Sid Meier's Civilization V

Sid Meier's Civilization V

Developers
	Firaxis Games
macOS (OS X)	Aspyr Media
Linux	Aspyr Media
Publishers
	2K Games
OS X, Linux	Aspyr Media
Engines
	LORE
Release dates
Windows	September 21, 2010
macOS (OS X)	November 23, 2010
Linux	June 10, 2014
Reception
Metacritic	90
IGDB	87
Taxonomy
Monetization	One-time game purchase, Expansion pack, DLC
Microtransactions	None
Modes	Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Pacing	Turn-based
Perspectives	Bird's-eye view
Controls	Point and select
Genres	4X, TBS
Themes	Historical
Series	Civilization

Sid Meier's Civilization V is a singleplayer and multiplayer bird's-eye view 4X and TBS game in the Civilization series.

The game received two major expansion packs: Gods and Kings in June 2012, and Brave New World in July 2013, both introducing new civilizations, units, mechanics and scenarios. As the game was the first in the series to be distributed exclusively digitally, it also received a number of minor DLC with a smaller number of civilizations and scenarios; despite their modular nature, all players need to own them in multiplayer in order to use their content.

General information

PC Report - Sid Meier's Civilization V on Linux

2K Games Forum - Official Civilization V forum

Official support knowledgebase

Civilization Wiki - A detailed wiki for all Civilization games and their spin offs

Civilization Fanatics' Civilization V section

Civilization Fanatics' Civilization V Forums

Steam Community Discussions

Steam Workshop

Steam Forum Troubleshooting Thread - Troubleshooting Guide for Windows version.

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail
GamersGate		Published by 2K Games. The Complete Edition also available.
GamersGate		Published by Aspyr Media. The Complete Edition also available.
		Published by 2K Games. The Complete Edition also available.
		Published by Aspyr Media. The Complete Edition also available.
Green Man Gaming		Published by 2K Games. The Complete Edition also available.
Green Man Gaming		Published by Aspyr Media. The Complete Edition also available.
Humble Store		The Complete Edition also available.
Mac App Store		Campaign Edition. No online play.
Steam		The Complete Edition also available.

All Windows and Linux versions require Steam DRM.

A demo is available from Steam.

Version differences

The Campaign Edition does not support online play; LAN multiplayer can work with other Mac App Store versions, or with the Steam version, if they are the same version. However, they are often updated at different times, so it can be months before they get the same update and are compatible.

The Complete Edition includes all DLC.

Monetization

Type	Notes
DLC	Minor DLC includes one or two civilizations and/or scenarios.
Expansion pack	Expansion packs include multiple civilizations, scenarios, and mechanics.
One-time game purchase	The game requires an upfront purchase to access.

DLC and expansion packs

Name	Notes
Gods and Kings	Free demo (allow steam popup): steam://install/213910
Brave New World	Free demo (allow steam popup): steam://install/242180
Wonders of the Ancient World
Explorer's Map Pack
Civilization and Scenario Pack: The Vikings
Civilization and Scenario Pack: Polynesia
Civilization and Scenario Pack: Mongols
Civilization and Scenario Pack: Korea
Civilization and Scenario Pack: Babylon (Nebuchadnezzar II)
Double Civilization and Scenario Pack: Spain and Inca
Cradle of Civilization: Mesopotamia
Cradle of Civilization: Americas
Cradle of Civilization: Asia
Cradle of Civilization: Mediterranean
Scrambled Nations Map Pack
Scrambled Continents Map Pack

Essential improvements

Mods

Mods are available through multiple distribution channels. Easily accessible through the Steam Workshop, as well as manually installable. Popular sources include CivFanatics.

You must activate a mod after installing in order to make it work. To do so, enter the Mods menu and tick the checkbox next to the mods you want to activate.

Manual mod installation[citation needed]
Go to the configuration files location. Copy the mod into the Mods folder here. Activate the mod in the game. Notes If the Mod Database is corrupted or deleted, any manual mods will be deleted.

Increasing the zoom level

Manually edit config.ini[citation needed]
Go to the configuration files location. Open config.ini. Find and edit: Minimum Zoom Level = 11.000000 Save changes. Notes Changing the variable to a lower level will make you able to zoom in closer.

