Sid Meier's Civilization VII
Civilization 7, Civ 7
Release Date: February 11, 2025
Strategy, economic, turn-based, 4X, sandbox, for 2 players, multiplayer, singleplayer, internet, LAN
Sid Meier’s Civilization VII is the seventh installment in the iconic series of 4X turn-based strategies, focused on leading a civilization through years of development. One of the main features in Civ7 is the civilization collapse, forcing us to change to a new one during the campaign.
Sid Meier's Civilization VII is the seventh main installment of the iconic 4X turn-based strategy series, which began in 1991. The game was developed by Firaxis Games studio, which has been overseeing the development of the series since its third installment.
Gameplay
The idea that guided the authors of Sid Meier's Civilization VII was to preserve selected elements of the sixth installment of the series, modify and improve others, and introduce a number of completely new mechanics.
The game is based on the pillars established by its predecessors, allowing us to stand at the helm of a chosen historical civilization and lead it to dominate the others. We can achieve the latter by conquering new territories, building cities and expanding existing ones, taking care of economic and technological development, as well as subordinating other civilizations (through war or using diplomacy), which are guided by goals similar to ours.
During the game, we take on the role of a leader, whom we choose for the entire game. The decision we make is important because each leader has individual abilities and brings with them specific bonuses.
Change of civilization and other new features
The gameplay in Sid Meier's Civilization VII has been divided into three eras - ancient, discovery, and modern. Each of them lasts about 150 turns, and at the end of each era our civilization falls due to various, insurmountable crises.Then we choose a new civilization that will arise from the ruins of the previous one, while retaining some of the bonuses developed by it. Importantly, the available civilizations are related to specific eras. This means it is not possible to control civilizations such as ancient Americans or the contemporary Roman Empire.
The changes introduced by the creators do not end there. We can achieve victory in four ways – militarily, economically, diplomatically and scientifically. Although there is no religious victory here, religion itself plays a significant role, especially in the era of discoveries. Moreover, leaders are not tied to specific civilizations (which can lead to surprising and quite unusual situations). The game occasionally presents us with fictionalized events, forcing us to make various decisions.
In addition to this, rivers do not only serve a decorative function (our units can sail on them, which facilitates world exploration), there are no barbarians on the map (who were a thorn in the side for many players in the sixth part), and standard units do not gain experience. The last of the mentioned changes deserves elaboration: experience is accumulated by commanders, i.e. special units. They do not participate directly in battles, but have abilities that allow them to influence the results of skirmishes, issue orders and improve the transport of units.
List of civilizations
In the base version of Sid Meier's Civilization VII, 31 playable civilizations were made available - 10 or 11 for each of the three eras.
Ancient Era
- Axum
- Han Dynasty China
- Egypt
- Greece
- Indian Mauryas
- Khmer
- Mayans
- Mississippians
- Persia
- Rome
Age of Discovery
- Abbasids
- Ming Dynasty China
- Hawaii
- Spain
- India Col
- Incas
- Majapahit
- Mongolia
- Normans
- Songhai
- Shawnee (civilization included in the DLC and made available as a pre-order bonus)
Modern Era
- America
- Buganda
- Qing Dynasty China
- French Empire
- Mughal India
- Meiji Japan
- Mexico
- Prussia
- Russia
- Siamese
List of leaders
21 leaders have been made available in Sid Meier's Civilization VII "base game".
- Amina
- Asoka
- Benjamin Franklin
- Frederick
- Harriet Tubman
- Hatshepsut
- Himiko
- Ibn Battuta
- Isabella
- Jose Rizal
- Charlemagne
- Catherine the Great
- Confucius
- Xerxes
- La Fayette
- Machiavelli
- Napoleon Bonaparte
- Octavian Augustus
- Pachacuti
- Tecumseh (leader included in the DLC and made available as a pre-order bonus)
- Trung Trac
Last Update: February 5, 2025
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Videos and Screens
[1:03] Sid Meier's Civilization VII - Civ Tour: Carthage Trailer
[1:07] Sid Meier's Civilization VII Civ Tour: Great Britain Trailer
Gamepressure Review
Sid Meier's Civilization VII
Right now, Civilization 7 is an incomplete and reduced version of the game, which is plagued by many issues. However, you can feel that under all this mess, a good game might be hiding.
OpenCritic Rating
Game is Recomended by 79% of Critics. There are 100 Critic Reviews.
