Summary
- Civilization 7 has a similar number of players as Civilization 5.
- There is plenty of criticism surrounding Civilization 7 from long-time fans of the series.
- Civilization games tend not become popular until a couple of expansions have released.
It’s been a rocky start for Civilization 7. The latest installment in the legendary 4X series has a mixed review score on Steam, partially because players claim the game feels unfinished and partially because of some of Firaxis’ design choices.
Civilization 7’s “ages” system has players change their civilization several times throughout a match. Although intended to keep a game interesting from start to finish, this radical change to Civilization’s formula has alienated some long-time fans of the series.
Old Dog, New Tricks
A bigger problem is the latent accusation that Civilization 7’s release was rushed to release. After finding out that Britain’s unique naval unit was a generic model that Firaxis intends to change in a future update, one annoyed player said they felt like a beta tester for an early access game. It’s no secret that Civilization games often need an expansion or two to feel like a full-fledged experience, but some feel that the release state of Civilization 7 goes beyond this old maxim.
Civilization 5 remains a beloved entry in the series, despite a couple of lingering problems such as the game’s slow-moving multiplayer games. In fact, Civilization 5 has begun to eclipse Civilization 7 in active player numbers once more, at least on Steam.
As pointed out by Atomic-Brain on Reddit, there are several points throughout the day when more people are playing Civilization 5 than Civilization 7. Considering the former was released 15 years ago and the latter just over a month ago, this probably isn’t a promising sign for Firaxis.
Civilization 5 tends to hover around 15,000 players, while Civilization 7 maintains a similar number. For those who are curious, Civilization 6 has double the number of players, with around 30,000 average concurrent players at any given time. There is likely a large cohort of players who tried out Civilization 7 and have returned to their their preferred instalment until Firaxis releases more content for the game.
This is far from the end of the world for fans of Civilization 7, as Civilization 6 originally drew unfavourable comparisons to its predecessors before a couple of expansions made the game very popular in its own right. Although there’s certainly more vitriol surrounding Civilization 7 at the moment, there’s every chance that Firaxis pulls off another redemption story.
Grand Strategy
Turn-Based Strategy
4X
- Released
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February 11, 2025
- ESRB
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