Skip launcher, intros, legal window, mods warning

Skip launcher

Skipping new launcher

Right-click on Civilization V in your Steam Library. Select Properties -> Set Launch Options.... Enter "<path-to-game>\CivilizationV.exe" %command%, "<path-to-game>\CivilizationV_DX11.exe" %command% or "<path-to-game>\CivilizationV_Tablet.exe" %command% to launch in their respective modes. Confirm changes by pressing OK. Notes The path ending in CivilizationV_Tablet.exe will launch the game in Touch Enabled mode on Windows 8 and later.

Skipping old launcher[citation needed]
Right-click on Civilization V in your Steam Library. Select Properties -> Set Launch Options.... Enter \dx9, \dx11 or \win8 to launch in their respective modes. Confirm changes by pressing OK. Notes \win8 will launch the game in Touch Enabled mode on Windows 8 and later.

Skip intro videos

Delete/rename video files

Go to the installation folder. Delete the file(s) starting with Civ5_Opening_Movie Go to <path-to-game>\Assets\DLC\Expansion (if present) and delete the file starting with Civ5XP_Opening_Movie. Go to <path-to-game>\Assets\DLC\Expansion2 (if present) and delete the file starting with Civ5XP2_Opening_Movie. Optionally, skip the legal screen as well. Notes Expansion is the Gods and Kings DLC; Expansion2 is the Brave New World DLC. These are only present if the DLC is installed. File names and formats vary based on the game language and operating system (.ogv for Windows, .mov for OS X and Linux).

Skip legal screen

Skipping legal screen
Open <path-to-game>\Assets\UI\FrontEnd\FrontEnd.lua with a text editor. Find line UIManager:QueuePopup( Controls.LegalScreen, PopupPriority.LegalScreen ); Replace it with -- UIManager:QueuePopup( Controls.LegalScreen, PopupPriority.LegalScreen ); . Save the file.

Skip mods warning

Skipping mods warning[citation needed]
1. Open <path-to-game>\Assets\UI\FrontEnd\Modding\EULA.lua with a text editor. 2. Find lines: --if(not isHide and g_QueueEulaToHide) then -- NavigateBack(); --end 3. Replace them with: if not isHide then NavigateForward(); end 4. Save the file.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
Windows	%USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 5\config.ini %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 5\UserSettings.ini %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 5\GraphicsSettingsDX9.ini %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 5\GraphicsSettingsDX11.ini
macOS (OS X)	$HOME/Documents/Aspyr/Sid Meier's Civilization 5/
Linux	$XDG_DATA_HOME/Aspyr/Sid Meier's Civilization 5/config.ini $XDG_DATA_HOME/Aspyr/Sid Meier's Civilization 5/UserSettings.ini $XDG_DATA_HOME/Aspyr/Sid Meier's Civilization 5/GraphicsSettingsDX9.ini

This game follows the XDG Base Directory Specification on Linux.

The configuration can be found in config.ini.

User preferences can be found in UserSettings.ini.

Graphical settings for DX9 mode can be found in GraphicsSettingsDX9.ini.

Graphical settings for DX11 mode can be found in GraphicsSettingsDX11.ini.

Save game data location

System	Location
Windows	%USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 5\Saves\
macOS (OS X)	$HOME/Documents/Aspyr/Sid Meier's Civilization 5/Saves/
Linux	$XDG_DATA_HOME/Aspyr/Sid Meier's Civilization 5/Saves/
Steam	<Steam-folder>/userdata/<user-id>/8930/

Save files are differently named for each OS, but are compatible when saved with the same version. To use them, you will need to rename them.

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
OneDrive		Requires enabling backup of the Documents folder in OneDrive on all computers.
Steam Cloud		Only 10 saves can be synced. Select "Steam Cloud" in the Save menu to access.

Video

Video settings.

