Sid Meier's Civilization® V

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

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!

Game is still much better than Civ6 and basically as good as Civ4.
I have enjoyed it quite a lot.

Pretty fun game for strategy enjoyers that like a lot of depth and control over their playstyle. Takes a while to play even on the fastest time setting (took ~6 hours on "quick" mode).

civ v best civ, i still choose this over vi everytime. maybe civ vii good? if not ill be right back

The best Civ. Unfortunately, you also need the 2 expansions (especially Gods & Kings).

Disconnection problems for a game that by and large is expected by be played with friends online. :( Fantastic game if the multiplayer worked.

game wont load on steam. been having a lot of problems with steam games not playing on my computer and dont have the computer knowledge to try and fix and steam is NO HELP

Ah, Civilization V, the game where you could rise as a mighty warlord and conquer the world… or just get bullied by Gandhi because you forgot to build an army. It used to be my go-to for some serious world domination while sipping on tea and feeling like a strategic genius.

But then, I made the ultimate mistake: I upgraded my PC. Yes, I went full throttle with the latest and greatest tech. 14900K, RTX 4090, 128GB of RAM, I basically built a spaceship disguised as a desktop. I can probably run NASA simulations, but can I launch Civilization V? Nope. It crashes harder than my dreams of world peace every time I boot it up.

So here I am, sitting with my technological beast, playing Civilization VI without a hitch, but Civ V? It’s dead. And what do I get when I try to validate my game files? '6 files failed to validate and will be reacquired.' Oh, those 6 files are the bane of my existence now. I've tried everything short of sacrificing a goat to the gaming gods to fix it, but no luck.

I’ve scoured the internet, searched through forums like Indiana Jones looking for treasure, and guess what I found? Absolutely nothing. Just more people complaining about the same thing, like we’re all part of some secret 'Civ V Support Group' where we share our frustration instead of strategy tips.

So, if you’re thinking about upgrading your PC and still want to play this classic, maybe don’t. Or just be prepared for the thrill of battling the most formidable enemy of all: game crashes. At least Gandhi can't nuke my PC... yet.

I feel like most people know what this game's about. But as a long-time fan of the series, I don't think any entry really hits that balance of fun and engaging gameplay quite as well as V. Every nation plays to different strengths and the expansions added some great systems to use. Also says something when you arguably look as good as the next entry in your series. Not to knock VI, but there's a reason a lot of people went back.

Coming back to the game after 10 years. Still works great. Especially when played with real people.

This is definitely one of the most addicting games out there. It is the definition of "just one more turn"

10/10 Magic 8 Balls

Civ 5 is a very fun and accessible turn-based strategy game. In it, you control an empire through the ages and work towards victory in multiple possible paths.
It is addictive and strikes a good balance of complexity and simple.

I think its major strengths are how streamlined most of the game's aspects are. For one, you don't have to manage all your units all the time - you can assign them to tasks that take multiple actions and you will be prompted to 'deal' with them only once they're done. This allows turns to take seconds to complete where in other games a similar turn would take minutes.
Another strength of the game are its numberous historical factions, each boasting different playable characters with unique buffs and units. This makes playthroughs feel different because you can do different stuff, but also because this naturally makes you gravitate towards different stratergies.

This game definitely has flaws, though. For one, it feels like the game is too slow. Even on the fastest mode, it takes several hours to complete a playthrough, and most of your playtime you're not really thinking but just skipping turns as your stuff is getting complete. This is like an idle game experience but not in an idle game.
Another serious drawback is the AI, which is equally unpredictable and bad.
One day an ally sends you a message about how much they like you, a day after they denounce you and start a war. I understand mechanically these have implications so the computer is trying to beat you, but it creates a very nonsencical narrative that makes the game less immersive.
As a result of how poorly the computer plays, military victory is the easiest (and most fun) way to win, which is a huge shame because there are so many other ways to achieve victory, but it really feels like you have to go out of your way to get them.

