Civilization 7 VR Will Be a Meta Quest 3 Exclusive, Hopefully with Better UI Than On Steam

Sid Meier's Civilization VII is officially announced for VR, launching this Spring 2025. Discover the features of Civ VII VR and the latest updates.

Civilization VII VR: A Meta Quest 3 Exclusive

Sid Meier's Civilization VII (Civ VII) will be exclusively released on Meta Quest 3 and 3S. Announced on February 8, 2025, during the Civ World Summit Event, this marks the franchise's first foray into virtual and mixed reality gaming.

Dennis Shirk, Civ VII Executive Franchise Producer, expressed his excitement in a 2K Games blog post: “We're just days away now from the full launch of Civilization VII and look forward to ushering in a new era of strategy excellence for our fans!”

Meta's Director of Games, Chris Pruett, added: “With the recent release of Meta Quest 3S and our strongest games and entertainment portfolio yet, it’s an awesome time for mixed reality. Civilization VII - VR is further evidence of that momentum: it’s a genuine Civ experience made specifically for deep strategy fans.”

Note that while Civ VII is releasing on PlayStation consoles, a PSVR2 version is not currently planned.

Immersive Gameplay: Board Game Meets Virtual Reality

Civ VII VR places players at a Command Table, offering a unique perspective on the game world. Players can zoom out for a strategic overview or zoom in for detailed views of buildings and units, mimicking the experience of a tabletop game.

The game supports both immersive virtual reality and mixed reality, allowing players to seamlessly switch between modes. 2K Games describes the experience: “In virtual reality, players are transported to an ornate museum overlooking a vista personalized to their leader; in mixed reality, the Command Table adapts to its placement in a player's physical space.”

Single-player, co-op, and competitive multiplayer modes are available. Up to four players can join a game using Meta Quest 3 or 3S headsets, either collaborating against AI opponents or competing against each other. Players will see their friends and opponents in VR and MR, represented by their chosen world leaders. Online multiplayer requires a 2K Account and a Meta Account.

Addressing Player Feedback

Firaxis Games is actively responding to player feedback gathered during Civ VII's early access period. Their official Twitter (X) account announced ongoing efforts to address reported issues. Advanced Access began February 6, 2025, for Deluxe and Founder's Edition purchasers. Steam reviews revealed concerns about the game's User Interface (UI), prompting Firaxis to prioritize UI improvements.

Firaxis outlined their update plans, focusing on: more intuitive UI interactions, improved map readability, UI polish, and the addition of community-requested features such as multiplayer teams and more diverse map types. A quality-of-life update is planned for March, including UI adjustments, AI balancing, diplomacy and crisis adjustments, and bug fixes.

Civilization VII VR is slated for release in Spring 2025 on Meta Quest 3 and 3S, with a specific date yet to be announced. Civilization VII's full release is February 11, 2025, on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, and PC.

For more information, visit our Civilization VII page.