Graphics feature	State	WSGF	Notes
Widescreen resolution
Multi-monitor
Ultra-widescreen
4K Ultra HD			Interface does not scale with resolution, and can be quite small in 4K. It's recommended to have both the "Auto Size Interface" and "Small Scale Interface" UI options unchecked.
Field of view (FOV)		Camera can be zoomed in-and-out freely.
Windowed
Borderless fullscreen windowed		See Borderless fullscreen windowed. Enabled by default on Linux.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anti-aliasing (AA)		MSAA, up to 8x.
Vertical sync (Vsync)
60 FPS and 120+ FPS		No frame rate or refresh rate cap.
High dynamic range display (HDR)		See the glossary page for potential alternatives.

Requires a resolution at least 768 pixels tall.

Direct3D 11 graphical features, including anti-aliasing, are not available in the OS X and Linux versions of the game.

Borderless fullscreen windowed

Functioning using Borderless Gaming.

Mouse offset may be 15px off vertically.

Change resolution
Change resolution to any other than the current one. Click "Apply Resolution". When it asks if you want to keep this resolution, click "No" (This is quicker than manually switching resolution back and forth as was previously advised) Screen should be stretched correctly, and hitboxes aligned. Notes May function if you disable always-on-top.

Input

Input settings.

Keyboard and mouse, touch	State	Notes
Remapping		See Remapping.
Mouse acceleration
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Touchscreen optimised		Only available on Windows 8 and later.
Controller
Controller support		Official Steam Controller bindings only.

Controller types

Remapping

Edit CIV5Controls.xml
Go to <path-to-game>\Assets\Gameplay\XML\Units Open CIV5Controls.xml. Change the controls to match the desired ones. Save changes.

Audio

Audio settings.

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls		Music, SFX, ambience and speech.
Surround sound
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
Royalty free audio

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English
Traditional Chinese				Windows-only.
French
German
Hungarian				Fan translation.
Italian
Japanese				Windows-only.
Korean				Windows-only.
Polish				Windows-only.
Russian				Windows-only.
Spanish

Network

Network settings.

Multiplayer types

Type	Native	Players	Notes
Local play		6	Hot seat
LAN play		6	Campaign Edition only supports LAN with other Mac App Store players.
Online play		6	Campaign Edition does not support online play.
Asynchronous multiplayer		Via the Pitboss system.

Connection types

Type	Native	Notes
Matchmaking
Peer-to-peer
Dedicated
Self-hosting
Direct IP

Ports

Protocol	Port(s) and/or port range(s)
TCP	53, 80, 1745, 1795, 3074
UDP	53, 88, 1745, 1795, 3064, 3074

Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) support status is unknown.

VR support

3D modes	State	GG3D	Notes
Nvidia 3D Vision			3D Vision Ready. GG3D certification might be unjust.
TriDef 3D
iZ3D
vorpX		G3D Officially supported game, see official vorpx game list.

Issues fixed

General

Mods disappear, fail to download

Clear the Mod Database[citation needed]
Go to the configuration files location. Go to cache Delete or rename Civ5ModsDatabase.db. Restart the game, go to the Mods menu, and allow the mods to reinstall.

Game corruption

This may be caused by database files and user settings becoming damaged.

Erase game cache[citation needed]
Go to the configuration files location. Remove cache.

Remove user settings[citation needed]
Go to the configuration files location. Remove cache, Logs, ModUserData, Text and all *.ini files.

Checkerboard patterns

Decrease MaxSimultaneousThreads[citation needed]
Go to the configuration files location. Open config.ini. Halve the value of MaxSimultaneousThreads (e.g., if it is 8, change it to 4).

Gray tiles, tiles not loading

Enable MinimizeGrayTiles
Go to the configuration files location. Open the configuration file for your graphical mode (DX9/DX11). Change the value of MinimizeGrayTiles = 0 to MinimizeGrayTiles = 1

Crash after starting a new game

This is particularly important on DirectX 9 or graphics cards with low memory.

Fog of War Crash Fix
In the video settings, change Fog of War to low.

Can't select units or end turn

If you have a delay in units responding, or the end turn button does not work, try the following:

Disable EnableGameCoreThreading[citation needed]
Go to the configuration files location. Open config.ini. Set EnableGameCoreThreading to 0. Notes This has been improved in the latest patch, but the problem still exists. Turning down graphics settings may also correct this.

