PC Gamer (UK Edition) PC Gamer April 2025 Issue 407

Published 27th February

This month PC Gamer delivers world-exclusive access to the stunning new The Sims rival, inZOI, which looks set to steal the life sim throne. For our authoritative cover feature, PC Gamer speaks directly with the game's director, Hyungjun Kim, about every facet of the game, from its comprehensive character creator, to its setting, characters and story, and through to its unique gameplay mechanics, such as an NPC character who is controlled by AI. Kim speaks eloquently about his game, the life sim genre, and the video game industry in general, bringing his trademark philosophical flair to the conversation. A must-read for any fan of the life sim genre, and especially those who have sunk hundreds of hours into The Sims over the last couple of decades.

This issue also features another fantastic feature. As we review Sid Meier's Civilization 7 in this issue of the magazine, we thought there was no better time to take a look back at the Civilization series as a whole, starting with the landmark 1991 original release. Not only do we then proceed to showcase each game in the series in this feature, talking about what they delivered to gamers and how they evolved the initial Civ formula, but we also speak directly to a Firaxis Games veteran who has worked on many of the series' best games for the inside scoop on what it's like to make a Civilization game. For strategy fans this is an essential read.

Then, in terms of previews, this issue sees PC Gamer deliver our hot take on Doom: The Dark Ages, the hyper-violent new entry in the long-running FPS series that sees the Doom Slayer fight through a medieval hellscape with big guns, a chainsaw shield and a trio of deadly hand-to-hand weapons. For gamers who found the acrobatic madness of Doom Eternal a little off-putting, The Dark Ages looks like a return to more of the original Doom reboot formula, with ground-based combat against hordes of demonic foes the name of the game. Oh, and there are rideable dragons and a giant mech to pilot, too. Hype!

Then, over in reviews land, the PC Gamer reviews machine tackles epic turn-based strategy game, Sid Meier's Civilization 7, as well as Orks Must Die! Deathtrap, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, Eternal Strands, Sniper Elite: Resistance, Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector, and Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, along with other games, too.

All that plus a group test of six new motherboards to consider building your next PC gaming rig around, a reinstall of the epic strategy game Total War: Warhammer III, the continuation of a hijinx-filled diary following undead hero Mister Fibula's misadventures in Divinity Original Sin II, a look at the fantastic new Half-Life 2 mod The Burton Equation, a passionate arguement for how villainesses make any game better, a detailed guide to thriving in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's medieval world, a tour of the very latest PC gaming experiences coming out of Japan, including Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii and Suikoden I & II Remaster, an update on everything new Hunt: Showdown 1896, a fresh dispatch from The Spy, a new case to be cracked for the PCG Investigator, Dick Ray-Tracing, and much more too. Enjoy the issue!