Civilization 7: everything we know so far

By Jesse Lennox Updated August 29, 2024

A walled city sitting behind a mountain. — 2K Games

The announcement of a new Civilization game is one of the only things that strikes both joy and fear into the hearts of fans in equal measure. On one hand, they know they’re about to begin one of the most engaging, frustrating, rewarding, and deep 4X games ever created. On the other, they know that booting this game up has the mystical power to fast-forward time by multiple hours in the blink of an eye. You might start a game at 9 p.m., planning to play a few rounds, only to look back at the clock and see that it’s 6 a.m. the following morning. Before you start coming up with excuses to get out of work and stockpiling microwavable food, here’s everything we know so far about Civilization 7.

Release date

Two world leaders, Cleopatra and Caesar, going up against each other in front of their flags. — 2K Games

Civilization 7 will launch on February 11, 2025.

Platforms

Troops battle across the map. — 2K / 2K

Even though 2025 will be the fifth year of the current generation of consoles, Civilization 7 is already confirmed to be a cross-generational game. It will be available for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and even Nintendo Switch.

Trailers

Sid Meier’s Civilization VII - Official Teaser Trailer

We got the first teaser trailer for Civilization 7 during the 2024 Summer Game Fest. It is only CGI footage that pans through models of various cultures in battle with a voice-over and no in-game footage.

Additional trailers debuted during Gamescom Opening Night Live 2024 and are detailed in the Gameplay section below.

Gameplay

Sid Meier’s Civilization VII - Gameplay Reveal Trailer

As promised, we got our first look at gameplay during Gamescom Opening Night Live 2024. After a brief run-through of the series’ history, we finally see Civilization 7 in action. Graphically, it is far superior to any game before it, but it still has that same style and readability, with exaggerated people and a grid-based map. Several civilizations are shown, such as the Aztecs, Egyptians, and ancient Chinese, as well as modern militaries with tanks and planes.

Sid Meier’s Civilization VII - Official Gameplay Showcase

Civilization 7 came back not long after its trailer at Opening Night Live as the subject of a more in-depth stream that goes over gameplay. It also revealed that Gwendoline Christie of Game of Thrones fame will be the new narrator.

The gameplay went over a lot of the expected mechanics for a Civ game, such as building your empire and negotiating with other historical figures across history. However, this time around, you can select a leader independently from the civilization you’re leading. This opens up untold possibilities for playstyles and new ways to shape your growing empire.

Multiplayer will allow players to compete in both standard games that can last quite the length of time or shorter single-age sessions. It was also revealed that Civilization 7 will be a cross-platform game.

Preorder

Tanks and planes face off in a battle. — 2K

Civilization 7 has three versions to pick from to preorder on its official site: Standard, Deluxe, and Founders. Here’s a breakdown of each:

Standard: $70

Civilization 7 base game
Tecumeseh and Shawnee preorder bonus

Deluxe: $100

Everything in the Standard Edition
5 days of early access
Crossroads of the World Collection, which includes 2 new leaders, 4 new civilizations, 4 new wonders, and a cosmetic bonus
Deluxe Content Pack, which includes 2 leader personas, 4 profile customizations, 1 alternate scout skin

Founders: $130

Everything in prior Editions
Founders Content Pack, which includes 2 leader personas, 4 profile customizations, 1 fog of war tile set, 1 Founders palace skin
Right to Rule collection post-launch content

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