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

Sid Meier's Civilization VII: A VR Revolution on Meta Quest 3

Civilization VII (Civ VII) is making a splash in the virtual reality (VR) world with its upcoming release on Meta Quest 3 and 3S headsets this Spring 2025. This marks the franchise's first foray into VR and mixed reality (MR) gaming.

Meta Quest 3 Exclusivity

2K Games and Firaxis Games announced at the Civ World Summit on February 8, 2025, that Civ VII VR will be a Meta Quest exclusive. Dennis Shirk, Executive Franchise Producer, expressed excitement about bringing the strategic experience to VR. Chris Pruett, Meta's Director of Games, highlighted the timing, stating it's "an awesome time for mixed reality," and that Civ VII VR is a "genuine Civ experience" for dedicated strategy gamers. Note that, while Civ VII is launching on PlayStation consoles, a PSVR2 version is not currently planned.

Immersive Gameplay and Multiplayer

Civ VII VR immerses players in a "Command Table" interface, allowing them to zoom in and out for detailed views of their civilization, similar to a tabletop game. The game supports both VR and MR modes, offering flexibility in how players interact with the virtual world. In VR, players are situated in a museum overlooking their personalized leader's vista; in MR, the Command Table adapts to the player's physical space.

Single-player, co-op, and competitive multiplayer modes are included, supporting up to four players with Meta Quest 3/3S headsets. Players can team up against AI opponents or compete head-to-head. Online multiplayer requires a 2K and Meta account.

Addressing Player Feedback

Firaxis Games is actively addressing player feedback from Civ VII's early access period (February 6, 2025, for Deluxe/Founder's Edition owners). The team is prioritizing UI improvements to enhance intuitiveness and map readability, based on mixed Steam reviews. Future updates will include community-requested features like multiplayer teams and diverse map types. A quality-of-life update in March will focus on UI adjustments, AI balancing, diplomacy refinements, and bug fixes.

Release Information

Civilization VII VR is slated for a Spring 2025 release on Meta Quest 3 and 3S, with a precise date yet to be announced. The standard version of Civilization VII launches worldwide on February 11, 2025, for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, and PC. For more details, visit our Civilization VII page.