Update 1.4.2 is rolling out to all platforms today!

With Test of Time in the rearview mirror, we’ve continued to be hard at work revisiting some of Civ’s preexisting systems to help give them greater depth. To that end, this update brings a handful of features and improvements we’re excited to share with you.

We’ve heard players asking for more options in Peace Deals, and with 1.4.2, we’re happy to add new ways to negotiate. You'll now have an expanded toolkit of items to exchange to bring a war to a close, along with an upgraded, cleaner UI. In a similar vein, we’re also making improvements to Leader Relationships that give you more control and clarity over your diplomatic strategy. 

With Victories getting an overhaul in Test of Time, we had to do some tinkering to get individual Victory settings back up and running. Now, with 1.4.2, you can once again disable or enable specific Victory types, crafting a path to greatness that’s all your own!

Lastly, we’re launching the second part of the paid Brush and Blade Collection.* We introduced Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Heian Japan, and Sengoku Japan last month, and now, players can delve into Korean history with the addition of Yi Sun-sin, Goryeo, and Joseon. For more details on their Unique Abilities, Units, and gameplay styles, read more below!

We’re grateful for your continued support and the many turns taken! To hang out and keep the conversation going, join our growing empire over on the Official Civ Discord. You can share your latest game stories, leave feedback on Update 1.4.2 (and other areas of Civilization VII), and join in on fun community events with fellow Civ fans. As always, read on for the details, start your next empire, and stay civilized!

*Base game required. Each DLC will be delivered automatically in-game when they are available. Terms apply.

Before You Dive In…

Active Mods Will Be Disabled

An important note for PC players regarding mods: Like our previous update, this update will do a reset to disable all active mods. We highly recommend giving our amazing modding community a little time to update their work before toggling things back on manually.

Using a mod that has been updated and is stable? You can simply re-enable these mods by navigating to "Add-ons" in the Main Menu. Browse your list of installed mods and toggle on the ones you want to play with. 

Some Additional Reminders

• Update drivers: We recommend ensuring your graphics drivers are up-to-date and to double check our Minimum System Requirements for the best experience.
• Backwards compatibility: While we aim to maintain backwards compatibility for existing saves as much as possible, some new abilities or effects may not appear until you start a new game. For the best experience, we recommend starting a new game.
• Legacy branch: Are you playing on Steam and want to finish your current save under a previous version? You can do so using our legacy Steam beta branch. To join the legacy branch, right-click Sid Meier's Civilization VII in your Steam library, select Properties, then click over to the Betas tab. From there, select the “legacy” option. 

As a reminder, you can visit our tracker to see known issues. If you’re encountering an issue, you can submit a bug report with the team here. 

Improved Peace Deals

We’ve given Peace Deals some more options so you can settle your disputes like a true statesman (or a highly pragmatic conqueror). 

Peace deals are no longer strictly a property market! Where previously you could trade Settlements, you can now throw Gold and Influence onto the table to resolve your conflicts. Notably, the amount of Gold and Influence that can be traded is determined by Age; we chose to focus on meaningful lump sums to help better manage the economy of war and, importantly, set up the AI to better negotiate. 

As with most of our changes, we’re rounding it out with some new UI to improve the overall experience. The Peace Deal screen will feel more colorful and compact, and yes(!) - you can now dismiss a Peace Deal temporarily to survey the map and make a truly informed decision when it comes to Settlement swaps. 

We still have more in store for deepening Diplomacy and War, including new ways to maintain your alliances without joining allies’ wars, among other new features. Stay tuned! 

Improved Leader Relationships

No empire is complete without some clever diplomacy, and with this update, we’re making it easier to keep track of how you’re faring with other Leaders. For starters, the Leader Relationship panel now displays which Leader initiated an event that changed your relationship (for example, which of the two started an Endeavor). 

We’re also adding more information to the Leader Agenda notifications, as well as new, unique messages from Leaders when their Agenda significantly changes your relationship.

Additionally, we’ve updated the Reconciliation Diplomatic Action. Previously, you were only able to initiate Reconciliation with a Hostile opponent. Now, you can extend an olive branch even earlier and initiate Reconciliation with an Unfriendly leader, too.

Content Collection: Brush and Blade Part 2

Launching alongside Update 1.4.2 is the second part of our latest paid content collection: Brush and Blade.* This collection journeys deep into East Asian history, exploring the balance between art and conflict, ambition and fortitude. Part Two Includes:

• New Leader: Yi Sun-sin
• New Civilizations: Goryeo and Joseon
• More Customization: a new border for your player profile

How it works:

If you purchased the Brush and Blade Collection when it launched alongside Update 1.4.1 last month, you’ll receive access to this Part 2 content right as Update 1.4.2 releases. Otherwise, you can purchase the collection any time to receive Part 1 and Part 2 content together!

*Base game required. Each DLC will be delivered automatically in-game when they are available. Terms apply.

Leaders

NEW Leader: Yi Sun-sin

The famed admiral, Yi Sun-sin, was a man of duty and resolve. Through a volatile career plagued by betrayal, Admiral Yi never strayed from his duty, answering the call of his king even from the depths of prison. From the splintered remains of the Korean navy, he forged a fleet of strength and led his men to victory against the overwhelming odds of the enemy, cementing his legacy as a hero to his men and to his people.

• Attributes: Militaristic, Scientific
• Unique Ability - Samdo Sugun Tongjesa: Can train Fleet Commanders after studying the Discipline Civic during the Antiquity Age. Receive a free Fleet Commander once you have both a Harbor and Discipline in Antiquity. Defeating an enemy with a Naval Unit provides Science equal to a percentage of its Combat Strength. All Fleet Commanders receive XP upon construction of Science Buildings. Gain a set amount Gold per Age per point of Fleet Commander XP earned in Combat.
• Agenda - 13 Ships: Increase Relationship with civilizations that have a minimum amount of Naval Units and Fortification Buildings. Decrease Relationship with civilizations that don't meet these minimums.

Check out the full Game Guide for Yi Sun-Sin here.

Civilizations

NEW Civilization: Goryeo

Out of the fragmentation of Korea’s Three Kingdoms period came Goryeo, a center for scholarship and art, and a formidable force in East Asia. Established in 918 CE, Goryeo became a bastion of Buddhist scholarship, and was an early innovator in moveable type – in other words, the printing press. Additionally, Goryeo celadon pottery is famous for its sophistication and artistry. Goryeo faced challenges, though, keeping peace on the peninsula at first through strength, and then through strategic positioning as a vassal of the Yuan Dynasty of China. Yet in that empire’s fall, a new order arose – Joseon. 

