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Best Civilization game to play in 2020?

Another

Another

Banned
Oct 23, 2019
1,684
Portugal
Hey Era. Was playing the Civilization board game (the 2010 one) with the SO and a friend last night and since the SO had an absolute blast I decided a Civ video game would be right up their alley. I'm a fan of the series and played IV to death (something like 1400 hours last I checked) but since I only dabbled with V a bit and haven't ever played VI at all I'd like to know which entry Era thinks would be the best to play right now? Many thanks!

Edit: playing on a PC.
 
Hilarious_Bearious

Hilarious_Bearious

Member
Nov 4, 2017
7,352
I picked up VI and found it quite enjoyable on the Switch. It seems to have gone down the "wide but shallow" route, rather than having significant mechanics out right missing like vanilla V. It's also a great game for playing in bed or on the couch when somebody else is using the TV.
 
MGPanda

MGPanda

Member
Feb 25, 2018
2,476
Beyond Earth
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Le Dude

Le Dude

Member
May 16, 2018
4,709
USA
Both V and VI are great options, even IV really, if you grab them with the expansions.

I personally think V is the most accessable but I don't think you can go wrong with V or VI.
 

Deleted member 3196

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
1,280
Civ VI and expansions is great. Firaxis is at a point where updates are making the game feel fresh every couple of months.
 

VaeVictis

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
67
Not quite a CIV game but maybe give Anno 1800 a chance if you like city builders?
There is an excellent Let's Play currently going on by RepublicOfLetsPlay of Anno 1800. This is the first episode. Take a look and maybe it's what you're looking for.



Other than that maybe take a look at Stellaris, which is basically CIV in space. Again, here is another RepublicOfLetsPlay video about it.

 
grmlin

grmlin

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,289
Germany
It's Civilization fo me personally, and VI is fantastic. I love it. I also loved all the old Civ games, but when an new one releases I played the predecessor so much, that it's time to move on.
 
Pargon

Pargon

Member
Oct 27, 2017
11,996
Every time I've thought about returning to VI and picking up the expansions, I've asked people I know that play it if they have fixed the AI and win conditions, and every time people tell me "well no, but…" and I go back to putting more hours into V and chasing after getting 100% of the achievements.
It may not be the most complex or in-depth game in the series, but it's just well-balanced and fun/chill to return to in a way that VI was not. It's still a better looking game too.
 
i hate cheaters

i hate cheaters

Member
Feb 16, 2018
2,680
5 or 6 if you want to focus more on building your own stuff & doing your own thing instead of competing/interacting with opponents

4 (with better AI mod) if you want to play a strategy game (but the secret is that it's actually a racing game)

3 if you want something like 4 that plays worse, but is much more challenging (figuring out how to win from a given situation is not as obvious as 4)

alpha centauri if you want to see the coolest ideas and diplomacy (the actual game part is pretty dated though)
 
Villa

Villa

Member
Oct 28, 2017
811
Civ 6 with expansions (no need for the Frontier Pass though, at least not yet).

I do still have some issues with 6 and I don't think I'll ever have more fun playing Civ than I did with Civ 4 back in the day (even the mods were incredible). But 6 is the one to play in 2020 imo. It's a good time and they've added a lot since launch. Some might even say they've added too much, without first making sure the systems already in place are as interesting and meaningful as they could be (I would be one of those people tbh). Still addictive and still Civ though.

6 caters more towards an empire-building style player, rather than the war boardgame style of 5. Not as immersive as 4 though.
 
Hella

Hella

Member
Oct 27, 2017
23,397
I'd go with Civ 6. The expansions round it out way more than any other Civ, plus it's still getting more stuff added (via another season pass).
 
OP
OP
Another

Another

Banned
Oct 23, 2019
1,684
Portugal
VaeVictis said:
Not quite a CIV game but maybe give Anno 1800 a chance if you like city builders?
There is an excellent Let's Play currently going on by RepublicOfLetsPlay of Anno 1800. This is the first episode. Take a look and maybe it's what you're looking for.

Click to expand...
Click to shrink...


I've actually been waiting for a deep sale on the complete edition for this one for a while now, it's looking damn fine. Btw, it coincidentally also has an excellent board game adaptation that was just released , if you're into such things!

As for Stellaris, I'm also aware but space stuff is a no-no for the SO... but you've just reminded me that Europa Universalis IV might be an excellent choice as well.
 
