Ultima VII: The Black Gate is the seventh installment of the main series, and was the tenth Ultima game to be released, including spin-offs. It was released and published by Origin in 1992. A port for the Super NES followed in 1994. This seventh chapter is the first story in the Age of Armageddon and, along with Ultima VII, Part 2: Serpent Isle, is widely considered to be the greatest of the entire series.

The huge, seamless world of Ultima VII, with its overflow of details and intricate design, are the high point of realism in the series. Character control is greatly streamlined, with every action able to be performed with the mouse. The inventory and battle systems are improved, and dialogue input is no longer handled by typing keywords, but rather by selecting them from a list.

The presentation and story have also become quite mature — the player is confronted with graphic crime scenes, drug-use, racism, and political corruption. Furthermore, the Guardian uses a clever and subtle plot to assert his power over the land, rather unlike the comparatively two-dimensional villains of the earliest games.