Sid Meier's Civilization IV vs Sid Meier's Civilization V
Sid Meier's Civilization IV is a simulation strategy game from Firaxis Games (2006) while Sid Meier's Civilization V is a simulation strategy game from Firaxis Games (2010).
Quick answer: Sid Meier's Civilization V rates higher, 8.7 to 6.8 on the GamingPickz Score, and Sid Meier's Civilization IV is the cheaper at $19.99.
What each one is
Sid Meier's Civilization IV is filed under Simulation and Strategy. In contrast, Sid Meier's Civilization V under Simulation and Strategy.
With over 6 million units sold and unprecedented critical acclaim from fans and press around the world, Sid Meier's Civilization is recognized as one of the greatest PC game franchises of all-time. Now, Sid Meier and Firaxis Games will take this incredibly fun and addictive game to new heights by adding new ways to play and win, new...
Create, discover, and download new player-created maps, scenarios, interfaces, and more!
Story, characters and reception
Reception
Sales Civilization IV was a commercial success, and sold more than 1 million units by mid-March 2006. By that time, it had held a top-10 position on every weekly computer game sales chart released by The NPD Group since the game's launch. NPD declared Civilization IV the 11th-best-selling computer game of 2005, and it rose to ninth place on the firm's annual computer game sales chart for the following year. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Civilization V received critical acclaim, achieving a Metacritic score of 90/100 after 70 reviews and 89. 17% after 49 reviews in GameRankings . G4TV gave it 5 out of 5, describing it as a "fantastic turn-based strategy game... (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Sid Meier's Civilization IV | Sid Meier's Civilization V | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 6.8/10 | 8.7/10 |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (95%, 57) | Overwhelmingly Positive (96%, 210,613) |
| Critic aggregate | 94/100 | 90/100 |
| Price | $19.99 | $29.99 |
| Install size | — | — |
| Steam Deck | Untested | playable |
| Released | 2006 | 2010 |
| Developer | Firaxis Games | Firaxis Games |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Sid Meier's Civilization IV vs Sid Meier's Civilization V, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Sid Meier's Civilization IVSimulation strategy gameSid Meier's Civilization VSimulation strategy gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Sid Meier's Civilization IVStrategy, Turn-Based Strategy, Turn-BasedSid Meier's Civilization VTurn-Based Strategy, Strategy, Turn-BasedThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Sid Meier's Civilization IVScore 6.8 · 95% on Steam · 94 criticSid Meier's Civilization V ✓Score 8.7 · 96% on Steam · 90 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Sid Meier's Civilization IV57 reviewsSid Meier's Civilization V210,613 reviews · 15 add-onsReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Sid Meier's Civilization IV ✓$19.99Sid Meier's Civilization V$29.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
Across the rounds a number can settle, it is level at 1 each. Which one is "better" is the part no figure decides, so we leave it to what you want from the two.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueSid Meier's Civilization IV and Sid Meier's Civilization V on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: Sid Meier's Civilization V (GamingPickz Score 8.7)
- The cheaper right now: Sid Meier's Civilization IV ($19.99)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Sid Meier's Civilization V (210,613 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
StrategyTurn-Based StrategyTurn-Based4XHistoricalMultiplayerSingleplayerModdable
Where they differ
MasterpieceResource ManagementWarManagement
Hex GridCo-opDiplomacyTouch-Friendly
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Sid Meier's Civilization IV is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Sid Meier's Civilization V is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| Sid Meier's Civilization IV | Sid Meier's Civilization V | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | — | 256 MB ATI HD2600 XT |
| Minimum CPU | — | Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8 GHz |
| Minimum RAM | — | 2 GB |
| Install size | — | — |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Sid Meier's Civilization IV · Sid Meier's Civilization V.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 0 accessibility features for Sid Meier's Civilization IV and 0 for Sid Meier's Civilization V. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Sid Meier's Civilization IV and Sid Meier's Civilization V in scope?
Sid Meier's Civilization IV has drawn 57 Steam reviews. Sid Meier's Civilization V has drawn 210,613 Steam reviews and ships 15 add-ons.
Is Sid Meier's Civilization IV or Sid Meier's Civilization V better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Sid Meier's Civilization V rates higher (8.7 to 6.8). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Sid Meier's Civilization IV or Sid Meier's Civilization V?
Sid Meier's Civilization IV is cheaper right now at $19.99, against $29.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Should I get Sid Meier's Civilization IV or Sid Meier's Civilization V?
Sid Meier's Civilization V rates higher, 8.7 to 6.8 on the GamingPickz Score, and Sid Meier's Civilization IV is the cheaper at $19.99. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
All comparisonsHow we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.