For over three decades now, Civilization has been one of the leading names of the 4X strategy genre, and for a long stretch in the middle, it managed to maintain that mantle without touching a home console. While the first two Civilization games were ported to consoles like the SNES and PlayStation, 2001’s Civilization 3 began a PC-only release trend for the series. Aside from 2008’s Civilization Revolution – a streamlined spinoff designed to teach newcomers the basics – the Civilization series didn’t return to consoles until 2017.
According to publisher Take-Two, Civilization 6‘s Nintendo Switch port “significantly exceeded expectations,” so it’s no surprise that Civilization 7 has launched on multiple platforms simultaneously, the first in the franchise to do so. Civilization 7 is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and the Switch, and in Spring, it’s even coming to VR. There’s no shortage of ways to play Civ 7, but one of the best might be via Steam Deck.
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One Civilization 7 Feature is a Far Cry From What Came Before
While Sid Meier’s Civilization 7 may feature some fantastic changes, there is one feature that was sadly stripped back in this adventure.
Civilization 7 Feels Right At Home on The Steam Deck
Civilization 7 Runs Very Well on The Steam Deck
Developer Firaxis announced that Civilization 7 was Steam Deck Verified over a month before the game’s full launch, and that rating is apt. Civilization 7 runs on the Steam Deck right out of the box, meaning that players don’t need to tinker with any settings to get a good performance from it on the handheld.
That being said, if players want a few extra frames, they can easily do that by heading to the in-game graphical settings and turning on AMD FSR 3. Occasionally, players might experience some framerate dips when zooming in on highly populated cities or towns, but that shouldn’t detract from the experience too much.
Civilization 7 also has a dedicated Steam Deck controller layout, which works surprisingly well given the game’s complex systems. A simple radial menu allows players to access Civilization 7‘s diplomacy options, while the “A” and “Y” buttons do the rest of the heavy lifting, with the latter being used to cycle through every possible choice the player can make during their turn, such as commanding units and selecting new technologies to research. Players can also use the Steam Deck’s touch screen and trackpads if they’d prefer to use more precise controls.
Civilization 7’s Gameplay Loop Fits Perfectly With The Steam Deck
For years now, the Civilization franchise‘s mantra has been “one more turn,” and the Steam Deck goes hand in hand with that mentality. While a full game of Civilization 7 can take hours to complete, the Steam Deck’s pick-up-and-play nature means that players with a spare 15 minutes can hop in, play a few turns, and hop back out, breaking that huge time commitment into more manageable chunks.
The Steam Deck Flips One of Civilization 7’s Biggest Complaints On its Head
One common complaint of Civilization 7, at least among PC players, is the game’s general UI. It’s widely believed that Civ 7‘s icons, nameplates, and text boxes are far too big, often reducing the map’s portion of the screen significantly. These (valid) criticisms actually become a boon for those playing Civilization 7 on the Steam Deck, as the larger icons and text boxes are a blessing for its smaller screen.
Grand Strategy
Turn-Based Strategy
4X
- Released
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February 11, 2025