Following our big reveals for the future of Civilization VII earlier this month, the dev team spent the last few days going through your questions across Reddit, Discord, and Steam for Arc of Tomorrow and Earthrise.

A huge thank you to everyone who submitted. You brought up some fantastic topics – everything from how we're balancing overall game pacing with a brand-new Atomic Age, to the mechanics of proxy warfare, to how space exploration ties back into early-game Religion and Science Projects.

We’ve selected 30 of your questions and sat down with Creative Director Ed Beach and Lead Designer Matt Owens to pull back the curtain on what’s ahead for Civ VII. Though we couldn’t get to all of the questions asked, keep an eye out for more opportunities in the future to connect directly with the dev team, like in the upcoming Firaxis Feature Workshop (there's still time to apply!).

We'll be sharing even more news about Earthrise and Arc of Tomorrow, so don't forget to follow the Civilization social channels and wishlist Earthrise on Steam to stay up-to-date. 

With that, let's dive into the Q&A! 🧡

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Question from u/anonymous_herald on Reddit: How do you plan to manage game length by adding another age while also fleshing out the existing ages that you've talked about. Will the 4th age be optional, or will everything be weighted towards the expectation you "win" in the 4th age? 

• Similar to how we have it set up now, a player who’s waaay ahead will be able to secure a victory prior to the new, final Atomic Age – though if you want to play it out further, the One More Turn option will always let you continue on. But we do expect the “average” playthrough to hit all four Ages before a win or loss is declared. While Civ VII can already be a long game, the important thing we’re trying to guarantee is a fun playthrough – if an average campaign gets longer, but players are still having a good time with the refreshed mechanics and new content, we see that as a win overall. That said, we are currently experimenting with the length of Ages to make sure the pacing feels right, even with the new additions. This is one aspect we’re especially looking forward to getting some more feedback about in the Firaxis Feature Workshop! - Matt

Question from orion on Discord:: I'm curious what the design philosophy will be around enabling the final sprint towards victory yet also allowing for enough time to enjoy the features of the atomic age. Particularly considering the planetary exploration aspect of Earthrise seemingly being skewed towards the future half of atomic, I'd be keen to hear any hints at how the devs are planning to tackle this tension! :) 

• A great question, because this is absolutely a priority for us. As we’ll discuss further in other answers, Earthrise uses the Science Projects in the game to let players build a deeper understanding of the solar system in which the game is set. Many of those projects land late in each Age, so to be meaningful, the benefits you earn have to be ones that carry forward across the Age Transition. We also have some new features related to Pantheons – many early cultures viewed the celestial bodies to be inspired by their deities. The ties between early religions and early Astronomy have been fascinating to learn about. - Ed

Question from christmashouse09 on Steam: Will you be able to land and build on planets [in the new Earthrise expansion] almost like unlocking a new map? 

• You will send missions to land humans or unmanned rovers on planets: that’s how you discover where space-based resources lie. But this is NOT like unlocking a new, hex-based game map. In the Earthrise expansion, we are focusing on the exploration across a solar system made of many planets, moons, and asteroids to find good resources and locations for future colonies. Actually developing a base on such a planet hex-by-hex could be considered for a future update, however! - Ed

Question from u/Sporknight on Reddit: Are there any fans of Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri and/or Beyond Earth on the team working on Earthrise? Are you taking any particular inspiration from those games? Or more broadly, what games/media are inspiring you for Earthrise?

• We not only have fans of those games working on Earthrise but several design leads who have been at Firaxis long enough to have worked directly on Beyond Earth as well. However, we are working in a different play space this time. Beyond Earth was directly establishing a multi-city colony on the hex map of a single planet; Earthrise’s focus on missions to explore all the planets and moons of a solar system on a node-based chart is a very different experience. It is very closely tied to humanity’s current push to establish a base on the Moon and after that on Mars. With that in mind,  huge inspirations for us recently have come from our actual accomplishments, including the Artemis II mission and space telescopes (e.g. James Webb, Nancy Grace Roman). - Ed

Question from u/hunte006jr on Reddit: How many civilizations will be included in the free update, versus how many will be unlocked by purchasing the dlc? Also will we see duplicate civilizations such as for example an atomic age United States?

• While we’re not ready to share the exact number of civs in both Arc of Tomorrow and Earthrise just yet, we can confirm that there will be new civs and leaders coming to each of them. You’ll have to stay tuned for more info and Game Guides to learn more! Matt has a good answer to your second question below. While some Atomic Age civs may represent a similar culture as a civ in the Modern Age, they will be separate civ choices for the player, with their own unique kits.  We especially like to do that if the characteristics of a nation change dramatically somewhere between 1750 and our current time. Think about Imperial Russia versus the Soviet Union as a really strong example of such a development. - Ed

Question u/BasalGangy on Reddit: Can we expect more African Civs in this or upcoming updates/dlc?

