Worked for 50s
Firaxis Games and 2K just announced the first paid expansion for Sid Meier’s Civilization VII: Earthrise. At the same time they confirmed a large free update named Arc of Tomorrow and a smaller September patch, version 1.5.0. This tutorial explains what those names actually mean, how they fit together, and the practical steps you should take this week so you are ready when 2027 content lands.
The announcement dropped during Civilization’s 35th anniversary at PAX West 2026. Details are still early and subject to change. Treat this as a working briefing, not a final feature list.
What the Announcement Actually Contains
Three separate items were bundled in one headline. Mixing them up is the most common source of confusion.
Update 1.5.0 — a free quality-of-life patch expected in September 2026. It adds a True Start Location Earth map, better resource generation, and interface fixes. Arc of Tomorrow — a free 2027 update that adds a fourth Age, the Atomic Age, stretching play from the 1950s into the 2050s. It includes nuclear systems, modern city visuals, new buildings and units, and the return of Gandhi. Earthrise — the first full paid expansion, also targeting 2027, after Arc of Tomorrow. It is themed on the historic space race and on protecting Earth itself.
A 4X game is a strategy game built around explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate. Civilization VII is a 4X title. An Age in Civ VII is a distinct historical chapter with its own tech tree, units, and victory pressure. Earthrise is not a new Age by itself. It layers space and environment systems across existing Ages, including the new Atomic Age.
What You Need A working copy of Civilization VII on PC, console, or Switch / Switch 2 A store account (Steam, Epic, PlayStation, Xbox, or Nintendo) to wishlist Earthrise Enough disk space for a large 2027 update plus a paid DLC install Optional: a Firaxis Feature Workshop account if you want to apply for playtests Optional: a backup of important single-player saves before major patches Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: Separate free content from paid content
Arc of Tomorrow is free for every owner of the base game. Earthrise is paid. Price is not announced yet. Do not assume a season pass already covers it unless 2K later says so in writing.
If a friend or a store page says “the expansion is free,” they are mixing Arc of Tomorrow with Earthrise. Correct that before you budget or pre-order anything.
Step 2: Understand Earthrise’s two pillars
Earthrise has two official themes. First is space: chart the night sky in Antiquity and Exploration, launch early orbital missions around Earth and the Moon in the Modern Age, then run a space agency across the solar system in the Atomic Age. Successful missions return planetary features and resources that power your empire on Earth.
Second is environment. New units and technologies let you alter tile terrain and bonuses. Civil engineering structures help against stronger natural disasters as global temperatures rise. Firaxis has also said warming can be reversed. This is closer in spirit to Civilization VI’s Gathering Storm than to a late-game space victory bolted on at the end.
Step 3: Confirm official sources before you share the news
Use the developer post on Steam and the official Civilization channels first. Creative director Ed Beach wrote the briefing. Fan wikis and recap sites are useful, but they can mix rumor with confirmed text.
On PC Steam, open the game’s news hub and look for the post titled along the lines of “A Look at Civ VII’s Next Major Update and First Paid Expansion.” Wishlist the standalone Earthrise store page so you get a notification when price and date appear.
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Steam (desktop client)
Library → Sid Meier’s Civilization VII → News Store → search “Civilization VII Earthrise” → Add to Wishlist ,[object Object],
steamcmd +login anonymous +app_info_print 1295660 +quit
App ID 1295660 is the base game on Steam. Earthrise is listed as separate upcoming DLC. Do not treat that number as the DLC ID.
Step 4: Install or verify update 1.5.0 when it ships
1.5.0 is the near-term free patch. It is not Earthrise. It should bring the long-requested Earth map with historically accurate starting locations, plus resource and UI work.
After it downloads, verify files so a partial patch does not break mods or cloud saves.
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Steam: verify integrity
Right-click Civilization VII → Properties → Installed Files → Verify integrity of game files ,[object Object],
Library → Civilization VII → ••• → Verify
On consoles, let the platform finish the update fully before you load an in-progress Age transition. Partial downloads are a common cause of “missing Age” or map errors after a patch.
Step 5: Back up saves and note your current Age strategy
Major Civ VII updates have already rewritten systems once (Test of Time in May). Arc of Tomorrow is described as even larger in scope. Old habits around ending the game near 1950 will change.
Copy important local saves to a dated folder before 1.5.0 and again before the 2027 drop. Write one paragraph on how you currently win: science rush, culture, domination, or economic pressure. Flag leaders and civs you main. New leaders and civs are promised for both the free update and Earthrise, including Gandhi in Arc of Tomorrow. text Copy Copied
Typical Windows save location (example — confirm on your machine)
%USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\Sid Meier’s Civilization VII\Saves ,[object Object],
text Copy Copied mkdir “%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Civ7_backup_2026-09” xcopy “%USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\Sid Meier’s Civilization VII\Saves” “%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Civ7_backup_2026-09” /E /I
Cloud saves help, but a local zip is cheaper than losing a 12-hour campaign to a schema change.
