Civilization 7 Brings Major Enhancements for Console Gamers

For years, the consensus was that porting massive, intricate grand strategy games to consoles was a daunting challenge. Many assumed there wasn’t a significant console market for such games, leading to a 20-year gap without a mainline Civilization title on consoles. That long stretch was finally broken when Civilization 6 made its way to consoles. Although the control scheme couldn’t quite match the ease of a mouse and keyboard, it functioned adequately. Now, with Civilization 7 embarking on uncharted territory by launching simultaneously across all platforms, it seems that gamble has paid off. The console version debuted with support improvements that made the experience feel sturdy right from the get-go.

Civilization 7 on consoles might offer the finest experience the franchise has ever had on such devices. For those stepping into the realm of grand strategy games on a console for the first time, Civilization 7’s control layout may require a bit of acclimatization. Nevertheless, it’s surprisingly intuitive, building upon the foundation laid by Civ 6’s console setup with refined and added features.

A noticeable enhancement this time around is Civilization 7’s action-cycling mechanic. This nifty feature creates a seamless flow through each turn, presenting a prompt at the bottom right-hand corner of the screen to automatically cycle through available actions. Be it commanding units, selecting a Civic, dealing with crises, or developing cities, this feature ensures players make the most of every turn. The entire game can be navigated with a handful of controls: pressing “Y”/triangle toggles through actions, the left stick is used for selection, and “A”/cross confirms choices, making the gameplay feel both smooth and brisk.

Certainly, playing Civilization 7 with a mouse and keyboard provides a more traditional feel, but console players won’t feel short-changed. The game introduces a radial menu accessible with the LB button, streamlining navigation significantly. Players can quickly access menus like policy screens, tech trees, and Legacy Paths on one side, while the other side offers diplomatic interactions with opposing leaders. It’s a small but powerful tweak that enhances accessibility for newcomers to the series and the broader 4X strategy genre.

Yet, all isn’t perfect. There are a couple of features from Civ 6’s console counterpart that didn’t make it to Civilization 7. Notably, the useful ability for a quick cursor move to the camera’s focal point has been replaced with a re-centering function, which isn’t quite as practical.

Civilization 7 continues to evolve the series, offering polished mechanics and accessibility for both veterans and new players alike, while still having room to grow in certain areas. As it is, it sets a new bar for strategy games on consoles.