Sid Meier’s Civilization VII is finally out after months of hype, with tons of new features, leaders, and civs for everyone’s 4X pleasure. Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.

Sid Meier's Civilization VII Review Overview

What is Sid Meier's Civilization VII?

Sid Meier’s Civilization VII (Civilization VII or just Civ VII to fans) is a 4X strategy game developed by Firaxis Games and published by 2K. As the seventh main entry in the Civilization series, which was spearheaded by the eponymous Sid Meier, it follows 2016’s Civilization VI and introduces a range of new mechanics, civilizations, and leaders. Designed with extensive customizability and strategic depth in mind, Civilization VII also marks the first time the mainline series will feature meta-progression mechanics.

Sid Meier's Civilization VII features:
　⚫︎　21 unique leaders and personas
　⚫︎　30 unique civs across three ages
　⚫︎　Semi-realistic graphics with stylized UI
　⚫︎　Full-game narration featuring Gwendoline Christie
　⚫︎　New Legacy Path, Memento, and Age Mechanics
　⚫︎　You can write up to 8 points.
　⚫︎　1-8 player online multiplayer

For more gameplay details, read everything we know about Sid Meier's Civilization VII's gameplay and story.

Digital Storefronts
Steam			Epic
PlayStation		Xbox		Switch
Price:		$69.99

Sid Meier's Civilization VII Pros & Cons

Pros	Cons
New Civs, New Leaders, New Everyting! Grand Sights, Grander Sounds Mementos Made Losing Fun Streamlined Combat, Improved Tutorial	Missing the Little Things Slow Despite its Improvements No Alternate Game Modes on Launch

Sid Meier's Civilization VII Overall Score - 90/100

As much as I’d love to give it a perfect 100, Civilization VII isn’t quite the full evolution of the Civ formula it was hyped up to be. Don’t get me wrong—it’s still a fantastic game, just not as refined or complete as it ought to have been, with some oddly incomplete systems and uneven pacing. But if you can look past that? Then, sure—this might just be the perfect 4X experience you’ve been waiting for.

Sid Meier's Civilization VII Story - 8/10

Even without Civ VI’s cartoony stylization, Civilization VII carves out its own narrative identity—largely thanks to the introduction of narrative events. Paired with a more structured progression through the ages and an intriguing selection of leaders, the game gives you plenty of building blocks to craft your own story. But as far as storytelling in 4X games goes, this is about as deep as it gets—it’s all emergent, loosely pieced together by the player’s choices rather than any grand, overarching narrative.

Sid Meier's Civilization VII Gameplay - 8/10

Firaxis bit off more than they could chew with Civilization VII, resulting in some noticeable pacing issues and a few downright baffling gameplay choices. The absence of city-naming, tech and civic queueing, and even basic hotkey mapping makes it feel like the game got lost in the big picture and forgot the little things that matter. That said, the rest of it is incrediblysolid—especially the meta-progression, which stands out as one of its best additions. Not perfect, but far from awful.

Sid Meier's Civilization VII Visuals - 10/10

Even if Civilization VII’s substance sometimes gets in its own way, its style is absolutely on point. Sleek, minimalistic, and striking the perfect balance between stylized and realistic, it nails the aesthetic in a way few strategy games do. I may still have a soft spot for Civ VI’s more cartoony visuals, but this? This is a very close second in my book.

Sid Meier's Civilization VII Audio - 10/10

Civilization’s streak of unforgettable soundtracks continues with Civilization VII, delivering yet another suite of masterful compositions courtesy of Christopher Tin. Just as Civ VI’s Sogno di Volare took the torch from Civ IV’s Baba Yetu, Civilization VII’s Live Gloriously is poised to be the next earworm that sticks with the fandom for years to come—and it’s not even the only standout track in the OST!

Sid Meier's Civilization VII Value for Money - 9/10

The only thing keeping Civilization VII from being an instant steal is its approach to monetization—I’m not a fan of DLC and pre-order bonuses carving out content that should be part of the full package. A game should be complete at launch, plain and simple. That said, for the AAA price of $69.99, you’re still getting a hefty amount of content. And with the Mementos system adding even more replayability, I can let this one off with just a slap on the wrist score-wise.

Sid Meier's Civilization VII Review: Too Big to Be Perfect

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t waiting for Civilization VII with bated breath ever since Firaxis announced the end of Civ VI’s DLC cycle. As much as I love my 4X games, Civ VI’s monetization never sat right with me—though I still bought the expansions (Simón Bolívar was worth it). Only a proper sequel could break me out of that cycle, and when it finally arrived, it did so on golden wings to thunderous applause from the community.

