The last two Civilization games are still very popular, which is a testament both to how good they are and to how good they are at becoming the default time-killing activity for those they get their hooks into. The just-released Civilization 7 also has some good qualities, but it looks like it'll need to evolve if it's going to attain the same legendary status, because its Steam player count isn't consistently surpassing those of its older siblings.
Both Civ 5 and Civ 6 have hit higher peak concurrent player counts on Steam: 91,363 and 162,657 respectively, according to data from SteamDB, with Civ 7 so far managing 84,558 following its full launch last week. And Civ 5 managed to hit that 91,363 peak over 11 years ago, when Steam had fewer users.
On Steam's top concurrents chart, which shows which games the most people are playing right now, Civ 7 isn't always the winner of the three. As I write, Civ 7 does have a slight edge, sitting at #27 while Civ 6 is a few doors down at #33. But when I checked earlier this week, both Civ 6 and Civ 5 were sitting above Civ 7. On the more stable daily players chart, which compares total players across 24 hours, Civ 6 is currently beating Civ 7 by a few places.
- Civilization 7 is off to a rocky start as it receives 'Mixed' Steam reviews from its premium backers: 'Comparing this unfinished mess to the Civ 6 release is night and day'
- As Civilization 7 languishes with a 'mixed' rating on Steam, Firaxis says improving the game's wildly unpopular UI is 'our top priority'
We saw a similar, though much more acute, situation play out with the launch of Payday 3. Many players who'd spent a decade with Payday 2 were just not interested in switching to a new game that felt smaller and less complete than the game they were used to, and it didn't help that Payday 3 hit some big snarls at launch.
The Civ 7 reception hasn't been nearly that dire. We gave it a 76% in our review, which for us means it's a good game that we recommend. But it's not the unreserved praise we awarded the past two games: 93% for Civ 5 and another 93% for Civ 6.
"Civilization 7 feels like a reaction to the maximalism of its predecessor: sleeker and speedier, colder and less complex," Robert Zak said in his review.
Civ 7 feels thinner in part because it doesn't have all the expansions and DLC that Civ 5 and Civ 6 have, but that's not the only reason. Systems like diplomacy have been simplified, and the new three age structure seems to want a fourth age that carries the game into the present day—I have a feeling that's part of the expansion plans. The UI has also received a lot of criticism, and the Civilization 7 Steam reviews have settled into a "Mixed" average, which I expect has kept some fence-sitters on the fence.
Firaxis has released a couple updates already, and promises many more: "We're actively listening to all the feedback, and work is already underway on free updates to the game including a UI rework, the addition of community-requested features, and other quality-of-life updates," the developer said last week. There are already mods, too.
I think Civ 7 will likely gain more acceptance over time. Firaxis has historically committed to these games for the long haul, and though it may never appeal to Civ fans who just can't stand this new direction, I think those on the fence may be swayed by future updates and discounts—$70 is a lot to spend, especially if you're perfectly happy with the Civilization you already have at home. I'll be checking on Civ 7 during the seasonal Steam sales this year and we'll point it out if it gets a price cut.
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