Mixed Reviews for Civilization 7 Ahead of Release

Civilization 7 became available on Steam ahead of its official release, and as of February 8, users have left around 7,500 mixed reviews regarding the game's current state.

The Civilization franchise is known for its deep strategic gameplay, allowing players to guide their civilization from the ancient era to modern times. You defend your lands, expand your empire, form alliances, build wonders, and manage resources—put simply, it’s a complex and multifaceted strategy game.

"The award-winning franchise opens a revolutionary new chapter in strategy gaming. Sid Meier's Civilization® VII gives you the chance to build the greatest empire in the world!" — reads the game’s description on Steam.

Image Credit: SpilledGG

To play before the official release on February 11, players must purchase the Deluxe Edition for $99 or the Founders Edition for $130.

Negative reviews highlight the game’s unfinished state and poor UI decisions, while positive feedback expresses hope that patches will fix the issues. The seventh installment introduces gameplay changes that set it apart from Civilization 4, 5, and 6, making it feel like a standalone experience—though not everyone welcomes these differences. The game currently lacks map search, auto-scouting, and balance in currency and combat strength. Additionally, unit icons blend into the map, making visibility a challenge.

User review by abs:

"Instead of notifications, I saw variables from the code. The coin balance dropped into negative values. Unit icons blend with houses, landscapes, and sometimes disappear behind buildings. The minimap reopens itself after being closed. There are no hotkeys for managing map layers… and that’s just what I noticed on the first day. You can’t check player ping, and it’s unclear when someone joins or leaves a multiplayer game…”

A recent bug caused players to hear coughing and grunting in the Age Transition screen, which 2K attributed to overlapping menu audio. Meanwhile, a developer blog post promised future updates to improve UI interactions, enhance map readability, and add key multiplayer features like Teams and hotseat mode.

In a message to fans, the team expressed gratitude for the community’s passion and outlined key priorities. Their top focus is UI enhancements, aiming to make interactions more intuitive and maps more readable. They also plan to add community-requested features, including Teams for multiplayer, customizable city and religion names, and hotseat mode. Additionally, Patch 1.1.0, set for March, will introduce quality-of-life updates, AI balancing, and diplomacy tweaks. Firaxis reassures fans that Civ 7 will continue evolving with player input.

Civilization 7 launches with mixed reviews, citing UI flaws and unfinished features. While some remain hopeful for fixes, others see the changes as a step back. Will updates turn things around?