February Update, News Recap, and More

Welcome Back!

Hey, Civ fans! Welcome back to This Month in Civ. February was absolutely packed with announcements, surprises, and progress updates, giving us quite a lot to recap, so let's dive in!

This February marked the first anniversary of Civilization VII! We couldn't be more excited about where the game is headed next, with all of your passionate feedback continuing to influence that journey. 

While you'll also find some of this info below, check out the video above or this article rounding up our biggest anniversary-related updates, reveals, and more!

In January, we held our first-ever round of the Firaxis Feature Workshop, a community-focused, collaborative space to gather early input directly from the Civ VII community on in-development game features. 

February saw the kickoff of Round 2, which maintained focus on testing the main suite of new and overhauled features from our forthcoming "Test of Time" update. These include a reworked approach to Victories, the new Triumphs system (replacing Legacy Paths), and a new, optional way to play as the same civ through all three in-game Ages. 

Once again, we'd like to thank all of our workshop participants for volunteering time to playtest and provide feedback. Those who haven't joined yet can check out content from participating Civ creators to see these in-development mechanics explored, or stay tuned for info on signing up for the next round! 

Find more details on Test of Time in our recent article celebrating Civ VII's first anniversary or our Game Updates page. For a thorough recap of Round 1 and the latest updates about the program, be sure to keep an eye on the Firaxis Feature Workshop page.

Would you expect any less from Gilgabro? Just in time to celebrate one year of Civ VII, fan-favorite leader Gilgamesh has joined the base game's roster, free for all players!* Once you've downloaded Update 1.3.2, this content—which includes a profile badge, banner, and title—will automatically be available in-game with no extra steps.

To learn about his abilities and more, check out our new Gilgamesh Game Guide. 

*Base game required. This content is free for all owners of Civilization VII and will be delivered automatically in-game on release. Terms apply.

Alongside Gilgamesh, Update 1.3.2 also introduces nested tooltips, a new Appeal Lens, and plenty of gameplay and balance tweaks to Civ VII. For the comprehensive breakdown of everything included, you can find all the details in our full Update Notes.

Now you can build empires on the go, Civ fans!* Civilization VII Arcade Edition is out now on Apple Arcade, bringing the series' latest entry to Apple Arcade subscribers with compatible Apple devices. This is the authentic Civ VII base game experience, with development led by Behaviour Interactive in close collaboration with Firaxis. 

Using intuitive touch controls on handheld interfaces, or mouse and keyboard for both MacOS and iOS, you'll expand your territory, conquer or cooperate with rival civs, and build something you believe in to create a legacy that echoes through the Ages. 

The latest update adds multiplayer, support for listening to audio from other apps, and more quality-of-life improvements. 

To learn more, head to the game's App Store page or read our Apple Arcade FAQs!

*Civilization VII: Arcade Edition is an exclusive version and will vary from other commercially available versions as detailed in the Apple Arcade FAQs.

Across the Civilization series, sound and music are vital to capturing different time periods and cultures throughout history. In the video above, you can get behind-the-scenes insights into how the sweeping score of Civ VII was created as a labor of love by the Firaxis audio team and composer Christopher Tin, who won the first-ever Grammy for a video game composition with Civilization IV's "Baba Yetu."

You can listen to the Civ VII soundtrack on the official Civilization YouTube channel and Spotify, or you can get your own copy on vinyl here!

You've already pet this loyal friend in-game, and now you can explore with your very own Scout Dog in real life! Whether it tags along on your journeys around the world or simply makes a great companion to the rest of your collection, this adorable plushie from our friends at Makeship will stay by your side through anything. Pre-order yours here!

For even more Scout Dog, check out these Emotes, Stickers, and more on Steam.

Civ fans know a thing or two about building virtual empires, but do you know what goes into crafting a new entry in this landmark franchise? The Art and Making of Sid Meier's Civilization VII digs deep into the vast collaborative effort that is designing and developing Civ, with never-before-seen concept art, illustrations, photography, historical research, and exclusive interviews with the Firaxis team.

To learn more, or to pick up a copy of the book yourself (if you're in the U.S. or Canada), check out its page on the Insight Editions store here.

Display your love for Civ in three dimensions! Courtesy of Artovision, feast your eyes on these handcrafted, 3D artworks celebrating Civilization, which even come with official certificates of authenticity. Learn more and browse these Shadowbox and Desktop Art pieces here on the Artovision site.

Build empires one sip at a time with Sid Meier’s Civilization x Madrinas Cinnamon Whiskey Whole Bean Coffee! Expertly forged with the long game in mind, this medium roast has warm cinnamon notes and smooth whiskey-inspired flavor.

To get this rare Resource for your own kitchen, head to the MADRINAS store page.

For Civ fans who want to dress or decorate their space just like their personalized empire, Civ merch is now available on the 2K Store! Whether you're in need of a new sweatshirt, mousepad, or another way to proudly flaunt your love of the franchise, you can browse everything currently available here.