Civilization 7 Outlines Crucial 1.1.1 Update as It Struggles to Compete on Steam Against Civ 6 and Even the 15-Year-Old Civ 5

Firaxis, the developer behind Civilization 7, has recently announced the details of the crucial Update 1.1.1. This update comes at a critical juncture, as the newly released strategy game struggles to attract as many players on Steam as its predecessors, Civilization 6 and the 15-year-old Civilization 5.

On Valve's platform, Civilization 7 has seen a 24-hour peak concurrent player count of 16,921, which falls short of the top 100 most-played games on Steam. In comparison, Civilization 5, released in 2010, achieved a peak of 17,423 players within the same timeframe. Meanwhile, Civilization 6, launched in 2016, significantly outperforms both with a 24-hour peak of 40,676 players. It's evident that a large portion of the Civilization community remains loyal to Civilization 6.

In a detailed post on Steam, Firaxis outlined the "additions and refinements" that will be introduced with Update 1.1.1, which include:

• Quick Move Functionality
• New Natural Wonder Mount Everest
• Additional UI Updates & Polish
• Settlement & Commander Renaming
• And more!

Lead designer Ed Beach provided an in-depth walkthrough of these changes in a video, while the full patch notes are set to be released soon.

Here are the detailed patch notes for Civilization 7 Update 1.1.1:

Civilization 7 Update 1.1.1 Patch Notes

The Quick Move feature is now an optional setting that can be toggled on in the game's menu, allowing units to move to their destination instantly and thus speeding up gameplay.

A significant update to map generation includes a new start position option. For single-player games, the default setting is now 'Standard', which offers more varied and less predictable continents, reminiscent of Civilization 6. For multiplayer, the 'Balanced' setting remains, ensuring a level playing field with more consistent maps.

Players can now rename settlements and commanders, adding a personal touch to their game, even if it means bending historical accuracy. Additionally, the game now allows players to restart with the click of a button, regenerating the map with new seeds but retaining the same leader and civilization choices, similar to Civilization 6.

User interface improvements include the city and town panel remaining open after purchases, new notifications for cities under attack, indicators for crises, and enhanced resource tooltips. The update also introduces significant pacing changes.

Alongside Update 1.1.1, the paid Crossroads of the World Collection will introduce new civilizations Bulgaria and Nepal, along with the new leader Simón Bolívar, available from March 25.

Rank every Civilization Game

Civilization 7 has sparked controversy among series veterans due to its new mechanics and has struggled to gain traction on Steam, where player numbers are public. The game holds a 'mixed' user review rating on Valve's platform and received a 7/10 from IGN's review.

In a recent interview with IGN, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick acknowledged the negative feedback from both press and players but remained optimistic, suggesting that the "legacy Civ audience" would warm up to the game with more playtime. He described Civilization 7's early performance as "very encouraging" and hinted at future developments for iconic characters like Gandhi.

For those looking to master the game, our comprehensive guides cover everything from achieving every Civ 7 victory to understanding the biggest Civ 7 changes for Civ 6 players, avoiding the 14 crucial Civ 7 mistakes, and exploring the Civ 7 map types and difficulty settings.