Civilization VII Tops PC Gamer's "Most Wanted" Games of 2025

Civilization VII has been crowned the most anticipated PC game of 2025 by PC Gamer's "Most Wanted" event. This accolade follows the reveal of new mechanics designed to enhance campaign engagement, as explained by the game's Creative Director. This article delves into the details of the event and the innovative features coming to Civ VII.

PC Gamer's "Most Wanted" Event Highlights Civ VII

The December 6th PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted, hosted by PC Gamer, featured a countdown of the 25 most exciting games in development for 2025. The rankings were determined by a vote from "The Council," a panel of over 70 developers, content creators, and PC Gamer editors. Civ VII secured the top position. The nearly three-hour livestream also showcased trailers and updates for other games, including Let's Build a Dungeon and Drivers of the Apocalypse.

Other notable entries in the "Most Wanted" list included Doom: The Dark Ages (2nd place), Monster Hunter Wilds (3rd), and Slay the Spire 2 (4th). The list also featured titles such as Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, The Thing: Remastered, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. Interestingly, Hollow Knight: Silksong was absent from both the rankings and the event's trailers.

Civilization VII is slated for simultaneous release on PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch on February 11, 2025.

New "Ages" Mechanic Enhances Campaign Completion in Civ VII

In a PC Gamer interview on December 6th, Civ VII's Creative Director, Ed Beach, discussed a new campaign mechanic called "Ages" designed to address the common issue of players not completing Civ VI campaigns. Firaxis Games' data revealed a significant percentage of players never reached the end game, prompting the development of this new feature.

Beach explained, "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."

The "Ages" system divides a single campaign into three distinct chapters: Antiquity Age, Exploration Age, and Modern Age. Upon completing an 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; connections must exist. For instance, the Roman Empire might transition to the French Empire, potentially with the Norman Empire serving as a bridge. The player's leader remains consistent across Ages, maintaining a sense of continuity and rivalry.

A new "overbuild" feature allows for the construction of buildings atop existing structures after transitioning to a new Age. However, Wonders and certain other buildings will persist throughout the entire campaign.

This innovative mechanic offers players the opportunity to experience multiple civilizations within a single playthrough, adding depth and variety to cultural, military, diplomatic, and economic strategies while maintaining player connection to their chosen leader.