Civilization VII is coming. No one should be too surprised about that, given this series is more than 30 years old and still sells incredibly well. But this time, developer Firaxis is making pretty substantial changes to how the game works.
Despite a big showing off at Gamescom, there are still a few months to wait until Civilization VII arrives, and plenty of time for the devs to reveal what else we can expect.
But, for now, here are the 15 things you need to know about the upcoming century-spanning epic Civilization VII.
1) It’s coming on February 11
Civilization VII is out on February 11, 2025. This will be a little under eight and a half years since the initial release of Civilization VI, which landed in late 2016.
2) PC, Mac, Xbox, PlayStation and Switch: out on day one
Old-school Civ fans may consider this a PC series, but Civilization VII is coming to many platforms — and they’re all coming out on the same day. It’s such a wide release that the game is not limited to current-generation consoles. Xbox One and PS4 holdouts will be able to play too.
3) The Nintendo Switch version is a little limited
Thanks to the humble processing power of the Nintendo Switch, its version of Civilization VII is not quite as fully featured as the rest. Developer Firaxis says the Switch “is not expected to support map sizes of Standard and above”.
That may sway some thoughts about which platform to buy for. Perhaps by way of compensation, the Switch version is slightly cheaper at £10 less than the rest.
4) Xbox versions are cross-gen — PlayStation physical ones are not
Buying for a console? You must be careful about which version you buy for if you are on the PlayStation side of the fence.
If you buy the PlayStation 5 physical version, it reportedly can’t be played on PS4 (which gets a digital version). Xbox, as usual, doesn’t mind whether you have an Xbox One or an Xbox Series X. However, buying the digital PlayStation version will also work across generations.
5) There are three versions up for pre-order
Civilization VII comes in Standard, Deluxe, and Founders editions. A Deluxe upgrade gets you a Tecumseh and Shawnee pack, which consists of an extra leader and civilisation — plus the upcoming Crossroads of the World Collection DLC.
This will include two leaders, 4 civilisations, four Wonders “and more”. This DLC’s release date is TBC.
There’s also the Deluxe Content Pack, which includes several cosmetic extras, most notably two “personas” for certain leaders. The Deluxe edition costs £89.99.
Civilization VII Founders Edition costs £119.99 and includes the Right to Rule Collection on top of the Deluxe Edition bonuses. This comprises “6 DLCs” due by September 2025. That means two leaders, four civilisations, four wonders, and other bits. There’s also an additional Founders Content Pack with several cosmetic customisations.
Deluxe and Founders Editions also include five early play days from February 6.
6) There’s cross-platform multiplayer
Civilization VII has multiplayer, and it will work cross-platform. Players will need a 2K account to link up. There may be some minor headaches if Switch players get involved, though, as that version is limited to four players instead of five in the first two in-game ages (6 instead of 8 in the last age).
7) It’s narrated by Gwendoline Christie from Game of Thrones
Sean Bean narrated Civilization VI, joining an illustrious cast including William Morgan Sheppard (Civ V) and Leonard Nimoy (Civ IV). Civilization VII will be narrated by Gwendoline Christie, best known as either Brienne of Tarth from Game of Thrones or Captain Phasma from Star Wars.
8) There are three discrete periods, called Ages
The biggest gameplay shake-up we know about is Civilization VII’s three distinct ages: Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern. These are the closest (although not exact) equivalent of the eras of Civilization VI, but up to nine were in the previous game. A shift in age will seem much more impactful in Civilization VII, though.
“Almost everything inside that age is exclusive to that age,” says Andrew Frederiksen, lead producer.
“That includes things like which technologies and civics you can research, what resources are available to be gained, which independent powers surround you.”
9) Your civilisation changes at each age
In the older Civ games, you chose a civilisation at the start of each game — and this would strongly influence which strategies would work the best. In Civilization VII, you still pick a civilisation, but you must do this at the beginning of each of the three-game ages.
The options at the dawn of each age depend on your actions and civ leader. Each will have specific benefits, letting you choose based on your evolving game strategy or style.
“Every age can be played on its own, or woven together into a full campaign,” says Dennis Shirk, executive producer.
10) Leaders are no longer tied to civilisations
Instead of civilisations remaining constant through one full game run, your leader does. You pick your leader independently of your civilisation, as the two are no longer inextricably linked.
They’re not limited to countries’ iconic leaders, but will also include religious, philosophical, and cultural figures. We don’t have the full list yet but leaders include Ben Franklin of the US, Hatshepsut of Egypt, Amina of Zazzau, Augustus of Rome, and Ashoka of Murya.
Leaders have upgradeable stats, unlocked by achieving certain goals, further emphasising them as the one constant throughout a play session.
11) The start of each age is a crisis point
A new Age will not be a time of pure excitement and opportunity; it will cause a right old mess for your civilisation.
Crisis conditions will be applied at each age transition. You’ll have to steer your society back to calmer waters, a move that no doubt is made to emphasise how different the Ages are meant to feel.
12) You have to replace your buildings in each age
Each age will also come with an almost complete renewal of your cities. Special buildings that once conferred powerful bonuses will no longer do so as you head into a new age, forcing you to build upon them fresh with whatever the new age offers. It’s a bit like the life cycle of a real-life city across the centuries.
13) You choose fresh bonuses at each age
A new age will not only be a set of headaches and a fresh look for your cities and units. You’ll also get to pick a handful of perks.
These can be things such as gaining a new city, increasing the population of an existing one, and getting completely free technology or army units. We’re not quite sure how this system works regarding the number of bonuses you get but there’s a real give-and-take to the Age transition.
14) The look is inspired by miniatures
Some fans Civilization VI for having overly cartoony graphics. Civilisation VII appears to steward the look a little closer to that of Civilization V. There are more realistic-looking, less oversaturated, landmass textures, and what we’ve seen of the Leaders’ animations appears less larger-than-life and campy.
Units on the map also get more dynamic-looking animations, with a style inspired by miniatures. But miniatures come to life.
15) As ever, it all ends in atomic bombs and the space race
While there are some substantive changes in Civilisation VII, many will feel familiar. You start with a settler establishing an initial population hub. And in the modern age, you can research atomic bomb warfare. One way to finish a run is to launch a space mission.
In other words, this game isn’t going to see you jet off into the stars to begin interstellar trading or anything. Not in the base game, anyway.