Leaderhead crash

The game may crash when meeting other leaders.

Change leaderhead quality[citation needed]
From the main menu, go to options. Go to video settings. Change Leader Scene Quality to low. Leaders will not be animated.

Disable Leaderheads[citation needed]
Open %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 5\config.ini Change LeaderHead = 0 to LeaderHead = 1. Save your changes. Leader screens will be blank.

Restore the original launcher

Restore the original launcher[citation needed]

Right-click on Civilization V in the Steam Library. Select Properties -> Set Launch Options.... Enter "<path-to-game>\Launcher.exe" %command%. Confirm changes by pressing OK. Notes The original method of restoring the launcher using a Steam beta access code discussed on reddit is no longer valid and cannot be used to restore the original launcher. The original launcher is still included in the files, so the code is unnecessary.

Multiplayer

The latest patch resolves most of the reported multiplayer bugs.

Multiplayer games dropping or disconnecting during play

Sometimes players will be dropped after a multiplayer match has progressed for several dozen turns or more. After reloading the game, the player will repeatedly disconnect. This problem can be caused by an insufficient MTU value on the network connection. Changing it before starting the multiplayer game can often fix the problem. To do so, enter the following in the command prompt:

Set network MTU value[citation needed]
Open Windows command prompt (⊞ Win+R and type cmd) Enter the command set subinterface "Local Area Connection" mtu=1500 store=persistent. Replace Local Area Connection with the name of the used network connection (e.g. Wireless Network Connection)

Windows and macOS version mismatch

The macOS version is not handled by Firaxis, but Aspyr, after they have been released on Windows. As a result, macOS patches are released later than Windows patches. Different OS versions can not connect in multiplayer unless the versions match, so after a Windows update, it is not possible to play online against macOS until the macOS has also been patched, and vice-versa.

Since the launch of macOS Catalina, the macOS version has been updated to 64-bit only, disabling cross-play entirely unless reverted.

Restore local and online cross-play between Mac and Windows since the 64-bit Catalina OS update
Right-click on Civilization V in your Steam Library. Select Properties -> Betas. Enter ineedlegacyaccess. Confirm by pressing Verify code. Select legacy- Beta. Wait for the new files to automatically download in your library.

The latest version of macOS in which this works is Mojave, as Catalina can not natively run 32-bit applications.

Disabling the "Gods and Kings" DLC in the multiplayer lobby's options could help if the game crashes after launch.

Windows

Unable to run DirectX 11

If the DirectX 11 option is unavailable, try the following.

Ensure Steam is not running in Compatibility Mode.

Disabling Compatibility Mode[citation needed]
Quit out of Steam. Right-click on the Steam.exe application (found in the Steam installation folder) and select "Properties", then select the "Compatibility" tab. At the bottom of this tab is a button called "Change Settings for All Users". Click it. Make sure Compatibility Mode is unchecked. Relaunch Steam.

This may also be caused by out of date drivers.

DirectX 10/11 Mode will not work on XP.

Not all video cards are capable of running DirectX 10 or 11, even with Windows 7. Intel Core i3 integrated graphics do not support DirectX 11 Mode in Civilization V.

Crash and BSOD with DX11 fullscreen on laptops

On some old laptops with a combination of Intel integrated graphics and a pre-GCN AMD GPU, the game will fail to start in DX11 mode if fullscreen is enabled. Such a crash also corrupts some of the internal state of the AMD driver, resulting in a BSOD if you try to start the game a second time, or activate the AMD GPU in any way. The system regains stability upon reboot. This is likely a bug in the AMD driver that will never be fixed due to the end of support for these old GPUs.

Workarounds:

Use DirectX 9[citation needed]

Edit GraphicsSettingsDX11.ini and set FullScreen = 0[citation needed]

Disappearing cursor

Enabling pointer trails in Windows may cause the cursor to disappear or act strangely.

