Sid Meier's Civilization
88PurrfectSadkitty Score
88KitSuperintelligent review
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Guide a civilization from a single settler in 4000 BC to a spaceship launch for Alpha Centauri. It's the turn-based strategy game that defined the 'one more turn' feeling.
Kit's verdict · 8.8/10
Crude next to its sequels, but the core loop is as gripping as ever.Kit · Sadkitty Games
Loved
- Huge scope from ancient times to space travel
- Wonders and tech tree feel rewarding
- Endlessly replayable random worlds
Not so much
- Combat can be absurd, like a phalanx beating a tank
- Late-game city management is tedious
Play it if anyone with a free weekend and a love of history or strategy.
Skip it if players who want quick sessions or polished combat.
Cheats & codes
No cheat codes
Sid Meier's Civilization doesn't have cheat codes. The tips and secrets below are the next best thing.
Tips
Play it better
- Build Settlers early and often. More cities beat bigger cities in the early game.
- Switch to Monarchy fast, then Republic once you're safe, for big trade boosts.
- Use caravans to help build wonders in a single city.
- The Great Library, Pyramids and Michelangelo's Chapel are among the most useful wonders.
- Put defensive units on hills and behind city walls to stop early rushes.
- Railroads on mines and farms boost production, so connect your core cities.
Secrets & unlockables
Hidden in plain sight
Tap a secret to reveal it.
Did you know?
Trivia
- Sid Meier designed it with Bruce Shelley, who later co-created Age of Empires.
- It was inspired by the Avalon Hill board game of the same name and by SimCity.
- The legend that Gandhi became nuke-happy due to a bug is disputed. Sid Meier has said it didn't happen in the original game.
- Civilization spawned one of the longest-running series in gaming, with Civilization VII released in 2025.
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