• Apex Age: Exploration
• Attributes: Cultural, Diplomatic
• Unique Ability - Byeongjo: 
  • Tier 1, Antiquity Age: Increased Culture from active Endeavors you started or supported. Increased Culture on Unique Improvements in Towns and increased Influence on Unique Improvements in Cities.
  • Tier 2, Exploration Age (Apex): Further increased Culture from active Endeavors you started or supported. Increased Culture on Unique Improvements in Towns and increased Influence on Unique Improvements in Cities.
  • Tier 3, Modern Age: Even further increased Culture from active Endeavors you started or supported. Increased Culture on Unique Improvements in Towns, increased Influence on Unique Improvements in Cities, and increased Tourism from all Unique Improvements.
• Unique Military Unit - Hwacha (Unique Siege Unit): Deals Splash damage equal to a percentage of the total damage done to the target.
• Unique Military Unit - Tobang (Unique Cavalry Unit): Increased Combat Strength when Stationed or Occupying a District. Increased Influence for each City Center with a Stationed Tobang.
• Associated Wonder - Buseoksa: Increased Happiness. Joyous Settlements within a set number of tiles from this Wonder receive increased Influence on Unique Improvements. Ecstatic Settlements within a set number of tiles from this Wonder receive increased Influence and Gold on Unique Improvements. Must be placed on Tropical or Grassland Terrain adjacent to at least one Mountain tile. Goryeo receives increased Production toward constructing this Wonder.

Check out the full Game Guide for Goryeo here.

NEW Civilization: Joseon

As stable as it was isolated, the Joseon Dynasty was a five-centuries-long period of peace in Korea, marked by the elaboration of Confucianism, a strong defense, and a carefully balanced political system. Founded in 1392, the kingdom lasted until just before the dawn of the 20th century, repelling invasion after invasion from its neighbors. It was a highly structured society, with a rich scholarly tradition that carefully monitored outside influences, selecting only that which would make Joseon prosper. It would fall in 1897, after pressure from the ascendant Meiji Empire and the United States became overwhelming.

• Apex Age: Modern
• Attributes: Cultural, Expansionist
• Unique Ability - Munchi: 
  • Tier 1, Antiquity Age: Increased Specialist Limit in the Capital. Decreased Specialist Limit in all Cities other than the Capital. Joseon begins the Age with a set City Limit. Can purchase Tier 1 Science and Culture Buildings in Towns.
  • Tier 2, Exploration Age: Increased Specialist Limit in the Capital. Decreased Specialist Limit in all Cities other than the Capital. Joseon begins the Age with a set, increased City Limit. Can purchase Tier 1 Science and Culture Buildings in Towns.
  • Tier 3, Modern Age (Apex): Further increased Specialist Limit in the Capital. Increased Specialist Limit all Cities other than the Capital with a Seowon Unique Quarter; decreased Specialist Limit in non-Capital Cities without a Seowon Unique Quarter. Joseon begins the Age with a set, increased City Limit. Can purchase Tier 1 Science and Culture Buildings in Towns.
• Unique Civilian Unit -  Jangyongyoung (Unique Commander Unit): Land Units in a Capital receive increased Combat Strength within the Command Radius.
• Unique Military Unit - Turtle Ship (Unique Heavy Naval Unit): Decreased Ranged and Bombard Strength compared to other Heavy Naval Units. Has increased Bombard Strength and increased Ranged Strength when on Coast Terrain.
• Associated Wonder - Hwaseong: Increased Culture, Tradition Slots, and Social Policy Slots. Acts as a Fortified District that must be conquered. Must be placed on a Flat tile adjacent to at least one Rough tile. Joseon receives increased Production toward constructing this Wonder.

Check out the full Game Guide for Joseon here.

(★ = Community Influenced Item)

Gameplay

AI

• Addressed a reported issue where AI Gilgamesh would continue making new alliances after finding his best friend, not taking advantage of his War Support Bonus.  
• Addressed an issue where the AI fails to use the Disperse Shinobi Clan action when the player moves a Shinobi near the AI Leader's Military Unit.

Diplomacy & Peace Deals

• (★) In addition to Settlements, Gold and Influence can now be traded during Peace Deal negotiations.
• Dev Note: The amount of Gold and Influence you can trade is set by Age. Instead of continuously tweaking a deal to squeeze a couple extra Gold, we chose to focus on meaningful lump sums. Trading Yields in predetermined amounts helps us better manage the economy of war and set up the AI to negotiate better.
• (★) The Peace Deal screen has been updated with a more compact design, and can be temporarily closed during negotiations so players can survey the map. 
• The Reconciliation Endeavor can now be used with leaders that are Hostile OR Unfriendly, instead of just Hostile.
• The Leader Relationship screen now displays which leader initiated an event that changed the relationship (i.e. who started an Endeavor or declared war).
• Added new unique messages when an Agenda significantly changes your relationship with another Leader.

Independent Powers

• Independent Powers will no longer spam-build fortifications at the beginning of each turn.

Miscellaneous

• You can now enable or disable any of the individual Victory conditions (including scores for that particular Victory). Newly compatible with the reworked Victories from Test of Time!
• Addressed an issue where Machu Pikchu could become an uncapturable District when surrounded by walls.
• Updated in-game descriptions of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Agenda to be more consistent across sources.
• Addressed an issue where the Despotism Celebration was able to stack multiple times.
• Addressed an issue where Mexico’s Revolución Government passive ability affects all players in games with Mexico.
• Made several changes to resolve crashes and improve overall stability. 

Military

• Addressed a reported issue where AI could stack multiple Combat Units in a City Center. (Sorry, AI, no more death stacks!) 
• Addressed an issue preventing purchased Units from spawning when Quarters were occupied.

Triumphs & Dedications

• Triumph-based Leader Challenges now consistently grant completion credit.
• Dev note: We've tracked down the root cause of this issue, and we’re sorry to everyone who missed out on Leader XP as a result. This issue is resolved going forward as of Update 1.4.2. While we don't currently have the ability to restore previously missed XP, we're actively exploring improvements to our backend tools that would allow us to do so in the future. If you ran into this bug and would like to be kept informed, please hit Follow on our Known Issues page and you'll receive an email when updates become available. Thanks for your patience!
• Addressed an issue where some Dedications would fail to appear at the start of the next Age.
• Addressed an issue where Tonga's Ngatu I Tradition incorrectly applies +1 Culture to Warehouse Buildings.
• Addressed an issue where a Settler would fail to spawn when players completed the “From Nagu to Nagu” Triumph while a Commander occupied the Capital.

Leaders & Civs

Leaders

• Added new DLC leader Yi Sun-Sin.
• Ashoka, World Renouncer:
• Ashoka was nerfed due to surrounding balance changes in Test of Time, and now, we get to bring him back up to fighting weight as he makes use of our new Happiness mechanics.
• New Abilities:
  • +1 Food in Cities for every 5 excess Happiness (unchanged)
  • +10% Food in all Happy Settlements during a Celebration, or +15% in Joyous Settlements, or +20% in Ecstatic Settlements. (Previously: +10% Food in all Settlements during a Celebration)
  • Happiness, Food, and Unique Buildings gain a +1 Happiness adjacency for all Improvements. (Previously: only Unique Buildings)
    • Dev Note: This stacks, so a Food/Happiness Building or a Unique Happiness Building gets double!

Civs

• Added new DLC civ Goryeo (Apex in Exploration Age). 
• Added new DLC civ Joseon (Apex in Modern Age).

