Sid Meier's Civilization® V

Game stopped working after the recent update, they should refund it if they are not fixing it.

While I personally believe this to be the pinnacle of the Civilization franchise up to this point, I can't recommend this to anybody in good conscience in its current state. This game refuses to launch, broken a few months ago after 2K removed their dogwater launcher that they forced upon everyone some years prior. Neither 2K nor Steam is interested in helping rectify this issue, and none of the troubleshooting methods being passed around in the Steam discussions nor on Reddit have resolved it. Until the game is actually able to be started, this will remain a negative review.

If Civilization 5 isn't launching after the recent update where they removed the 2k launcher do the following.
1. Go to your steam library
2. Right click on the game
3. Click on properties
4. Click on installed files
5. At the top right of the window you will see the location of installed files, click on the browse
6. In the directory right click on either executable you wish to run. CivilizationV.exe or CivilizationV_DX11.exe
7. Click on properties
8. Click on compatibility
9. Enable compatibility mode with windows 8 mode
10. Click apply
11. Run the game through the selected executable in the folder not the play button through steam.
12. Enjoy

With 392 hours of play time, this game was on my favorites list for some time. Since the recent update, the game no longer launches. When I click the "Play", the button changes to "Stop" for 15 seconds, then changes back to "Play". The game doesn't launch. I have owned very civilization game since the first through Civ 6. I won't be buying Civ 7.

Recently booted up 5, only to be shocked to discover how much better it is than 6.

Best way I can describe it is 5 is an organic Civilization building experience and thus more immersive while 6 is just a bunch of gimmick mechanics like districts and DLCs that don't really add anything of value, feels like playing a card deck building game more than a 4x game. Not to mention the art is actually good instead of looking like a mobile game.

Just get this game if you want a true Civilization experience, the new ones are under terrible management by very confused people.

The game is no longer playable after the launcher was removed in November 2024.

Due to recent failures, the company has decided to prevent users from actually playing the game. They'll say it was a mistake, or a bug, but let's be real with ourselves and call this what it is, planned obsolescence. This just so happened to occur a month prior to CIV 7's release? Especially after the release of CIV 6 where CIV 5 evidently retained a large player base and consequently 'stole' from the CIV 6 player count and sales? I don't buy it.

It's a shame to leave a negative review since this is a great game, regretfully, it was too great a game and is evidently costing the company an active player base for their worse, newer releases. They seem to be under the impression this will drive older players to their new titles. I hope they're wrong.

Do not purchase, if possible, anytime soon. The game will not launch, full stop.

2K removed their launcher, completely breaking the game making it unable to launch for most players, DO NOT BUY THIS GAME until they fix this issue. Absolutely ridiculous it has been left like this for multiple weeks

Doesn't work anymore. Stuck at "Updating Executable".

Completely unacceptable for a game of it's calibre.

Lots of people online found convoluted solutions to get it to work. Meanwhile, I see little evidence of an automated fix by the publisher/developer for the issue. Completely ridiculous.

UPDATE: I did the steps the publisher/developer stated regarding removing certain files after they removed their launcher. And guess what it still didn't work.

Cant even launch the game after the launcher update, don't buy until fixed.

It is a good game but do not purchase until they fix the issue with opening the game. I was able to get it to work, but this was after an hour of trying to get it to work.

Edit: I fixed it using this method
https://www.reddit.com/r/civ/comments/1hpxqr2/civilization_v_potential_fix_for_updating/?share_id=2nwtzmSERd1tp1My_IC92&utm_content=2&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_source=share&utm_term=1

I loved this game until the 2k launcher was removed and bricked the game. give me my game back.

I absolutely love this game but I don't recommend that anyone buy it until Steam fixes the problem that prevents it from launching

After the 2k Launcher Removal was distributed the game will not start anymore.
When I press 'Play' a message 'Updating executable' is shown eand the game stops launching.
Complete repair, complete removal and a new install doesn't change this.

Don't buy! After every update it stops working for days/weeks. At the moment it not launchable. No word from 2K and their support pages are 404 links.

recent update made the game unplayable, from a technical standpoint. WTF`???

edit: just keep pressing play, even if it takes a while. eventually it will work

Did they deliberately broke the game? Will change if they decide to fix it. Meanwhile, I guess I’ll have to play the high seas version.

It's a good game, but it's legit unplayable due to launch bugs. 2K is a joke.

If you like games that refuse to launch, you'll love Civ V! The November '24 update to remove the 2K launcher broke this game for wide swathes of players, and whatever fix works today is not guaranteed to work tomorrow.

After 2K's launcher worked flawlessly since release, a decision was made to code a new one. Since it's arrival I've been unable to play Civilization V - thanks SO MUCH to whoever decided to fix WHAT WASN'T BROKEN.

Does not run. No point recommending a game that doesn't have a functioning launcher.

The game no longer starts up with the latest Windows update. Absolutely terrible service and company. Very disappointed.

They removed the launcher and bricked the game. Followed their guide, didn't work, followed all the Reddit steps, didn't work. You stole my game, give it back

Imagine patching and breaking a game thats over a decade fucking old and your entire first page+ on the discussion is people not getting the game to launch and NOT FIXING IT.

HI! this game is great: Don't buy it.

In their INFINITE WISDOM 2k removed the launcher but didn't fix the game so it could run without it, making it completely unplayable on windows 11.

Civ V was a fantastic game, until last week when the developers 2K deliberately broke it and refuse to do anything to fix it. You try to launch the game and get "Updating Executable" for a few mins before it gives up.

Civ 6 and potential Civ 7 users beware - they'll do this to you as well.

