Sid Meier's Civilization® V

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.

I love how I can just watch the AIs just fight each other, just sit back and watch and see what they do(Using mods). Plenty of workshop mods to sub and use. Activating the mods doesn't require any fancy installing. Game is WAY more fun with friends. Easily one of my top fav games, that I keep coming back to over the years. Also the art; Compare to civ VI with that weird disney look. It just looks so out of place to me. I just could not get into the game because of that art. I just couldn't. But civ 5 art just looks perfect for me with the art of leaders.

The one real few negatives I have with the game is the multiplayer aspect with the crashing. Like later on with 200+ turns into the game. Oh and the other issue is not allowing to have that many AIs in the multiplayer game. But I guess this game is pretty old, but still. I wish they fixed those issues, YEARS ago.

This game is multi-dimensional and really makes you think. The leveling is very good so that you can learn on a beginner setting and win and then up the difficulty as your progress.

It's fun with some decent challenges If you're good at deductive reasoning, you'll probably enjoy this game.

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Enjoyed myself, though it's the first 4X game I've played so take it with a grain of salt. Liked it most before I knew what I was doing to some extent. AI is poor, and higher difficulties only give the AI more starting bonuses, so it's really a matter of how long it will take until you can leverage your human brain to pass them up and make victory inevitable. Still found it enjoyable to kill time with while watching TV or something.

There are three types of 4x games that exist in the world today.

The first type of game is all 4x games holistically, including the majority of Civilization titles, Endless Legend, Stellaris, and all the other ones you've likely heard of.

The second type is Civilization V. You might be under the impression I'm going to tell you Civ V is much better or much worse than the previous category. But no. It isn't.

Civilization V is a pretty okay game that helped me pass the time, sometimes had fun moments, but overall felt a little incoherent, buggy, missing key parts of the UI, and definitely imperfect.

What about Civ V with mods? That must be the third category, right?

Not exactly. Civ V with mods is definitely better than vanilla, but no matter how many steam workshop mods you install, the game still has heavy flaws those mods never seem able to fix.

However, there is one specific mod, a mod you cannot obtain on Steam Workshop, that changes everything.

And that mod is... VOX POPULI. (AKA: The Community Patch DLL)

OH.

MY.

GOD.

If you are playing Civ V and you have not played Vox Populi yet- what the flip is wrong with you?! Drop everything! Look up the mod on Github AND START PLAYING THE GREATEST 4X GAME OF ALL TIME!!!!

https://github.com/LoneGazebo/Community-Patch-DLL

Massive UI overhauls that holistically improve the playability!

Tech tree overhauls that add more flexibility and more types of fun builds per playthrough!

Commanders with expanded abilities, improved AI, and so much more!

The improved AI alone is worth the download. The enemy AI is frighteningly competent, to the point I have to play on difficulty 3/9 to get 'about the right' level of challenge for my skill level. Any higher and the AI stomps me!

Vox Populi is insanely fun. The overhauled religion, civics, and other components of the game honestly border on perfection, for me at least. I feel like I have so many ways to play a game, and they're all equally valid, provided you use your brain.

If you own Civ V, play with Vox Populi!

If you like 4x games and you're not sure if Civ V is worth a buy... IT IS! And for the love of Saint Joseph, play it with Vox Populi! I think it's a perfect game now!

...

Asterisk*: There are a few minor things I wish the game explained better, such as making the Civopedia ingame even more detailed than it currently is.

I also wish there was a way to preview an entire religion's setup ingame by pre-choosing your tenets and letting them roll in at appropriate times.

But that's minor. This is still the greatest 4x game of all time now.

When I was told "playing Civ 5 is like using a time machine" I always thought they were praising how historically accurate it could be. It is just now that I realize what they truly meant is "this game will make 10 hours of gameplay feel like a couple minutes".

The only thing I've ever disliked is the time it takes to skip turns. I would like to be able to play with as many AIs and not have to wait for hours on end...

Other than that, my fav game 100% recommend!

good nice game, it goes on sale for as low as 5 dollas totally worth it

The game plays smoothly and I love the graphics and the combat resolve. I would say the only negative part about the program is there isn't enough variations of armed units. I would also like to see different types of ships at sea.

Classic game that has several different iterations to make each game different. Civ 5 has great strategies to impose on both single and multiplayer, as well as an easy interface to learn.

Sid Meier's Civilization V is more than a mere game for one's entertainment. It is a life-changing experience unlike any other, a roller-coaster of emotions never before seen. With its enthralling mechanics and competitive AI, there is no shortage of fun. Each turn is an eye-opening portal, engaging the farthest corners of one's mind. The scenarios in this game are thrilling, taking one back to some of the Earth's most exciting and moments in history in a detailed and completely balanced challenge. The achievements for this game are absolute masterpieces, forcing one to truly put their knowledge and skills to the test. The multiplayer is the cream of the crop, with completely friendly and healthy competition. This game is the pinnacle of strategy, and I simply cannot wait to see where the series develops and flourishes from here.

Can't play this game due to new launcher failing at start up. Worked fine years ago and now I can't play it randomly after 2k bought this game.

Shame, will never buy civ 6 in light of this.

I just love it. It's very mod-friendly, has a nice slow pace, and is easy to get sucked in to.

very fun game. best part is it can be played offline with no issues when I am somewhere without internet. :)

A great game that has eaten up many hours for me. I played Civ VI for awhile, but soon came back here. I find it more fun, the style of art is better (I couldn't get into Civ VI's cartoony art), and although it's not quite as "busy" Civ VI, I find I prefer that for my casual gameplay style.

Unfortunately, the game has simply stopped working, and, with the publishers/devs focused on Civ VII, it's not like a fix for that will come any time soon. I've seen a few people reporting success in making the darn thing work in Windows 10, but no luck so far on 11. I've followed the guides/community posts that are out there about it, but no joy.