In short - this is a landmark strategy game and I recommend it to fans of the genre, if only to enjoy its addictive gameplay and streamlined mechanics.
If you're looking for a meaty and complex game to sink your teeth into - this might not be it.
This is also not for you if you're looking for a simple & quick game.

Great instalment of the legendary Civilization game series. I have hard copies of all the games up to this one. Haven't figured out all there is to know yet but it has already become my favorite (recent) edition. The graphics and animations are well done and it has all the charm you have come to expect from Civ games. Highly recommend although most people are probably playing 6 now, but if you are a 4X fan, don't skip this title!

I prefer this game over the newer edition due to its artistic style. Not to much of a learning curve so you can jump right in, unlike games from folks like Paradox. Would recommend to someone new to strategy games as well as veterans.

Great game as all of the Civ games are, I just don't understand why I can never get an online game. Just get kicked over and over again by the host, lovely community i guess. Endless singleplayer it is i guess ;/

I would recommend this over Civ 6 just because it is a lot simpler and there aren't as many menus, this still has an insane amount, but when I tried Civ 6, I had some trouble wrapping my head around some of the mechanics over Civ V. Definitely check both out if you like games similar to this, like Age of Empires, and Starcraft games. I really like how it can be at your own pace or challenging depending on what you are trying to do. I recommend to play as the Roman Empire first because it has some interesting bonus' and will help you grow if you've never played before. There are ranking lists out there for each Civ to play, and I recommend just go as random after the first game to see which ones you like more.

I played this game years ago without any problem. Now It cashes randomly. Sometimes it is at turn 40 other times it is around 100. I load up the closest autosave and it crashes as it tries to load.

A timeless classic. Absolute staple of the genre. fun to play with friends or online and a solid AI for a solo challenge as well. Truly what RTS games should strive for.

Very much like the past Civilization games -- and I truly loved them. This is a game that keeps you on your toes and makes you think about what is going on and what you need to do about it.

Few games manage to deliver the level of immersion that Civilization V offers. As a grand strategy game, it transports players through the ages, offering them the chance to lead their chosen civilisation from the dawn of humanity to the modern era. The immersive experience is one of the game's strongest suits, especially thanks to its atmospheric soundtrack, detailed world map, and the nuanced interactions between civilisations. From the moment you start, you’re drawn into a world of strategy, resource management, and diplomatic manoeuvring. Whether it's building your first city or leading your armies to victory, every decision feels weighty and impactful. The game excels in offering players a near-limitless sandbox for political and military strategies, where no two playthroughs feel exactly the same.

That said, while the game’s political systems are well-crafted and engaging, they lack a certain level of disruption. There’s a sense that, for all its depth, political evolution in Civilization V remains relatively conservative. Governments change, alliances shift, but the underlying structures often feel static. More radical political transformations, especially in response to changing societal conditions or extreme events, would have elevated the strategic complexity of the game.

Despite this, the diplomacy system is still among the best in the series, and the AI provides just enough unpredictability to keep things interesting. Add to that the countless ways to customise your playstyle—whether focusing on culture, science, or domination—and you have a game that’s easy to lose yourself in for hours on end.

Civilization V is an excellent entry in the franchise, but there's room for more innovative political mechanics. Its immersive world-building and expansive strategic depth make it a must-play, even if it falls just short of complete brilliance.

It's been a while since I played a game like this, where the NPCs try to trick you in that adorably transparent way that sometimes actually works. What also surprised me was how well the battles capture some of that same desperate maneuvering you do in the Total War games. Fighting over a castle is a lot more gratifying when you're safely inside of it, up a hill and across a river.

Gameplay is smooth and there are many different ways to play.