But, as Civilization itself attests, history has a habit of repeating. If Civ VI’s rocky launch was any indication, I had reason to suspect Civ VII might face a similar fate. Well, speculation only goes so far, and now that I’ve finally played Civ VII, I can confidently say that history has, indeed, repeated itself.

So, while your Settlers are still being produced and the enemy AI is still taking its turn, let’s press that end turn button and discuss how Civilization VII ended up being too big to be perfect.

Firaxis’ Rule of Thirds in Full Effect

Breaking down a game of this scale into its individual components would result in a far longer read than most would find comfortable—after all, this is as macro as a 4X game can get. So, I’ve structured this rundown using Firaxis Games’ “Rule of Thirds,” the guiding design principle behind every Civilization title.

As the rule dictates, one-third of each new Civilization game consists of traditional Civilization gameplay, another third builds upon and refines features from the previous title, and the final third introduces something entirely new. Let’s start with the foundation: the core gameplay upon which all innovations are built.

Civilization VII is a turn-based 4X strategy game where players compete to fulfill a win condition by leveraging their chosen Leader and Civilization’s unique strengths to maximize their empire’s output. Like its predecessors, it operates on a per-turn production system, summarizing resources such as science, culture, and industry each turn. The more you generate per turn, the fewer turns it takes to unlock, build, or advance something—simple, yet essential.

The game retains the hexagonal tile system for buildings, resources, and terrain features, a mechanic first introduced in Civ V and refined in Civ VI. Each hex tile functions as a self-contained entity, dictating everything from yields and improvements to unit positioning and movement. The interplay between adjacency bonuses, tile management, and strategic expansion remains the beating heart of the Civilization experience.

Now, onto refinements to the formula. Civilization VII reworks how eras and ages are structured, moving away from tech and civic-based progression in favor of Legacy Paths. These paths serve as era-spanning objectives across four domains: Economy, Culture, Science, and Military. Completing them rewards players with advantages in the next era, including the ability to purchase additional bonuses or activate era-long effects—such as the return of Dark Ages.

Finally, we arrive at the last third: what’s new and unique to Civilization VII. The biggest addition is a meta-progression system, ensuring that every run feels worthwhile, even in defeat. This system tracks both general and leader-specific levels, unlocking powerful passive effects called Mementos, which players can equip at the start of each run. Another major first for the series is the ability to mix and match Leaders with different Civilizations, breaking them free from their historical pairings. Additionally, players are now required to switch Civilizations between eras, forcing them to adopt new strategies and bonuses as new techs, civics, and wonders greet them in a new age.

Together, these features blend the familiar with the fresh, shaping Civilization VII into something both recognizable and radically reimagined. The identity it inherited from its predecessor has been deconstructed, reshuffled, and rebuilt into what we see now. But while it’s tempting to call this new iteration perfect, it’s anything but—and nothing proves that more than its outright disregard for the small yet meaningful details that made Civ VI so enjoyable.

Missing the Little Things

Civilization VII, in a word, is bigger—and with that scale comes the challenge of pushing the envelope across multiple fronts. While it certainly introduces fresh ideas and sweeping changes, it does so at the cost of leaving behind a number of small but essential features that once contributed to the series’ charm. Simply put, the game sacrifices much of what made Civ VI so enjoyable in favor of grander ambitions and an influx of new content.

Most of these missing elements fall under quality-of-life improvements and customizability options, so let’s break them down. The most glaring omission is the ability to queue techs and civics in their respective trees. Right now, every advancement must be selected manually, despite the presence of a summary window. This might seem like a minor inconvenience, but for veterans, strategic queuing in Civ VI streamlined the experience, rewarding those with a well-planned research path.

Another subtle but frustrating loss is the removal of city renaming and hotkey customization. Every city now keeps its default name with no option to change it—a small but significant blow to personal expression. While controls remain remappable, key features like lenses can no longer be assigned to specific keys, making navigation feel clunkier than before.

Then there are the diplomatic downgrades. Cities can no longer be liberated upon capture; they can only be kept or razed. If you seize an ally’s city in a joint war, there’s no option to return it—it’s yours, or it’s gone. And when negotiating peace, you can’t trade resources anymore—only cities—which feels like an incredible step backward given the amount of resources war demands in the first place.

Beyond these omissions, Civ VII even feels incomplete in some areas, most notably the Civilopedia. This in-game encyclopedia is supposed to contain entries for all major mechanics, yet key features—like trade route range—are nowhere to be found. Techs and civics no longer display science or culture costs, forcing players to calculate them manually. And if you thought navigation was too intuitive, there's no search function for the map either.

In its pursuit of bold, sweeping changes, Civilization VII traded its fine brushes for broader strokes. And while that approach allows for grander ideas, it also leaves noticeable gaps in the details—gaps where the game’s rough edges and shortcomings become impossible to ignore.