Disable pointer trails in the Windows Control Panel[citation needed]

Black screen (anti-aliasing issue)

Enabling anti-aliasing on DirectX 11 mode may cause the game to turn black. It is recommended to enable anti-aliasing through graphics software and not the game. If anti-aliasing is enabled and this issue is present (causing the screen to be black), you can edit GraphicsSettingsDX11.ini to fix this.^{[citation needed]}

Issues with resolution (screen cutoff)

Sometimes after installing the game, the game resolution will be larger than the screen and parts of the game will be cut off. To fix this, go into options and change the game resolution. If you unable to access the options, manually edit GraphicsSettingsDX9.ini or GraphicsSettingsDX11.ini (depending on which DirectX mode is used) in %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 5 to the correct resolution (1024x768 minimum).

Virtu MVP

If the game does not run, or will not start most of the time, and nothing else seems to fix the problem, Virtu MVP might be causing the issue. Try unchecking "Civ 5 DirectX 9" and "Civ 5 DirectX 10/11" in the Virtu MVP control panel.

Issues with opening movies

If the game crashes to desktop or loads to a black screen, then there may be an incompatibility with the video files. Deleting the WMV video files from the game directory may allow the game to run, at the expense of losing the opening movies.

They are found in:

• <path-to-game> (base game)
• <path-to-game>\Assets\DLC\Expansion (Gods and Kings)
• <path-to-game>\Assets\DLC\Expansion2 (Brave New World)

"N" and "KN" versions of Windows may not be compatible with the opening videos due to missing Windows Media Foundation; see the general troubleshooting guide.

Linux

Audio stuttering

To fix the audio stuttering when using PulseAudio just follow this guide: Setting the default fragment number and buffer size in PulseAudio

If the issue persists, close the game, run pulseaudio -k and start the game again.

Game crashes on launch

If your game crashes immediately after launching, use the following launch command: LD_PRELOAD='./libcxxrt.so:/usr/$LIB/libstdc++.so.6' %command% or: LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib32/libopenal.so.1 %command%

Game crashes randomly on some Ryzen CPUs

If the game crashes to desktop randomly while in game with a Ryzen CPU, modifying the MaxSimultaneousThreads setting in the config.ini file can fix this issue. For 8-core Ryzens, setting the value to 16 can fix the issue.

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
Direct3D	9.0c, 11
OpenGL	3.3	OS X and Linux only.
Shader Model support	3, 5

Executable	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows
macOS (OS X)			Not supported on volumes formatted as Mac OS Extended (Case Sensitive). Support for 64-bit was added in November 2019, but the 32-bit version can still be accessed in a beta branch accessed with the ineedlegacyaccess key.
Linux

Middleware

	Middleware	Notes
Audio	Miles Sound System
Cutscenes	Bink Video
Multiplayer	Steamworks

System requirements

Windows

macOS (OS X)

Linux

Windows
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	XP SP3, Vista SP2, 7	Vista SP2, 7
Processor (CPU)	Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8 GHz AMD Athlon X2 64 2.0 GHz	1.8 GHz Quad Core
System memory (RAM)	2 GB	4 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	8 GB
Video card (GPU)	ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT Nvidia GeForce 7900 GS Intel Core i3 integrated graphics 256 MB of VRAM DirectX 9.0c compatible	ATI Radeon HD 4800 Nvidia GeForce 9800 512 MB of VRAM DirectX 11 compatible
Sound (audio device)	DirectX 9.0c compatible

macOS (OS X)
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	10.12
Processor (CPU)	Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz	Intel Quad Core 2.4 GHz
System memory (RAM)	2 GB	4 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	8 GB
Video card (GPU)	ATI Radeon HD 2600 Nvidia GeForce 8600 Intel HD 4000 256 MB of VRAM	1 GB of VRAM

Linux
	Minimum
Operating system (OS)	SteamOS, Ubuntu
Processor (CPU)	Intel Core i3 2.4 GHz AMD A10 2.4 GHz
System memory (RAM)	4 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	10 GB
Video card (GPU)	Nvidia GeForce GT 640M AMD Radeon HD 6450 Intel Iris Pro 1 GB of VRAM

Ubuntu and other distributions of Linux should be compatible with the game, albeit this isn't guaranteeed.

Intel Integrated video chipsets (GMA 9XX, HD 3XXX) are officially unsupported with SteamOS and Linux, although they might work anyway.