Gameplay

If you’ve played any Civilization game before, you already have a good idea of what to expect in Civilization VII. The core mechanics remain the same—just more refined. You’ll start with a small capital city and expand your civilization, typically focusing on one of four key strategies: military, science, economy, or culture.

One of the best things about Civ games is their flexibility. Whether you want a long, drawn-out military campaign that takes hours to complete or a fast-paced race to dominate through culture, the game adapts to your playstyle. Civ VII offers 26 different leaders to choose from, allowing you to tailor your strategy even further. After selecting your leader, you decide which age to start in and set off on your journey.

Personally, I’m not a fan of overly long games, so my usual strategy involves focusing on Culture and Happiness in the early ages before pivoting to military dominance later on. Does it always work out? Not even close! But that’s just how I like to play.

Strictly speaking in terms of gameplay, this game does a fantastic job of teaching you how to play—if you take the time to read and pay attention (which, admittedly, I didn’t). The tutorial lays out the mechanics clearly, and if you follow along, you’ll have a solid grasp of how things work. However, even after completing the tutorial and spending a good amount of time playing, I can confidently say that the UI is an absolute mess.

Navigating menus feels like a chore, with far too many unnecessary clicks standing between you and what you actually meant to select. Whether it’s managing your units, checking resources, or adjusting settings, everything feels more complicated than it should be. It’s frustrating when a game that plays so well is bogged down by an interface that fights against you at every turn.

Graphics & Audio

One thing I didn’t expect from a Civ game—the graphics are stunning. The wonders look incredible (which is great for me since I build a ton of them—I love the cultural aspect of the game). The water textures and natural wonders are especially breathtaking, adding an extra layer of beauty to the world.

The music also caught me by surprise. It’s immersive, striking the perfect balance between calming and tense when needed. However, when it comes to sound, I ran into an odd issue. I’m not sure if it’s a bug or an intentional design choice, but there were several moments where the music would suddenly cut out and stay silent for a while. Playing Civ in complete silence? Definitely awkward.

Feedback

While Civilization VII shines in gameplay, technical issues hold it back. The UI is clunky, requiring too many clicks for simple tasks, making navigation frustrating. The music, while excellent, frequently cuts out, leaving awkward silence for extended periods. Stability was also a problem early on, with multiple crashes disrupting gameplay. While patches have improved things, these issues still affect immersion. Hopefully, future updates will smooth them out.

Verdict

Civilization VII refines the series’ core mechanics, offering deep strategy and flexible playstyles. With 26 leaders and multiple starting ages, every game feels unique. The visuals are stunning, and the soundtrack enhances immersion—when it works.

However, technical issues hold it back. The clunky UI makes navigation frustrating, music frequently cuts out, and early crashes disrupted gameplay. While patches have improved stability, these flaws still affect the experience.

Despite its rough edges, Civ VII remains an engaging and rewarding strategy game. If future updates smooth out the issues, it could become the definitive Civ entry.

Sid Meier’s Civilization VII is available for PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and Nintendo Switch.