New Civs, New Leaders, New Everything!

But were all those missing features worth trading for what we got in return? I’ll leave that for you to decide. In my eyes, they weren’t, and that’s what holds Civilization VII back. That said, what did replace them is undeniably substantial and novel—just not necessarily worth the sacrifice.

For one, Civ VII introduces an expanded roster of leaders and civilizations, all functioning under the new mix-and-match system alongside the game’s three new ages. Without counting DLC, pre-order exclusives, or 2K account bonuses, the game launches with 21 leaders and 30 civilizations—already surpassing Civ VI’s original 18 of each. Firaxis has also confirmed that 31 leaders are planned for the near future. Given Civ VI’s eventual total of 78 leaders and 50 civilizations, we can expect that number to grow significantly over time.

Personally, my favorite leader-civilization pairing has to be Marquis de Lafayette and Rome, a synergy that amplifies unit Combat Strength based on how many Traditions are present in a player's Social Policies. It’s the kind of absurdly overpowered combination that turns even basic infantry into unstoppable juggernauts—something The Spiffing Brit would undoubtedly exploit to full effect. Just imagine swordsmen carving through tanks, and you’ll get the idea. And this isn’t even the only game-breaking pairing out there.

Mementos Made Losing Fun

Among Civilization VII’s new mechanics, the Mementos System stands out as possibly the best innovation the series has introduced in the modern era. Taking inspiration from roguelikes, Civ VII now features meta-game progression in the form of equippable passives called Mementos.

Mementos are earned either through completing achievements or simply by playing the game. They come in two categories: Foundational Mementos (general upgrades earned by playing any leader) and Leader-Specific Mementos (designed to enhance particular playstyles, mostly the one tied to the leader that unlocked it). However, regardless of type, all leaders can use any Memento, and the impact they have on gameplay is profound.

These passives are powerful, but players are limited to just two per game, making their selection another layer of strategy and build optimization. Some Memento combinations can lead to completely overpowered playstyles. One standout synergy is Ibn Battuta’s +1 sight range bonus for all units paired with the Imago Mundi Memento, which boosts Scout Lookout/Search abilities from +1 to +3. This essentially turns you into an early-game cartographic powerhouse, granting near-total vision over the map—a dream scenario for expansionist and economic builds like Aksum in the Antiquity Age.

Mementos also solve one of Civ VI’s biggest issues: the feeling that losing doesn’t mean anything. In previous games, every run was self-contained—win or lose, you started fresh. Now, each game contributes to your future runs by unlocking new Mementos, enabling dozens of previously unavailable strategies. Whether you’re settling new lands or just barely surviving an era, you’re always progressing, making every run feel meaningful.

Streamlined Combat, Improved Tutorial

Keeping Civilization VII's improvements in mind over its shortcomings for now, I want to highlight the second-best upgrade the game has made over all its predecessors: streamlined combat. Since the dawn of the Civilization series, combat clogging up the map has been a persistent issue for most players. Never mind the tactical limitations of having more or less one unit per hex at a time—the sheer number of units and the lack of a way to move them en masse (despite the Levée en masse policy) meant that every turn dragged on for five minutes or more, and not because of production queues.

Enter the Commander, a new unit unique to Civilization VII (at least in this form). These units introduce a wealth of new functions, the most useful being their ability to pack up entire legions and maneuver them across the map as a single, deployable force. They’re also the only units that can level up now, further streamlining combat mechanics while offering new ways to leverage your troops' power through strategic command.

This streamlining extends to the game’s tutorial, which has received a far more interactive and detailed overhaul than whatever Civ VI attempted. It’s much more hands-on, adjustable to your familiarity with the series, and directly links to the Civilopedia for quick reference. This was practically a necessity—given the number of new additions, even Civ VI veterans will need to go through the tutorial at least once. An ineffective tutorial would have been the worst possible welcome wagon for such a crucial introduction.

Grand Sights, Grander Sounds

Few franchises have the privilege of showcasing their graphical evolution as dramatically as Civilization, and Civilization VII marks the series' highest point in visual fidelity. Ditching Civ VI’s vibrant, cartoony aesthetic (which, for the record, I never quite agreed with), the game embraces a more realistic art style, particularly in its leader models and unit designs. This shift is complemented by a stunningly detailed map and a sleek, modern UI. The UI leans heavily into minimalism—perhaps too much for some tastes—but I think it strikes a solid balance between clarity and style.

Yet, for all the grandeur of its visuals, Civ VII’s greatest artistic triumph isn’t in what you see but in what you hear—because as long as Christopher Tin is composing, Civilization will have one of the most breathtaking soundtracks in gaming.

