Updates & Fixes Civilization 7 Needs

Summary

• Improved visuals in Civ 7 with vibrant colors set a new bar for strategy games.
• Diplomacy feels overly transactional and lacks depth for long-time fans.
• UI fixes and additional features like city name customization are needed.

The Civilization franchise began over three decades ago, with the latest entry, Civilization 7, releasing in February 2025. The game was reviewed solidly but has split opinion among fans of the franchise, with many new additions and changes getting the game off to a rocky start. For new players experiencing the franchise for the first time, this entry provides the best graphics ever seen in the franchise, with a more realistic art style to match, but for long-standing fans, Civilization 7 lacks some of the depth of previous entries, with the removal of religious victories and the transactional nature of diplomacy.

The developers at Firaxis Games have committed to making consistent updates and patches for their new release, with the average lifespan of each Civilization game being over five years. With the mixed reception, there are already patches in the works to improve the UI, but what are the updates and fixes that Civilization 7 needs?

1

Photo Mode

Capture The Best Visuals So Far

• A new feature to capture the beauty of the game

Civilization 7 saw a massive upgrade to the art style with extra added details when building a city. It’s the prettiest the franchise has ever looked, bolstered with vibrant colors raising the bar for strategy games.

Due to the incredible visuals, a photo mode would be a great addition to the game, allowing players to capture their towns in their various stages of growth, epic battles, or even a natural disaster as it occurs. An official photo mode within the game would allow players to capture and edit their images and would make a great addition to Civilization 7.

2

Balance Diplomacy

Diplomacy Feels A Little Too Transactional

• Adding more depth to the diplomacy system

A useful tool for success in Civilization 7 is using diplomacy to expand and grow one’s empire. In previous games in the franchise, it was possible to achieve a diplomatic victory, meaning the feature has been present for quite some time.

Within Civilization 7, diplomacy returns with a whole new look, adding more depth to the transactions that will shape the players’ civilization. What used to boil down to just bartering to get the best deal, now impacts relationships with other empires using influence points to strengthen the relationships between leaders. This change is much more detailed, but at present feels almost too transactional. Coming down to exchanging influence for the action players want, a bit of added variety and unpredictability to the diplomacy system could improve Civilization 7.

3

Changes To The UI

Many Players Have Noted Issues With The Games Interface

• Making the UI more PC friendly is a must

One problem some players have with Civilization 7 comes in the form of the game’s user interface. Many noted their issues with the size of names on the map, less detailed information presented in the Global Yields breakdown screen, and the lack of a search option that was present in Civilization 6.

Firaxis Games has already responded and begun to release patches improving the UI within the game, but more work will be required to get the game to where it needs to be. These fixes will take time, but with the development team committed to improving the experience and modders already working on improvements for players, this initial fix will be resolved quickly.

4

Customizing City Names

A Feature In Previous Games Needs To Be Added Back

• Allows players to have more control

One area that has disappointed many long-time fans of the Civilization franchise is that at launch, players can not change the names of their cities. In previous franchise entries, players have been able to change the names of religions, cities, and units, with this added customization giving players an extra sense of control.

The developers have stated that this will be added to the game in future patches, but it’s a strange omission at launch. It’s made stranger by the fact that, in each age, players change which civilization they are in control of, meaning that changing a city’s name would enhance the realism featured. The renaming of units additionally allows players to distinguish between their units, making the game easier to manage. This will be fixed in future matches, but for some players, this improvement can’t come quickly enough.

5

Quick Movement

The Ability To Speed Up Unit Movement Needs To Be Added

• Speeds up the turns in-game

Many players familiar with the Civilization franchise know when they are starting a game that they are committing to a lengthy period of time. One way many players have increased efficiency within previous entries is by making use of the quick movement and combat options within the game.

However, at launch, Civilization 7 does not currently have a quick movement or combat option present, meaning when players are looking to move their units around the map, they have to wait for the animation to take place. For some players, this feature becomes crucial when trying to speed up the game. The developers have stated they are already working on adding quick movement but aren’t working on quick combat. Hopefully, this will be resolved soon for players who want to use quick movement features.

6

Auto Explore

A Feature In Previous Games That Has Been Removed

• Allows players to explore without having to program every move

Scouts are a vital unit for players in Civilization 7, with massive improvements to their functionality included in the new game. In the Antiquity era, players use scouts to better understand the layout of the map to find the best locations to place their towns and encounter other civilizations.

One feature that has been removed from Civilization 7 is the auto-explore feature, in which scouts will explore the map without the player needing to choose where they go. Many players have used this feature in previous games to great effect when looking to expand their empires, but it has been removed for players to experiment with the upgraded scout. The developers have stated that auto-explore will be added based on how the players want it to be implemented. Here’s hoping that auto-explore will be added soon.

7

Limited Map Variety

More Map Types Need To Be Added

• Gives players more options in the game

The biggest issue with Civilization 7 so far for many players is the limited variety of maps on offer in the base game. With fewer options in the base game than in previous entries in the franchise, the focus on maps for multiplayer has raised concerns for players who primarily play against the AI.

The good news for players is that these systems and maps are already in development, meaning more variety is on the way. The team at Firaxis Games has already stated that they have listened to community feedback and are fast-tracking these options. So, this important update shouldn’t be too far away for players who are unhappy with the current map selections.