Naner

Naner

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,016
I had never played Civ before, then I tried 6 around May this year and had a blast. Go for it.
 
RedSparrows

RedSparrows

Prophet of Regret
Member
Feb 22, 2019
6,482
Another said:
I've actually been waiting for a deep sale on the complete edition for this one for a while now, it's looking damn fine. Btw, it coincidentally also has an excellent board game adaptation that was just released , if you're into such things!

As for Stellaris, I'm also aware but space stuff is a no-no for the SO... but you've just reminded me that Europa Universalis IV might be an excellent choice as well.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

EU IV is one of my favourite games ever ever ever, but beware it's much more complex than Civ.
 
yogurt

yogurt

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,803
Both Civ 5 and Civ 6 are great, but make sure you get their major expansions as well. That means Civ V complete edition (~$12) or Civ 6 Platinum (~$30). Go to gg.deals to see where they're currently cheapest.

I wasn't sure at first, but after a few hundred hours between them I give the slight edge to Civ 6. 5 is a bit more focused on macro strategy and allows tall play styles, while 6 has more city management and going wide is a must. They definitely scratch different itches.

If you're planning to play online/LAN with your partner though, Civ 6 has waaaay better and more stable multiplayer. Large maps in Civ 5 multiplayer can be a world of pain with desyncs and even crashes.

In my opinion...

Better in Civ 5:
UI (6 is greatly improved by mods though)
Tall play styles
Streamlined macro management / not much micromanagement
The way the UN works

Better in Civ 6:
Interesting city management (districts & governors)
City states (diplomacy using envoys & interesting bonuses)
Government policies (interchangeable cards)
Espionage (waaaay more fun and interesting)
Diplomatic victory (still kinda sucks though)
The ideas behind diplomacy (diplomatic favor, grievances)
Climate change (managing electrical production, sea level rise, natural disasters)
Science victory (I find it more fun, at least)
Builders with limited charges instead of workers
Trade routes & how they build roads automatically
Multiplayer

A wash between them:
Combat
How diplomacy actually works with the AI.
Religion. Civ 6 has more going on but it's a mixed bag and religious victory is tedious and not fun.

Enjoy!
 
NoWayOut

NoWayOut

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,073
Civ 6 if you don't mind getting all the extra DLC as well. Civ 5 if you want to save some $
 
8bit

8bit

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,390
6 with the expansions and the pass, but you'll probably not get a consistent answer as everyone has a different take.
 
Ekid

Ekid

Member
Dec 21, 2017
1,638
Civ V Complete Edition is regularly on sale for 10$/€ si I would go with this one.

I haven't played VI since it first released but at the time it was really awful, and the raving review it got were totally undeserved.
 
Schreckstoff

Schreckstoff

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,606
I like 5 more than 6 if you haven't played either much.

The district system is just a fail for me in VI but the game plays really well outside of that.
 
Lobster Roll

Lobster Roll

signature-less, now and forever
Member
Sep 24, 2019
34,324
V is exceedingly better than VI, and probably cheaper on all formats too.
 
FliX

FliX

Master of the Reality Stone
Moderator
Oct 25, 2017
9,867
Metro Detroit
Another said:
I've actually been waiting for a deep sale on the complete edition for this one for a while now, it's looking damn fine. Btw, it coincidentally also has an excellent board game adaptation that was just released , if you're into such things!
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Uh, that looks interesting. Anno 1800 was probably my goty last year. And the boardgame looks mellow in the same kind of vane.
 
Grue

Grue

Member
Sep 7, 2018
4,890
I bought the Civ VI expansions on Switch during a recent sale, and booted it up again after some time.

First of all, they got this thing to play on Switch. That's just so great. This handheld now has a lifetime way beyond the end of whatever messed up generation cycle it landed in.

Second of all, the expansions are great, and some of the mechanics I honestly think have been undersold. I didn't really care about them before the sale. I can't imagine playing the game without them now.

Finally, I once saw a thread here and I think the OP was "This game is like crack". The rest of the thread was people agreeing. It was a funny thread and it was fun to remember a time when I was playing Civ V on my laptop, but those were the days before I had a significant job, and responsibilities, and things that legitimately I should give a shit about.

Man, I've been playing for like two days straight and it's supposed to be a work week.
 
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