An update on 12/20 removed the Firaxis launcher which makes this game unplayable. I have over 300 hours in Civ 5 most of which are on my current PC. Per the Steam Community page i am not the only one having this issue. The timing of this, over Christmas with the launch of Civ 7 DLC is very concerning and hopefully not indicative on a direction the gaming community is headed.

Game does not work on Windows 11 out of the box.
Game does not work after using the fixes outlined on the 2K support page.
This didn't happen because of a Windows update or anything similar, as far as I know, but because 2K just went and broke the game by removing their launcher and never bothered to deploy a proper fix.

Fix your damn game, 2K, or delist it from Steam.

The whole appeal of Steam is that the games "just work" out of the box. This isn't some ancient abandonware like the original Deus Ex. I shouldn't be required to search for ways to run the game, navigate a bunch of directories and add command line attributes to the launch path. If I wanted to do that I'd be obtaining the game via other, less legal means instead of purchasing it.

This game not only doesn't boot for anyone who isn't willing to do 2+ hours of troubleshooting, but it then automatically and without notice goes back to it's original broken state soon after it is fixed.

Game won't start. States I have two missing files. Doesn't tell me what they are. At the moment I have to give a thumbs down.

Newest update broke the game for fresh installs. On my computer it works fine, having had a previously removed install, but my friends who have installed it for the first time on their computers have had to completely roll the dice on fixes to try and get it running, mostly unsuccessfully.

The bar is so low for patching games that are 14 years old. A bare minimum QC threshold needs to be met. ESPECIALLY with a new game release less than 2 months away that 2K is expecting $70 for.

it does not matter if the game is good or not, STEAM has removed the launcher....you can no longer play the game. First time that this has happened to me. No longer buying games on STEAM.

The game does not start since the 2K launcher was removed. I uninstalled and reinstalled the program twice and rebooted the computer numerous times and nothing made the program work. This needs to be fixed by Steam or the developer.

Fix the fucking game. I'm invoking voodoo magic just trying to get it to even open and it only works on the 7th saturday of the astral umbral moon cycle.

New update ruins game completely. 0/10

Great game! Very fun, one of the best in the Civ series. You might want to play on a faster gamespeed since normal rounds are much slower compared to Civ III. Sometimes I hardly finish games I start because they can take so long to get through

As others have said, game is currently UNPLAYABLE after the recent update. hopefully they notice and fix this soon.

The recent update has made this game unplayable on Windows 10/Windows 11. Wait until they patch it to pick it up.

They managed to break a game that's been out for over a decade. Tried a half dozen fixes and none of them would work, games stuck on 'updating executable'. So, since I can't even play I certainly don't recommend buying a now broken game.

DO NOT BUY, Game won't launch.

The solution they provide does not work.
https://support.2k.com/hc/en-us/articles/34890889538707--Civilization-V-Launcher-Removal

Marvellous work removing the launcher, now the game won't launch.

Recent updates have broken the game. Preventing me from launching the game due to a broken executable. I don't know when we can expect it to be fixed, but I wouldn't recommend this game or any other Civilization titles until they can fix this issue. Extremely disappointing considering how long I have had this.

Game is currently broken due to launcher removal update. Followed 2k's install instructions and it still hangs on launch. Do not buy until fixed.

A great game, but currently unplayable due to a recent update. DO NOT BUY IT until they've fixed it.

Why it's not off the shelves is beyond me

THIS GAME IS CURRENTLY BROKEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A recent update has completely broken the game and will not even launch. There are dozens of posts and discussions of trying to start the game. You will have to get VERY lucky to start the game and the same method won't work after closing the game.
Do not buy this game, even if on sale, until it is fixed. Since this is such an old game and Civ 7 being currently being worked on, who knows when this will happen.

Recent update completely broke the game- it won't launch at all anymore for me, just dies on "updating executable". None of the community solutions have worked for me, and there's been no official fix from 2K. I wouldn't buy this (or any other 2K game) until this is directly addressed.

Besides of that the customer support of companies like Steam, Ubisoft, 2K and many others is far worse then most Indies.

If there was a single being watching the Steam forums it was perfectly clear there is a problem on their end. But they do not, they do offer e-mail support in 2024. Lol

Recent update completely broke the game- it won't launch at all anymore for me, just dies on "updating executable". None of the community solutions have worked for me, and there's been no official fix from 2K. I wouldn't buy this (or any other 2K game) until this is directly addressed.

This, was my first game on steam. This is the game I had to get steam to play in the first place, first.
I've played it for many years, hundreds of hours racked up, I've played the lowest difficulty and the highest. It is my favourite as far as strategy games go and it has been one of my favourite games of all time.
And I'm not even a fan of strategy games.

But a recent update, has rendered this game unplayable. They removed the launcher, and now the game doesn't work anymore.
It's just broken.
Don't buy this game, you won't be able to play it.
I hope they fix it some day.

Classic Civilisation strategy. Still coming to terms with the Civ Vi-like adaptations in Civ V, but otherwise great fun

Long after Civilization VI was released, Civilization V still gives a home for players seeking to create their own version of a world they want to shape. A lot of people sometimes fail to understand simplistic developer choices that can fundamentally reshape how a game is played; the move from square to hexagonal spaces, not only changed the Civilization series forever, reshaped how developers view any and all strategy games.

Additionally, a personal annotation, the modding community has been extremely healthy for this game and has only blossomed into Civilization VI. While the sequel is not my cup of tea, Civilization V has easily cemented itself as one of the best strategy games of all time. If you have never played this game and you have always wanted to try a Civilization game, this title constantly on sale along with all of the DLC for a ridiculously low collective price. If you have $5 in your pocket when a sale starts and you love strategy games, buy Civilization V.