To understand my love for strategy games, we have to go all the way back to my childhood. After getting home from school and finishing my homework, I would spend a few hours on my dad’s PC. Back then, I didn’t always know what I was clicking on; I fumbled my way through plenty of games. But strategy games were among the first genres I ever played, and one title, in particular, stood out.

Sid Meier’s Civilization. It’s hard to believe the franchise dates back to 1991. Fast forward to 2025, and the classic 4X turn-based strategy series, developed by Firaxis Games and published by 2K, is still going strong. The latest entry, Sid Meier’s Civilization VII, continues that legacy.

During the review period, I finished two campaigns (and I’m currently in the middle of another one). In one, I went for a science victory, and in the other, a cultural victory. I feel these campaigns gave me a solid understanding of the game, its new mechanics, and the ages you must navigate.

One of the biggest changes is that your leader is no longer permanently tied to a single civilization. In past games, figures like Napoleon have always led France throughout history. Now, that’s no longer the case.

When starting a campaign, you select your leader and then your civilization. However, your civilization changes as you progress through different ages. For example, if you start as Rome in the Antiquity Age, you’ll need to choose a new civilization once you reach the Exploration Age and again in the Modern Age. So, a single campaign might see you begin as Greece, transition to the Normans, and finally become Prussia. However, you still carry the legacy you built in previous ages to help you in the future.

This system leads to some wacky combinations, almost like you’ve been thrown into an alternate reality. Imagine Napoleon leading Russia or Augustus ruling America. Creating your own narratives around these scenarios is fun, though I’m not sure every longtime fan of the series will embrace this change.

Freedom is all yours now, but combining leaders with your civs can still be very important since starting abilities can really benefit your campaign. Catherine the Great has scientific abilities which can be great if you want a scientific civilization later on with Russia.

Now, if you’ve never played a Civilization game, it’s a turn-based 4X strategy game involving movement on a tile-based map. If you’re unfamiliar with the term 4X, it stands for explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate. Don’t worry; the Civilopedia is there to answer any questions you might have.

A game begins with you founding your first city in the Antiquity Age. This marks the start of your journey to building an empire. You’ll want to claim as much land as possible at this stage, securing vital resources. Expanding your territory allows you to produce units such as scouts or warriors to explore the map, an essential step, as research and culture play key roles in advancing your civilization with better tech. As your cities develop, you’ll eventually choose a form of government that best suits your strategy.

I played the Antiquity Age very aggressively as Catherine the Great, leading Rome. I quickly conquered my continent before shifting my focus to military expansion and scientific research. This strategy allowed me to launch an early offensive against a neighbouring civilization and easily take one of their cities just as we transitioned into the Exploration Age.

As the name suggests, the Exploration Age is about discovering new lands. Your starting continent should be well established by this point, and it’s time to settle in other territories. At this stage, you can expand through diplomacy or military conquest. My approach was straightforward: amass forces along the pre-Japan, Rizal-led borders, launch a quick invasion to seize a city or two, sue for peace, gain another settlement, rebuild my military, and repeat.

This is a great time to mention how pivotal commanders are to your military. Army and Navy commanders (and later Squadron commanders for your air force) allow you to place most of your units nearby under their command. This is great for moving your armies, as you can move all your units through the commander. Once at your target, you can choose to attack your targets as a combined force or assemble your units.

Either way, your commander must be nearby since you will earn XP towards attribute points. Here you can upgrade your commander and gain some good advantages such as additional movement per turn, more combat strength to your units or more war weariness which you definitely want more of than your enemy.

Back in my capital, my scientific research was thriving. However, prolonged warfare affected my city’s happiness and production, forcing me to carefully balance my resources. Toward the end of the Exploration Age, I overextended by attempting to capture Tokyo, my enemy’s capital. I underestimated my ability to resupply the frontlines, as my reinforcements had to cross the ocean. It seemed like I was heading for defeat until the Modern Age arrived just in time to save me.

In the Modern Age, my days of conquest were over, and I focused entirely on scientific advancement while attempting to slow my rival’s progress through diplomacy. Unfortunately, diplomacy feels less nuanced than in previous games, with certain choices removed favouring a more streamlined experience. I invested heavily in combustion research, which was crucial for my scientific victory. It eventually led to rockets, securing my place in the space race and ultimately winning the campaign.

I liked the change of starting fresh with each age. It provided a nice reset and allowed me to refocus my strategy on how I wanted to win. Plus, among all the changes, the core strategy gameplay is still as addictive as ever, and the dopamine rush from winning a war or advancing technology first is incredibly rewarding.

Technically, the UI felt undercooked, as if it was still in development or designed like a mobile game. Graphically, the world remains enjoyable to explore, and seeing fully developed cities and wonders like the Pyramids is a highlight. However, the character models are overly cartoony. Lastly, the soundtrack was excellent, perfectly fitting each era: chants and ancient melodies in the Antiquity Age, uplifting tunes with a sense of discovery in the Exploration Age, and regal, imperial themes in the Modern Age.

Sid Meier’s Civilization VII simplifies its many systems, maybe sometimes to its own detriment for some, but to me, it is still an incredibly satisfying strategy game. No two campaigns will ever be the same, and you will be hooked by looking at the clock six hours later, wondering where the time has gone.

Written by: Dylan Kocins