Sid Meier's Civilization VII is an upcoming 4X strategy simulation game and the latest addition to Sid Meier’s legendary Civilization series. Read on to learn how it plays, what it’s about, and everything else we know so far.

Sid Meier's Civilization VII Gameplay

Sid Meier’s Civilization VII isn’t just another 4X game; it’s the iconic title that defined the genre’s essential features and mechanics. Set on an expansive hexagonal grid, Civilization VII invites you to lead a civilization of your choice as an influential historical leader. By allocating resources wisely, strategically placing infrastructure, skillfully navigating trade and diplomacy, and deploying units with tactical precision, you’ll shape your civilization’s legacy and make a lasting impact on the course of history.

Civilization VII also brings bold new mechanics to the classic Civilization formula, setting itself apart from its predecessors in exciting ways. Staying true to Firaxis' "Rule of Thirds" design philosophy, the game retains a third of the series' traditional gameplay features, enhances another third by improving systems from the previous title, and dedicates the final third to introducing fresh, innovative elements.

Recommend the game to:
　⚫︎　People who’ve played the previous Civilization games
　⚫︎　People who enjoy 4X strategy games
　⚫︎　People who want immense customization in their strategy
　⚫︎　People who enjoy semi-realistic historical designs

Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern Ages

Civilization VII shakes up the series with one of its boldest changes yet, streamlining its timeline into three main eras: Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern. Gone are the intricate age-specific bonuses of past games, making way for a new approach where leader and civilization bonuses grow more powerful with each era passed.

This refined progression system offers players a more strategic, less RNG-driven way to develop their civilizations, adding depth while maintaining a dependable path forward.

Mixing and Matching Civs and Leaders

Civilization VII takes customization to new heights, letting players freely pair any leader with any civilization’s bonuses. No longer bound by tradition, leaders can now bring their unique skills to different civilizations, opening up countless strategic possibilities.

Civilizations themselves are now unlocked by age, with distinct options available as players advance. For example, Xerxes isn’t limited to Persia—he can start there in Antiquity and evolve into the Abbasid civilization in the Exploration Age.

Navigable Rivers

Civilization VII introduces three groundbreaking map features: Navigable Rivers, Independent Powers, and Influence.

Navigable Rivers are new tile types with unique yields, standing out from smaller, non-navigable rivers by allowing naval units to embark and travel along their courses, opening up fresh strategic movement and trade possibilities.

Commanders and Siege Combat

The latest Civilization VII Dev Diary has unveiled an exciting overhaul to the game's combat mechanics, tackling the traffic jam issue that plagued late-game armies in Civilization VI. Central to this change is the introduction of Commanders, a new specialized unit available to all civilizations.

Commanders can pack entire groups of units into a single hex for streamlined travel, then unpack them upon arrival at their destination. This innovation eliminates the clutter of individual units crowding the map and allows massive armies to traverse great distances more efficiently.

Each Commander comes with a tech tree boasting five branches—defense, offense, logistics, movement, and leadership—enabling players to adapt their strategy by specializing their Commanders in various roles.

Civilization VII also revamps siege warfare to complement the new Urban Districts and Settlements found outside city centers. Instead of focusing solely on the city-center, players will now need to conquer additional Urban Districts and specific Wonders to secure victory in a siege. Siege units remain essential, offering bonuses for dismantling reinforced hexes, but the expanded objectives add a new layer of complexity to city takeovers.

Sid Meier's Civilization VII Story

Sid Meier's Civilization VII Story Plot

In Civilization VII, Firaxis reshapes the classic 4X strategy by introducing a fresh narrative framework, the three-age system, which breaks human history into distinct periods. The story now revolves around navigating through these ages, making impactful decisions that define your civilization’s progression. You’ll face new historical "Crisis" moments that will add high-stakes events where every choice can dramatically shape your empire’s fate.

It is possible for global conflicts to erupt, fueled by the unpredictable actions of AI leaders. Wars break out, and unexpected alliances are forged, as players advance through the eras to create their own versions of history that will rival the legacies of real-world civilizations.

Emergent Narrative System

Civilization VII also introduces the Emergent Narrative System, designed to enhance replayability and provide greater narrative depth by transforming player actions into interactive events that require meaningful choices. These narrative pop-ups, called “Events”, can come in one of three varieties.

　⚫︎ Historical Events align with real human history but adapt based on the player’s decisions in the game. These events include scenarios such as breakthroughs in medicine, large-scale riots, or significant scientific advancements.

　⚫︎ “What If?” Events embrace the sandbox nature of Civilization VII, exploring alternate historical possibilities. For instance, if a leader who historically lost a pivotal battle emerges victorious in the player’s game, a What If? event might explore the consequences of this alternate outcome.

　⚫︎ Unique Gameplay Moments are the most frequent type and arise from the specific combinations of decisions made during the game. These can be triggered by milestones tied to particular civilizations, completing technologies within certain eras, or other specific in-game achievements.

Additionally, Discoveries and Systemic Events have been introduced. Discoveries replace the traditional bonuses granted by Tribal Villages, adding more narrative flavor to exploration. Meanwhile, Systemic Events provide additional context and personality to key game mechanics.