UI/UX

Alignment & Spacing

• Improved slot alignment on the Choose Dedications screen on lower resolutions.
• Improved icon and element alignment in the Civilization Details screens. 

Controller-Specific

• The player is no longer blocked by unbuildable items when viewing the “Hidden list” of the Production menu.
• Civilization and Leader selection menus retain scroll functionality after navigating away and returning within the Multiplayer Lobby.
• Controller functionality now remains stable when the player disconnects from the network.
• The Legacies icon now properly appears in the radial menu during the tutorial.
• Improved cursor functionality while navigating various screens and menus.
• The Radial Menu and Unit Panel can no longer be opened at the same time.
• The scrollbar for the Legacy menu can now be more easily moved downwards.
• The "Inspect" button remains functional on the Victories Menu while progressing to the next turn.
• Resource icons tooltips no longer shake when highlighted in the Commerce Screen.
• Tile tooltips are now hidden while the Great Works menu is open.

General

• Newly founded Settlements will no longer have the same name as your Capital.
• The Specialist Slots UI now correctly appears inactive when viewing Damaged/Pillaged/Radioactive Fallout tiles with the Growth Lens.
• The Heian Defeat screen now correctly plays when retiring during the Antiquity Age.
• The “Choose your Advisor” pop-up no longer appears twice when passing a turn where a Unit was auto-moving.
• Hovering over Treasure Resources text in the Treasure tab of the Commerce menu now plays the correct audio when using Narrate on Hover.
• The turn axis of the Economic Victory graph now properly syncs with the current turn.
• Leader portraits no longer disappear when opening the Economic Victory tab while progressing to the next turn.
• Selecting “Itsaraprahab” while closing the Diplomacy menu of an Independent Power no longer causes a game crash.
• Oshikochi No Mitsune's Activate Great Person button should now work properly when standing on a tile with one completed Culture Building and one Culture Building being constructed.
• The Government Selection screen now shows which Civics are required to unlock a Tradition.
• The Befriend Independent Power UI in the Diplomacy Menu now correctly displays the top two Leaders competing to befriend an Independent Power.
• The Fleet Commander Focus Fire ability now is able to target Fortified Districts with garrisoned Units.
• The progress timer now properly appears when hovering over keywords of a tooltip with Tooltip Autolock enabled.
• The Unit movement highlight now correctly excludes invalid tiles and tiles for units that have consumed all movement.
• Addressed an issue where players could not select Units after triggering the Exploration tutorial in the Antiquity Age.
• The Just One More Turn button is no longer present when the player selects No More Turns after losing to an AI opponent.
• The Leader XP bar no longer fails to appear when viewing the progress menu.
• [MP] The Friends tab no longer replaces the Lobby tab when opening the social menu in the Internet Lobby.
• The promo image now correctly changes when swapping tabs with pips in the Carousel menu.
• [Steam, Windows only] If an outdated driver causes a crash, a window communicating this will be displayed.

Hotseat

• The player swap screen now correctly appears when the turn timer reaches 0 with the Diplomacy menu opened.
• The Advisor Council menu is no longer empty when loading the save created by the client in Hotseat mode.
• The 'Close Peace Deal Proposal?' pop-up now correctly appears when selecting the 'Close' button in the Peace Deal Menu as the receiving player.
• Choose Dedications menu selection slots now correctly register for the non-host player when a turn timer is active.
• Players are no longer able to observe other players’ unit move track when viewing the fog of war.
• The Turn Timer will now have Extended Turn time on the first turn of Antiquity. 
• “First to” Triumphs are now correctly locked for other players and cleared from their journals once completed by a player.
• Hovering over the text on the Hotseat Player Curtain now correctly narrates the Leader name when using Narrate on Hover.
• The Defeat screen now correctly appears when the current player is defeated in a two-player game.

Text Changes

• Diplomacy Menus now feature iconography to help identify actions more easily. 
• Leader attribute descriptions no longer disappear when switching tabs in the Leader Attributes menu.
• City Caps have been renamed to City Limits to keep terminology consistent throughout the game.

Tooltips

• (★) The City Details Panel now has a tooltip you can look at to see a breakdown of the "base" Improvements in the Settlement, accessible via a small icon next to the Improvements header.
• E.G., if a Settlement has one tile with a Farm, and one tile that was a Farm but now has a Unique Improvement on it, this tooltip communicates that the Settlement has 2 Farms.
• New tooltips for Population and Production have been added, accessible by hovering the mouse cursor over City Banners.
• You can now hold inspect on a tooltip to permanently hide it and hold inspect to have it pop up again.
• Addressed several instances of tooltips not properly closing.
• The game no longer crashes when opening many nested tooltips.

Modding

• Note for modders using utility-serialize.js: The utility provides a "catalog" to Store and retrieve arbitrary key/values for the world or per-player, and has been significantly updated since the last patch. Any mods currently using this file may run into issues where values read immediately after writing to a "catalog" may receive incorrect values: those mods should be updated to await an event confirming the write operation has completed before reading values. Currently catalogs are cleared out each Age by default. An upcoming release will have catalogs persist across Ages. Please refer to the corresponding utility-serialize.ts in the SDK for more notes on usage.

Audio

• Added new Test of Time ambient war track during the Antiquity Age. 
• Addressed instances of incorrect or overlapping SFX playing.
• Addressed a reported issue where loading screen VO continued to play after entering a multiplayer game.
• Civilization themes will now properly update when switching players during Hotseat multiplayer. 

Platform-Specific

Switch

• Addressed an issue where AI failed to declare war despite having Hostile relations (this fix was previously addressed for other platforms in Update 1.4.1 Hotfix 2).
• [Switch 2] Made several stability improvements and reduced crashing.

PlayStation

• [PS4] The Leader and Diplomacy Screen no longer shifts downward and cuts off buttons when accessed via the radial menu.

We’re deploying a hotfix that addresses an issue where AI opponents weren’t declaring war as often as expected. 

Note for Switch players: This fix will be coming to Nintendo platforms alongside our 1.4.2 update in the coming weeks. Until then, Crossplay Multiplayer with users running the latest 1.4.1 Hotfix 2 release on other platforms will be unavailable. We appreciate your patience! In the meantime, Steam players can still use the console-compatible-switch beta branch to play Crossplay Multiplayer with Switch players until 1.4.2 releases. To join this branch, right-click Sid Meier's Civilization VII in your Steam library, select Properties, then click over to the Game Versions & Betas tab. From there, select the “console-compatible-switch” option.

If you’re still running into issues after this patch, please let us know through our Support portal.

We’re deploying a hotfix specifically for console and Linux/Steam Deck players. This update primarily addresses a controller responsiveness issue, while also bringing over a few fixes that were previously released for desktop players.

A note for Switch players: This update will be coming at a later date than June 30. Thank you for hanging in with us while we work to get these updates through Switch submission requirements. We’ll keep you posted when this hotfix for Switch goes live!

