Civilization VII’s Arc of Tomorrow Is Free, but Earthrise Is a Paid Expansion

Civilization VII has two separate major releases in development, and only one of them is the free Fourth Age update. Arc of Tomorrow will add the Atomic Age at no additional cost to Civilization VII players. Earthrise is a separate paid expansion focused on space exploration and environmental adaptability.

Firaxis outlined both projects on the official Civilization VII Feature Workshop page following its PAX West panel. Neither release is available yet. Firaxis has not provided a specific public launch date for either project or announced a price for Earthrise.

For earlier franchise context, our Gamescom 2024 coverage includes Civilization VII’s original gameplay reveal and February 2025 release-date announcement.

Arc of Tomorrow is the free Atomic Age update

Arc of Tomorrow is the update that will introduce the Atomic Age as Civilization VII’s fourth Age. According to Firaxis, it will extend the playable timeline from the 1950s through the 2050s and will be free for Civilization VII players.

The currently planned feature list includes period-specific civilizations and leaders, enhanced City-State gameplay, proxy warfare, and expanded nuclear systems covering delivery, defense, diplomacy, and espionage. Firaxis says gameplay details remain subject to change during development.

Players primarily interested in the new Age and its associated systems should therefore be watching Arc of Tomorrow rather than Earthrise. The update will be free, but Firaxis has not confirmed when it will be released publicly.

Earthrise is Civilization VII’s first paid expansion

Earthrise is not another name for the Atomic Age update. Firaxis describes Earthrise as Civilization VII’s first paid expansion, although its price, editions, and possible bundle arrangements have not been announced.

The expansion is planned around space exploration and environmental adaptability. Firaxis says its scope will run from charting the stars during the Antiquity Age to establishing an Atomic Age space agency that can launch missions across the solar system.

Earthrise is also planned to add tools for manipulating terrain and improving tile yields, along with civil-engineering projects intended to protect against natural disasters. Additional civilizations and leaders are planned, but Firaxis has not identified them.

What Earthrise is currently planned to add

• Space exploration extending from the Antiquity Age to Atomic Age missions across the solar system.
• Gameplay focused on environmental adaptability.
• Tools for manipulating terrain and increasing tile yields.
• Civil-engineering projects designed to provide protection against natural disasters.
• Additional civilizations and leaders.

These are announced plans rather than final feature specifications. Firaxis has not yet detailed how the solar-system missions, terrain tools, disaster-protection projects, or other systems will work in the finished expansion.

When will Arc of Tomorrow and Earthrise be released?

Firaxis has not announced a specific public release date for Arc of Tomorrow or Earthrise. The Feature Workshop page presents both as in-development projects, while the official Civilization VII Steam announcement promoting the PAX West panel did not provide a launch date for either release.

There is an earlier testing milestone for selected PC players. Firaxis is reopening the Feature Workshop to test early features from both Arc of Tomorrow and Earthrise. Participation requires ownership of Civilization VII on Steam, and selected testers will be subject to a non-disclosure agreement. The official FAQ says Firaxis expects to send first-round invitations in October 2026.

Feature Workshop access is not a public release. Because the testing covers early content and Firaxis says gameplay details may change, the announced feature lists should not be treated as final specifications.

What Firaxis has not announced

The announcement leaves several major release and purchasing questions unanswered:

• No specific public release date for Arc of Tomorrow.
• No specific public release date for Earthrise.
• No Earthrise price, edition details, or bundle information.
• No confirmed platform-by-platform release plan for either project.
• No names for the additional civilizations or leaders.
• No detailed explanation of how the space, terrain, proxy-warfare, or expanded nuclear systems will work in their final form.

For now, the distinction is straightforward: the Atomic Age belongs to the free Arc of Tomorrow update, while Earthrise is a paid expansion built around space exploration and environmental adaptability. Firaxis has revealed the direction of both projects, but players are still waiting for release dates and an Earthrise price.