As they did during the Thanksgiving holiday, the GameTap PC game subscription service has decided to activate an update early in the week before Christmas. This week subscribers to the service's premium tier can add Civilization IV: Colonization to the games available to play for free via a monthly fee.

The game itself, released in 2008, is a kind of stand alone mod for the Firaxis-developed strategy game focusing on the colonization of the New World. Also, GameTap's free title is still Rogue Trooper. Anyone who signs on can play that Rebellion-developed action title on their free portion of the subscription service.