Summary
There are plenty of big names in the world of strategy video games. Most of the biggest strategy franchises have been around for decades, releasing on early PCs and managing to remain relevant through console ports, remasters, remakes, spinoffs, and, of course, sequels.TheCivilizationfranchiseis the perfect example of that. Debuting all the way back in 1991,Civilizationhas remained one of the biggest and best in the strategy genre for over three decades now, and its legacy is only going to grow stronger with the launch ofCivilization 7.
The first new entry in the franchise in almost eight years, there’s currently a lot of hype surroundingCivilization 7. While theCivfranchise likes to rest on its laurels, developer Firaxis is toutingCivilization 7as a “revolutionary new chapter” for the series, which suggests big things are on their way. And while the video game market is usually flooded with games all vying for attention at the same time,Civilization 7’s release window might let it spread its wings without a fight.
Civilization 7 Has Plenty of Room to Breathe in 2025
2024 Is Still Stacked with Strategy Game Releases
2024 has already been a pretty good year for the strategy genre. Though it wasn’t without its fair share of criticism,Homeworld 3still ended up being a decentSci-Fi strategy game. Inkulinati was an incredibly unique medieval turn-based strategy game.Manor Lordsended up becoming an unprecedented early access success. And while it didn’t quite live up to its lofty expectations,Millenniawas a solid 4X strategy experience.
But the best is yet to come. The rest of 2024 is stacked with huge strategy game releases, some of which would have given evenCivilization 7a run for its money.Ara: History Untoldwould probably have beenCivilization 7’s biggest competitor, with it being a first-party Xbox 4X strategy game that takes heavy inspiration from theCivfranchise, but adds plenty of its own features to separate it from the crowd.
A slew of other major strategy titles are also dropping alongsideAra: History Untoldin September.Crusader Kings 3’s Roads to Power expansionis dropping on the same day asAra,Frostpunk 2launches just a few days before it, andAge of Mythology: Retoldhits consoles and PC at the start of the month. Though all of these games play very differently fromCivilization, they would still have givenCiv 7some tough competition. But with a 2025 release window,Civilization 7will be able to sail straight past all of these would-be competitors.
Civilization 7 Isn’t Completely Without Competition in 2025
But it won’t be all smooth sailing forCivilization 7. Though it’s currently the biggest strategy game set to release in 2025, and one of the biggest releases in general,Civilization 7does have one or two possible points of competition. The most apparent is probablyUbisoft’sAnno 117: Pax Romana, the 8th entry in the long-running historical city-building franchise, this time taking players all the way back to the days of Ancient Rome. ButAnno 117only has a general release window of 2025 as of the time of writing, meaning that it can avoidCivilization 7’s launch easily, and give the two strategy games enough room to breathe.
