The creative director of Civilization 7 has explained why even experienced players should complete the tutorial before diving into their first full campaign.

In a Steam post, Firaxis Games' Ed Beach shared recommendations for newcomers to Civilization 7:

"Civilization 7 introduces numerous new systems that differ significantly from previous entries," he stated. "To ensure a smooth introduction to these changes, we've designed the tutorial to provide essential guidance during your initial playthrough."

Understanding the Revolutionary Ages System

Civ 7's groundbreaking Ages system fundamentally transforms gameplay across three historical periods: Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern. Each Age Transition brings three key changes:

• Selecting a new civilization representing your evolving empire
• Choosing which Legacies to carry forward
• Witnessing dynamic world evolution

Optimizing Your First Playthrough

Beach explained their map size recommendations:

"While veterans often prefer massive maps, we've set Small as the default for good reason. With three rival empires on your continent and a few more emerging later, this scale creates an ideal learning environment."

The development team specifically suggests:

• Using Continents Plus map type for natural ocean exploration introduction
• Keeping tutorial enabled for your first three-Age campaign
• Adjusting advisor settings to focus on one game system at a time

"Our own developers play with advisor warnings enabled," Beach revealed. "These alerts can prevent significant setbacks as you master the new diplomatic and legacy systems."

Following a special livestream, Firaxis released Civ 7's post-launch roadmap (notably positioning Great Britain as DLC content). The game launches February 11 across PC and consoles, with Deluxe Edition owners gaining access on February 6.