Civ 7 1.1.1 Update Enhances Steam Competitiveness

Firaxis Games has detailed Civilization 7's significant 1.1.1 update, launching as the strategy title struggles with Steam player counts that trail both Civilization 6 and the decade-old Civilization 5.

Player Count Comparisons Raise Questions

Currently on Steam, Civilization 7 peaks at 16,921 concurrent players - insufficient for Steam's top 100 and fewer than Civilization 5's 17,423 players. Civilization 6 maintains franchise dominance with 40,676 peak players.

Update Highlights Core Improvements

Firaxis' Steam announcement outlines key enhancements in 1.1.1:

• Quick Move functionality
• New Mount Everest natural wonder
• UI refinements
• Settlement/Commander renaming

Lead designer Ed Beach further explained changes in a developer video, with full patch notes expected soon.

Detailed Update Features

The optional Quick Move setting accelerates unit movement for faster gameplay. Map generation now defaults to "Standard" in single-player for Civ 6-style continent variation, while multiplayer retains "Balanced" settings.

New quality-of-life improvements include persistent city panels during purchases, attack notifications, crisis indicators, and enhanced resource tooltips. Players can now rename settlements and commanders, plus instantly restart games with their preferred civilization selections.

Concurrent Content Release

The Crossroads of the World Collection launching March 25 introduces Bulgaria and Nepal as new civilizations alongside leader Simón Bolívar.

Community Reception and Executive Response

Civilization 7's mixed Steam reviews and 7/10 IGN score reflect veteran players' concerns about new mechanics. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick maintains the classic Civ audience will embrace the game over time, calling early performance "very encouraging."

For players diving in, our guides cover victory conditions, key changes from Civ 6, common pitfalls, map types, and difficulty settings.