It's a shame, because it was my favourite CIV game so far, but I guess I'll make do with VI.

Honestly it is simplistic to play while still maintaining a wide variety of variability that makes for interesting and different game play. The game has a decent amount of customization. A perfect game to just chill out and relax in a world of strategy and micromanagement for hours.

Civ 5 is super fun and addicting, for those of you who are having issues getting civ 5 to run on windows 10, go into your settings and change the launcher to legacy launcher, works like a charm.
Civ 5 is much better then civ 6 in my opinion, 5 seems to be a lot more multiplayer friendly than what 6 is. I could easily spend countless hours pressing that next turn button, sure the AI can be a pain the butt sometimes, but that's when it's nice to be able to play multiplayer with your friends. I'm really looking forwards to Civ 7!

Game is currently broken and doesn't launch, have tried numerous fixes. EDIT: launching in legacy mode will solve it

The game just stopped working. I have tried every possible trick internet has offered but nothing helps. This problem has been about a month and nothing has happened, even though it seems many many people have the same problem.

I'll start off with this, this is not my usual territory. Turn-based-strategy games do not get my blood pumping like it does for others, but this is DIFFERENT. I have lost so many nights of sleep to the curse of one more turn. The concept of building up a civilization with unique modifiers based off of the real life history of these nations along with the leaders that personify them is so compelling to me I drop all other thoughts when it pulls me in. I mean it just feels genius to me. I have not played any previous Civ games, i assume i don't really need to. I've played VI and i like it but there is something about this one that just hits so perfectly. I think this is game that everyone should give a go, no matter your opinion on games in the same or similar genres. 8/10

game is great and has worked fine for the last year but I litterally CANT PLAY IT, no online guides help so this game i paid 20 bucks for i cant even play thanks guys

Pains me to say as this is a great game, but Civ V doesn't currently work on Steam. You can buy it and it might work for you. Or if it doesn't, you can spend time going through websites and the discussion boards and maybe one of the suggestions will work and you might be able to play it. But none of that really matters. What matters is that if you buy a game, it should work. This one doesn't even launch. Wouldn't recommend buying it until/if it's fixed.

Wellp, bought it recently with the huge discount that was going on -- Finally felt like playing it it.
Turns out it doesn't launch.... DO NOT BUY !!!
(I'll update review if it gets some sort of an update that fixes it again)

It pains me to write this review. I have over four hundred hours in this game and I don't regret a single one of them. The problem is that I tried to play it after a long time and I found that the game no longer works, even on a machine that used to be able to run it. Here are some of the things that I (unsuccessfully) tried:

-running the game in offline mode
-running the game as an administrator
-running the game in compatibility mode
-ensuring that the game WASN'T being run as an administrator or in compatibility mode
-running steam in compatibility mode
-validating files multiple times
-re-installing the game
-various shenanigans regarding shortcuts

...and that isn't even a comprehensive list. It's such a shame because I used to love this game. Now I can't recommend it with a clear conscience.

Despite the AI being schizophrenic, this is still one of the best TBS games out there. Every civ is unique and there are many victory types, so you can adapt your strategies to best fit the civs or choose the civs that best fit your strategies. Very addictive and rewarding. Particularly, I think that not being able to stack your units in a large army is the major problem because as the game progresses, the amount of stuff (units mostly) you have to manage becomes overwhelming, especially if you're playing as a militaristic civ. Not being able to rebind the keys inside the game is also annoying. Overall, very fun to play both solo or with friends. 8/10

Civilization V is a game for those who still enjoy the depth of a good board game. I’ve played with friends and others online, and what I’ve found is that while people have lives, this game practically demands all of it. It’s a great game, and I’d review it more, but some matches can last for days, while others might end quickly—sometimes in just an hour or two—at the hands of Shaka Zulu or the Russians.

The game takes you on a journey through eras of technological advancements, shaped by your strategic choices, enabling you to conquer surrounding civilizations in various ways depending on your gameplay style. Finishing a full Civ game, progressing all the way to the end when technology is nearly maxed out and the final battles are fought city by city, is a huge feat. If you lose, it feels like hours of life just slipped away, and if you win, you still feel that way—only with the satisfaction that you managed to defeat your friends in a true marathon of strategy.

I’ve won many matches against opponents who fell victim to exhaustion and others whom I fought tooth and nail until the end.

It is better than 6 and I can say that whole heartedly. End game isnt near as fun and while more is provided, it feels like less.

Base Civ V - not great. Civ 5 with all the patches and expansions - the best Civ.

Easily the best iteration of Civilization in the series since Civilization II, V put an excellent spin on the gameplay and made it far more compelling to play from start to finish. Unlike VI which came after, it didn't ruin the gameplay style of building tall, or so forth. The innovation that is here also felt natural, as opposed to be borrowed - something that Civilization VII seems to be chasing after.

The only main gripe that is on note here is that you likely need to get the DLCs to fully enjoy this game. But, it seems like the game frequently sports discounts that can make them cheap enough now for them to be picked up along with the base game. Without the DLCs you will be missing aspects of the game - espionage for example isn't in the base game!

Still, I recommend this if you want to delve into the Civilization series. It still stands the test of time so to speak!

A classic but still very enjoyable playing solo or vs this game is just a whole lot of fun.

I had gotten this from seeing Youtube clips and seeing as how it was cheap when I got it and seeing how people preferred this over the new one(6). I figured I'd give it a try. First tried it, Got stuck on how to move and didn't see you had to press next turn, so gave up and came back to in a year later, this time i figured it out and since then, I've become addicted to it. Leaders are bipolar as hell but it's still good.

Hours of interesting game play, now better than ever! It's one I always come back to eventually. Viva la Civilization!