Game Review – Civilization VII
Developer: Firaxis Games
Publisher: 2K Games
Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch
Year: 2025
There goes my sleep schedule. Again.
Civilization VII is here and it’s everything I wanted and feared. Wanted because Civ is one of the greatest strategy game franchises ever made and I’ve sunk hundreds of hours into every entry since Civ III. Feared because. Well. I know what this game does to me. One more turn becomes one more hour becomes “holy shit the sun is coming up.”
Let me tell you what’s new. The big thing is ages. Your civilization now progresses through distinct ages — Antiquity, Exploration, Modern — and at each transition you can actually CHANGE your civilization. Start as Rome, become America. It sounds weird. It IS weird. But it also solves a problem Civ has always had: the early game civilizations don’t make sense in the late game. Why is ancient Egypt still Egypt in 2050? Now they don’t have to be.
This is going to be controversial. I already know. Some people are going to hate losing the continuity. Fair enough. But I’ve played through two full games now and I think it works. Each age feels distinct. The choices at transitions are meaningful. And there’s something exciting about picking a new direction every hundred turns.
The other big change is leaders. Leaders are now separate from civilizations. You pick a leader and then pick which civ they’re leading. So you could have Benjamin Franklin leading Japan if you want. Or Cleopatra leading Mongolia. It’s ahistorical as hell but it opens up so many combinations.
The graphics are gorgeous. Civ VI went for this stylized cartoon look that I liked but others hated. Civ VII goes more realistic while keeping some of that Civ character. The wonders are stunning. The map feels alive. I spent a lot of time just looking at things which is not something I normally do in strategy games.
Combat got reworked. Armies now move as units instead of individual soldiers. It’s more streamlined. Easier to manage. Some hardcore Civ players are going to call this dumbing down. I call it respecting my time. I’m 42 years old. I don’t need to micromanage twelve warriors when three armies will do.
Diplomacy is better than Civ VI but still not as good as it should be. The AI leaders have more personality. They remember things. They hold grudges. But they still make baffling decisions sometimes. I had one game where an AI declared war on me for no discernible reason while I had twice their military strength. Classic Civ AI.
The tech tree is. Different. More horizontal progression. More choices at each tier. I’m still learning the optimal paths. That’s a good sign. If I figured it out already that would mean it’s too simple.
My complaints. Performance isn’t great on my mid-range PC. Late game chugs. The tutorial is inadequate for new players — they assume you’ve played Civ before. And there’s clearly content being held back for DLC which. Whatever. That’s the Civ model. Has been for years.
But here’s the thing. I started a game at 9pm last night “just to see how it feels.” I went to bed at 3am. That’s the only review that matters really. Does the game make you forget time exists? Civilization VII does.
One more turn.
One more turn.
One more turn.
My rating: ★★★★☆
