Civilization 7 VR hands-on: Needs more optimization
Civilization VII can now be experienced in virtual and mixed reality with Meta Quest. MIXED tried it out.
Civilization VII VR brings the full game we know and love from PC and console to the new medium. This explains the unusually high price of $60 for VR.
The price begs an important question: Is the VR version really the version of Civilization VII you want to buy and play for dozens or even hundreds of hours?
This article offers only a preliminary answer. MIXED was not given access to Civilization 7 VR prior to its release, so we will limit ourselves to a brief review of the VR and MR implementation, as well as initial impressions of the graphics and performance.
Sitting at the War Table
Looking at the first player reviews of Civilization VII VR, the game has not got off to a good start. Many users report poor performance and problems with the game's central UI element, the War Table, which displays a section of the world map, including your empire and its surroundings.
I didn't run into serious issues, but I still think there's plenty of room for improvement. In the mixed reality mode, you can position the War Table relatively freely in the room, but you cannot adjust its height or tilt.
If you place it over a physical table or other surface, the War Table shrinks to a game board, which is a nice effect. This feature requires a room scan, as Meta Quest needs to know where the physical table is. During my brief testing, the game sometimes forgot where my real surface was, so this option was not available. I cannot say for sure if this bug is caused by the game or the system software.
In VR mode, the War Table is much larger and appears in a virtual environment that matches your own civilization. You move around the room using grab gestures. Unlike in MR mode, you can also adjust the height and tilt of the table. A feature I would have liked to see in MR mode.
Overall, I felt more constrained in my virtual movement than in other comparable games like Demeo. In principle, virtual and mixed reality allow for maximum perspective flexibility, and it's a shame that Civilization VII VR doesn't take full advantage of this.
VR design with compromises
Civilization VII VR contains all the original content, but this has its drawbacks. To reproduce the complexity of the original, the studio resorted to the most obvious solution: 2D windows floating in space and circular controller menus. These serve their purpose, but they feel tacked on and inappropriate to the medium.
The game does not give the impression of having been built from the ground up for VR. And it can't be. The studio would have had to reinvent and probably simplify Civilization for VR and MR. A creative freedom they did not have.
In this respect, Civilization VII VR reminded me of Cities: VR, which struggled with the same problem and fell short compared to the much simpler but more VR-friendly Little Cities. Those who don't mind 2D windows and the like will probably have a good time in Civilization VII VR. Everyone else will be better off with the flat version on PC and consoles.
Civilization VII VR offers a number of unique VR features. You play in immersive environments that reflect the culture of your civilization, you see leaders of other nations appear at the War Table, and achievements are staged as so-called immersive moments. For me, these elements are more of a gimmick than game-changing features, but that's up to you.
Graphics and performance: Barely enough
The VR version makes sacrifices in other areas, which brings me to graphics and performance.
I didn't notice any major performance drops during my short test, but Civilization VII VR feels miles away from a perfectly smooth experience. The game was developed exclusively for the newer Meta Quest 3 and 3S, but it still pushes the systems to their limits. Civilization VII VR renders at 36 frames per second, artificially doubled to 72 frames per second using Asynchronous Spacewarp. Dynamic resolution is also enabled, which means that the resolution is reduced in graphically demanding scenes.
Civilization VII VR has a beautiful art style and nice-looking 3D models, but the resolution is not high enough to render the environment, and especially the game board with its tiny details, sharply enough. This results in aliasing and flickering on the 3D models and environment, which detracts from the overall experience.
Combined with the rather low frame rate, the experience is not optimal. For $60 you can expect a better optimized game, which is why I wouldn't recommend buying Civilization VII VR in its current state, unless, of course, you don't mind the issues mentioned above.
You can purchase Civilization VII VR in the Horizon Store.
Are you interested in Civilization VII VR or do you prefer to play on a monitor? Join the conversation on Facebook, Bluesky or X or share your opinion in the comments below.
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