A great strategy game, especially fun to play online with a friend - even if I rarely ever reach the end-game

Loved the game, but beware - it is unplayable on Mac M2. Unpredictable frequent crashes, graphics glitches. Shouldn't be available for Mac unless Aspyr is willing to fix the bugs

Best Civ game of them all. I own Civ6 also but I refuse to play it, there is just no comparison to this game. Never. My favorite game of all time and I will play it until the day I die. Recomended with a passion 10/10

Still in my mind the champion Civilization-style game, even better than others in the line. It has the perfect mix of exploration, city management, civ growth, tech research, diplomacy, and war.
Later games are often objectively cooler because they were created to take advantage of the CPU and graphics capabilities of more recent PCs, but are they better games? I dunno.
One of the primary weaknesses of the game is that the AI is not all that great at managing attacking forces in war. The units kind of bobble around, in and out of range of cities they're attacking, allowing you to survive when you should be overwhelmed. But I like to win, so I'm mostly okay with that.
Another problem is that your success is greatly tied to your starting location. You need to settle your first city on Turn 1, because geometric progression is a bitch. If a nearby opponent starts on better land, they'll be ahead of you until you or somebody else kills them. There's no shame in restarting if your opening position sucks.
Diplomacy is very simplistic, and it's much better to be in second place until you're ready to take on the whole world. Civs almost always pile on the guy in first.
Finally, the game crawls as the world gets filled up and the AI has a ton of units to control. This is true of every Civ game, I've found, but that doesn't make it any less annoying.
And finally FINALLY, you don't get much of a fanfare for winning the game. You get a popup with some text on it.
But despite all of its flaws, I love this game. I play it all the time. Give it a try.

For me, this is the gold standard of all Civilization games to date. The original Civ and Civ II are tough to run on modern systems, Civ 3 feels dated these days, Civ IV is great but AI is illogical, and Civ VI really messed up basic mechanics by adding too many layers. Civ V is the first to use hexes, which has its pros and cons, but it's also the first to incorporate a lot of interesting mechanics with its post-launch DLCs.

With 800 hours of gameplay throughout the years I've thoroughly enjoyed making and playing custom maps and modding. For a genuine Civilization experience, you can't go wrong with Civ 5. However, there are plenty of complaints for a game that is more than a decade old:

- Game engine is overworked and becomes painfully slow for larger maps and larger number of player owned cities. Fans will tell you not play on huge maps or acquire a large number of cities, but that's silly. Those fans are purely in for the strategic challenge, not for exploring the limits of Civ. Most of your strategic gameplay benefits from an ideal empire size of 3-8 cities to get the most our of science and national wonders. But why limit yourself there if you've already demonstrated dominance over other civs? Try a game with 100 player owned cities and watch the engine grind to a halt. I've gone as far as 185 cities just to see how bad it could get, and yeah... it's horrid. The results: waiting a long time (sometimes even up to 5 minutes) after you do every single task, even something as simple as viewing a city or moving a unit.

- The system for cultural artifacts, artwork, etc. is incomplete. You can't delete artifacts. So if you no longer want something, too bad. Acquiring more artifacts will eventually fill up all of your slots and you'll be unable to acquire more if you got unfortunate RNG for your artifacts. Worse, the cultural bonus system takes an entire game to get anything close to the more strict buildings, and by then you've already dominated. Also, there's no way to get art/writing/music from other civs unless you capture their cities with them. So to get some of these bonuses, you're forced to go down that victory path.

- Many mods will often crash your game, especially on loading saved games, even if the mod authors have done everything they can to prevent that. The Civ V engine is junk for mods. Yet there are some impressive mods out there, including the famous In-Game Editor that does almost everything.

- To play custom maps, you have to enable mods and start your games from the mods menu, even if you created a normal, balanced map.

- Music is horrid and you'll quickly find yourself disabling it if you're new to Civ V. Pretty much anyone who's played more than one normal paced game will disable it. Only the intro/welcome menu music track is enjoyable. Even for 2010s standards back then the music was bad.

- Denouncing is a poor system. For example: a friendly civ asks for you help in starting a war with a rival civ, and you comply. Let's say that rival stole a city from the friendly civ, and you re-capture it to give back to them. Well, expect to get denounced by other civs for helping here. And if you take out another civ all together, expect to be denounced until the end of time.

