Can Civilization 7 Be Played on Gaming Handhelds?

Civilization 7 is set to debut with a seal of approval for the Steam Deck, as per a post on their Community page. This hints that it should operate smoothly on a variety of handheld gaming devices. I haven’t had a chance to dive into the performance of Civ 7 on my Steam Deck yet, but you can expect it in my upcoming review once the embargo lifts on February 3, 2025.

From what I gather from the Steam Deck Compatibility section on Steam, Valve has given Civilization 7 the green light regarding default controls, including controller icons, legibility of in-game text, and graphical performance right out of the box. These assurances imply it should work just as well on other popular handheld devices such as the ASUS ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go.

When it comes to PC users, the Civilization 7 Steam page lays out system requirements for both Windows and SteamOS/Linux. Unsurprisingly, these requirements don’t differ much between the two. Let’s go over the minimum specs first.

For running the game on PC, Firaxis recommends at least an Intel Core i5-4690, Core i3-10100, or AMD Ryzen 3 1200 processor. You’ll need at least 8GB of RAM. As for graphics, an NVIDIA GTX 1050, Intel Arc A390, or AMD RX 460 will suffice, alongside around 20GB of hard drive space. If you’re looking for a smoother experience, the recommended specs include an Intel Core i5-10400 or an AMD Ryzen 5 3600X CPU, an NVIDIA RTX 2060, AMD Radeon RX 6600, or Intel Arc A750 for the GPU, and a boost to 16GB of RAM. A point of note for SteamOS/Linux users is a bump in hard drive space needed to 25GB and slightly higher GPU specs, going up to an NVIDIA GTX 1060 or an AMD Radeon RX 580.

Considering how current PC gaming handhelds can pack a punch — even when bypassing a separate GPU in favor of a modern AMD APU — I’m not anticipating any major performance issues when I get to putting the game through its paces on my Steam Deck.

Stepping into Civilization 7, the latest chapter in Sid Meier’s iconic series, fans can expect its release on February 11, 2025. This installment is arriving on a host of platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, and Nintendo Switch.

The world got its first glimpse of Civ 7’s gameplay around mid-2024. Unlike its predecessor, Civilization 6—which felt like an enhanced sequel to Civ 5—Civ 7 is shaking things up with some notable changes. For instance, in a shift from tradition, leaders are no longer tied to specific civilizations. Each era now ends with a sort of reset, at which point you select a new civilization to lead into the next age. This fresh approach adds a layer of strategy, allowing players to adapt their tactics based on how the game unfolds.

The introduction of Commander Units for air, land, and sea also simplifies warfare, offering substantial advantages whether you’re on the offensive or playing defensively. For those eager for a deeper dive into what’s new, I recommend checking out the Civilization 7 preview I penned after spending 20 engaging hours with the game.