Civilization VI – the game created by legendary game designer Sid Meier – is the next entry in the award-winning Civilization franchise. So far 35million units have been sold worldwide, including 8 million units of Civilization V. Civilization is a turn-based strategy game in which players attempt to build an empire to stand the test of time. Players get to become ruler of the world by establishing and leading a civilization from the Stone Age to the Information Age.
Civilization VI offers new ways for players to engage with the world. In Civilization VI, cities physically expand across the map, competing leaders get to pursue their own agendas based on historical traits, active research in technology and culture unlocks new potential and much more.
We decided to compile series of Civilization VI reviews to give you an idea about what the best reviewers feel about this game. Read on!
Game Informer 9.5/10
Whether you’re waging wars or signing peace treaties, Civilization VI is incredibly well-paced. The addictive, “just one more round,” nature of Civilization has been amplified thanks to Eureka moments – a series of miniature missions that tie into the tech and civics trees. Each new technology and civic has an associated task, and once completed, the development time for the associated research item is cut in half. I hadn’t even been using spearman, but when I saw that killing a few enemy units with spearmen would boost my military tactics technology and allow me to build more powerful Berserker units, I put a spear through the nearest barbarian camp. The technology and civics trees also sometimes feed into each other. I rushed to build the feudalism civic so I could get a boost to my stirrup technology, allowing me to train knights. Thanks to these Eureka moments, I always found something exciting to strive after each round, and never felt the urge to spam the end turn button in order to get to the end of the game. –Ben Reeves
Forbes – ‘Civilization 6’ Is So Good I’m Terrified Of It
There’s archaeology in this game! I haven’t even touched that one, and I’ve played for a dozen or more hours. That’s the overall impression of this game: simple and deep at the same time, something that’s fun and vexing at every moment but feels like it could be a life’s work to master. It’s Civilization, in all its obsessive glory. The “return to game” button on the menu says “one more turn.” Bastards. –Dave Thier
IGN – Review in progress
What’s immediately exciting about the launch version of Civilization VI as opposed to Civ V and IV is the sheer amount of systems at work here. It’s got trade, it’s got religion, it’s got espionage, it’s got great people, it’s got archeology, it’s got the kitchen sink. For the most part, that’s awesome because there are so many opportunities to build out your nation in different ways to take advantage of opportunities on its randomly generated maps and pursue the different victory types, and it’s all baked in at the ground level so that things like trade routes don’t feel tacked on and optional (they are, in fact, the only way to build roads in the early game). This feels like a Civ game that’s already had two expansions. –Dan Stapleton
Gamespot 9/10
Civ 6 is packed with added nuances that enrich existing systems, but it also makes some major changes, the biggest of which is “unstacking” cities. Rather than occupy a single tile on the world map, cities now sprawl outward, allowing you to capitalize on each city’s specific surroundings–assuming you exercise some serious foresight. Certain structures, for example, function more efficiently on specific types of land, while others can only be built if certain typographical demands are met. Not only does this change the way you consider the board, it also adds a new strategic layer that fills a gap and creates greater variety in the types of thinking Civ demands.
Civ 6 has a few rough edges, but they’re pushed far into the periphery by spectacular strategic depth and intricate interlocking nuances. Any frustrations I experienced were immediately eclipsed by my desire to continue playing. Just one more turn, every turn, forever. –Scott Butterworth
Destructoid 8.5/10
There wasn’t any noticeable lag, so that is a plus. Still, with Civ VI being one of the most popular games on Steam a few days after launch, why are the servers so barren? Maybe my name carries negative clout, but I’d like to see more customization available in the server browser to eliminate people who are going to kick me (like adding password support). As for performance, the game runs quite smoothly. As you progress into the late game, there can be a little bit of stutter, but the graphics menu has a ton of options to fix any issue you may encounter. You can also cap the frame rate, which is neat for those who want 30 FPS.
The only question that remains is whether Civilization VI is worth your time. My answer is a resounding yes. There are some shortcomings in the package that dampen my enthusiasm a bit, but I haven’t had this much fun with the series since my high school days playing IV. The old Civ mantra of “one more turn” is stronger than ever. The additions make for a much deeper strategy game and the inclusion of most of the features from previous entries makes for a remarkably well-rounded launch. It will be interesting to see where Civ VI goes, but I have a feeling there won’t be nearly as dramatic a change as Civ V saw. –Peter Glagowski
PC Gamer 93/100
But there are so many of these new features that it could feel overwhelming at times. The depth and variety of systems resembles a Civ game that’s already had two or three expansions added on top—from the new Districts that perform specific tasks and spread my cities out into an often messy but somehow pleasing sprawl, to a whole separate ‘tech’ tree for civic and cultural progress that ties into a sort of collectible card game for mixing policy bonuses to build a unique government. The feature richness averts the common problem with strategy games on day one where I feel I’m being sold a platform on which a great game will eventually be built. But I also worry that Firaxis may have sailed a bit beyond the calm waters of accessibility for more casual strategy fans, and any expansions that add major features or new systems could heighten the barrier to newcomers.
Sight, sound, and systems harmonize to make Civilization 6 the liveliest, most engrossing, most rewarding, most challenging 4X in any corner of the earth. –T. J. Hafer
Polygon 8.5/10
Civilization 6 is an advance on the previous game, offering more variety, smarter use of assets and a wider palette of potential activities. It remains the best of its kind, always demanding my attention, forever creating new narratives out of stats and maps. But it fails to move the concept of a history simulation beyond the ambitions set 25 years ago. We’ve reached the point where Civ games are as much a simulation of themselves, as they are of the march of human progress. –Colin Campbell
Well, most of the reviews are in favor of the splendid, fascinating game. What do you think about Civilization 6? Share your thoughts in the comments section.