Civilization 7 Might Be Perfect On Switch 2 Thanks To This New Feature

Civilization 7, if it’s anything like past games in the 4X strategy series, will play just fine with a single mouse in one hand. And while it’s coming to console with bindings for controllers, a mouse will still be many people’s preferred way to play. What if the Switch 2 Joy-Con can also double as PC gaming mice?

That’s certainly the impression Nintendo gives in the Switch 2 reveal trailer. A segment near the end showed the new Joy-Con snapping into small holders, then gliding around on a black surface like your favorite wireless Logitech or Razer DeathAdder. Will the Switch 2 let fans play Civilization 7 just like they were at a computer?

Mouse functionality was previously rumored for the new hardware when leaks that have proven to be accurate revealed what looked like an optical sensor on the inside of each Joy-Con. While Nintendo didn’t make the new feature official, the brief demo in the trailer all but indicates that one of the big differences with the Switch 2 will be its PC gaming-adjacent functionality.

That’s certainly one way to compete with the Steam Deck and a host of other chunkier and more powerful PC gaming handhelds that have sprung up in the wake of the original Switch’s unprecedented success. And it has the potential to be a lot less cumbersome than switching from a controller to keyboard and mouse on the current batch of consoles, including PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.

The cross-pollination between PC and console has led to tons of great games making the jump, but also some clumsy workarounds for moving a cursor around on screen. We’ve all fumbled through modern menus slowly moving a dot around with a thumbstick and it sucks. A truly seamless switch between controller and mouse, if that’s what the Switch 2 is pitching, could be a lowkey game changer. It could also make PowerPoint parties the new “playing Mario Kart on a roof.”

Civilization 7 is out in February and the Switch 2 seems unlikely to launch before June at the earliest. While Firaxis Games and 2K haven’t announced a full port or “next-gen” version for Nintendo’s new hardware, backwards compatibility means Civilization VII will still seemingly run just fine on the Switch 2 whenever it ends up coming out. Hopefully, when that happens, fans will be able to explore, expand, exploit, exterminate as effortlessly as if they were sitting down at their PC.

Update 2/4/2025 9:22 a.m ET: IGN recently asked Civilization 7 lead designer Ed Beach and executive producer Dennis Shirk about the teams plans to make use of the Switch 2's apparent mouse-like functionality.

“It is definitely intriguing,” Shirk said in the interview. “You always do some trade-offs when you have to deal with pure console controls. And the announcement has some great stuff in it. I love what they’re doing with the controllers. It’s all very cool. That’s about all I can say about it in terms of an opinion. I think it looks awesome and they’re not wrong, so it would be cool for something like that.”

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