Right off the rip I want to say, I know what you guys are going to be thinking, “but didn’t Civilization VII just come out?”, yes it did; However, it has ultimately struggled since launch, unlike its predecessors. I do want to clarify that Civilization titles don’t always do great on launch but typically reach their peak through community feedback and updates. However, the recent launch has failed to meet fan expectations in such a way that even the PlayStation store is offering refunds for the product due to the game’s issues.
Currently, the most recent strategy title from the storied franchise has struggled to deliver what past games have, and right now the player count is… a little rough. On Steam, the player count is currently sitting at 7,173 with the average user score (on Steam) being 47.72%. We gamers know, that is indeed looking a little rough. In comparison to the success enjoyed by the last entries in the acclaimed Civilization series, it’s not dialing up to be great. If we look back on Civ 6 having over 25,000 active players with an average user rating of 84.91%, and even as far back as Civ 5 weighing in at 14,000 active players and having a 94.42% average rating, it is indeed not drawing up a great picture but in its defense, those two titles have now been out for far longer, so it may yet have time to rebound and recover.
But what’s that? Epic Games have realized that players still need to scratch that commanding strategy itch? Yes, they have, as Civilization 6 Platinum Edition will be next week’s free game available directly from the Epic Games Store. This comes with a whopping base game, six DLC packs, and two, yes, TWO expansions that will be available for absolutely nought, zero, nada, for Epic Games Store users no less!
Here is everything below that you can be hoarding into your game library with the Platinum Edition:
- Sid Meier’s Civilization VI base game
- Rise and Fall expansion
- Gathering Storm expansion
- Vikings Scenario Pack
- Poland Civilization & Scenario Pack
- Australia Civilization & Scenario Pack
- Persia & Macedon Civilization and Scenario Pack
- Nubia Civilization & Scenario Pack
- Khmer and Indonesia Civilization & Scenario Pack
This, as it stands, is a heck of a deal coming at a $0 cost. However, this doesn’t include the content from the Frontier Pass, as well as select Civilization packs, so as much as we aren’t getting the full load of Civ 6, players are getting plenty of content to keep them incredibly busy.
If you are looking to play one of the best strategy games by yourself or with your friends, this is easily your best bet to do so without having to crack open the piggy bank. It isn’t the latest game, however, as Civ 7 has big changes that haven’t particularly gone over well, grabbing Civilization 6 at no charge is a no-brainer.
Credit where credit is due though to the developers at Firaxis Games, as they are currently pushing out new updates and patches for the game in an attempt to make it more suited to previous player preference. We will see if they actually manage to get over this initial wave of backlash they are facing with their most recent entry to the Civilization series, but I have faith in the team. For now, let’s just hope that they will create a more pleasant experience for their fans and power through this rough patch. Until then, let’s play Civilization VI when it releases free on the Epic Games Store from July 17th through the 24th!
