Despite the recent launch ofSid Meier’s Civilization VII, the latest entry in the acclaimed strategy series has failed to take off like its predecessors.

Now, I know what you’re going to say: “Jake, none of the Civ games too well at launch.” This is true, but despiteenjoying my time with the game, the general consensus is that Civ 7 no longer feels like a game of Civilization. Its launch went so poorly that thePlayStation store even gave players refundsdue to the game’s issues.

Strategy Games With Story Modes

10 Best Strategy Games With Story Modes

For when conquering the world isn’t motivating enough.

That’s something true when looking at the game’s current player count onSteam. At the time of writing, there are only 7,173 active players on Steam, with an average Steam rating of 47.72%. For those unaware, that’s not a good rating.

Compared to past Civ entries, it’s not a pretty picture.Civilization 6has over 25,000 active players, with a rating of 84.91%. Even Civ 5 is faring better (14,000 active players, 94.42% rating). It has people looking to scratch the4x strategyitch feeling a little miffed. Don’t worry, though, because the Epic Games Store has you covered.

Civilization 6

Civilization 6 And Its DLC Will Be Free On The Epic Games Store From July 17th through the 24th

The Civilization 6 Platinum Edition will be next week’s free game available on the Epic Games Store. This means that the base game, six DLC packs, and two expansions will be available at no charge for Epic Games Store users.

Here’s everything you can expect in the Platinum Edition:

8 Best Strategy Games For Beginners

If you don’t want to read the manual, I’ve got you covered.

Of note: it does not include any of the content from the Frontier Pass, as well as select civilization packs. You won’t be getting the “complete” Civ 6 experience, but there’s plenty of content here that will keep you busy.

Advance Wars, Into The Breach, Terra Nil, Halo Wars

For those looking to play the acclaimedstrategy gamewith friends, this is undoubtedly your best bet. Again, it’s not the newest game in the franchise, but Civ 7’s sweeping changes are stillrubbing people the wrong way. It’s not just the gameplay changes, notably switching civilizations with every age, that have people upset. The interface options regressed compared to Civ 7’s predecessors.

To their credit,Firaxis has been hard at workwith updates to the game. We’ll see if they can eventually turn a corner and deliver an experience that will make fans happy.

mixcollage-27-dec-2024-01-53-am-2669.jpg

Sid Meier’s Civilization 6 Platinum

WHERE TO PLAY