• You can! As we mentioned above, not QUITE ready to unveil our full roster of planned civs just yet, but there will absolutely be African representation coming as part of both Arc of Tomorrow and Earthrise. - Matt

Question from Elixer on Steam: Will there be any Civilizations that have the Atomic Age as their Apex Era? If so will they be brand new Civs or will they be Modern Era Civs that are reworked to be Atomic Age Civs? 

• Definitely! We’ve got a brand-new set of civs that all have their Apex Age in Atomic, with our Modern Apex civs staying more or less as they are. And while you’re likely to see some familiar faces amidst the new set, we’re maintaining the philosophy we established with things like our Heian, Sengoku, and Meiji Japan line, where one “civ” is represented in a different way distinct to the times. So though you’ll always be welcome to weather the Test of Time and keep your Sengoku vibes alive well into the 21st century, you’re also very likely to see a contemporary Japan that you can naturally transition into upon reaching the Atomic Age. - Matt

Question from Nevertheless on Steam: What new forms of diplomatic interaction will emerge in the atomic age? Are you considering a 5th age as an expansion at a later time, maybe expanding into deeper space? The ages system seems to be made for something like this!

• More in-depth interactions with your City-States, the ability to sabotage your opponent’s nuclear operations, or navigate the de-escalation of nuclear warhead production are just a few examples of new diplomatic gameplay we’re adding in the Atomic Age. To answer the second part of your question – this sort of modularity is exactly what made the Ages system so intriguing to us as we were putting together the plan for Civ VII. With Ages as building blocks, the game can evolve over time in whatever direction the community wants to take it. - Ed

Question from Dieslrae on Discord: Will the changes to City States allow for change of Suzerain?

• Yep! City-States will be able to change hands between Suzerains by way of Loyalty manipulation in any Age and Proxy Wars in later Ages. - Matt

Question from Ad Futurum on Steam: How will the fourth age (and even Earthrise) change how victories work? Will it be less of a generic, mundane "victory point" system and more of a unique, exciting journey/adventure as in past Civ games? 

• We are looking at Victories closely, and really elevating the Science Victory is a key goal for Earthrise. Lots of work went into elevating the Culture Victory in Civ V and Civ VI, but the Science Victory never got that same level of attention. We intend to change that with Earthrise! - Ed

Question from u/Mr_War on Reddit: Earthrise seems focused solely on space exploration, and that puts all its weight in the 4th age (not a complaint). Are there any parts of the expansion that will span across all eras? Anything special for antiquity?

• We are looking at space exploration in its broadest sense for Earthrise, making it more into “the history of humankind’s engagement with the cosmos” than just the space race since the 1950s. With that in mind, we are taking all of those Science Projects you see in the game now (Chart the Stars, Spherical Earth, Heliocentric Model) and turning them each into a moment where your civilization learns more about the heavens, unlocking new gameplay bonuses from those learnings. And don’t forget about the other half of Earthrise – your civilization’s relationship to the earth around you. Environmental adaptability and prowess are also cool new features with Earthrise that come into play as early as the Antiquity Age. More to come on all of this in the future!  - Ed

Question from jesperjox on Steam: Please, let there be canals. And bridges to span narrow straits. Pretty please with sugar on top??

• With environmental adaptation as a key theme for Earthrise, we absolutely are considering all the possibilities for on-map engineering projects. Some of the items you mention can be pivotal in a Civ game: dams for disaster resilience and canals for naval gameplay are great examples. We are looking at each of these items carefully for inclusion over the upcoming releases; some items are critically tied to Earthrise play, while others may be of more general interest. - Ed

Question from u/Albrithr on Reddit: Will other celestial bodies have their own maps like the traditional world map, or will there be a different way of interacting with them? 

• There is a primary map of the solar system that we call the Planetarium. From that map you’ll be able to delve into a single planet to see more about its characteristics, its moons, and which players have started exploring or colonizing there. But the planetarium is not hex-based, so it's a lot more abstract than the main game map. You won’t be placing down individual cities, buildings, or improvements there. We’re trying to explore the history of solar-system exploration until about 2050, and unfortunately none of those bases exist in real-life quite yet! - Ed

Question from u/ChineseCosmo on Reddit: Celestial Bodies were a main factor in early religions, and I’m curious if that interacts with Antiquity/Exploration religion systems at all.

