Civilization 7 Review

Civilization 7 was released on February 11th 2025. The game is a simulation, strategy game released on Nintendo Switch, Xbox and PlayStation. Civilization 7 (nicknamed Civ 7) was first mentioned in June 2024 at Summer Game Fest, however since then there's been no news on the game whatsoever until the start of 2025. In January 2025, Civ fans were finally given what they wanted, an official release date was given for the following month, meaning players didn't have long to wait for the next instalment of the Civilization universe.

Civ 6 was released 9 years prior to this game in 2016, so with the 10th anniversary of the old game looming closer, it's clear the 7th instalment needed to be released soon. So, let's check out the game now it's released and see if it's been worth the 9-year and 8-month wait!

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When was civ 6 released?

• Civilization 7 - February 2025
• Civilization 6 - October 2016
• Civilization 5 - September 2010
• Civilization 4 - October 2005
• Civilization 3 - September 2004  

Before we get into it, many people have been criticising the game already for having such a big release gap from the previous game. However looking at the past games' release dates, MicroProse Activision (the games developers) frequently leave large waiting gaps of 5-6 years between each game. So a 9-year waiting gap may seem like a bit of a stretch, bit it's normal for the developers. We feel like people should consider this before slating the game. 

 

Will there be a Civ 8?

Another factor gamers are already questioning is when Civilization 8 will be released. We believe any time after 2030. With the 7th instalment only just releasing in 2025, it's clear we won't see any progress into the next game until at least 2026. And if MicroProse Activision follows their usual 5-6 year wait gap, 2031/2032 seems the most likely for the next release. What do you think?

 

What to expect in Civ 7?

So before we get to review the games performance and comparison to the previous game, let's remind ourselves of the Civ 7 plot. At the start of the game, players are only left with a Founder Unit which represents the first seed of civilization. The Founder Unit does, however, by luck, spawn players on a tile ideal to their Capital City. The game segments history into 3 different ages, Antiquity, Exploration and Modern. These ages each represent a unique period of humanity. 

To begin, we start in the Antiquity Age when agricultural societies begin to cluster into urban centres to form the first set of civilisations.

 

How does Civ 7 differ from CIV 6?

We wanted to spend a good chunk of this blog comparing the game to its previous version, with it being a series. And since there was such a big gap between the games, we think it's only right to show you what big changes are present. Firstly there's the obvious, updated graphics and higher performance. Due to general tech and gaming improvements over the last decade, it was always clear Civ 7 would offer a polished look with beautiful detailed maps and environments that take the players breath away with their realism and colourful definition. 

One of the most significant changes from Civ 6 to Civ 7 has to be the new Commander Units. These represent military leaders within each civilization and offer new, updated abilities. Games can also be shortened to focus on specific ages, many new gameplay mechanic changes can make games much simpler and lack the complexity of before which made the games so long. If you're a gamer who doesn't want to dive into each map system in-depth, this is an update you'll love. 

Finally, the Civ 7 map is more dynamic in how the terrain and environment are displayed and designed. They can be navigated differently too with the new features that we'll explore now.

 

Big differences between Civ 7 and Civ 6:

• Streamlined tech and culture trees - This makes progression in the game simpler and quicker.
• Return to form in the games current art style - Realistic graphics
• New features that were previously only add-ons - Natural disasters are no longer add-ons
• Crisis events will now affect your Age progress - New ages and management will affect how you advance
• Civ 7 only has 3 Ages - Unlike the previous 9
• Big changes when building civilizations - Expand and improve your civilization as you wish
• New maps with new travel opportunities - Elevated terrain and rivers included
• Mix and match leaders and civilizations - Have fun away from historical realism

 

What is the age system in Civ 7?

We mentioned briefly in our comparison to Civ 6, however, there was only one major change we noticed that we are unsure of. And looking at the opinions online, we're not alone. In Civ 7, players are limited to only 3 Ages, whereas in Civ 6 we have 9 Ages and in Civ 5 we have 7 Ages. We're unsure if this is so players can go into further detail with the 3 separate Ages and develop the plotline and characters further. But we liked in the previous games that there were different eras to travel to, rather than being stuck in the same three. 

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Pros:	Cons:
Beautiful map design Huge world	No quick-move for units

 

 

Conclusion:

Overall, we're very impressed with this game and hope it continues to receive very positive and uplifting reviews. In our opinion, the game is well deserving of its almost 10-year break. There are clear updates and changes throughout the game constantly, which is very refreshing to see. Most game sequels, continuations or  remakes have no changes whatsoever and feel rather pointless. Whereas Civ 7 didn't disappoint. We're already waiting for the next instalment to be released in 5 years!

Our only minor was the reduction in Ages, however, whilst we complain, this is still a change made to the game to make it different. So whilst we can't be upset that the game has changed, we're slightly disappointed that the change has taken away from the game not added to it. But what did you think? We'd love to know in the comments below!