Step 6: Apply for the Firaxis Feature Workshop if you want early access
Firaxis invited players to sign up for a chance to playtest Arc of Tomorrow content later this year. That workshop is not Earthrise itself. It is a structured test of upcoming free systems.
Use the official Civilization or Firaxis workshop form only. Do not send save files or account passwords to unofficial “playtest” Discord links.
Read the NDA and hardware requirements before you apply. Expect incomplete UI, placeholder text, and balance swings. Feedback that cites a specific Age, building, or nuclear interaction is more useful than “needs more content.”
Step 7: Plan your 2027 play loop around space and climate
You do not need the expansion installed to start thinking in its language. Earthrise is designed so astronomy begins in early Ages, not only at the end.
Antiquity / Exploration: treat night-sky cataloging as a long-term investment, similar to early culture or science infrastructure. Modern Age: orbital missions around Earth and the Moon are the on-ramp. Production and science capacity will matter more than a last-turn spaceship. Atomic Age: your own space agency sends probes across the solar system. Returns feed Earth-side power. Pair this with nuclear diplomacy so you are not forced into a MAD spiral while launching. Environment: practice reading disaster risk and tile yields now. Terraforming and disaster defenses will punish empires that ignore biomes.
Mutually assured destruction (MAD) is the nuclear stalemate where a first strike invites a devastating reply. Arc of Tomorrow is rebuilding that loop with new offensive and defensive units. Earthrise then asks you to spend the same late-game production on space and climate, not only on warheads.
Step 8: Decide how you will buy and when you will wait
Pricing, exact date, new civilizations, and extra systems are still unannounced. A professional response is to wishlist, not to impulse-buy a bundle that does not exist yet.
Wishlist Earthrise on every store you actually use. Watch for a bundle that includes Arc of Tomorrow cosmetics versus the paid expansion. Cosmetics are not the expansion. If you play on two platforms, confirm whether Earthrise is a separate purchase per store. Cross-progression rules have not been restated for this DLC. Set a calendar reminder for early 2027 developer livestreams rather than refreshing rumor accounts daily.
Step 9: Communicate the news cleanly at work or in a community
If you run a club, stream, or internal gaming channel, use a three-line brief:
text Copy Copied Civ VII roadmap (announced Sep 2026, dates subject to change) 1) Patch 1.5.0 — Sep 2026 — Earth TSL map + QoL 2) Arc of Tomorrow — 2027, FREE — Atomic Age to ~2050s, nukes, Gandhi 3) Earthrise — 2027, PAID — space race across all Ages + climate/terraforming
That brief prevents the “is the Atomic Age DLC?” question from eating an entire meeting.
Common Mistakes Calling Earthrise free. The Atomic Age update is free. Earthrise is the paid expansion. Expecting a full feature list today. Firaxis said more civs, leaders, and systems will be revealed in the coming months. Features are in development and can change. Skipping 1.5.0 because 2027 sounds bigger. The September map and resource fixes are the foundation you will still be playing on next year. Leaving mods enabled across a major patch. Disable UI and gameplay mods until the new Age schema is confirmed stable. Assuming space is only a Science Victory button. Official text spreads astronomy and missions across Antiquity through Atomic, then sends yields back to Earth. Ignoring climate. Earthrise is explicitly about protecting Earth as well as leaving it. Disaster intensity and terraforming are first-party systems, not flavor text. Joining unofficial playtests. Only use Firaxis Feature Workshop channels. Final Check
Before you close this page, confirm five facts:
Earthrise is paid, planned for 2027, after Arc of Tomorrow. Arc of Tomorrow is free and adds the Atomic Age (1950s–2050s). Update 1.5.0 is the September 2026 quality-of-life and True Start Earth map patch. Space play starts with stargazing, not with a late-game launch pad alone. Price, exact day, and the full civ/leader list are not public yet.
If any of those five is still fuzzy, reread Steps 1–3 before you post or pre-order.
Summary
Civilization VII’s first expansion, Earthrise, is a 2027 paid pack about the space race and a changing Earth. It sits on top of a free 2027 Atomic Age update called Arc of Tomorrow and a smaller September 2026 patch. Your job now is not to master unreleased systems. It is to keep free and paid content separate, verify official posts, wishlist the DLC, patch 1.5.0 cleanly, back up saves, and apply for the official workshop only if you want to test early.
Next steps: wishlist Earthrise today, install 1.5.0 when it appears, back up saves, and follow Ed Beach’s developer notes for the next civ and leader reveal. Play your current campaigns with one new habit: notice the sky and the climate, because both are about to become core strategy instead of background art.
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