Civ 7 Named the Most Wanted PC Game of 2025

Civilization VII: The Most Anticipated PC Game of 2025

Civilization VII has been crowned the most anticipated PC game of 2025 by PC Gamer's "Most Wanted" event! The game's Creative Director shed light on innovative mechanics designed to enhance campaign engagement. Read on to discover more about this exciting announcement and the upcoming features in Civ 7.

Civ 7's Rising Popularity Before its 2025 Launch

On December 6th, PC Gamer's PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted revealed Civ 7 as the number one most anticipated title of 2025. The event showcased the top 25 most exciting games in development for the coming year, ranked by a vote from "The Council," a panel of over 70 developers, content creators, and PC Gamer editors. The show also included new trailers and updates for other games, such as Let’s Build a Dungeon and Drivers of the Apocalypse.

Doom: The Dark Ages and Monster Hunter Wilds secured second and third place, respectively, while Slay the Spire 2 claimed the fourth spot. Other notable titles on the list included Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, The Thing: Remastered, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. Interestingly, Hollow Knight: Silksong was absent from the rankings and didn't receive a trailer during the event.

Civilization VII will launch simultaneously on PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch on February 11, 2025.

New Game Mechanics in Civ 7 Ensure Campaign Completion

In a PC Gamer interview on December 6th, Civ 7's Creative Director, Ed Beach, unveiled a groundbreaking new campaign mechanic: Ages. This feature directly addresses Firaxis Games' data revealing that a significant portion of Civ 6 players never completed a full campaign.

"Our data showed many players never finished a Civilization game," Beach explained. "So we aimed to reduce micromanagement and restructure the game to tackle this issue head-on."

Civ 7's "Ages" mechanic divides each playthrough into three distinct chapters: Antiquity Age, Exploration Age, and Modern Age. Upon the conclusion of each Age, players can transition to a historically or geographically connected civilization, mirroring the rise and fall of real-world empires.

This transition isn't random; it must maintain historical or geographical links. For instance, the Roman Empire might transition to the French Empire, with the Norman Empire serving as a bridge. Leaders persist across Ages, maintaining a consistent sense of identity and rivalry. An "overbuild" feature allows constructing new buildings atop existing ones, although Wonders and certain structures remain unchanged.

This innovative feature allows players to experience multiple civilizations within a single playthrough, offering fresh perspectives on cultural, military, diplomatic, and economic strategies while retaining the connection to a familiar leader.