Sid Meier's Civilization VII vs The Battle of Polytopia
Sid Meier's Civilization VII is a simulation strategy game from Firaxis Games (2025) while The Battle of Polytopia is a simulation strategy game from Midjiwan AB (2020).
What each one is
Steam files Sid Meier's Civilization VII under Simulation and Strategy. In contrast, it files The Battle of Polytopia under Simulation and Strategy.
Lead empires that evolve or endure through the Ages. Build something you believe in with Sid Meier's Civilization® VII.
Welcome to the unique, turn-based strategy game set in the strange, flat world of the Square. Lead one of 16 distinct civilizations to victory by expanding your empire, researching technologies, and ultimately become ruler of the world! Play in single-player or multiplayer mode for up to 16 players.
At a glance
| Sid Meier's Civilization VII | The Battle of Polytopia | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 5.7/10 | 7.5/10 |
| Steam rating | Mixed (48%, 58,602) | Very Positive (94%, 5,988) |
| Critic aggregate | 79/100 | 72/100 |
| Price | $49.99 | $14.99 |
| Install size | 20 GB | 0.16 GB |
| Steam Deck | verified | verified |
| Released | 2025 | 2020 |
| Developer | Firaxis Games | Midjiwan AB |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Sid Meier's Civilization VII vs The Battle of Polytopia, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Sid Meier's Civilization VIISimulation strategy gameThe Battle of PolytopiaSimulation strategy gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Sid Meier's Civilization VIIGrand Strategy, Historical, 4XThe Battle of PolytopiaStrategy, Turn-Based, Turn-Based StrategyThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Sid Meier's Civilization VIIScore 5.7 · 48% on Steam · 79 criticThe Battle of Polytopia ✓Score 7.5 · 94% on Steam · 72 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Sid Meier's Civilization VII58,602 reviews · 9 add-ons · 20 GBThe Battle of Polytopia5,988 reviews · 12 add-ons · 0.16 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Sid Meier's Civilization VII$49.99The Battle of Polytopia ✓$14.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Sid Meier's Civilization VIIVerifiedThe Battle of PolytopiaVerifiedValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
The Battle of Polytopia takes 2 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueSid Meier's Civilization VII and The Battle of Polytopia on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: The Battle of Polytopia (GamingPickz Score 7.5)
- The cheaper right now: The Battle of Polytopia ($14.99)
- Lighter on storage: The Battle of Polytopia (0.16 GB)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Sid Meier's Civilization VII (58,602 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
4XDiplomacySimulationMultiplayerEconomyWarStrategyTurn-Based Tactics
Where they differ
Grand StrategyHistoricalMilitaryCity BuilderTacticalAlternate History
Turn-BasedColorfulMinimalistBuildingIsometricCute
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Sid Meier's Civilization VII is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. The Battle of Polytopia is family-friendly and approachable.
System requirements, side by side
| Sid Meier's Civilization VII | The Battle of Polytopia | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | NVIDIA GTX 1050 / AMD RX 460 / Intel Arc A380 | 128mb Video |
| Minimum CPU | Intel i5-4690 / Intel i3-10100 / AMD Ryzen 3 1200 | Dual Core 2.0 Ghz |
| Minimum RAM | 8 GB | 1 GB |
| Install size | 20 GB | 0.16 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Sid Meier's Civilization VII · The Battle of Polytopia.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 12 accessibility features for Sid Meier's Civilization VII and 1 for The Battle of Polytopia. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Sid Meier's Civilization VII and The Battle of Polytopia in scope?
Sid Meier's Civilization VII has drawn 58,602 Steam reviews, ships 9 add-ons and installs in 20 GB. The Battle of Polytopia has drawn 5,988 Steam reviews, ships 12 add-ons and installs in 0.16 GB.
Is Sid Meier's Civilization VII or The Battle of Polytopia better?
By the GamingPickz Score, The Battle of Polytopia rates higher (7.5 to 5.7). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Sid Meier's Civilization VII or The Battle of Polytopia?
The Battle of Polytopia is cheaper right now at $14.99, against $49.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.