Firaxis Makes Surprise Sid Meier’s Civilization 7 – VR Announcement

Firaxis has announced a virtual reality version of the recently released Civilization 7.

Sid Meier’s Civilization 7 – VR is the long-running strategy franchise’s first foray into VR, and launches spring 2025 exclusively on Meta Quest 3 and 3S.

Publisher 2K Games said Sid Meier’s Civilization 7 – VR is developed by PlaySide Studios, which worked on VR games The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners and Meta Horizon Worlds.

Here’s the official blurb:

In Civilization 7 – VR, the world of Civilization is brought to life like never before. The map takes shape atop a Command Table that lets you peer down from high above or lean all the way in to appreciate the finer details of buildings and units, like a tabletop game come to life. Players will chart a course for their people and engage face-to-face with iconic world leaders around the Command Table, each reacting as you forge alliances or declare war through the Ages.

Civilization 7 – VR is available to play in either immersive virtual reality or mixed reality, and you’ll be able to freely switch between the two at any time. In virtual reality, players are transported to an ornate museum as they look out onto a vista personalized to their leader; in mixed reality, the Command Table adapts to its placement in a player’s physical space. Detailed dioramas can be viewed in The Archives, a room in your museum dedicated to your gameplay achievements displayed in both virtual and mixed reality. In addition to single-player, Civilization 7 – VR can compete to rule the world in online multiplayer matches with up to three other Meta Quest 3 and 3S players.

Firaxis’ 4X strategy sequel is currently available on PC and console to those who paid more for advanced access, and they’re certainly letting their voices be known in Steam user reviews, highlighting issues with the user interface, a lack of map variety, and a feeling that Civilization 7 has launched without a number of features they’ve come come to expect.

Firaxis has responded to this feedback, promising improvements to the UI, the addition of teams to multiplayer games so people can play co-operatively, and a wider variety of map types, among other things.

In an interview with IGN ahead of the release of third quarter financial results, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick acknowledged that Civilization 7 had received some negative reviews from press and players, but insisted that the “legacy Civ audience” will come around the more they play, and called Civilization 7’s early performance “very encouraging.”

Looking for tips to help you take over the world? Check out our guide to completing every Civ 7 victory, our run down of the biggest Civ 7 changes for Civ 6 players, and the 14 crucial Civ 7 mistakes to avoid. We’ve also got explanations on all the Civ 7 map types and difficulty settings so you know what you’re getting into.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.