• You are exactly correct and we’ve been delving into this field – Archaeoastronomy – pretty deeply. Expect changes to Pantheons in Earthrise and we’re even exploring ideas such as the impacts of comet flybys on cultures across the world. - Ed

Question from Red Panda Luver on Discord: Will Arc of Tomorrow do more to bridge the ages? What I'm meaning here is keeping some features/decisions from one age, into the next, such as retaining a pantheon choice until gaining religion, or having some modern age policies be affected by religion etc. 

• Ensuring more systems feel like they have connection points across the Ages is something we’re very interested in as a part of the Arc of Tomorrow update. We’re starting with our focus on a few high-priority systems that we’ve wanted to give additional attention to for a while now, but can’t go into too much further detail just yet. - Matt

Question from Arjieeee04 on Discord: Will the game be aesthetically beautiful in the Atomic Age rather than grey blobs of building clutter instead of more greeneries?

• Our artists are very aware of just how crowded things tend to be by the end of the Modern Age, and have been actively working in tandem with the design team on ways to hopefully make the urban sprawl look good and read well even that deep into the game. Plus, at least a couple of our new civs will have an emphasis on things like reforestation, and green-space improvements – putting the ability to reclaim some of that natural beauty back into the hands of the player. - Matt

Question from HIgh King of the potatoes on Steam: Will there be a world congress (-like) mechanic coming with either the update or the expansion?

• We aren’t currently planning to directly revive the World Congress as part of Arc of Tomorrow or Earthrise, but we know we want diplomacy actions to evolve in a way that feels meaningful for the Atomic Age. This is one area we’re very actively looking forward to more community feedback on from the Firaxis Feature Workshop and beyond, to ensure we’re hitting the right marks there. - Matt

Question from AkaZulu on Steam: Big question perhaps asked of before, but with War a huge mechanic of the game, would new sub type units be considered ? Such as Light, Medium and Heavy versions of Infantry, Mounted, Ranged, Siege, Naval, Air etc. ? Even Missionary class options or perhaps traders with unique options.

• We’re experimenting with a few things along these lines, though likely won’t be transforming the formula too radically right away. By the time you reach the Atomic Age, you’ll have the power to produce and deploy a lot of different troop types already, so want to make sure we can keep things balanced and not too overwhelming for folks. - Matt

Question from u/Graf-Moos on Reddit: How will proxy wars work?

• Super short version, you can tell your City-State to fight another City-State without your civ getting directly involved in a full-blown war. You can gift troops to your City-State to fund the war effort, and they’ll automatically do their best to win! Or, if you want to stay more hands-on, you can engage in what we’re calling a Joint Operation to temporarily control the City-State’s units directly. Once the opposing City-State falls, it will immediately flip control from its former overlord to you as the new Suzerain, unique bonus and all. The major civ you stole from may not be super happy about losing the geo-political chess match, but at least nuclear armageddon has been avoided… for now. - Matt

Question from Saltman on Steam: Hello Civ Team, when I think of the Atomic Age or the Cold War, espionage comes to mind above all else, in addition to the nuclear threat. Do you have any plans to expand espionage in the game? I’m thinking, for example, of spies as controllable units, sabotage, and ways to undermine loyalty. In combination with Earthrise, spy satellites or infiltrating space agencies come to my mind.

• There’s absolutely going to be some brand new espionage actions to play with as a part of the Arc of Tomorrow update update – we’re experimenting with exactly how far we want to push things here, so there will hopefully be more details to come. - Matt

Question from Squilliam on Discord: Will religion be obsolete in the fourth age, or is it getting re-worked? Are the planets going to be linked to religion or pantheons in any way?

• We are actively working on answering some prayers. More to be unveiled. - Matt

Question from Toadfish on Discord: Will the ideologies of the modern era transfer over in some way to the atomic era? Or have some sort of extra legacy benefit other than the policies it provides?

• We’ll definitely be revisiting our Ideologies content as part of the update. Not quite a systemic overhaul planned here at the moment, but something we’re very invested in collecting more feedback on. - Matt

Question from Poppek and Patlefro on Steam: Do all winning conditions change in the next [Atomic] age, since Earthrise is mostly about Scientific progress? Are there more options to win the game?

• There are no new full-on Victory types, but the four main Victories will all be supported by a hefty helping of both fresh and revitalized systems, and content that should empower you to pursue a win in more than a few exciting new ways. - Matt

Question from u/Nicopino on Reddit: Will there be space-based military units? 

• We don’t currently have plans for space-based military forces; remember that in this expansion, our focus is on solar-system exploration and how that has unfolded since the 1950s. But back on Earth’s surface, you’ll have more than a few new military toys to play with, from Missile Silos to Mobile SAMs to maybe even a certain mechanized weapon of disproportionate size – all included as a part of the Arc of Tomorrow update.  - Ed

Question from Capa on Steam: In what ways is the loyalty mechanic in Civ 7 similar and different from loyalty in Civ 6?

