Highlights

  • Civilization 7 has the opportunity to shake up the endgame of the franchise and introduce new victory conditions.
  • Adding new depth to existing victory conditions could make Civilization 7's endgame more engaging and prevent repetition.
  • Introducing new technologies, ways to make money, and units could bring freshness to long-standing victories in Civilization 7.

The Civilization formula has remained pretty much the same since the first game's release all the way back in 1991, and to be fair, fans are still loving it all the same. For the last few entries, Firaxis has been operating on an "if it isn't broke, don't fix it" mentality with the Civilization franchise, sticking with the same gameplay loop for a good few decades now, with mostly the same victory conditions, unit types, buildings, wonders, and overarching mechanics and goals, albeit with plenty of additions and tweaks with each new entry. But that doesn't mean that Civilization 7 can't break the mold.

Being the next mainline entry, Civilization 7 has the opportunity to really expand and improve upon the franchise's best qualities. And while Civilization 6 is potentially the best entry in the series, it's left plenty of room for improvement still. One such area is the series' endgame, which has been largely the same for over 30 years now and is in desperate need of a bit of a shake-up, something that Civilization 7 should prioritize.

Civilization 7 Revolution Game Mode
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Civ 7 has the opportunity to go above and beyond with its game modes, and that could include an accessible mode inspired by Civilization Revolution.

How Civilization 7 Can Build Upon Civilization 6's Endgame

Civilization 6 Repeated the Usual Formula for its Endgame

The endgame of an average Civilization match has looked pretty much the same for three decades now, and that's even true for the series' most recent entry, Civilization 6. As players near the end of their mammoth Civilization 6 match, they'll have likely researched most of the game's technologies, have built out an impressive number of cities, and covered a good portion of the map in their own distinct civ's colors. For the last few hours, players will have been desperately trying to reach one of the game's six victory conditions, from attempting to conquer other civs and gain a Domination victory to researching space flight and taking to the stars.

Generally speaking, Civilization 6's endgame just repeats the same formula that fans have been experiencing for years now, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Civilization 6's endgame has plenty of depth, with players having a few different strategies on how to eventually achieve their desired victory condition, but one of the biggest issues with this is that players tend to find a strategy that works for them and stick with it for the long-term, which can make Civilization 6's endgame feel a tad repetitive.

How Civilization 7 Can Shake the Endgame Up

While Civilization 7 can do a lot to reinvent the franchise, shaking up its endgame should be one of its main priorities, and there are a few key ways in which it could do that. Probably the biggest way to shake up Civilization 7's endgame is to introduce a handful of new victory conditions. Obviously, this is much easier said than done, with each new victory condition requiring a ton of extra balancing and nuance to ensure that it's satisfying for all players, but it definitely isn't impossible, and it would really help to make Civilization 7 feel like a big step up from previous entries.

Alternatively, or maybe even additionally, Civilization 7 should add some new depth to the victory conditions that are already there. Again, it's easier said than done, but a great way to shake up Civilization 7's endgame would be to add some new steps into long-standing victories, such as adding in new technologies that impact the technological victory's ending, adding in new ways to make money for an economic victory, or adding new units that focus on increasing culture across the globe.