It's been almost 10 years since the last mainline entry in the Sid Meier's Civilization series, and the franchise is back with some major changes.

In today’s gaming industry, it has become a standard to have early access launches for those who have pre-ordered a specific edition of a game. The case is no different with Civ 7, which will celebrate its early access release on Feb. 5 and 6, depending on where you are in the world, a few days before the official release date.

Civilization 7 is almost here, but history doesn't arrive all at once. Civ is the latest series to offer early access for those who shelled out for pricier preorders, meaning some of us are only hours away from making Machiavelli the ruler of Han China when early access starts tonight for Deluxe or Founders Edition owners.

Though Civilization 7 is set to launch in early February, some players may be able to play Civ 7 early, depending on time zone and Edition purchased.

Civilization VII is about to release after more than a decade in development. Here’s everything you need to know about the launch schedule.