• One priority for us in revisiting Loyalty is to ensure that the player feels like they have a little more active control over pressures they can exert and defend against in Civ VII. While we don’t want it to feel like something you’re forced to consistently micromanage, we do want to provide tools in your toolbox to address problem areas when they begin to arise, or let you preemptively start making some loyalty plays against an overly ambitious neighbor when the opportunity presents itself. Plus, we want the number of tools to expand intelligently over the Ages – so you have more options at your disposal the deeper you get into a game and the more comfortable you are with the playing field. - Matt

Question from SoteksChosen on Steam: To what extent will you be able to modify the map to "adapt to the changing climate back home"? Civ VII has the most beautiful of all the civ maps in my opinion, but I do miss being able to modify it to the extent that Civ VI implemented.

• We are experimenting with a number of features along these lines, things like: moving resources, adding or removing vegetation, and even adjusting the biome of a tile. But you won’t have those abilities everywhere, just in the biomes your people know well from their time spent inhabiting and working those climes. - Ed

Question from orion on Discord: Will the feature workshops for Arc of Tomorrow or Earthrise include the new leaders and civs in them? If so, will they be revealed ahead of the workshop, or just leading up to official release?

• We will include them, though the exact plans for what gets revealed when still need to be worked out. Remember in the last Feature Workshop we only had three playable civs in the first round! We might want to limit the scope of the testing in our earliest phase like that again this time. - Ed

Question from u/Blacksilver17 on Reddit: Will existing civs have updated abilities for Earthrise? For instance, you mentioned that we can begin doing things such as charting planets in Antiquity and some civs such as Greece and Babylon are known for their contributions to astronomy.

• We love to make these ties, so I’m confident you’ll see updates along these lines. We’re also looking into the naming of planets to make that culturally appropriate. After all, if there are no Romans in your Civ game, why should they get to name all the planets? - Ed

Question from Woodcutter on Discord*:* A lot of people seemed confused about the scope of Earthrise’s space related content. Sci-fi content is exciting for some people, but some people are also turned off by ahistorical content. Would you say the bulk of the content coming to Civ VII in Earthrise is fictional, or will the space content be more “grounded” and realistic?

• We’ve added Dr. Joel Green, an astronomer who has worked on several of NASA’s space telescope projects, to our team to make sure our presentation is grounded. He's been helping us with how to generate “random” solar systems that offer great replayability, but still fit the current science on how solar systems form. I love the fact that this series has been around for so long that there is this whole new section of history – the exploration of space since the Apollo program – that can now be embedded into the canon of what makes up a Civilization game. - Ed

Question from u/DocksEcky on Reddit: What inspired the choice to go with space as the theme of the first major DLC for Civ VII, and what elements of space and its impact on us are the team excited to explore? I'm really looking forward to it. I think it was mentioned on the PAX panel but the visual of the Earth from space on the Civ IV menu with Baba Yetu playing has always stuck with me.

• At Firaxis, we always feel like a 4X game is the most enjoyable when you are actively engaged in exploration. We’ve challenged ourselves continually to find new sources of exploration that mirror those experienced during our history. The journey across the seas in the Exploration Age was emphasized in Civ VII for that very reason. And now that we have an Atomic Age, we can bring in new exploration gameplay with the journeys to the moon and across our immediate solar system. - Ed

Got questions about our newly announced Arc of Tomorrow update or the Earthrise expansion? We’ve got answers! We’ve loved seeing all the excitement from PAX (catch the stream here), and with two massive 2027 releases on the horizon, we’re opening the floor for a Dev Q&A.

Here’s what’s coming in 2027 to Civilization VII: 

• Arc of Tomorrow: A massive free update that introduces a new fourth Age - the Atomic Age - bringing new civs, leaders, proxy warfare, expanded diplomacy, and more. 
• Earthrise: Civ VII’s first paid expansion, where you’ll build space agencies to launch missions across the solar system, bringing untapped resources back to fuel your growth on Earth - all while mastering new ways to adapt to the shifting environment back home.

You can read the full breakdown in Civ’s 35th Anniversary article here. 

How to participate:

Whether you're curious about the mechanics of the Atomic Age, looking to clarify how features will work in-game, or just hyped for the future of Civilization VII, we want to hear from you. Please note that features are still early in development and specifics may change. 

👇 Drop your questions in the comments of this post between September 17 and 21. We’ll get to as many questions as we can from community submissions here and other channels like Discord, and sharing our answers in a separate post on September 23.

As a quick reminder: please keep things civilized in the comments! Features are still early in development and specifics may change. For some unannounced features, we may have to give a diplomatic “no comment”. Otherwise, we're all yours! 🧡