Firaxis Games' creative director, Ed Beach, urges even seasoned Civilization players to utilize the tutorial for their initial Civilization 7 campaign. His Steam post highlights the game's significant departures from previous iterations, particularly the new Ages system (Antiquity, Exploration, Modern), which introduces Age Transitions impacting civilization selection, Legacy retention, and world evolution. This unprecedented system necessitates a learning curve.
Beach explains the rationale behind the default "Small" map size. While veteran players favor larger maps, a smaller map with fewer opponents (three on the starting continent, plus a few more later) provides a more manageable learning experience, especially concerning the new Diplomacy system and its influence management. He also recommends the "Continents Plus" map type for easier ocean exploration, a crucial aspect of the Exploration Age.
The tutorial is automatically enabled for new players and strongly recommended for even experienced players, at least for the first full campaign. It offers timely tips and explanations for new mechanics. The game features four Advisors, each guiding players through specific game aspects via quests. Beach suggests focusing on one Advisor at a time initially. Even after mastering the core systems, he advises switching to the "Only Warnings" setting, allowing Advisors to alert players to potential setbacks – a practice even the Firaxis development team employs.
Firaxis also revealed Civilization 7's post-launch content roadmap during a livestream event (note: Great Britain is DLC). Civilization 7 launches on PC (Steam), Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S on February 11th, with Deluxe Edition access beginning February 6th.
