Civ 7 Tops 2025's Most Wanted PC Games List

Sid Meier's Civilization VII has surged to the forefront of gaming excitement, clinching the title of the Most Wanted PC Game of 2025. At the heart of this anticipation is the game's innovative approach to campaign engagement, as detailed by its Creative Director. Dive into the details from PC Gamer's event and discover what's in store for fans of this iconic strategy series.

Civ 7 Gaining Momentum Ahead of its 2025 Release

Bagged the Most Wanted Game for 2025

During the PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted event on December 6, hosted by PC Gamer, Civilization VII was crowned the most anticipated game for 2025. This prestigious event showcased the top 25 most exciting upcoming projects, determined by a vote from The Council—a distinguished panel comprising over 70 developers, content creators, and PC Gamer's own editors. The nearly three-hour livestream not only ranked the games but also unveiled new trailers and content for titles like Let’s Build a Dungeon and Drivers of the Apocalypse.

Following closely behind Civ 7, Doom: The Dark Ages secured the second spot, with Monster Hunter Wilds taking third. The indie sensation Slay the Spire 2 claimed 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 was Hollow Knight: Silksong, which also did not feature a trailer during the event.

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 insightful interview with PC Gamer on December 6, Civ 7’s Creative Director, Ed Beach, shed light on a groundbreaking campaign mechanic called Ages. This feature was developed in response to data from Civilization VI, which showed that many players did not complete the game's campaigns. Beach emphasized the team's commitment to addressing this issue: "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."

Civ 7 introduces the Ages system, dividing a single playthrough into three distinct chapters: the Antiquity Age, the Exploration Age, and the Modern Age. This allows players to transition between civilizations at the end of each Age, mirroring the historical rise and fall of empires. However, the choice of the next civilization is not arbitrary; it must be historically or geographically linked to the previous one. For instance, transitioning from the Roman Empire to the French Empire might involve the Norman Empire as an intermediary.

Leaders remain consistent across all Ages, fostering a continuous narrative and strategic connection to your empire. Additionally, the "overbuild" feature allows players to construct new buildings on top of existing ones as they progress through the Ages, although certain Wonders and structures remain unchanged throughout the campaign.

These innovative mechanics promise a dynamic gameplay experience, enabling players to explore different civilizations within a single playthrough while maintaining a deep connection to their chosen leader. This approach not only enhances the narrative depth but also encourages players to see their campaigns through to the end, addressing a long-standing challenge in the series.