Highlights

• Civilization 7 and The Sims 5 face high expectations due to the success of previous entries in their respective franchises.
• Both games will need to deliver impressive content and features to surpass their predecessors and satisfy fans.
• There is potential for both Civilization 7 and The Sims 5 to bring significant changes to their series, but it comes with the risk of deviating from well-loved traditions.

Civilization 7 has surprisingly found itself in a similar situation to The Sims 5 despite neither game having a set release date yet. With fans of both Civilization and The Sims having plenty of time to speculate about what the future has to bring, there are a few areas where they can find common ground. Each of them comes from a franchise that receives plenty of respect in their respective genres, so there will naturally be plenty of pressure for them to succeed based on that fact alone. Hopefully, each can prove their worth upon their eventual release.

The question of whether Civilization 7 will break new ground or if The Sims 5 can deepen the series’ life simulation are both valid inquiries. Both previous entries in their respective franchises ended up being significant successes. While this is no surprise considering how notable they are, it does mean that the stakes will continue to rise for each new game in turn. The fact that each series has seen at least seven years without a new game released is also something that could potentially be on the minds of fans. This wait is only going to raise expectations for the games in question.

Civilization 6 and Project Rene Both Have Impressive Previous Entries To Live Up To

Civilization 6’s List of Leaders Set a Standard

There are a lot of useful things that Civilization 7 can take from Civ 6, but also one big obstacle to overcome. After all DLCs are accounted for, Civilization 6 has 67 leaders, with 8 having alternate personas, making a total of 75 leader options among 50 civilizations. With Civilization 6 being the biggest game to date, Civilization 7 may have to deliver in more ways than simply improving game mechanics. It will most likely need a similarly impressive list of potential leaders and civs for players to choose from. This is especially true considering how featuring many playable civs is one of the series’ selling points.

Civilization 6‘s scale was impressive, featuring 32 more leaders than Civilization 5 with all DLCs included.

The Sims 4’s Content Expansions Will Be Hard To Follow

In a similar vein, there is a lot that The Sims 5, also known as Project Rene has to live up to its predecessor. The Sims 4 came out in 2014, and it is still receiving content updates, with the latest expansion being released in December 2023. That makes close to ten years of updates, a stunning milestone for any game. As a result, The Sims 4 is filled with more cosmetics, jobs, and other extras than any other game in the series to date. Project Rene features a new direction for the series, but it has to contend with its predecessor’s mass of content.

Civilization 7 and Project Rene Could Change Everything

Another similarity is the potential to shake up their specific franchises. Civilization 7 could reboot the series, and Project Rene is already said to offer a different kind of experience from past titles. If this opportunity is pursued, then both Civilization 7 and Project Rene could arguably be the most consequential entries for Civilization and The Sims, respectively. It would be a big risk for both to pursue, especially if well-known formulas are jettisoned in favor of something new. It takes something special to stand out in the current gaming climate though, and that could include reimaginings of well-loved series traditions.

Civilization 7 and Project Rene are both positioned at a vital point in time. When it comes to what players can expect from Civilization 7 or how Project Rene will stand out from past Sims titles, one clear thing is that both games have a massive legacy to live up to. Civilization 6 and The Sims 4 both went to the limit in terms of how much content they could add. Civilization 7 and Project Rene will be under a lot of pressure to surpass their previous entries.