- World Congress/United Nations is a pointless system. City-states don't provide delegates until later, when you're either already winning or have lost and it doesn't matter anyways. On a side note it seems like a conflict of interest that you can use city-state delegates to vote on banning trade with city-states. And you have to choose something to propose each time instead of opting to pass. So you'll find yourself proposing something just to vote against your own proposal near the end of a game if there's resolutions that help you left to propose.

- Accidental unit movement. Too many times I've used the right mouse by mistake to scroll/move around the map and accidentally moved a unit that was selected. This would be fine if all I played was Civ 5, but I often play other games that have this reversed. What's even more comical is that it's reversed in the Civ 5 World Builder when you're editing a map, lol! Talk about annoying for muscle memory.

- Unit upgrade path is broken. So many fans complain about this, and fortunately there's mods to correct it. But then again, playing a game of Civ 5 with mods is a pain sometimes due to issues I've already mentioned.

- Units with melee weapons or bows and arrows still damage modern units such as tanks and mechanized infantry. It's good for game balance, but the realism is completely out the window here. In Civ 5 sticks and stones can eventually kill off tanks, artillery, and battleships. Don't forget that bombers of all types take damage every time they bomb anything.

- Religion only exists as a nuisance. Fans will probably argue against my opinion, but honestly it's just another layer that doesn't add much to the game. Sure, you have another victory type you go for, and it gives some small buffs to dominate with spreading your religion, but there's no end game to it. Worse, if you convert the world to your religion, it makes the World Congress/United Nations bonus from world religion hurt you even more. But if you don't try to convert the world, then everyone else is trying to convert your cities unless you leave an inquisitor there all the time (or surround your cities with units). I've tried to have fun with, and I've done everything you can do with this mechanic. But in the end, religion just isn't that fun in Civ 5.

- Spying was neutered in Civ 5. It's so much better in other Civ games. If you're dominating in science progression, spying is an annoying mechanic. If you're behind, spying can help, but it takes way too long to steal technology and you can lose your spy in the process. The great firewall is awesome to stop this nuisance... but only in the city in which you build it. The other buildings don't seem to help much, even though they're supposed to increase time to steal tech or reduce spy effectiveness for other civs. Because if you're leading in science, multiple civs spying on you will eventually spill your leak tech advances.

I should probably stop there since I'll hit the wall-of-text cap for Steam reviews.

I like how this game just sucks you in. But the only downside is the scaling of the AI when it comes to difficulty. The AI doesn't get smarter. They just get buffs that are unfair in my opinion. Maybe in the future, AI will be about playing cleverly and not just starting with like 2 settlers and 6 technologies or something.

Very good balance between fine control and automatic modes for cities and workers, make this a game fun to play, allowing very precise control but also a fluid gameplay without too many thing to worry.

Best strat game there is. Easy to lose hours playing this

This game, with its art-deco UI style, and bright yet mature coloring scheme is one of the games that has stood the test of time. I still consider it the Gold Standard for 4X Civilization type games, when one accounts for all the DLC. Its graphics are still good as is its gameplay. Every system is well thought out and allows the player to make meaningful choices that impact a match and how it ends.

At the time going from squares to hexes was an absolute game changer as was the change to go from doom stacks to 1 unit per tile (with exceptions). Internal trade routes, a gimongous catalogue of wonders, each with their own interesting and efficacious bonuses all combined with the aforementioned elements to create a 4X so solid that few future games have come close to being as complete as game was at its end. It was so good in fact, that I refused to play Civ VI even though a friend bought me the entire game and its DLC.

Honestly, my only complaint with this game is that it is difficult, if not impossible, to play multiplayer with mods. There are some workarounds but by the time I figured them out, all my friends (and I) had moved on to other games.

If Firaxis randomly went back and implemented Humankind's army group system and diplomacy system (grievances, etc), it'd completely blow out Humankind for me. That's how good this game is.

If you've never played a 4X, turn-based strategy game before - start here.

Thanks for the memories, Sid.

Civilization V is an extraordinary game that brilliantly combines strategy, exploration, and history into one immersive experience. From the moment you start, you’re drawn into a beautifully crafted world filled with vibrant visuals and diverse civilizations, each with its own unique traits and playstyles.