Diplomacy and Influence

While Trade and Diplomacy are familiar concepts in the Civilization series, Civilization VII elevates them with the introduction of Influence, a new yield type. Influence serves as a currency for diplomatic actions, which can be mutually beneficial, one-sidedly advantageous, or outright harmful to a targeted civilization.

The new diplomacy actions include:

　⚫︎ Endeavor: Mutually beneficial agreements, such as trade deals.
　⚫︎ Sanction: Hostile actions aimed at hindering a targeted civilization.
　⚫︎ Treatise: Long-term agreements with high-value benefits, like Open Borders.
　⚫︎ Espionage: High-risk, high-reward actions that can damage relationships if discovered.

Except for Espionage, all diplomatic actions require a response from the targeted civilization, which can respond in one of three ways:

　⚫︎ Support: Approves the action, benefiting both sides but costing additional Influence from the targeted civ.
　⚫︎ Accept: Approves the action without extra cost, favoring the initiator.
　⚫︎ Reject: Blocks the action but at the expense of the rejecting party's Influence. The initiator receives a partial refund of their Influence cost.

Influence also plays a role in interactions with Independent Powers, which can evolve into City-States if sufficiently courted. Multiple civilizations may compete to win an Independent Power’s favor, often racing to become its Suzerain and claim its benefits.

Once a player becomes Suzerain, Influence can be used to deepen the relationship with the City-State. Players can spend Influence to expand its borders, absorb it into their own civilization as a settlement, or incite it to attack another civilization’s territory.

War, War Support, and War Weariness

Civilization VII builds on the war mechanics introduced in its predecessor by refining the War Support and War Weariness systems, adding depth and strategic nuance to military conflict.

War Support is now a critical factor in declaring war. The civilization with higher War Support imposes a Happiness penalty on their opponent, increasing their War Weariness and affecting the overall stability of their society.

Players can gain War Support by declaring a Formal War, which requires a valid reason, known as a Casus Belli. Conversely, a Surprise War—initiated without justification—results in high War Weariness and low War Support for the aggressor from the start. However, both penalties can be mitigated by spending Influence.

The War Weariness mechanic has also been reworked. Instead of reducing amenities across a civilization, it now directly lowers overall Happiness and decreases the combat strength of affected units, emphasizing the toll prolonged conflict can take on a civilization's military capabilities.

Trade, Growth, and Resource Gain

In Civilization VII, the removal of the Trade Table marks a shift away from traditional resource trading in favor of more expansive Diplomatic Actions. Players no longer trade duplicate amenities, bonus resources, or strategic resources as in Civilization VI. Instead, resources, currency, and yields can now be acquired through three streamlined methods:

　⚫︎ Growth Event: When expanding into a new hex through population growth, any resources present on the hex are automatically improved and gathered, simplifying resource acquisition.
　⚫︎ Trade Routes: Establishing trade routes with other settlements provides the player with a copy of all resources that the connected settlement produces or gathers locally.
　⚫︎ City-States: Attaining Suzerain status over a City-State grants the player a copy of any resources the City-State gathers or produces, including unique resources unavailable elsewhere.

Additionally, resources can now be slotted directly into territories with available slots. Each slotted resource provides a flat bonus specific to that territory, encouraging strategic placement and management of resources across the map.

Legends and Mementos

In an unprecedented move by Firaxis and 2K, Civilization VII will introduce a meta-progression system called “Legend Paths,” designed to reward players for achieving milestones across multiple playthroughs. According to Civilization VII Creative Director Ed Beach, the system aims to enhance replayability and make losing fun.

The Legend Paths system is divided into two categories:

　⚫︎ Foundation Path: Provides universal gameplay bonuses and player card customization options.
　⚫︎ Leader Path: Offers specific bonuses and Mementos tied to playing as a particular leader.

Mementos are passive bonuses that can be equipped by leaders at the start of a game from the leader selection screen. Once unlocked, all Mementos are universally available to every leader, regardless of which Leader Path they originate from, and can also be utilized in multiplayer games.

Sid Meier's Civilization VII Story

Sid Meier's Civilization VII Story Plot

In Civilization VII, Firaxis reshapes the classic 4X strategy by introducing a fresh narrative framework, the three-age system, which breaks human history into distinct periods. The story now revolves around navigating through these ages, making impactful decisions that define your civilization’s progression. You’ll face new historical "Crisis" moments that will add high-stakes events where every choice can dramatically shape your empire’s fate.

It is possible for global conflicts to erupt, fueled by the unpredictable actions of AI leaders. Wars break out, and unexpected alliances are forged, as players advance through the eras to create their own versions of history that will rival the legacies of real-world civilizations.

Sid Meier's Civilization VII Setting

In Sid Meier’s Civilization VII, players dive into a randomly generated world, a vast map divided into hundreds of hexagonal tiles, each offering unique patches of land and sea, diverse biomes, natural wonders, and the structures each civilization constructs to leave its mark.

Each civilization, depending on its leader and historical strengths, benefits from a starting map bias, positioning them closer to biomes that mirror their real-world origins. This strategic placement allows players to tap into their civilization’s historical technologies and cultural advantages, bringing new depth and authenticity to each playthrough.

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Aaron Bruce Albert..

A massive fan of roguelikes, turn-based RPGs, and open world adventure games. His gold standard games include The Binding of Isaac, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, and Dragon Quest Monsters Joker.