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Sid Meier's Civilization VII
Sid Meier's Civilization VII
Sep 9, 2026
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From the Devs: True Start Location Earth Map

3/5 Moderate

PREVIEWCivilization VII introduces the True Start Location (TSL) Earth map, featuring a Huge-scale layout with Navigable Rivers and a new magnification system for island civilizations.

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Key Changes

  • 1New True Start Location (TSL) Earth map added for Huge size games
  • 2Navigable Rivers (Nile, Amazon, Yangtze, Mississippi) integrated into the map
  • 3New 'Clash Logic' system moves overlapping civilizations to unused TSL spots
  • 4Island regions like the UK and Japan magnified for better Antiquity Age starts
  • 5Advanced Starts are disabled, forcing an Antiquity Age beginning
  • 67 Natural Wonders are randomly selected per game but appear in their real-world spots
  • 7Resources are hand-placed and guaranteed to appear in every session
  • 8Map truncated at the poles to increase playable space in central regions
  • 9Historic lakes (Chad, Texcoco) restored to their ancient, larger sizes
  • 10Support confirmed for PC, Mac, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2

All Changes

🗺️Maps(5)

  • newTSL Earth: New True Start Location (TSL) Earth map added to the game
  • changeTSL Earth: TSL Earth map is restricted to 'Huge' size only to ensure fidelity and performance
  • changeTSL Earth: Truncated the northern Tundra and southern Ocean areas to provide more playable space in central landmasses
  • changeIslands: Magnified the scale of island regions including Hawaii, Japan, and the UK to support viable Antiquity Age starts
  • changeContinents: Designated the Americas, Africa & Eurasia, and Oceania as Distant Lands, preventing ocean crossing until the Exploration Age

⚙️Gameplay Systems(3)

  • newStart Locations: Implemented 'Clash Logic' that shuffles civilizations to unused TSL spots if they start within 3 tiles of each other
  • removeAdvanced Starts: Advanced Starts are disabled for the TSL Earth map; all games must begin in the Antiquity Age
  • changeStart Locations: Human players in single-player games are guaranteed to never be moved from their TSL spot by Clash Logic

🌍World Features(5)

  • newNavigable Rivers: Integrated Navigable Rivers for major waterways including the Nile, Amazon, Yangtze, and Mississippi
  • changeRivers: Converted smaller rivers that didn't meet the navigable threshold into 'Wet tiles'
  • changeLakes: Restored Lake Chad and Lake Texcoco to their larger, historic ancient states
  • changeNatural Wonders: Natural Wonders are now randomly selected (7 per game) but will always appear in their specific TSL locations
  • newBiomes: Utilized the new Tropical biome for detailed representation of South America and India

💎Resources(2)

  • changeResources: All resources are hand-placed based on real-world locations and are guaranteed to appear in every game
  • changeResources: Restricted specific resources like Llamas and Quinine to South America and Wine to France

💻Technical(2)

  • newPlatforms: Confirmed TSL Earth availability for PC, Mac, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2
  • changeDevelopment Tools: Improved internal world-builder tools to allow for elevation setting and river naming

Summary

The TSL Earth Experience

Firaxis has revealed the True Start Location (TSL) Earth map for Civilization VII, built from the ground up to support the game's new systems. The map features three distinct landmasses (Americas, Africa & Eurasia, and Oceania) designated as Distant Lands, requiring players to reach the Exploration Age before crossing oceans.

Map Design and Scale

The map is exclusively available in "Huge" size to maintain fidelity. To optimize gameplay, the developers have truncated the northern Tundra and southern Ocean, freeing up space for more open central regions like Europe, Persia, China, and North America. Additionally, island regions such as the UK and Japan have been "magnified" to a larger scale to ensure viable starts during the Antiquity Age.

New Gameplay Mechanics

A new "Clash Logic" system prevents cramped starts; if multiple civilizations with the same starting region (like Korea) are in a game, one keeps the TSL spot while others are moved to unused TSL locations. The map also integrates Civ VII's new Tropical biome and Navigable Rivers, with major waterways like the Nile and Amazon providing strategic depth.

← OlderUpdate 1.4.2 Hotfix - August 13, 2026Aug 13, 2026

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