The hexagonal grid system offers a fresh approach to strategy, encouraging thoughtful placement and movement of units. This new mechanic adds layers of complexity to combat and city planning, making every decision feel impactful. The streamlined user interface enhances gameplay, making it easy to manage your empire without feeling overwhelmed.

One of the standout features is the depth of the diplomatic system. Interacting with other leaders is engaging and dynamic, allowing for a range of strategies from peaceful alliances to calculated betrayals. Each game feels unique, with countless paths to victory that keep you coming back for more.

The soundtrack and atmospheric sound design perfectly complement the gameplay, immersing you in the rich tapestry of history as you guide your civilization from the Stone Age to the modern era.

Overall, Civilization V is a masterclass in strategy gaming, offering a captivating experience that rewards both careful planning and creative thinking. It’s a game that invites you to lose yourself in the world of empires, and every session feels like a new adventure

O yes, I will definetly recommend this game!
If you´re like me; you love history, like gaming, like games with strategy, love culture-building-games like Catan, if you miss a game where you can be any real historic world-leader you want, with a realistic design, landscape and soundeffect´s, if you miss a open-world game where you can do almost what ever you want with your empire, which is very easy to learn and has a smooth structure, AND, on top of it all, if you should happen to be a nube with classical music but are realy interested in getting to know that style better.. - then Sid Meier´s Civilization V is definetly the perfect game for you!! :D
Trust me you wont regret trying it, I have been playing it for over 10 years now, and honestly, it still fasinate´s me, it never get´s boring, so enjoy the adventure!

I honestly prefer this one over VI not sure if it's the graphics or just the way this one plays. VII is on its way but I think I'll replay this one until VII is fully out. Highly recommend.

This is a truly amazing game. There are an infinite amount of automatically generated maps and many different civs to play as, leading to infinite replay-ability. I have also played civ 4 and civ 6, but neither of them have the same charm as this game. Overall, this is a must play turn-based strategy and is the best of the best no matter if you have DLCS or not.

This 5th iteration brings unique elements from previous games while incorporating strategic concepts such as influence and happiness. An overall worthy challenge for strategy game enjoyers and civ fans alike. If one's used to civ6 (like I am), this is a significant overhaul in terms of difficulty and strategic planning.

Every iteration of Sid Meier's Civilization series brings about new challenges, different mechanics, and new ways to explore, expand, exploit & conquer your way to victory. Civ V however, is not just another iteration. It's a whole new look into the genre that represents a departure from the formula they have been following up to now. Civ II, III, IV are fantastic to me, and I see each one as progressively getting better than the last. With new features, ideas and events that were added to the games, the overall complexity simply became greater. Civ V is the culmination of everything they've learned thus far, while also trying something new. I'd say it's quite the success!

i've put in nearly 300 hours, tried to play it every way possible but always default to a megalomaniac bent on world domination....

As of now, and until possibly Civ VIII, this is the the last great Civ game to feature mechanics that were both new and original to the 4X digital scene. Civ VI's main selling point was the Districts mechanic that debuted in Amplitude Studio's Endless Fantasy, and Civ VII's main feature will be the "Legacies" mechanic that was showcased in Amplitude Studio's Humankind.

Civ V, with all of its DLC expansions, is a delight to play for everyone who signed a prenup with Civ IV and was thus able to adapt to the change of square tiles to hexagons and, of course, the loss of Ye Olde Stacks of Doom (the ability to stack as many military units into one tile as you can afford and hurl it at an enemy). Personally, I quite like the changes, though I do miss the Corporation mechanic, though Religion in Civ V works rather similarly.

When, after hundreds of hours, you find yourself growing tired of how Civ V feels, head over to the Steam workshop and download any number of mods to enjoy, from adding fantasy-themed countries to new Wonders and even military units!

It's more than enough fun to help you avoid considering that, if it weren't for the work of Amplitude Studios and hundreds of content creators working for free, Civ 5 might well have been the last Civ!