• Addressed a reported issue where the controller could lose functionality when choosing an Enhancer Belief. 
• Addressed a reported issue where Affirmation Traditions failed to appear under the Heian Traditions tab during game setup. 
• Heian’s quote now properly appears in the Civilization Details screen during New Game creation.
• Improved mountain rendering to prevent texture pop-in when uncovering connected tiles.

If you’re still running into issues after this patch, please let us know through our Support portal. 

Update 1.4.1 is now rolling out to all platforms! 

With Test of Time now in players’ hands, we wanted to take a moment to say thank you to everyone who’s jumped into Civilization VII recently. We’ve loved seeing the response to the massive changes in Update 1.4.0, but the wheels of development (not unlike the wheels of history) keep on turning. It’s already full steam ahead for Civ VII! 

This update brings a mix of features, improvements, and tuning changes we’re excited to get into your hands. To start, we’ve added a brand-new Archipelago map type, introducing another Voronoi-based map generation style built around an island layout. We’re also excited to finally introduce Hotseat multiplayer to Civilization VII, letting players share a single device for local multiplayer sessions.

The other major change in this update is a substantial rework to Governments and Celebrations, aimed at better tuning how these systems shape your empire’s progression across each Age. Alongside that, we’ve included a wide range of resolved reported issues and other improvements to help keep your campaigns running smoothly.

And lastly, this free update launches alongside Part 1 of our newest paid Content Collection: Brush and Blade.* This DLC will release in two parts, with the first introducing the new leader Toyotomi Hideyoshi and two brand-new civilizations: Heian Japan and Sengoku Japan. Read on below for more details on their Uniques Abilities, Units, and gameplay styles.

To our incredible Civ community: we’re grateful for the continued support, feedback, and many turns taken since 1.4.0. If you have a spare minute, dropping a Steam review means the world to us and helps us shape what’s next for Civ VII. Also, head over to the Official Civ Discord to hang out and keep the conversation going - we want to hear your thoughts on the new map type, Hotseat, and everything else Civ. 

Have fun empire-building! 

Before You Dive In…

Active Mods Will Be Disabled

An important note for PC players regarding mods: We've noticed a lot of players running into stability issues without realizing they have broken or outdated mods active. This update will do a reset to disable all active mods. We highly recommend giving our amazing modding community a little time to update their work before toggling things back on manually.

Using a mod that has been updated and is stable? You can simply re-enable these mods by navigating to "Add-ons" in the Main Menu. Browse your list of installed mods and toggle on the ones you want to play with. 

Some Additional Reminders

• Update drivers: We recommend ensuring your graphics drivers are up-to-date and to double check our Minimum System Requirements for the best experience.
• Backwards compatibility: While we aim to maintain backwards compatibility for existing saves as much as possible, some new abilities or effects may not appear until you start a new game. For the best experience, we recommend starting a new game.
• Legacy branch: Are you playing on Steam and want to finish your current save under a previous version? You can do so using our legacy Steam beta branch. To join the legacy branch, right-click Sid Meier's Civilization VII in your Steam library, select Properties, then click over to the Betas tab. From there, select the “legacy” option. 
• We'll continue to keep the 1.3.2 legacy branch (legacy-1-3-2) available for players who want to revisit or finish pre-Test of Time campaigns.

As a reminder, you can visit our tracker to see known issues. If you’re encountering an issue, you can submit a bug report with the team here.

New Map Type: Archipelago

Our improvements to map generation continue, with a brand new map type!

We've done a bit of map-name housekeeping with this update. The previous Archipelago map has been renamed Archipelago Hemispheres, a name that more accurately reflects how it divides major archipelago regions between the eastern and western halves of the world, creating a more balanced experience. Taking its place is an all-new Archipelago map type.

Like Fractal Continents, this map is built from Voronoi technology (if you haven’t read it yet, give this great From the Devs piece on Voronoi Maps a read), which means less repetition, more randomness, and a more organic feel overall. This map type features two regions of archipelagos that are randomly placed, with a smattering of Distant Lands elsewhere on the map. Here are a few examples below, but generate your own in game and see how random these can get! 

While we were tinkering with Voronoi generation, we also took a look at lake generation. Previously, lakes were built around a central tile, which often led to them looking a little too same-y from game to game. With this update, lakes can generate in a much wider variety of shapes and sizes, creating more natural-looking inland waters across the map. The total amount of lake coverage has also increased. Maybe it's time for a Buganda campaign?

Hotseat Multiplayer

We’re excited to finally get Hotseat multiplayer into players’ hands!

For anyone who hasn't tried it, Hotseat lets you play a local multiplayer game with friends on the same device. You take your turn, hop out of the hotseat, and try not to watch as your friend sits down and plots your downfall. It’s a staple for many Civ players, and we wanted to make sure it got enough time in the oven before it officially went live.

We know many Hotseat fans have been waiting for this one, and we want to say thank you for your patience as we worked to get it out the door. Pass the controller and have fun empire-building! 

Happiness, Governments, & Celebrations

If you’ve been keeping up with our Game Update notes, you know we've been refining the Happiness system over the last several updates. After changes to Appeal, Settlement Limits, local Happiness effects, and Specialists, this update introduces the next major step in that work: updates to Governments and Celebrations, along with new local Happiness stages that add more depth to how your Settlements feel about your rule.

Happiness Stages

The answer to “is my Settlement happy?” is no longer a yes or no question. Each Settlement’s local Happiness can now come in five stages: Ecstatic, Joyous, Happy, Unhappy, and Angry. These stages don’t have effects on their own, but will have direct impacts on game elements like the new Government abilities (see below). Here are the values for each stage of Happiness across the Ages:

• Ecstatic: 40+ Happiness per Age
• Joyous: 20-39 Happiness per Age
• Happy: 0-19 Happiness per Age 
• Unhappy: -19 to -1 Happiness (not per Age)
• Angry: -20 Happiness or lower (not per Age)

To really reach those higher levels, focus on maximizing your empire's Happiness by settling near fresh water, improving Resources, constructing Happiness Buildings, and stationing experienced Army Commanders in your Cities!

Governments

Next up, Government choices have more impact now! Previously, your Government choice mainly determined which two Celebration options you could choose from when you earned a Celebration. These Celebrations provided large Yield boosts, but they could also be a little unexciting. Players weren’t getting the flavor of Despotism, just a 20% boost to Science. 

Now, every Government comes with a passive ability that takes effect as soon as you adopt it, while still providing two Celebration options when you earn them. We've also reworked Celebrations to better reflect the goals and strengths of each Government type.

Additionally, each Government now adds two exclusive Government Traditions in the Civics Tree that are only available if you choose that Government. Like civ Traditions, these can be carried forward into future Ages, allowing your political choices to leave a lasting mark on your empire.

Celebrations

Celebrations, those temporary empire-wide bonuses you earn by keeping your people happy, have also seen some changes. We noticed that many players were spending most of the Age in Celebrations, even when ignoring Happiness gameplay. With no tension about earning and staying in Celebrations, effects that lengthened Celebrations were much less interesting. We want there to be some tension between triggering and staying in Celebrations, so with 1.4.1, you’ll find that Celebrations are slightly harder to earn and have been shortened - from 10 turns on Standard speed to 6. 

