• Sid Meier's Civilization 7 is getting a massive update on May 19
• It overhauls core mechanics like victories and introduces Time-Tested civs that can be played as for an entire game
• Other additions include balance changes and a free new leader

If you weren't a fan of all the ways that Sid Meier's Civilization 7 departed from the long-running strategy franchise, then developer Firaxis Games is cooking up the update for you.

The Test of Time update drops on May 19, 2026, and is a massive overhaul that seems like it's designed to address the complaints that many players had with the game. The most significant addition is the ability to play as a single civilization for an entire game.

Known as Time-Tested civs, these civilizations can use a new Syncretism mechanic to adopt unique units or infrastructure from others, or choose to strengthen their existing traits with Affirmation. Rather than replacing the existing civ-changing mechanics, which let you switch things up between ages, this will seemingly exist as an option alongside them.

Victories are being entirely reworked, too, with a new system that is intended to offer more viable paths to success. Alongside this, the legacy path system, which gave you distinct objectives to pursue in each age, is being replaced with the more dynamic Triumphs.

These challenging tasks are entirely optional and tie into the game's six attributes: Militaristic, Cultural, Scientific, Economic, Diplomatic, and Expansionist.

These big mechanical changes are being joined by a slate of new content, including a new map, updates to map generation, a selection of new narrative events, biome updates, and a wealth of balance changes, plus interface updates. Players will even be getting a new leader for free!

More information about the update is set to be released in the coming weeks, with a developer stream set to take place on May 13.

Sid Meier's Civilization 7 is available now for PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2.

Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.

Dash is an experienced tech journalist who specializes in video games, electronic entertainment products, and the wider industry that surrounds them. He currently serves as the Gaming Editor at TechRadar, leading our review, preview, feature, and news coverage of the latest and greatest releases.

Before joining the team, he was Contributing Writer at PLAY (formerly Official PlayStation Magazine UK) and has written articles for many of the UK's other biggest gaming magazines including the likes of Edge, PC Gamer, and SFX.

Now, when he's not getting his greasy little mitts on the newest hardware or gaming gadget, he can be found listening to J-pop or feverishly devouring the latest Nintendo Switch otome.