The great 4X strategy game Sid Meier’s Civilization 7 will be released soon and will be different in many ways than its predecessors. We now know until which time you can play your campaigns – and roughly how it will continue after that.
What we know about the game:
- You play as famous rulers in Civilization 7, guiding them through the ages with wars, diplomacy, and research.
- The cultures develop differently than you know so far. Unlike before, Civilization only has three ages or eras: Ancient, Exploration, and Modern. With each new epoch, you can change leaders and cultures.
- Although this is a significant break with tradition, the innovation seems to be well received. Strategy expert Maurice Weber is enthusiastic.
When does Civ 7 end? The Modern Age is the last epoch you can play in Civilization 7. In a livestream, the developers explain how this will proceed (via YouTube).
The Modern Age begins in Civ 7 around the year 1750, as monarchies come under increasing threat and revolutions begin in America and France. Napoleon is an important figure in this context.
The last major event during which Civ 7 is set will be the Cold War, that is, the dramatic arms race between the USA and the Soviet Union after World War II. While no specific year is provided, the latest known victory condition is the first manned flight into space, which was carried out in our world by Yuri Gagarin in 1961.
The Cold War was considered one of the most significant eras of modern times and has advanced many civilian and military research areas or laid the foundations for them, such as:
- Space travel and rocket technology
- Computer and information technology
- Electronics
- Aerospace engineering
- Nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons
Civ 7 has no information age “at launch,” but that may come later
In the stream, Creative Director Ed Beach explains that the ages are meant to be large blocks, featuring a “big, climactic conflict.” The possible research options in the third age should reflect that.
Beach explains that history continued after the Cold War, but “this is something you won’t see in Civ 7 at launch.” However, they want to share more about what comes next “in due time.”
This suggests that Firaxis, the developers of Civ 7, have already planned the first DLC or the first major update. However, whether this will only extend to our modern times from the 1960s to now, or even have futuristic elements, we do not yet know.
Civilization 7 will be released on February 11, 2025, for PC, Mac, and Linux. If you don’t want to wait that long or are too impatient, in the meantime, you can find other games to shorten your waiting time: Those waiting for Civilization 7 can grab a fantastic alternative on Steam for 20 € – I have already played 264 hours.
