Mobile gamers bent on world domination rejoice: Civilization VII is coming to the Apple Arcade.
Apple announced Wednesday subscribers to its online game service will soon be able to play the newest edition of one of the biggest game franchises of all time at no extra cost.
Here’s what you need to know.
How to get Civ VII
Sid Meier’s Civilization VII is a turn-based strategy game released early last year for PC, Mac and current gen gaming consoles.
It’s the latest version of a franchise that began in the early 1990s as a PC game and has gone on to be available for many different gaming systems.
Users are able to begin from literally day one as a member of one of many different civilizations, including Americans, Aztecs, Babylonians, Chinese, Egyptians, English, French, Germans, Greeks, Indians, Mongos, Romans, Russians, Zulus and more.
Each group has its own historic leaders and different built-in strengths and weaknesses, adding a layer of customization to the experience.
Users can choose to be warlike, diplomatic or science-focused (among other potential paths) as they advance their civilization from the Stone Age through the space age (hopefully).
Civ VII is available on the current generations of the Playstation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch for $59.99 or more (depending on the system and version).
Civ VI can be downloaded from the Apple App Store right now at that price point, too, but Apple Arcade subscribers will be able to get Civ VII for no additional charge starting Feb. 5.
About Apple Arcade
For $6.99, users can subscribe to Apple Arcade and get access to more than 200 ad-free, premium games via any Apple device (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro).
It is also bundled into the Apple One subscription service along with iCloud+, Apple Music, AppleTV+, AppleFitness+ and AppleNews+.
More new games coming
Apple also announced three more games coming to the Arcade in February: Retrocade, Felicity’s Door and I Love Hue Too+.
Retrocade is a collection of classic games from the golden age of the real arcade: Asteroids, Bubble Bobble, Breakout, Centipede, Galaga, Pac-Man and Space Invaders.
Users will be able to play all of those games in single-player mode and test their skills against others via daily leaderboards and challenges.
(As a bonus, those who have the Apple Vision Pro will be able to recreate the actual experience of playing at the arcade via virtual reality.)
I Love Hue Too+ is “a psychedelic puzzle game full of color, light, and shapes, where players arrange mosaics of colored tiles into perfectly ordered spectrums” according to a press release.
Felicity’s Door is a rhythm game that takes place in a “magical world of dreams.”
