This page is for the original 1996 and expanded 1998 releases. For the separate 1999 version, see Civilization II: Test of Time.
Sid Meier's Civilization II is a singleplayer and multiplayer isometric and bird's-eye view 4X and TBS game in the Civilization series.
The game received two expansion packs: Scenarios: Conflicts in Civilization in November 1996 and Fantastic Worlds in November 1997, both containing a variety of scenarios and settings.
The game was re-released in 1998 as a 32-bit Windows application as Multiplayer Gold Edition in North America and Ultimate Classic Collection in Europe, containing both expansion packs and native multiplayer capabilities. However, this version introduced a bug with AI players being in an uncooperative or worse attitude towards human players at all times.
All versions of the game have considerable issues running on modern systems. The original 1996 version is inherently impossible to run on 64-bit systems without an NTVDM emulator. The 32-bit Multiplayer Gold Edition requires unofficial patches to resolve compatibility issues such as crashes when a text box appears, and game bugs such as the aforementioned AI attitude bug.
General information
- Civilization Wiki - A detailed wiki for all Civilization games and their spin offs
- Apolyton Civilization Site's Civilization I & II section - A huge forum dedicated to all Civilization games and their spin offs.
- Civilization Fanatics' Civilization II section
- Civilization Fanatics' Civilization II Forums
Availability
Source |
DRM |
Notes |
Keys |
OS |
Retail |
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Disc required only for music and videos in the original release. Otherwise, the game is fully playable without the disc. |
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Retail |
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Retail |
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Multiplayer Gold Edition |
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Version differences
- The original version is simply called Sid Meier's Civilization II. The expansion packs Fantastic Worlds and Conflicts in Civilization were made for this version.
- Civilization II: Multiplayer Gold Edition (also known as the Ultimate Classic Collection in Europe) is the original with all expansions, with a 32-bit executable and multiplayer options. A Summary of Civilization II Versions
- The Civilization Chronicles box set includes Multiplayer Gold Edition and Test of Time.
Monetization
DLC and expansion packs
Name |
Notes |
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Scenarios: Conflicts in Civilization |
Included in the Multiplayer Gold Edition. |
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Fantastic Worlds |
Included in the Multiplayer Gold Edition. |
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Essential improvements
Patches
- Each version of Civilization II has its own patch.
Sid Meier's Civilization II
Civilization II: Multiplayer Gold Edition
Civilization Chronicles
- The official patches do not work with the Civilization Chronicles versions of Multiplayer Gold Edition and Test of Time. Use this unofficial patch installer to install those patches.
Unofficial patches
Game data
Configuration file(s) location
System |
Location |
Windows |
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Mac OS (Classic) |
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Save game data location
System |
Location |
Windows |
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Mac OS (Classic) |
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Video
Input
Audio
Audio feature |
State |
Notes |
Separate volume controls |
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Surround sound |
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Subtitles |
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Closed captions |
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Mute on focus lost |
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Royalty free audio |
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Red Book CD audio |
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On Windows, CD music might not play correctly; see the troubleshooting guide for solutions. |
Localizations
Language |
UI |
Audio |
Sub |
Notes |
English |
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Simplified Chinese |
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Local retail version only. |
Traditional Chinese |
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Local retail version only. |
French |
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German |
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Hungarian |
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Fan translation. |
Italian |
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Japanese |
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Local retail version only. |
Korean |
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Local retail version only. |
Polish |
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Local retail version only. |
Brazilian Portuguese |
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Retail: Byte & Brothers[1] and Infogrames.[2] |
Russian |
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For the Multiplayer Gold Edition – download |
Spanish |
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Network
- Multiplayer modes require the Multiplayer Gold Edition.
Multiplayer types
Issues fixed
CPU runs at 100%
When Civilization II came out, computers had a lot less power than the ones today, so the game was programmed to take as much of the CPU as possible. On modern computers this can cause problems, such as the fans constantly being on full while playing the game. There are a couple of unofficial patches to be installed after the other ones. This patch fixes the issue for the original version and the Multiplayer Gold Edition. Some anti-virus programs may report that these patches are viruses, so you will need to add the .exe or the installation folder as an exception.[3]
Other information
API
Technical specs |
Supported |
Notes |
WinG |
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[4] |
Executable | PPC | 16-bit |
32-bit |
64-bit |
Notes |
Windows | |
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Original release is a 16-bit executable. Multiplayer Gold Edition is 32-bit. |
Mac OS (Classic) | | | |
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System requirements
Windows 3.x | Windows | Mac OS (Classic) |
Windows |
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Minimum |
Operating system (OS) |
3.1, 95 |
Processor (CPU) |
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System memory (RAM) |
8 MB |
Hard disk drive (HDD) |
10 MB |
Video card (GPU) |
SVGA |
Mac OS |
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Minimum |
Operating system (OS) |
7.5.3 |
Processor (CPU) |
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System memory (RAM) |
8 MB |
Hard disk drive (HDD) |
10 MB |
Video card (GPU) |
SVGA |
References