It's not quite out on PCs yet—unless you paid to play early—but it looks like a VR edition of Sid Meier's Civilization 7 will be coming to Meta Quest with its own unique features later this Spring.
Civilization 7 VR will set you around a command table with the leaders of the other civilizations you're playing against—that's right, you'll get life-size lectures from Ben Franklin about your diplomacy and have Cleopatra tell you off in Egyptian straight to your face. The table seems like a neat way to do mixed-reality Civilization, which was always more board game than simulation. It all looks and sounds a bit absurd but also the sheer novelty of it is probably thrilling.
"Enjoy Civilization from a unique perspective, whether you're peering down from high above the map or leaning all the way in to appreciate the finer details of every building and unit," says the store page. I think they're probably right, as Civilization 7's little models are indeed intricately detailed and the VR edition might just be the only way to see them at novel angles.
PC Gamer gave Civilization 7 a 76% in our review, the lowest score we've ever given to a game in the series. Contributor Robert Zak cited issues with the user interface and how thin the new game mechanics felt, saying it "feels more like a series offshoot than a Civilization 6 sequel."
"It's as if Civ's gone through its own age transition—a few steps forward, a few steps back," Rob wrote. "While it's addressed some longstanding issues, there's a little too much that's been stripped away for veterans like myself to call this meaningful progress on the legendary series' Legacy Path."
Players are just as divided on the new iteration as critics, with those who paid to play early pushing Civilization 7 all the way down to a Mixed review score on Steam.
You can find Sid Meier's Civilization 7 VR on Meta's website, where it will release in "Spring 2025."