We’ll be keeping a close eye on how these changes feel, so keep letting us know how it feels to play! 

Crisis Changes

We've heard the feedback that players want deeper and more impactful Crises in Civilization VII, and we want to start by confirming that we do too! This includes the previously teased Collapse Mode, a more challenging alternative to Regroup during Age Transitions. We're not ready to share details or timing just yet, but it's an area we're actively discussing in the design room. In the meantime, we're making a smaller change as we continue to evaluate the future of the Crisis system.

The original goal of Crises was to create an escalating challenge at the end of each Age and help Age Transitions feel like meaningful moments in your empire's story. With major updates like Test of Time and broader system changes such as the Government rework, we've found that some existing Crises no longer fit as cleanly within our current design.

While we generally prefer improving content over removing it, one Crisis in particular was creating more friction than meaningful gameplay: the Revolutions Crisis from the Exploration Age. The Crisis's conclusion required players to select a temporary Government, which no longer aligns with our Governments changes above. As a result, Revolutions will no longer appear in the Exploration Age or be available as a toggleable Crisis in Advanced Setup.

This is not the final word on Crises, but it is a step toward ensuring the system remains compatible with the direction we're taking other core mechanics. We're exploring ways to make Crises more dynamic, thematic, and engaging in the future, so stay tuned!

Content Collection: Brush and Blade Part 1*

Alongside Update 1.4.1, we also wanted to introduce some fresh flavor to the roster. Launching right alongside the free update is the first part of a new paid content collection: Brush and Blade*. This collection journeys deep into the history of East Asia, exploring the delicate, beautiful balance between refined high art and legendary warfare. 

Part One Includes:

• New Leader: Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
• New Civilizations: Heian Japan and Sengoku Japan.
• More Goodies: Four powerful new Wonders to construct and exclusive profile customization rewards.

How the collection works:

The full Brush and Blade Collection will be available for purchase with this update. Buying it gives you immediate access to Part 1. It also secures your copy of Part 2, which will arrive in a free update later this summer, introducing the legendary admiral Yi Sun-sin alongside the Goryeo and Joseon civs. Try out Hideyoshi with these two civs in their Apex Age, or pick one civ to lead throughout your entire campaign -- the choice is yours!

Leaders

NEW leader: Toyotomi Hideyoshi**

The second of Japan’s "Great Unifiers," Toyotomi Hideyoshi brought Japan under one rule in the chaos of the Sengoku period. Beginning his career as a lowly footsoldier, Hideyoshi rose to become one of Oda Nobunaga’s most trusted retainers and a fearless warrior, as well as a patron of the arts. Upon Nobunaga’s betrayal and death, Hideyoshi avenged his former lord and continued the work of conquest, extending his sights out to the Korean peninsula and beyond.

• Attributes: Militaristic, Cultural
• Unique Ability - Great Unifier: Land Units deal increased damage when attacking opposing civilizations' Units, but take increased damage from opposing civilizations' Units when defending. Your Units heal additional HP while on a Culture Building or Wonder. Increased Production towards Culture Buildings, increased further in Cities not founded by you.
• Agenda - Kampaku: Increase Relationship with civilizations that have a minimum amount of Land Units and overall Culture yield. Decrease Relationship with civilizations that don't meet these minimums.

Check out the full Game Guide for Hideyoshi here.

Civilizations

NEW civilization: Heian Japan**

By the light of the moon, in carefully cultivated gardens and elaborate villas, the poets of Heian Japan wrote their tales. The Heian period begins with the establishment of Heian-kyo (today Kyoto) in 794 CE, and marks the last era of classical Japanese history. It was a time of refinement, when men and especially women of the court cultivated literature into a high art; it was also a time of rural neglect and decay, when the countryside grew increasingly restless, riven with tensions between ambitious clans. This tension was to erupt in a revolt in the early 12th century, and the subsequent rise of the shogunates that were to dominate Japanese history for centuries afterward.

• Apex Age: Antiquity
• Attributes: Cultural, Diplomatic
• Unique Ability - Pure Land: 
  • Tier 1, Antiquity Age (Apex): Increased Culture on Improvements on Breathtaking tiles.
  • Tier 2, Exploration Age: Further increased Culture on Improvements on Breathtaking tiles.
  • Tier 3, Modern Age: Further increased Culture on Improvements on Breathtaking tiles. Cities receive a set amount of Tourism per Breathtaking tile once they contain a minimum number of them.
• Unique Civilian Unit - Shijin (Great Person): Great Person. Trainable in Settlements with a Jinja (Heian Unique Infrastructure)
• Unique Military Unit - Yumi (Unique Ranged Unit): Increased Movement. Increased Combat Strength if this Unit has not moved this turn.
• Associated Wonder - Hoo-Do: Wonders provide increased Appeal to adjacent tiles. Breathtaking tiles receive increased Production, increased Culture, and increased Happiness in this Settlement. Must be placed on Flat terrain adjacent to a River. Heian Japan receives increased Production toward constructing this Wonder.

Check out the full Game Guide for Heian Japan here.

NEW civilization: Sengoku Japan**

The Sengoku period was a war of all against all, when fortunes of samurai and daimyo were made and lost, and the source of many of the classic tales of feudal Japan. Beginning in the late 15th century and as feudal power grew, regional lords and clan leaders fought over control of the imperial throne, using European guns, ninja clans, temple armies. The period featured such figures as Hattori Hanzo, Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu. Ieyasu, securing the shogunate in 1603, ended the conflict, and established a centuries-long peace.

• Apex Age: Exploration
• Attributes: Diplomatic, Militaristic
• Unique Ability - Shogunate: 
  • Tier 1, Antiquity Age: Increased Culture and Science per point of Army Commander XP earned. Culture Buildings no longer receive Adjacencies with Mountains; Science Buildings no longer receive Adjacencies with Resources.
  • Tier 2, Exploration Age (Apex): Further increased Culture and Science, and increased Influence per point of Army Commander XP earned. Culture Buildings no longer receive Adjacencies with Mountains; Science Buildings no longer receive Adjacencies with Resources.
  • Tier 3, Modern Age: Even further increased Culture and Science, and further increased Influence per point of Army Commander XP earned. Culture Buildings no longer receive Adjacencies with Mountains; Science Buildings no longer receive Adjacencies with Resources.
• Unique Civilian Unit - Shinobi: Has a set number of charges to use the Sabotage Action, which forces an Army Commander to respawn. Has the Stealth Ability. Military Units on the same tile can use the Disperse Shinobi Clan Action to remove these Units.
• Unique Military Unit - Samurai (Unique Infantry Unit): Has increased Combat Strength. Does not unlock further tiers in the Technology Tree. By defeating set numbers of Units, this Unit automatically upgrades to a second and third tier.
• Associated Wonder - Himeji Castle: Increased Culture to Fortified Districts in this Settlement. Increased Combat Strength to Fortified Districts in all Settlements. Acts as a Fortified District that must be Conquered. Must be placed on Rough Terrain. Sengoku Japan receives increased Production toward constructing this Wonder.

