Rising Tide will expand Beyond Earth to new frontiers on the planet’s surface and across its seas, adding more choices and diplomatic options as players build “one more turn” toward a new vision for humanity’s future. New aquatic gameplay will explore the oceans for colonization by dramatically extending the play space, while an overhauled diplomacy system will provide players with additional layers of dynamic choices and options to shape the diplomatic landscape while engaging with the AI and one another.

The first gameplay for Rising Tide will be shown at E3 this June.

Players who pre-purchase the game will receive a 10% discount on their purchases. Complementing the Rising Tide pre-purchase news, players can also take advantage of the following Beyond Earth offers:

• Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth is free-to-play on Steam beginning today at 1:00 p.m. EDT and concluding Monday, August 17, 2015 at 1:00 p.m. EDT;
• Civilization: Beyond Earth – The Collection, which includes Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth, the Exoplanets Map Pack and the upcoming expansion pack, Rising Tide, will be available for purchase during the free-to-play period with an additional discount from participating digital retailers.

The Exoplanets Map Pack features six custom maps inspired by real exoplanets, including:

• Kepler 186f: This lush forest planet is one of the oldest known Earth-like planets;
• Rigil Khantoris Bb: Orbiting the closest star to our solar system, the historical records of this arid continental planet’s settlement are well-preserved;
• Tau Ceti d: This planet of seas and archipelagos features a booming biodiversity and wealth of resources;
• Mu Arae f: Tidally locked in orbit around a weak star, the southern hemisphere of this planet is a blistering desert where the sun never sets, while the northern hemisphere is perpetually in frozen darkness;
• 82 Eridani e: An alien world of scarce water and wracked by tectonic forces;
• Eta Vulpeculae b: A mysterious new discovery with unknown terrain.

New players who participate in the free-to-play weekend on Steam will have until 1:00 p.m. EDT on Monday, August 17, 2015 to purchase Civilization: Beyond Earth or the Civilization Beyond Earth: The Collection for more than 10% off, and retain their in-game progress.

Key Features:

• Building floating settlements and accessing natural resources hidden beneath the seas of the alien planet, while alien beasts with unique abilities inhabit the water and challenge players in distinctive ways;
• Shaping the diplomatic landscape by upgrading traits, changing diplomatic relationships, and leveraging the benefits of your allies, all with political capital;
• Unlocking a dynamic set of Diplomatic Traits while activating different combinations in response to the changing world;
• Playing as one of four new factions, including the Al Falah, a group of nomad explorers descended from wealthy and resilient Middle Eastern states;
• Investing in multiple Affinities to unlock hybrid Affinity units and upgrades for the first time;
• Collecting and combining alien relics via a new Artifact System that unlocks powerful benefits;
• Exploring one of two new biomes, Primordial world, an untamed biome rife with volcanic activity and indicative of a chaotic landscape still forming in the new world. 

 Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth – Rising Tide will be available for $29.99.