Sid Meier's Civilization V

Sid Meier's Civilization V is the fifth installment of the classic Turn Based strategy game series Civilization, developed by Firaxis. All versions of Civilization V require Steam be installed to play.

Availability

DRM and Installation Limits

Civilization V requires Steam, and will be linked to a single Steam account. Steam acts as DRM for all versions of the game. There is no installation limit, however, and buying the game allows you to use both the PC and Mac versions. Although you can install the game on as many computers as you want, you can only have Steam running on one computer at a time.

Game of The Year Edition

The Game of the Year Editions of the game do not contain all DLCs. They are conspicuously missing Korea and Wonders DLC, as well as the latest expansion pack Gods and Kings.

The Game of the Year Edition contains the following:

1. Digital Soundtrack
2. Explorer's Map Pack
3. Civilization and Scenario Pack: Denmark - The Vikings
4. Civilization and Scenario Pack: Polynesia
5. Double Civilization and Scenario Pack: Spain and Inca
6. Cradle of Civilization: Mesopotamia
7. Cradle of Civilization: Americas
8. Cradle of Civilization: Asia
9. Cradle of Civilization: Mediterranean
10. Babylon

DLC And Bonus Content

Location Of Soundtrack

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\sid meier's civilization v\Assets\DLC\DLC_Deluxe\Soundtrack\

List of Available DLC

1. Civilization and Scenario Pack: Korea
2. Wonders of The Ancient World Scenario Pack
3. Explorer's Map Pack
4. Civilization and Scenario Pack: Denmark - The Vikings
5. Civilization and Scenario Pack: Polynesia
6. Double Civilization and Scenario Pack: Spain and Inca
7. Cradle of Civilization: Mesopotamia
8. Cradle of Civilization: Americas
9. Cradle of Civilization: Asia
10. Cradle of Civilization: Mediterranean
11. Babylon
12. Gods and Kings Expansion

Gods and Kings

Gods and Kings is the official expansion pack for Civilization V. It is available either digitally or through retail. The previous DLC is not included, with the exception of Spain. It is compatible with either the original version or Game of The Year Edition, as well as DLC.

Gods and Kings Soundtrack

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Sid Meier's Civilization V\assets\DLC\Expansion\Soundtrack

Video Settings

Borderless Fullscreen Windowed

Functioning using Borderless Windowed.

Skip Introduction Video

This is an option available in Options > Interface Options > Skip Intro Video.

Issues And Fixes

Gods and Kings Issues

Since the release of Gods and Kings, a number of issues have appeared. Most of these were actually introduced with the June 14, 2012 patch, and affect the game without Gods and Kings. For a list of these issues, see Issues with Version 1.0.1.674/1.0.1.705 below.

Secondary Installers

If you're encountering issues with launching Civilization V, make sure everything installed smoothly.

Aside from verifying your game cache and checking your connection with Steam, you may also need to manually run secondary installers required by this game.

Exit Steam entirely.

Browse to your Civilization V installation folder

C:\Program files\Steam\Steamapps\common\sid meier's civilization v\

Run the following installers:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\Common\sid meier's civilization v\VCRedist\vcredist_x86.exe

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\Common\sid meier's civilization v\DirectX\DXSetup.exe

Reboot your computer and test any issues again.

If you continue to have difficulty, and you are running Windows Vista or 7, please also run the following installer (if you are using Window XP you may skip this step):

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\Common\sid meier's civilization v\DirectX\D3D11Install.exe

Reboot once more and test the issue again.

Video/Graphics Issues

If the game crashes or loads to a black screen, there may be an incompatibility with the video files. Deleting the WMV video files from the Civilization V folder may allow the game to run, as the expense of losing the opening movies.

"N" Versions of Windows may not be compatible with the opening videos.

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 are unable to access the options, manually edit GraphicsSettingsDX9.ini or GraphicsSettingsDX11.ini (depending on which DirectX mode you use) in \My Documents\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 5\ to the correct resolution (1024x768 Minimum).

If the game displays checkboard textures anywhere in the game, make sure you have enough video memory available. Close all open and background programs, and disable Aero (if applicable). Make sure you have the latest video drivers. Another reported fix is to edit My Documents\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 5\config.ini where it says MaxSimultaneousThreads = X to a smaller number (such as half). (See Crashing and Graphics Errors on Multicore Processors)

NVIDIA Beta Drivers

The NVIDIA 304.48 beta drivers are not compatible with Civilization V. If you are having problems with the game after installing the drivers, you will need to rollback the previous drivers or update to the 304.79 drivers.