From the legendary Baba Yetu (Civ IV) to the soaring Sogno di Volare (Civ VI), Tin has consistently delivered musical masterpieces, but Civ VII’s Live Gloriously is something else entirely. Add to that the dynamic, era-spanning themes for each civilization, which evolve as you progress through the ages, and you get an unparalleled auditory experience—one that carries you through the grand sweep of human history with music that is both evocative and triumphant.

No Alternate Game Modes on Launch

This part of the review is less a legitimate concern about the game’s quality and more of a nitpick, but—where are the other game modes? Surely, they’re coming soon. The 2025 post-launch roadmap Firaxis shared before the Deluxe Edition launch confirms as much, but would it have killed them to include at least one extra mode on day one?

Civ VI, at the very least, had Dramatic Ages, Heroes & Legends, and even Secret Societies in the mix. Meanwhile, Civ VII launches with just single-player and multiplayer, and that’s it. You can’t even form teams in multiplayer right now, which is another letdown. Does this make the game feel incomplete? Not at all—there’s plenty of depth elsewhere, so the absence of a game mode doesn’t throw things off balance. But I still wish they had included something. Honestly, I’d even take extra world generation options at this point.

Slow Despite its Improvements

Rounding off Civilization VII’s mix of accolades and pitfalls is its wacky pacing, which some might see as a fresh and welcome twist—but not me.

The new Age system divides each game into three broad eras: Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern, forcing you to switch civilizations at each transition. While this system introduces variety and strategic depth, it also means that each era feels much longer than in previous entries. Compared to Civ VI’s eight distinct eras, these three are far more stretched out, each encompassing about three of the original eight.

This elongated pacing is worsened by the lack of hotkey customization, along with the absence of options to speed up movement and combat animations. What you get is a game that feels longer than it needs to be—perhaps enjoyably so for those who relish a drawn-out, methodical experience, but frustratingly sluggish for players who prefer a brisker pace. Of course, you can set the game speed at the start, but that just lowers the production, science, and culture costs of everything—you’ll still have to contend against the slow animations the entire time.

Still a Great Game, Just Not as Great as it Should Be

Despite how I’ve made it out to be, Civilization VII is a good game—great, even. But in a series that has literally defined the 4X genre, simply being great isn’t enough. Civ VII needed to be a masterpiece, yet for every impressive innovation, there’s an equally glaring omission that holds it back.

I’d still recommend it to any Civilization or 4X fan—there’s plenty to love here. Just keep your expectations in check. With more ideas come more opportunities for mistakes, and in its ambition to expand and redefine the series, Civilization VII may have simply grown too big to be perfect.

Is Sid Meier's Civilization VII Worth It?

Still Worth a Few Turns’ Worth of Production

At $69.99 for the standard edition, Civilization VII is undeniably a AAA-priced experience—and while I got the Deluxe Edition for early access, I’d recommend sticking to the standard version. Every dollar past $70 tanks its value hard, and even the DLC bonuses don’t do enough to justify the extra cost, at least in my opinion.

That said, even at full price, Civ VII is a solid deal, offering hundreds of hours of 4X gameplay with boosted replayability thanks to the Mementos system. It’s not a perfect purchase, but that has more to do with my disapproval of Firaxis and 2K’s monetization tactics than the game’s actual quality.

If you’re a Civilization fan—or just a 4X fan in general—buy this game. You won’t regret it, as long as you can forgive what it lacks and appreciate what it does well, and it has both in spades.

Digital Storefronts
Steam			Epic
PlayStation		Xbox		Switch
Price:		$69.99

Sid Meier's Civilization VII FAQ

What is the Trade Route Range in Sid Meier’s Civilization VII?

Trade Routes can be established at a maximum range of 10 hexes between the two Settlements’ city centers. This value can be increased by other factors like mementos, leader or civ bonuses, and technologies.

How Do I Get Specialists in Sid Meier’s Civilization VII?

Specialists are gained by assigning new populations to pre-existing Urban tiles in a settlement. Each tile can only hold 1 Specialist by default, but this number can be increased with bonuses.

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Sid Meier's Civilization VII Product Information

Title	SID MEIER’S CIVILIZATION VII
Release Date	February 11, 2025 (Full Release) February 6, 2025 (Early Access)
Developer	Firaxis
Publisher	2K
Supported Platforms	PC (Steam, Epic Games) PlayStation 5 Xbox Series X|S Nintendo Switch
Genre	4X, Strategy, Simulation
Number of Players	1-8 (Online Multiplayer)
ESRB Rating	Everyone 10+
Official Website	Sid Meier's Civilization VII Website

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.