Civ 7 Named the Most Wanted PC Game of 2025

Civilization VII: 2025's Most Anticipated PC Game

Civilization VII has been crowned the most anticipated PC game of 2025 by PC Gamer's "Most Wanted" event! The game's creative director shed light on innovative mechanics designed to enhance campaign engagement. Read on to discover more about this exciting announcement and the new features in Civ VII.

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

On December 6th, the PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted revealed Civilization VII as the number one most anticipated game of 2025. This accolade was determined by a vote from "The Council," a panel of over 70 developers, content creators, and PC Gamer editors. The nearly three-hour livestream showcased the top 25 upcoming games, including new trailers and updates for titles like Let's Build a Dungeon and Drivers of the Apocalypse.

Doom: The Dark Ages and Monster Hunter Wilds secured the second and third spots respectively, with Slay the Spire 2 following closely behind. Other notable titles included Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, The Thing: Remastered, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. Interestingly, Hollow Knight: Silksong was absent from the list.

Civilization VII launches simultaneously on PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch on February 11, 2025.

New "Ages" Mechanic Enhances Campaign Completion

In a PC Gamer interview, Civ VII's Creative Director, Ed Beach, unveiled the "Ages" mechanic—a key feature designed to encourage players to complete entire campaigns. Firaxis Games' data from Civ VI revealed a significant number of players never finished a campaign, prompting the development of this new system.

Beach explained, "We saw data showing many players never reached the end of Civilization games. We aimed to tackle this directly, whether through reducing micromanagement or restructuring the game."

Civ VII divides campaigns into three distinct "Ages": Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern. Players can transition to a new civilization at the end of each Age, mirroring historical shifts in power. However, the transition isn't random; the new civilization must share a historical or geographical link with its predecessor (e.g., the Roman Empire might transition to the French Empire, potentially with the Norman Empire as a bridge).

The leader remains consistent across Ages, maintaining a sense of continuity and rivalry. An "overbuild" feature allows constructing new buildings atop existing ones, although Wonders and certain structures persist.

This innovative mechanic offers players a unique experience by allowing them to guide multiple civilizations through history, managing cultural, military, diplomatic, and economic factors while maintaining loyalty to a single leader.