Civilization 6 has been out for almost six months now and has also received several major patches and some content DLC based—per long tradition—on new civilizations and scenarios that go with them. But the Civilization series always ends up getting its biggest pieces of new content through expansion packs, laden with half a dozen or more new civilizations and an array of game-changing new systems and features. So, when will we get one for Civilization 6? Do we have a shot at one in 2017, or should we cast our eyes further forward?

Civilization 6 Expansion Pack Release Date: Inevitable, But Not Soon

Here’s the cold, hard truth: It’s pretty unlikely that we’ll get a Civ 6 expansion pack in 2017. It’s just too soon. The team at Firaxis has been hard at work on patches and DLC, and between the two, the game has already improved substantially from its original state. But none of these additions have fundamentally changed the game; they’ve tweaked the balance, sometimes substantially (especially when it comes to warmongering penalties), but the underlying mechanics are the same as at launch.

The creation of an expansion pack is a much more substantial endeavor than a few civs worth of DLC and some AI tweaks. And it’s safe to say that a Civ 6 expansion pack is already in development… but probably in the early stages, maybe even the planning stages. The robust DLC program should tide us over for a while and chances are it isn’t over yet: We’ll still get a few more big balance patches and another civilization or two.

Civilization V came out in September 2010. Civ V: Gods & Kings debuted in June 2012, with Brave New World completing the trifecta in July 2013. Civ 6 has had a smoother launch than its predecessor, and its underlying systems are sounder, so that means we may get the first expansion a little faster—depending on the full scope of the DLC plans. If lead designer Ed Beach continues to work on the expansions, as he’s probably likely to do considering Civ 6’s strong reception, that will speed things along too. But it seems highly unlikely we’ll get an expansion inside of a year.

Civilization 6 , like every game in the series, is going to have a long lifecycle. Its predecessor came out a full six years before it, and was still going strong when the replacement came out. So be patient. There is much, much more content to come for Civilization 6—just not quite yet.