Patch NotesSid Meier's Civilization VII
Civilization VII update 1.5.1 adds Liberation, Unit List, Map Search and two new maps
Civ 7 update 1.5.1 is rolling out with Liberation, Unit List and Map Search panels, Randomized Earth and Donut maps, and a Great People rework.
Firaxis says Sid Meier’s Civilization VII update 1.5.1 is rolling out to all platforms, with a new Liberation option in diplomacy, two handy UI panels, two new map types and a rework of how you get Great People. It was posted on 10 November 2026 US time.
Before you jump in
The update resets and disables all active mods. Firaxis suggests giving mod makers a little time to update, then re-enabling the ones you want from “Add-ons” in the Main Menu.
Some new abilities or effects may not show up in existing saves, so a new game gives the best experience. On Steam, you can finish a current save on the previous version through the “legacy” beta branch (right-click the game, then Properties, then Betas).
Liberation
When you conquer a Settlement or get one through a Peace Deal, you now have a third choice beside Keep or Raze: Liberate. If another major civ originally founded it (not the one you’re at war with), you can hand it back and earn a little diplomatic boost with them.
If it was once a City-State you were Suzerain of, you can liberate it back as a City-State and reactivate your old bonus.
Unit List and Map Search
Both panels sit at the top of your minimap. On controller, Unit List is in the Radial Menu.
- Unit List: search and sort your Units, see health, movement and Unit Tier, and issue Sleep, Alert and Upgrade commands. Handy on Huge maps.
- Map Search: search the visible map for tiles, Units, Buildings and more, with a second bar to filter things out.
New maps
- Randomized Earth: an Earth-like map with Resources, Rivers, Wonders and more randomised. You can pick your civ’s True Start Location or a random start. TSL Earth also gets a random start option.
- Donut: a Pangaea-style landmass on a square map with an inner and outer ocean, each with Distant Land islands.
Map types in game setup are now sorted into collapsible categories.
Great People rework
Great People are gone from Production queues. Each civ now has unique unlock conditions, and meeting one gets you a Great Person automatically. As an Abbasid player, for example, placing a Specialist in an Abbasid Unique Quarter earns the Alim.
Other changes
- Players can now pause multiplayer games with turn timers on, using the ‘[’ hotkey or the game menu.
- New “Discovery” filter lets you use the Scout Lens without the Scout.
- Game Year progression has been recalibrated, including slower time during an Age-ending Crisis.
- New “Toggle Details” hotkey, bound to Tab by default.
- District Health now appears in Plot Tooltips.
- Fixes cover narrative storylets, controller navigation, text overlaps and audio.
