Status
SteamPeaks
ChartsSalesUpcomingPatchesNewsCalculator
New on SteamEvery app, DLC and depot the minute Steam creates itAppsEvery app on Steam, newest change firstPackagesSubs and bundles, and what each containsDepotsDepots, manifests and install sizesTagsSteam's user tags and the games under themDevelopers & publishersCompanies and their cataloguesTechnologiesEngines, SDKs and anti-cheat found in the filesChange historyEvery PICS changelist as it lands
SignalsNineteen readings of the whole catalogueCompareAny games side by sideRecordsAll-time peaks and the days they were setReportsWeekly and monthly write-upsAlerts & newsroomWatch a game, get told when it movesSteam statusIs Steam up, right nowWeb API explorerTry the endpoints in the browser
NewsSteam's own announcements and the sales calendarCalculatorWhat a Steam account is worth, and its pile of shame
/
Sign in
/
SteamPeaks
The ultimate resource for Steam data.
ExploreChartsSalesSales and festsUpcomingPatchesNewsRecordsTrendingSignals
DatabaseAppsPackagesDepotsTagsDevelopersTechnologiesChange history
ToolsCalculatorCompareSearchAlertsSteam statusAPI
SiteMethodologyFAQDiscordSupportSign in via Steam
Not affiliated with Valve or Steam. Game names and artwork belong to their owners. All times UTC.
PrivacyCookiesFair useStatus
Galactic Civilizations IVNewsDev Journal #123: The Galactic Roadmap - Fall 2026 Edition
Community

Dev Journal #123: The Galactic Roadmap - Fall 2026 Edition

Galactic Civilizations IV · published 17 Sep 2026, 14:30 UTC

All newsPlayers around this dateRead on Steam

We just finished version 4.1 which itself was a pretty big update with custom maps now working in multiplayer, steam workshop support for custom maps and lots of balance updates.
So what's next? I'll divide this between the free updates and next DLC, Galactic Civilizations IV: Ascension
The free updates, continuing to improve the user experience, performance, balance, and help make the existing DLCs mesh together better and better, is going to focus on these three things:

  1. New Planet UI.

  2. New Shipyard UI

  3. Redesign of Ship Design

New Planet UI

Here is a mockup. What we want is to have a multi-tab UI where the overview screen lets you still do all the main stuff you'd want to do on a given turn but lets users go into the nitty gritty about a particular planet. Mostly informational.

Even the OS/2 version from 1993 had multiple tabs for planets:

With stats and everything. We want to make the planets more immersive. This is largely cosmetic (i.e. we're not looking to add micromanagement to the screen just provide more ways of making better decisions).

New Shipyard

The shipyard would become one of the tabs on the planet. Clicking on a shipyard would take you two it but the goal is to make managing planets and ships more convenient.


Redesign of the Ship Designer

Right now ship design falls into a gap I think between it being too simple for the serious ship makers but also too complicated for users who just want to configure up a ship.

It's the ship designer that is our biggest focus because I think it's one of the most distinctive features of the game.

When?

Month

Version

Details

October

4.2

General balance pass across the road, performance boosting, better map setup controls

November

4.3

Ship Designer Update

December

DLC: Ascension

Uplift those Minor races

More to come!

More from Galactic Civilizations IV

Other announcements

All news
Community4 Sep 2026v4.1 Update Now AvailableGalactic Civilizations IV v4.1 Now Available The v4.1 update for Galactic Civilizations IV is available now on Steam, Epic, and galciv4.com . The big change is that custom maps now support the Steam Workshop and multiplayer. On the engine side, we've improved stability, fixed a number of crashes and multiplayer desyncs, and sped up AI turns. On the game side, there is a large pass of UI polish…Community12 Aug 2026Dev Journal #122: Choosing Your Starting Government?I've been having a lot of fun with the map editor. And it's let me make some interesting maps as well as find things to improve on it (looking at you default star names!) And while playing the game with the new Federations & Empires expansion I have come to realize that I would really prefer NOT to be forced to play as the Colonial Charter at the start of the game. I want to be able to start (i…Community31 Jul 2026Video Blog: A Look at the v4.0 Updatev4.0 for Galactic Civilizations IV has been released, adding a long requested map generator, enhanced economic systems and increased roles for leaders, and accompanies the release of the new Federations & Empires DLC.