Check out the full Game Guide for Sengoku Japan here.

Wonders

• Natural Wonder - Seongsan Ilchulbong: Increased Happiness (scales by Age). Increased Production towards Cavalry Units if Seongsan Ilchulbong is in the territory of at least 1 of your Settlements.
• Natural Wonder - Nachi Falls: Increased Culture (scales by Age). Can purchase 2 Happiness Buildings for free each Age if Nachi Falls is in the territory of at least 1 of your Settlements. 
• Antiquity Age Wonder - Mireuksa: Increased Happiness. Increased Culture and Production to all Districts that have an Antiquity building and at least 1 Happiness in this Settlement.
• Modern Age Wonder - Nirayama Reverberatory Furnace: Increased Production. Increased Science on Mines in this Settlement, further increased if the Mines are on Resources in this Settlement.

A note on ensuring DLC appears on console: 

Some console players will update Civilization VII with this update, and then may not see the DLC that was already purchased. Rest assured the content is still there, and there's no need to send your scouts out to find them. Instead, we have a simple set of steps for each platform that should bring them right back. Check out the steps here.

*Base game required. DLC released in two installments through July 2026, each delivered automatically in-game on release. Exact release dates subject to change. Terms apply.

(★ = Community Influenced Item)

Gameplay

Age Transition

• (★) Increased the number of boats kept on Age Transition when using the Regroup setting. In addition to any boats you retain with Fleet Commanders, you will keep 1 additional boat for each Harbor in your empire.

Environment

• (★) The amount of population buildings in Antiquity and some Exploration civs has been reduced to help reduce noise and be more historically and culturally appropriate (for example, the Inca’s buildings are more spread out than Spain’s in the Exploration Age).
• City layouts have been updated to display more progression throughout the Ages; Antiquity layouts are more haphazard, while Exploration and Modern are more structured and gridlike.
• Addressed visual issues when blending terrain textures.

Economy

• Happiness now has stages at the local level, and each stage of Happiness is important for certain Governments, as well as other effects. Values for each stage scale up by Age. The Happiness stages are:
  • Ecstatic: 40+ Happiness per Age
  • Joyous: 20-39 Happiness per Age
  • Happy: 0-19 Happiness per Age 
  • Unhappy: -19 to -1 Happiness (not per Age)
  • Angry: -20 Happiness or lower (not per Age)

Governments

• Governments have been updated to include a passive effect, two Celebration options, and two new Traditions available via the Civics Tree based on the choice of Government (Previously: two Celebration options only). The passive effect is always active once you choose a Government, and the Traditions must be unlocked to be used and retained in the next Age. Traditions from Governments you have not chosen will not appear on the Civics Tree. 
  • No changes have been made to when a Government is selected, or what Governments are available.
  • Dev Note: We’ve spread some of the power of Governments across their passives, Celebrations, and Traditions. Some Governments might lean heavier into maximizing their passives while others will require getting more Celebrations or Tradition slots. This continues our efforts in enabling asymmetric or highly directional gameplay, and we’re keeping a close eye on your feedback.
• Government Details: Anything without a (Previously:...) section is new.
  • Antiquity:
    • Classical Republic: 
      • Passive: +1 Culture in Happy or happier Settlements. +4 additional Culture in Joyous or happier Cities.
      • Celebration Option 1: +100 Influence immediately. Scales by Game Speed. (Previously: +20% Culture during the Celebration)
      • Celebration Option 2: +10% Production towards Wonders, or +20% in Joyous or happier Cities during the Celebration. (Previously: +15% Production towards Wonders during the Celebration)
      • Yaxche Tradition: +2 Happiness on Wonders. Unlocked on Citizenship.
      • Poieisis Tradition: +1 Culture on displayed Great Works in Joyous Settlements, or +2 in Ecstatic Settlements. Unlocked on Philosophy.
    • Despotism: 
      • Passive: +2 Science for each conquered Settlement. Unhappiness causes -3% reduction in Yields in your Settlements per point of negative Happiness (usually -5%).
      • Celebration Option 1: +1 Science on Production and Production Warehouse Buildings during the Celebration. (Previously: +20% Science during the Celebration)
      • Celebration Option 2: +10% Gold towards Producing and Purchasing Military Units during the Celebration. (Previously: +30% Production towards Infantry Units during the Celebration)
      • Commanderies Tradition: +20% Gold towards upgrading Units. Unlocked on Tactics.
      • Fajia Tradition: +1 War Support on Wars you Declare. Unlocked on Organized Military.
    • Oligarchy: 
      • Passive: +10% Production towards Buildings. +10% Gold towards purchasing Warehouses in Fishing and Farming Towns.
      • Celebration Option 1: +1 Food in Towns for each Connected Settlement during the Celebration. (Previously: +20% Food during the Celebration)
      • Celebration Option 2: +200 Gold immediately. Scales by Game Speed. (Previously: +30% Production towards Buildings during the Celebration)
      • Annona Tradition: +1 Food on Food Warehouse Buildings in Happy Settlements, or +2 in Joyous or happier Settlements. Unlocked on Public Life.
      • Hangjiao Tradition: +1 Production on Production Warehouse Buildings in Happy Settlements, or +2 in Joyous or happier Settlements. Unlocked on Skilled Trades.
  • Exploration:
    • Feudal Monarchy:
      • Passive: +10% Production towards training Units and constructing Walls.
      • Celebration Option 1: +3 Combat Strength for Military Units during the Celebration. (Previously: +20% Food during the Celebration)
      • Celebration Option 2: Your highest-level Commander gets a free Promotion. (Previously: +30% Production towards Cavalry and Naval units during the Celebration)
      • Marcher Lords Tradition: +2 Culture in Towns without a Growing Focus, or +4 in Joyous or happier Towns without a Growing Focus. Unlocked on Society.
      • Mahakrung Tradition: Your Capital gets +5 Culture, Production, and Gold, or +15 Culture, Production, and Gold if it's Ecstatic. Unlocked on Sovereignty.
    • Plutocracy: 
      • Passive: +20% Production towards Overbuilding.
      • Celebration Option 1: Specialists get -2 Food and Happiness Maintenance during the Celebration. (Previously: +20% Gold during the Celebration)
      • Celebration Option 2: +600 Gold immediately. Scales by Game Speed. (Previously: +30% Production towards Overbuilding during the Celebration)
      • Primitive Accumulation Tradition: +2 Science on Gold Buildings. +20% Production towards constructing Gold Buildings. Unlocked on Mercantilism.
      • Tequitl Tradition 2: +10 Trade Range. +2 Science on Trade Routes you initiate. Unlocked on Imperialism.
    • Theocracy: 
      • Passive: +20% Production and Gold towards constructing or purchasing Temples and Missionaries.
      • Celebration Option 1: Receive a free Relic immediately. +1 Culture and Happiness on displayed Relics during the Celebration. (Previously: +20% Culture during the Celebration)
      • Celebration Option 2: +1 Gold and Influence on displayed Relics during the Celebration. (Previously: +40% Production towards Civilian and Support Units during the Celebration)
      • Dargah Tradition: Towns following your Religion get +2 Food and Happiness. Unlocked on Theocracy.
      • Vinaya Tradition: Cities following your Religion get +2 Gold and Influence. Unlocked on Theocracy.
  • Modern:
    • Authoritarianism: 
      • Passive: +3 Food and Gold in Settlements you have conquered in this Age. Unhappiness causes -3% reduction in Yields in your Settlements per point of Unhappiness (usually -5%). 
      • Celebration Option 1: +20% Production towards training Military Units during the Celebration. (Previously: +30%)
      • Celebration Option 2: +2 War Support on Wars you Declare during the Celebration. (Previously: +3 Combat Strength for all Units during the Celebration)
      • Garrison State Tradition: +25% Influence towards adding War Support. Unlocked on Nationalism.
      • Jingoism Tradition: +5 Combat Strength for all Military Units when attacking an opponent from a different ideology. Unlocked on Militarism.
    • Bureaucratic Monarchy: 
      • Passive: +5% Gold towards Purchasing Buildings in Cities, or +10% in Joyous or happier Cities.
      • Celebration Option 1: +20% Influence towards all Diplomatic Actions during the Celebration. (Previously: +20% Gold during the Celebration)
      • Celebration Option 2: +1000 Gold immediately. Scales by Game Speed. (Previously: +30% Relationship change from Endeavors and Sanctions during the Celebration)
      • Evidenzbureau Tradition: +100% Influence towards Counterspy Espionage Actions. Unlocked on Political Theory.
      • Crown Properties Tradition: +2 Influence on Gold Buildings. Unlocked on Globalism.
    • Elective Republic: 
      • Passive: Specialists get +1 Science and Culture, and +1 Happiness maintenance.
      • Celebration Option 1: +1 Culture on Quarters in Happy Settlements, or +2 in Joyous Settlements, or +3 in Ecstatic Settlements during the Celebration. (Previously: +20% Culture during the Celebration)
      • Celebration Option 2: +1000 Science immediately. Scales by Game Speed. (Previously: +20% Science during the Celebration)
      • Think-Tanks Tradition: +10% Production towards Projects, or 20% in the Capital. Unlocked on Globalism.
      • Army Corps of Engineers Tradition: +10% Production towards Wonders, or +20% in the Capital. Unlocked on Nationalism.
  • Mexico:
    • Dev Note: We want a powerful Government that rewards strong Happiness gameplay to be Mexico’s gameplay identity. A new shape of Governments means recalibrating to make sure Mexico’s unique gameplay feels rewarding. If we find that this set of changes doesn’t reflect that, we will buff Mexico.
    • All Ages:
      • Passive: +2 Happiness (per Age) in the Cities for each Tradition slotted into the Government.
      • Default Celebration Option: +2 Culture in Happy Settlements, or +6 in Joyous Settlements, or +10 in Ecstatic Settlements during the Celebration. (Previously: +30% Culture during the Celebration)
    • Antiquity: 
      • Unlocked Celebration Option: +3 Food in every Joyous or happier Settlement during the Celebration. (Previously: +50% Growth Rate in the Capital during the Celebration)
      • Muralismo I Tradition: +2 Happiness in all Settlements
    • Exploration:
      • Unlocked Celebration Option: +100% Production towards training and Gold towards purchasing Missionaries and +2 Charges and Movement for Missionaries during the Celebration. (unchanged)
      • Muralismo II Tradition: +4 Happiness in all Settlements
    • Modern: 
      • Unlocked Celebration Option 1: Gain one free Infantry Unit in each City immediately. (Previously: +40% Production towards Military Units during the Celebration)
      • Unlocked Celebration Option 2: +2 Influence in every Joyous or happier Settlement during the Celebration. (Previously: +50% Influence towards initiating Diplomatic Actions during the Celebration)
      • Unlocked Celebration Option 3: +3 Science in every Joyous or happier Settlement during the Celebration. (Previously: +30% Science during the Celebration)
      • Muralismo III Tradition: +6 Happiness in all Settlements

