Earthrise pricing not yet announced

• Release Date:Both Arc of Tomorrow and Earthrise are targeting 2027

• Platforms:PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PC (Steam, Epic Games Store), Mac, Linux

• Developer:Firaxis Games

• Publisher:2K

Arc of Tomorrow Adds a New Atomic Age

Arc of Tomorrow introduces the Atomic Age, an entirely new fourth Age extending the game's timeline from roughly 1950 into the near future.

The update reworks nuclear strategy with new offensive and defensive systems, adds a Multilateral Agreements mechanic for responding to rival nuclear stockpiles, and brings sweeping modern city architecture alongside updated tech and civic trees.

New empire tools let players convert their own settlements into city-states, and leader Gandhi returns alongside a new roster of period-specific civilizations. Firaxis says the update will be its biggest to date, larger in scope than May's Test of Time update.

Earthrise Sends Civilizations Into Space

Civilization VII: Earthrise is the game's first major paid expansion, themed around the historic space race. The expansion spans the entire timeline, starting with stargazing and celestial cataloging during the Antiquity and Exploration Ages, moving to early orbital missions around Earth and the Moon in the Modern Age, and culminating in full solar system missions during the Atomic Age using a player's own space agency.

Firaxis has said Earthrise draws inspiration from past fan-favorite expansions like Civilization V 's Brave New World and Civilization VI 's Gathering Storm , and that the expansion is about protecting Earth as much as it is about exploring beyond it.

The Firaxis Feature Workshop Returns for Early Testing

Alongside both announcements, the Firaxis Feature Workshop is back, giving players a chance to sign up and test Arc of Tomorrow content ahead of its full release.

The program previously ran multiple rounds throughout late 2025 and early 2026, including tests of Anachronistic Civs, Victories, and Triumphs, features that eventually shaped the Test of Time update.

This next round is expected to focus on systems tied specifically to the Atomic Age, with sign-ups open now and the first testing round expected later this year.

Ahead of both major releases, Update 1.5.0 launches later this month with quality-of-life fixes and the long-requested True Start Location: Earth map.

Sid Meier's Civilization VII is available now across PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, and Mac and Linux via Steam, with both Arc of Tomorrow and Earthrise expected sometime in 2027.

This story was originally published by GameDaily on Sep 6, 2026, where it first appeared in the Games section. Add GameDaily as a Preferred Source by clicking here.