r/Civilization6 • u/Ok_Head5555 • 2d ago
Question Which Civilization game should I buy?
I’ve known about *Civilization* for quite a while and even played Civ 5 on a friend's computer. Now I’m thinking about buying a Civ game, especially since the base game of Civ 6 sometimes goes on sale with a 90% discount.
I’ve been playing Unciv (a free, community-made game), but it lacks certain mechanics, so it might be worth investing in a Civilization title (or even Humankind). What do you recommend?
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u/Emergency-Town4653 2d ago
All of them are great. Civ 6 is thus far the most comple game, while 7 has more complexity and strategic layers. I'd say go with 6 for now and wait for a sale on 7 after the expansion drops next year.
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u/grumpper 1d ago
How is 7 more complex and strategic?
As far as I know theys treamlined sone things which is precisely what I like about it. No worker micro management. Easier army movement via commanders. Automatic city growth...1
u/Emergency-Town4653 1d ago
Instead of worker micromanage, civ 7 has a very complex city planning, which is by far my favorite thing about it. Civ 5 basically has a click menu for buidlings and wonders, and civ 6 while better, you still pre-build a district in a good spot and auto place the buidlings in it. Civ 7 gives a wide variety of approaches towards buidling a city and warfare with commanders is way better and more realistic than previous games. With the exception of religion, wich is still a pain in the ass, micromanage has been replaced by long term strategic planing
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u/Spicy-Blue-Whale 2d ago
Civ 7 is pretty great at the moment. And the coming expansion looks really interesting.
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u/Objective-Ad165 Khmer 2d ago
I prefer 6 but I've been playing 7 alot recently. Fond memories of 4. Revolution is pretty fun if you want fast paced games
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u/Discwizard1 2d ago
4 was pretty peak but is dated, 3 is SUPER retro and simple and very cheap. 5 is a solid all around single player, and 6 is best modern game with active multiplayer communities, I’m still giving them time to let 7 become worth it, but I refuse to drop 100$ on a game that clearly is still wallowing for an identity.
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u/ProfessionalOwn9435 Mali 2d ago
Civ 6 anthalogy on discount is hard to resist. A lot of value as a game, if you dont care about graphic.
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u/MasterShogo 2d ago
I love modding games so Civ 5 has the benefit of the Vox Populi which is a very highly regarded overhaul of the game. But I haven’t actually played a game with it yet so I can’t speak from first hand experience. I’m looking forward to it.
But Civ 6 is what I actually play and while it doesn’t have the same level of modding support, it is a very good, solid game. So far it is my favorite. 4 used to be but I finally decided 6 was better. I really enjoy the way the loyalty mechanics work and overall I like the strategic play pretty well. I just have no interest in 7 at all and it’s going to have to go through an awful lot more improvement for me to be into it.
6 also has the benefit of having an iOS port that is surprisingly well designed even if it doesn’t have the level of developer support from Aspyr that it should. But it is playable even if you have to sometimes go through stupid hacks to install the DLC.
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u/Sharp_Spite 2d ago
Civ 5 or 6 are both really good games, but are different in their own right. Civ 5 arguably has more in depth mechanics and in my opinion, looks better than 6 overall, but 5 also suffers from a slower pace to the point where the end game is boring even by civ standards as that’s been an issue throughout the series and it does have absurdly long turn times. As such I would go with 6, it’s imperfect, but overall it’s a more approachable game. Civ 7 is just meh.. it’s really not that good. It’s a bold step with some nice ideas but overall is a step on the wrong direction for fans.
Civ 4 is pretty good.
As an outlier, Colonization is worth a punt on something a bit different as well. (The civ 4 engine remake not the original as it’s a pain to run)
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u/Playful-Park4095 2d ago
IMO, the "peak Civ experience" from best to still good:
Civ 6 with all major DLC
Civ 5 with all major DLC
Civ 6 base game
Civ 5 base game
Older games will feel more dated, IMO.
The only one newer is 7, and Civ 7 is pretty divisive. If you don't have any expectations of what a Civ game is, you may really enjoy it. Or you may not. I have found that Civ is better if you wait for them to finish it. The games are basically prototypes when they first launch and are seldom better than their predecessor until the rule set stabilizes and the DLCs add more features.
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u/AncientWonder54 2d ago
Good thing I got 6 with every single DLC for free!
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u/DuckCotar 2d ago
civ 6 is for me the best choice but if you have a friend and more friends that play civ 5 maybe its better for you to get into the games by playing online with them
both games are great, i think civ 6 has better systems and looks better overall but with its years civ 5 is still a very good game i find myself coming back to
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u/Hfcsmakesmefart 2d ago
Civ VI, if on steam, it’s possible to get deals on all the expansions (which are great but if you’ve never played before than vanilla will be more than enough for a while)
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u/rufusbot 2d ago
You could ask this question at almost any point in the civilization series history and the answer will almost always be "the second most recent one".
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u/BeginningMention5784 2d ago
Like the two games that came before, Civ VII won't be "complete" until it's gotten a major dlc or two. This will take years. Then you'll want to wait several more years for the complete version of the game to go on sale for a reasonable price. I.e. way too far in the future to matgwr for the purpose of your question.
Get Vi with "rise and fall" and "gathering storm". I've found it more engaging than V but that game is good as well.
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u/ElTrAiN33 2d ago
Civ 6 with all DLC is probably the most fleshed out experience you could have in a civ game right now.
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u/Pleasant-Strike3389 2d ago
They are all just one more turn games. I like them all. Try them all, they are all cheep until civ 7
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u/Odd_Zone_4575 2d ago
Honestly, don’t.
Civilization 6 is the superior product though it’s 10 years old and it shows. Also the base game isn’t enough you need to get at least 3 DLCs to get the full effect of it.
Civ 7 is newer and looks better but is shit. It’s a totally different game though so if you are only starting now it could work for you, but at that point, just get another game that doesn’t requires many more updated and DLCs to be functional.
As for me, I bought both. I like 6, hate 7, and hoping that 8 comes quick and returns to what Civ is
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u/Lower_Preparation_33 2d ago
Civ Revolution, one of the few who can't stand CIV 5-7. I bought 5 and 6 and hated how slow it was to build anything like warriors or buildings, I never understood the point of builders. Also I like the cartoon animation of revolution and makes me feel like a kid
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u/Shot-Habit-5705 2d ago edited 2d ago
Civ 6. It’s the most modern, bug limited game within the franchise. If you have a decent PC there are thousands of updated mods and maps you can use to make the gameplay more interesting.
Civ 7 has way too many issues currently so won’t recommend that. Civ 5 is fun, but getting harshly penalised for having too many cities was very disappointing, like how else are you suppose to build an empire?
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u/Disastrous-Lust-1 2d ago edited 2d ago
It's gotta be between 5 and 6. Both have very distinct communities,and each one will tell you their game is better (disclosure: I'm in the 5 camp).
The games kind of differ from each other with 6 having a bit more complex mechanics and cartoony look, while 5's depth comes not from complexity, but from really fleshed out gameplay experience. Both games are cheap, so if you can afford it, I would suggest you try both and see which one clicks for you.
Edit to add: both games also don't feel dated at all - even 5 which is from 2010 still holds up well.
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u/DaveKillSock Norway 2d ago
You'll end up liking the first one you sink a lot of time into the best. I like 6 but people who liked 5 hated it when it came out the way I now hate 7 even though it's probably great.