Miscellaneous

• Added a new map type, Archipelago, and renamed the previous Archipelago map to Archipelago Hemispheres. 
• Celebration length is reduced from 10 turns to 6 turns on Standard speed and their costs have been increased. 
  • Dev Note: We made this change to better pace the gain of Social Policy slots. Permanent Celebrations are still possible (and may require Celebration-lengthening effects), but are way harder to achieve and largely reserved for leaders and civs like Jose Rizal, Charlemagne, Maurya India, and Mexico that lean into Celebrations as a core mechanic. 
• Addressed a reported issue where Hussar/Cossack Units were unable to be produced when selected as a Syncretism Choice during the Modern Age. 
• Addressed a reported issue where Corsairs were unable to be purchased after researching Shipbuilding.
• Machu Pikchu now functions correctly in conquered Settlements.
• The Focus Fire Action function should now work correctly against enemy Units that were discovered during the same turn.
• Library of Ashurbanipal Dedication should now properly provide a Relic slot to Science Buildings for newly built Cities, and apply in Distant Lands.
• The Partisan Unit from the Military City-State Suzerain bonus is now buildable after researching Industrialization.
• Addressed reported issues with unlocked Dedications sometimes missing after Age Transition.

Multiplayer

• Added new Hotseat multiplayer mode. 
• Improved performance and stability for cross-platform multiplayer games.

Leaders & Civs

Leaders

• Added new DLC leader Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

Civs

• Added new DLC Antiquity Age civ Heian Japan. 
• Added new DLC Exploration Age civ Sengoku Japan. 

UI

Alignment & Spacing

• Text and descriptions on Dedication cards are now properly centered on the Triumphs Screen.
• Adjusted tile tooltips so they are properly offset and no longer block the view of the tile itself.

Controller-Specific

• Resources in the "Empire" and "Treasure" tabs of the Commerce Screen now properly display a visual selection highlight.
• Switching tabs in the Commerce menu now properly exits Settlement edit mode.
• Players can now properly close filters in the Commerce menu.
• The "Just One More Turn" option no longer appears if you choose to retire or are eliminated. 
• The controller cursor no longer gets stuck on the filter after closing it in the Commerce menu.
• The "Inspect" button prompt now properly appears on tooltips for Unassigned Resources in the Commerce menu.
• Addressed a reported issue where tile tooltips could get stuck on the screen after panning away from them.
• Pressing right on the D-pad immediately after opening the Tech or Civic chooser no longer causes the game to crash.
• The controller cursor now properly returns to the Diplomacy menu after backing out of the "Incite Raid" target menu. 
• Opening the Syncretism Options menu while viewing a tooltip in the Civic Tree no longer locks the controller cursor.

