The Civilization series, the popular 4X strategy games from Firaxis Games and 2K, are known – or in some cases, infamous – for their steep learning curves and almost brutally complex mechanics. It can be a tad bit overwhelming at first as the games often throw you into micro-managing every single aspect of your budding civilization, from establishing resourceful cities and villages, creating trade routes, amassing a decent military power, brokering peace (or war) with neighbouring kingdoms, and generally making sure your citizens have all they need, lest you accidentally trigger poverty, civil unrest and uprisings. With Civilization VII, Firaxis Games has now found an incredible middle-ground, arguably making the most accessible entry in the series to date.

Civilization VII doubles down on tutorial pop-ups to guide new players every step of the way on their first journeys. This is an option that can be toggled off for veteran players but for newcomers not yet accustomed to absorbing every minute detail of the gameplay, these tutorials and handy pop-ups go a very long way in reminding you exactly what needs to be done and to what degree.



To streamline the process of diving headfirst into a precarious new campaign where the odds could be stacked against you, Civilization VII has also made it so that you can tinker and tailor your experience to whatever difficulty you want from the get-go. As demonstrated in my first impressions of trying out these streamlined mechanics, I was able to get a (somewhat) functional modern civilization up and running in a matter of minutes as the game guides new players towards choosing the most optimal choices and routes. I even had a decent military standing right off the bat – a process that could take several turns in an ordinary campaign.

I wanted to spotlight some of the pretty solid accessibility and tutorials that #Civilization7 offers. With the quick start options, in a matter of minutes I could quickly establish a (somewhat) functioning civilization for a fresh playthrough.

My Confucius and I are satisfied. pic.twitter.com/Sv7xOW9941

— Sam Aberdeen (@SamAberdeen1) February 25, 2025

Of course, this is also where Civilization VII feels like it hasn’t entirely abandoned veterans of the series either. You can tweak the campaign to make it as challenging or time-consuming as you want, adjusting everything from the size of the map to the rate in which, well, things actually happen between turns – now that feels more like old-school Civilization. However, as a rusty player whose last experience with the series was Civilization V almost a decade ago, I wanted to find out just how long it would take me to grasp and relearn a lot of the familiar intricacies of the franchise in Civilization VII. The short answer: not very long.

Naturally, with this being a demanding 4X strategy game where it’s possible for your brain to melt at the information overload constantly bombarding the screen at any given moment, there’s still somewhat of a learning curve here, albeit it’s a lot less gruelling than past entries. Thanks to a colourful new UI that wires your brain to focus on and associate certain mechanics with colours (it seems juvenile but trust me, a basic approach like this works wonders), there’s enough leeway for you to sit and really soak in everything happening on-screen without getting confused and accidentally launching war on your neighbouring kingdom that’s been giving you a healthy supply of food for your citizens.



More importantly, Firaxis Games has streamlined all these elements without losing the heart, soul and addictively extensive micro-management of the Civilization series. Some veteran players might see this as an attempt to tone down the series while others will welcome the idea of having a great starting point for any new players to hop in (if Civilization VI was a bit too much for you). As a player returning to the series after a long time, this was exactly what I needed to immerse myself again.

Civilization VII is now available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.