"Civ 7 Tops List as Most Anticipated PC Game for 2025"

Sid Meier's Civilization VII has taken the gaming world by storm, securing the coveted title of the Most Wanted game of 2025. Fans are buzzing with excitement as the game's Creative Director, Ed Beach, unveils innovative mechanics designed to make campaigns more engaging than ever. Dive into the details from PC Gamer's event and discover the thrilling new features awaiting in Civ 7.

Civ 7 Gaining Momentum Ahead of Its 2025 Release

Bagged the Most Wanted Game for 2025

On December 6, PC Gamer's PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted event unveiled that Civilization VII has clinched the top spot among the most anticipated games for next year. This nearly three-hour-long livestream spotlighted the top 25 exciting projects in development, ranked by The Council—a panel of over 70 celebrated developers, content creators, and PC Gamer's own editors.

The event was not just about rankings; it also treated attendees to new trailers and content for other eagerly awaited titles such as Let’s Build a Dungeon and Drivers of the Apocalypse.

Doom: The Dark Ages secured the second spot, followed by Monster Hunter Wilds in third place. The indie darling Slay the Spire 2 took the fourth position. Other notable entries included Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, The Thing: Remastered, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. Notably absent from the list and the event's trailer showcase was Hollow Knight: Silksong.

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

Civ 7 Game Mechanic Helps Players Finish Campaign

In an interview with PC Gamer on December 6, Civ 7’s Creative Director, Ed Beach, shed light on a groundbreaking campaign mechanic named Ages, designed to help players complete their campaigns. Firaxis Games’ data from Civilization VI showed that many players did not reach the end of their campaigns, an issue the team was keen to resolve.

"We had a lot of data that people would play Civilization games and they would never get all the way to the end. They just wouldn’t finish them. And so we wanted to do whatever we could—whether it was reducing micromanagement, restructuring the game—to really address that problem directly," Beach stated.

Civ 7 introduces the Ages feature, dividing a single playthrough or campaign into three distinct chapters: the Antiquity Age, Exploration Age, and Modern Age. Players can transition to another civilization at the end of an Age, mirroring the rise and fall of empires in real-world history.

However, the choice of the next civilization isn't arbitrary; it must have a historical or geographical link to the previous one. For instance, transitioning from the Roman Empire to the French Empire would involve the Norman Empire as a historical bridge.

Your chosen leader remains constant across all Ages, as noted on Civ 7’s official website: "Leaders persist across all Ages, ensuring you always have a sense of who is part of your empire, and who are your rivals."

In terms of infrastructure, Civ 7 introduces an "overbuild" feature, allowing players to construct new buildings on top of existing ones after transitioning to a new Age. However, Wonders and certain buildings will remain unchanged throughout the campaign.

With these new mechanics, players can explore various civilizations within a single playthrough, offering fresh approaches to cultural, military, diplomatic, and economic strategies while maintaining a connection to their chosen leader.