General

• (★) The City Details panel saw a major revamp, now displaying which settlements a City is connected to. The panel also now displays how much Food would be sent to each listed City if you were to set a Town Focus.
  • Dev Note: For screens where the height resolution is greater than 768px, the number of connected Settlements is also displayed on the Town Focus section.
• City-States in the Minor Powers tab will now display which bonus was picked.
• Independent Powers in the Minor Powers tab now display which leaders are befriending them, and whether those leaders are ahead of you for Suzerainty. 
• Unfinished Unique Quarters will now highlight during placement of the second Unique Building.
• The "No More Turns" option during "Just One More Turn" mode now appears and functions correctly.
• Added a 1600p UI scaling option for Mac displays.
• Resource and Yield icons on the map will now scale up when changing the UI Scaling Adjustment setting.
• The camera will now pan to your Units when taking damage from any source when Auto Pan to Combat is enabled.
• Addressed reported issues during the endgame transition where controller or mouse input could break menus, hide the cursor, or accidentally close the Victory screen before choosing "Just One More Turn”.
• Addressed a reported issue where a non-functional "Just One More Turn" button could appear during a multiplayer Victory.
• Addressed a reported issue where clicking on certain Mementos while playing in German could cause a crash.
• Made various stability improvements on systems with integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics.

Text Changes

• Addressed several reported issues affecting localized text. 

Tooltips

• The Victory Tier tooltip now properly appears on the Victory summary screen. 
• Addressed a reported issue where plot tooltips could disappear.

Narrative

• Addressed an issue with the "The End of Hellas" narrative event, among other bug fixes.
• Added several storylets for Time-Tested civs,.
  • Dev Note: With 1.4.1, every civ is now included! We wanted to make sure that each civ had an attribute granting event in every Age.
• Added new randomization capabilities in Narrative event options alongside Brush and Blade DLC, and updated a few existing stories to use a basic form of this, with plans to use more in the future. During events with randomization, you will get the same story, but the options will be presented differently. The basic form will randomize the order of the options -- no memorizing the location of the good choice! In the more advanced form, options can be grouped together, and only one of them will be presented to the player.
  • Dev Note for Modders: We’ve got a few technical tips to help out modders with this change: 
    • Setting the flag on the parent story in the NarrativeStories will indicate that the options/links should be randomized. At a base case this randomizes the presentation order.
    • In the NarrativeStory_Links you can use the Priority field to group options, only one of which will be presented to the player. For example if you have story “TEST_A” with options “TEST_B”, TEST_C”, “TEST_D”, “TEST_E” you could assign priority 0 to b and c, and priority 1 to D and E. This will randomly give the player one of B or C and one of D or E, and they will be presented in a random order.

Audio

• Added 1 new Antiquity Age ambient peace theme and 1 alternate mix variation.
• Made SFX improvements to various Resources.
• Improved volume balancing on Wonder voiceovers.
• Addressed a reported issue where leader sound effects could persist when all audio channels are muted.
• Addressed several miscellaneous audio bugs.

Platform-Specific

Windows

• Updated to Intel XeSS 3.0.

Switch / Switch 2 

• Improved game stability on Switch 2.
• Improved sea textures on discovered tiles. 
• Addressed a reported issue where Alexander's hair model could render at a lower quality during gameplay.

PlayStation

• Reduced Age Transition loading time on PS4. 

Xbox

• Reduced Age Transition loading time on Xbox One.

*Base game required. DLC released in two installments through July 2026, each delivered automatically in-game on release. Exact release dates subject to change. Terms apply.

**This content is also included with the Brush and Blade Collection DLC Bundle. If you own the Brush and Blade Collection, then you already own this content. DLC released in two installments through July 2026, each delivered automatically in-game on release. Exact release dates subject to change. Terms apply.

We’re rolling out a patch today to address a few reported issues following our recent Update 1.4.0 release (also called the Test of Time update). This patch focuses on smoothing out controller navigation, fixing a couple of specific crashes, and making sure the endgame screens behave themselves, among a few other fixes. 

A note for Switch players: This patch will be coming at a later date than May 28. Thank you for hanging in with us while we work to get this patch through the additional Switch submission requirements. In the meantime, the current console-compatible Switch version remains available with full crossplay support with Steam (instructions on how to access here).

Before you jump in, we have an important note for PC players regarding mods:

We’ve noticed a lot of players running into stability issues without realizing they have broken or outdated mods active. To help get everyone on a clean slate, this patch will do a one-time reset to disable all active mods. 

We highly recommend giving our amazing modding community a little time to update their work for 1.4.0 before you go toggling things back on manually.

Using a mod that has already been updated and is stable in Test of Time? You can simply re-enable these mods a single time by navigating to "Add-ons" in the Main Menu. Browse your list of installed mods and toggle on the ones you want to play with. 

Additionally, we also recommend ensuring your graphics drivers are up-to-date and to double check our Minimum System Requirements for the best experience with Update 1.4.0. 

Thank you to our players and mod creators for their patience. Check out the full patch notes below!

Patch Notes

• The Victory Tier tooltip now properly appears on the Victory summary screen. 
• The "No More Turns" option during "Just One More Turn" mode now appears and functions correctly.
• Text and descriptions on Dedication cards are now properly centered on the Triumphs Screen.
• Toggling tutorials during the quest "A New Home" no longer causes the Turn Blocker to disappear. 
• Added a 1600p UI scaling option for Mac displays.
• Resource and Yield icons on the map will now scale up when changing the UI Scaling Adjustment setting.
• Addressed visual issues when blending terrain textures.
• Addressed reported issues during the endgame transition where controller or mouse input could break menus, hide the cursor, or accidentally close the Victory screen before choosing "Just One More Turn”.
• [MP] Addressed a reported issue where a non-functional "Just One More Turn" button could appear during a multiplayer Victory.
• Addressed several reported issues affecting localized text. 
• Addressed an issue with the "The End of Hellas" narrative event. 
• Addressed a reported issue where clicking on certain Mementos while playing in German could cause the game to crash.
• [Switch] Addressed a reported issue where Alexander's hair model could render at a lower quality during gameplay.

Controller-Specific

• Resources in the "Empire" and "Treasure" tabs of the Commerce Screen now properly display a visual selection highlight.
• The opening tutorial can now be skipped.
• Switching tabs in the Commerce menu now properly exits Settlement edit mode.
• Players can now properly close filters in the Commerce menu.
• The "Just One More Turn" option no longer appears if you choose to retire or are eliminated. 
• The controller cursor no longer gets stuck on the filter after closing it in the Commerce menu.
• The "Inspect" button prompt now properly appears on tooltips for Unassigned Resources in the Commerce menu.
• Addressed a reported issue where tile tooltips could get stuck on the screen after panning away from them.
• Adjusted tile tooltips so they are properly offset and no longer block the view of the tile itself.
• Pressing the right D-pad immediately after opening the Tech or Civic chooser no longer causes the game to crash.
• The controller cursor now properly returns to the Diplomacy menu after backing out of the "Incite Raid" target menu. 
• Opening the Syncretism Options menu while viewing a tooltip in the Civic Tree no longer locks the controller cursor.

If you’re still running into issues after this patch, please let us know through our Support portal.