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Civilization VII
Civ 7 Gameplay Changes and New Features
★ Start Here: How to Play | Early Game
★ See the Best Leaders and Civs
★ Tech, Civics, Buildings, Units, & Wonders
★ Economic, Military, Science, Culture Victories
★Recommended Guides: Treasure Fleets
┗ Map Types | Trade Routes | Migrants
Civilization VII (Civ 7) brings major gameplay changes in how Ages, Victories, and other mechanics work for new and old players to discover. Learn more about the gameplay changes and newly added features in this guide!
List of Contents
Civ 7 Gameplay Changes
| Gameplay Changes |
|---|
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World Eras are Now Referred to as Ages
A single match in Civ 7 is divided into three Ages—Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern —which work quite similarly as the World Eras in the previous installment. Naturally, each Age will last longer than their Civ 6 counterparts and will span around 150 to 200 turns each on Standard speed.
Age Determines the Available Features and Content
Each Age consists of a set of "rules", which determines the scope of what is accessible to all players. For example, there are Technologies and Civics that can only be researched in the Antiquity Age, but will no longer be available as they become obsolete in the Exploration Age.
The same goes for resources, units, buildings, and wonders, making each Age feel more like a small chapter within a campaign.
Prevents Players from Snowballing
This major change in how Eras work also balances the game as the restrictions in Tech and Civic trees and available resources and units prevent more experienced players from gaining an overwhelming lead that can end the match very early.
However, this doesn't mean that playing the game skillfully won't net better rewards. Bonuses will be given in the following Age based on how many milestones were reached in the four Legacy Paths of the current Age.
Civilizations Change but Leaders Remain
In Civ 7, only the chosen Leader will remain the same until the end of the match as transitioning to a new Age also changes an empire's Civilization. This means players get to test various leader and Civ combinations like Hatshepsut leading Mongolia.
Civilizations are exclusive to Ages, but the set of Civs a player can choose from will depend on three things: their chosen Leader, connections to their previous Civ, and other requirements like owned resources.
True Game Victories Only Happen in the Modern Age
Unlike in the previous installment where players can achieve one of the Victory conditions under 200 turns, a Victory can only be achieved in the Modern Age where the true Victory Conditions are unlocked.
Reaching a Golden Age milestone in the Modern Age will unlock the Legacy Path's corresponding Victory Condition, which has its own set of objectives to complete before a player wins the match.
No More Builders
You will be able to choose an adjacent tile to annex yourself when a city grows in Population. The chosen tile is then automatically improved and worked on—something that you'd previously need Builders and assign Workers for—and will "culture bomb" its adjacent tiles to add them to your empire as well.
Settlers Now Place Towns
Each player starts the game with a Founder unit that sets up your capital. From here, they can expand by producing a Settler and use its ability to a favored spot. However, these Settlers won't create a new city right away, but instead start off by setting up a town.
Towns do not have Production queues and instead converts all Production directly into Gold. Until a town is upgraded into a city, all buildings and units there will be bought with Gold.
Civ 7 New Features
| Gameplay Changes |
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Independent Powers
Independent Powers are non-Civ settlements that work very similarly with the Barbarian Clans in Civ 6. They can start off as hostile or friendly but will be interactable through diplomacy either way.
With enough Influence spent, players can transform them into a City-State that they are Suzerain of and gain their bonuses, allowing them to levy the Independent Power's units and even add their settlement to the empire.
Legacy Paths for Each Age
Instead of Victory conditions being only an endgame feature, a similar system called Legacy Paths is now added on each Age. Legacy Paths are categorized as Science, Military, Culture, and Economy.
A Legacy Path will have three milestones to achieve, with each milestone having objectives that match the current Age.
Reaching the third milestone on a Legacy Path will unlock its Golden Age Legacy that can be used after Age transition, while failing to reach even one milestone in a Legacy Path gives a Dark Age Legacy.
Crisis System Before an Age Ends
Before an Age ends, each player will experience an on theme Crisis that they must overcome before the next Age comes. Crises intensify over time, and to make it more challenging, everyone has to slot in a Crisis Policy—a policy type with negative effects.
Commanders
Attacking enemy units and laying siege to a settlement are made easier and more engaging with the introduction of Commanders. These special units allow you to "pack" units in one tile and "unpack" them wherever needed.
Each Commander also has their own skill trees that increase their effectiveness both in and out of combat. Commanders are also Ageless, and will retain their skills and experience through the entirety of the game.
Civilization VII (Civ 7) Related News
All Latest News and Updates
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Civ 7 Roadmap
Updated 2/27/2025
See what to expect for Civ 7 this 2025.
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Civ 7 Upcoming DLCs
Updated 2/20/2025
See what's in store for the upcoming DLCs in Civ 7.
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Civ 7 Is Coming to VR
Updated 2/8/2025
See what to expect in the VR adaptation of Civ 7 and where you can play it.
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Patch 3 (1.0.1) Updates
Updated 2/12/2025
See the updates for Patch 3 - 1.0.1 here.
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Multiplayer Guide
Updated 2/20/2025
Know more about the multiplayer features and if hotseat is still supported!
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All Platforms and Consoles
Updated 1/28/2025
Here's a list of all available platforms for Civ 7!
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Gameplay Changes and New Features
Updated 1/27/2025
Civ 7 brings major gameplay changes and new features to the series!
Patch Notes and Updates
| Patch | Release Date |
|---|---|
| Patch 3 (1.0.1) | February 12, 2025 |
| Patch 2 (1.01) | February 10, 2025 |
| Patch 1.0.1 | February 6, 2025 |
| Console Patch and Update | - |
Other News
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