I have been cautiously optimistic about Civilization 7 since I saw a very brief glimpse of it at Gamescom 2024. It’s a return to a more realistic art style for starters, and while I did enjoy Civilization 6,

In Civilization VII, Firaxis has added a dizzying array of new ways to approach every aspect of building your empire.

Civilization 7 comes in with a gripping gameplay formula that could be a home run, were it not for some rough edges that need polish.

So, that is the burden that Civilization 7 carries with it. Here is a game that, after playing through the first of its three distinct eras, is shaping up to be very good, but the fact that it’s introducing a huge number of major tweaks and reinterpretations that—in both small ways and big—provide a brand-new way to play Civ means that it asks of its veteran players to enter with an open mind.

Sid Meier's Civilization 7 will be released on February 11, 2025. Here's a look ahead at what to expect from the latest installment of the series.