Anno 117: Pax Romana is free to play this weekend, and Ubisoft revealed its Year 1 DLC roadmap

Ubisoft is offering a free play period for Anno 117: Pax Romana from February 26 through March 2. The game puts you in the role of a newly appointed Roman governor tasked with building the empire's next great city – managing production chains, researching technologies, patronizing deities, and raising monuments to rival Rome itself. Diplomacy or military force, the choice is yours, and the campaign eventually takes you to the Celtic marshes of Albion, where you must decide whether to preserve local cultural traditions or impose Roman rule on your new settlement.

To celebrate the free weekend and tease what's coming, Ubisoft released a live-action trailer featuring actors in Roman costume gossiping about volcanoes, hippodromes, and the Nile delta.

The game launched just a few weeks ago, but Ubisoft already has an extensive DLC roadmap lined up for 2026. The Year 1 Pass costs €35 / $35 / £30 and covers three major expansions plus cosmetic bonuses – a structure familiar to Anno 1800 veterans, though the old "Season Pass" label has been replaced with "Year Pass."

First up in February is the Masterful Mosaic Pack, a purely cosmetic release priced at €7 (free for Year 1 Pass holders). It adds mosaic ornaments, around 20 floor tile variants, new wall sets for Romans and Celts, and alternative building skins for structures like the Forum and the Bathhouse. No new mechanics here – it's entirely focused on visual customization.

The first full expansion, Promise of the Volcano, arrives in April and takes players to Latium, the largest island ever built for an Anno game. An active volcano shapes the region's gameplay, and the god Vulcanus can help restore and exploit devastated land. Several smaller surrounding islands become available as well.

August brings The Hippodrome, which lets you construct a monumental structure inspired by the Circus Maximus. You can host chariot races to earn prestige and recruit new specialists. Ubisoft calls it one of the most impressive monuments ever built for the Anno series.

The final expansion, Awakening of the Delta, lands in November and introduces a province inspired by ancient Egypt – desert terrain meeting a fertile river delta, with new population tiers, production chains, and gods. Exclusive military units are also part of the package, and the DLC leans into the cultural tension between Roman expansion and local identity.

The Year 1 Pass also includes cosmetic items like a flagship skin and decorative coat of arms seals.

Anno 117: Pax Romana is available on PC and consoles.