GameOnly: 3.25 / 5 by Przemysław Naglik
This isn’t the best installment of Sid Meier’s Civilization I’ve played. The changes introduced don’t appeal to me. However, I understand where this decision came from — after all, the series has to evolve. The question remains: are these the changes we were expecting? Perhaps people who spent thousands of hours in Civilization will enjoy it more, and the new mechanics might surprise them with their possibilities. Still, I feel like the series has lost its original character, and this repeated redefinition of gameplay won’t do the developers any favors.
GamesRadar+: 4 / 5 by Andrew Brown
I personally think the system does wonders for the usual tedium of late-stage campaigns – while other features, like pairing Leaders with evolving civs, should be a staple going forward. Civilization 7 already feels like the best entry point yet, and with Firaxis' habit of saving the real polish for expansions...
Shacknews: 9 / 10 by Bill Lavoy
Any time I’m talking, writing, or thinking about the game, I want to play it. I’ve been writing this for hours, and those are precious hours where I could be growing my Ming empire and slapping the other leaders around. Civ 7 is an absolute banger.
The main pros of the game
- Visuals and Graphics: The game is visually appealing with improved graphics and animations, making it more engaging to play.
- New Mechanics: The introduction of the Age System and unique leader attributes allows for varied gameplay and strategies, encouraging players to adapt as they progress through different ages.
- Combat Improvements: The new army commander system reduces micromanagement and enhances tactical combat, making battles more interesting.
- City Growth System: Players can manually select how their cities expand, adding a strategic layer to city management that was less pronounced in previous titles.
- Diplomacy Enhancements: The diplomacy system has been revamped, allowing for more nuanced interactions with other civilizations.
The main cons of the game
- Incomplete UI: The user interface is considered confusing, cluttered, and lacking essential information, making it difficult for players to make informed decisions.
- Age Transition Issues: Players experience abrupt transitions between ages, losing units, buildings, and progress, which disrupts gameplay and diminishes the sense of continuity.
- Limited Customization: The game lacks customization options for map types, game settings, and victory conditions, which restricts player agency.
- AI and Diplomacy Flaws: The AI is often criticized for being ineffective in combat and diplomacy, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- Lack of Content: Many players feel that the game is missing fundamental features present in earlier iterations, such as Great People, a robust religion system, and a variety of victory conditions.
The features or elements that are missing from the game according to users
- No "One More Turn" Option: The game ends abruptly at the conclusion of the Modern Age, which is a significant departure from previous titles where players could continue playing indefinitely.
- Limited Map Sizes: Players express disappointment in the lack of larger map options, with only small and standard sizes available.
- No Hotseat Mode: The absence of a hotseat multiplayer option is noted as a significant loss for players who enjoyed this feature in previous games.
- Inadequate Information: Players report that critical information, such as unit health, building effects, and resource yields, is often missing or poorly displayed.
- Inconsistent Game Mechanics: Several mechanics, such as city-state interactions and the impact of crises, feel poorly implemented or confusing.
Summary
- Overall, while Sid Meier's Civilization VII has potential and introduces some interesting mechanics, it is marred by significant issues related to UI, gameplay continuity, and missing features that have left many long-time fans disappointed.
Summary generated on:
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14
GAMES
in Sid Meier's Civilization Game Series
Game Series
Sid Meier's Civilization Series
A series of turn-based 4X strategies, considered one of the milestones in the development of the genre. The series was created by the MicroProse studio, but over time the development team of Firaxis Games took over, while the intellectual property rights were owned by the Take-Two Interactive publishing concern.
14 video games
Sid Meier's Civilization VII Summary
Early Access:February 6, 2025
Platforms:
PC / Windows
PlayStation 5
Xbox Series X/S
Switch
PlayStation 4
Xbox One
Developer: Firaxis Games
Publisher: 2K Games
Age restrictions: 12+
Sid Meier's Civilization VII System Requirements
PC / Windows
Minimum: (30 fps / 1080p) Intel Core i3-10100 / AMD Ryzen 3 1200, 8 GB RAM, graphic card 2 GB GeForce GTX 1050 / Radeon RX 460, 20 GB HDD, Windows 10/11 64-bit
Recommended: (60 fps / 1080p) Intel Core i5-10400 / AMD Ryzen 5 3600X, 16 GB RAM, graphic card 6 GB GeForce RTX 2060 / 8 GB Radeon RX 6600, 20 GB SSD, Windows 10/11 64-bit
Ultra: (60 fps / 4K) Intel Core i7-14700F / AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, 32 GB RAM, graphic card 12 GB GeForce RTX 4070 / 16 GB Radeon RX 7800 XT, 20 GB SSD, Windows 10/11 64-bit
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