Civ 7 is still missing this important feature

One of the biggest criticisms leveled at Sid Meier’s Civilization 7 throughout its advanced access and following its launch Tuesday has been its lack of assumed features that were present at day one for previous Civilization titles. This includes one oddly specific feature: Hot Seat multiplayer. A staple of every mainline entry in the franchise since 2005, this feature allows you to host a local multiplayer game without the need for a second machine, not unlike split-screen multipayer, except you and other players take turns sitting in the titular hot seat.

You wouldn’t think that local multiplayer would be high on anyone’s wish list for a game launched in 2025, but upon hearing the news that Civ 7 wouldn’t feature Hot Seat multiplayer at launch, players started a Change.org petition pleading with Firaxis to bring the feature back. Firaxis did mention it would look at returning Hot Seat multiplayer to the game, but hasn’t given a timeline for its return.

It sounds a bit silly when you have the ability to add your friend on Steam and essentially play through a game in about half the time it takes to get through a Hot Seat match. But, many of my core memories of Civilization involve my brothers and I crowding around a single keyboard to conquer the world, and I’ll never forget when I convinced my roommate to play a Hot Seat game of Civilization: Beyond Earth for my birthday.

Hot Seat multiplayer is just one of the many features currently missing from the most recent iteration of Civ. An abbreviated list of the omissions requested by the community— all available at launch for the mainline Civilization games in the past — includes:

• Changing city names
• Auto-explore for scouts
• Map editing options
• Multiplayer teams
• Fast combat or fast movement
• Color options for your Civ

Firaxis has already delivered a series of patches focused on improving the game’s UI, among other things, and has acknowledged these requested features in its pre-release developer notes, and in its launch day livestream, announcing plans to reintroduce select features starting in March. However, these fixes may be introduced at different times based on whether you’re playing on PC or console.

It’s also important to note that many entries in the Civilization franchise have undergone significant changes following launch. Civ 2 or 3 didn’t have Hot Seat multiplayer at launch, but this feature was included as part of its post-launch content. And Civilization 6, an entry now beloved by many, myself included, received a fairly lukewarm reception at launch. The point is, while many of us are judging Civilization 7 in its current state, it will likely look very different a year from now.