The 304.79 Beta drivers (July 2012) specifically address Civilization V issues, and may correct the problems with the previous beta drivers.

Issues with Version 1.0.1.674/1.0.1.705

On June 14, 2012, an update was released to Civilization V that added a number of new features, as well as some new problems with the game. (Note: The Steam Workshop-related issues introduced in this patch has been moved to their own section of this page).

On July 2, 2012, Firaxis released a patch to correct some of these issues. Not all of them were fixed, despite the patch notes, some of these issues remain in the game.

Saved games created before the patch may no longer work, or have randomized civilizations. Starting a new game is recommended. (Corrected in patch)

Some people have complained that loading saved games, whether saved before or after the patch, causes massive unhappiness to occur in the game, even if the population was happy before saving.

There is a bug which causes the game to freeze up and crash, in both DX9 and DX11 modes when opening the Load Game screen at any point during the game.

There is a bug in which some people are unable to select units, give orders, or end turns. This can be resolved in some cases by lowering the graphics settings. Another method is to edit config.ini in My Documents\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 5\ (Windows) and change EnableGameCoreThreading = 1 to EnableGameCoreThreading = 0. This method allows the game to run without changing the graphics settings. It also may help with random crashes/start up crashes since the new patch.

If the path to the saved games folder contains any non-English characters (for instance, your Windows username), saved games may cause Civilization V to crash after the patch. Moving the My Documents folder seems to fix this. Another method is to create a new user on your computer, using English letters. (Corrected in patch)

Some users report problems getting the game to load, instead getting a black screen, then a crash. Deleting the video files allows the game to load (but obviously removes the videos from the game).

Sometimes after ending a turn, the screen will start scrolling very fast in one direction while events are happening in the game. The scroll will be locked, making it impossible to scroll or view anything in the game until the event is over. Clicking on the minimap will recenter the view, but it will continue to scroll away, and after a few click the minimap will stop responding. This has been mistakenly been considered a mouse scroll issue, but affects the game without edge scrolling occuring.

Some people have had DLC disappear after the patch. If this happens, first run the game and open the new DLC menu and make sure the DLC is enabled. If this doesn't work or the DLC is not listed, try verifying the game cache.

Loading a saved game may cause the game to crash. In some cases this is caused by the non-English character bug and can be fixed by either creating a new Windows username or moving My Documents. Another cause is with Steam, you need to make sure Steam Cloud is syncing properly. From Steam, go to settings, click the Download + Cloud tab, and make sure Enable Steam Cloud Synchronization is check.

Steam Workshop Issues

Some people are having problems getting mods to download from Steam Workshop. If this happens, try deleting Civ5ModsDatabase.db from My Documents\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 5\cache. This can also help if the list of mods disappears.

Some people have reported that Steam Workshop does not work, and selecting the Mods menu displays "Single Player" instead.

DLC-Related Issues

Purchasing DLC causes it to automatically be downloaded and installed on Civilization V. Periodically, problems can occur with DLC, causing it to not appear in the game (either disappearing or not appearing in the first place). This includes Gods and Kings.

If DLC does not appear in the game, first check the in-game DLC menu and ensure that your DLC is listed and enabled. If it is not listed, check your DLC list in the Steam library and ensure the DLC is listed there. If purchased DLC is not listed there, contact Steam support.

If DLC is listed in your Steam library Civilization V entry, but not in the game, verify the game cache files. If this does not work, uninstall and reinstall Civilization V, and the DLC should be installed with it.

Unable to Run DirectX 11

If Steam doesn't highlight the option to run DirectX 10 & 11 on the game launcher, stating it requires Service Pack 2 or above, the solution is:

1. Quit out of Steam.

2. Right-click on the Steam.exe application (found in the Steam installation folder) and select "Properties", then select the "Compatibility" tab.

3. At the bottom of this tab is a button called "Change Settings for All Users". Click it.

4. Change the compatibility mode to AT LEAST "Windows Vista Service Pack 2".

5. Relaunch Steam.

This should correct this particular problem for you. When you install steam on 64-bit system, or on a different drive than "C", Steam will sometimes relegate itself to "Compatibility Mode" which can cause bad things to happen.

Multiplayer Connection Problems (5 - 10 - 15 Problem)

People have reported that the multiplayer game increases in lag each turn until the game disconnects. One reported fix is to disable Hamachi or other VPN software, as it seems to conflict with the game.

One way of disabling Hamachi is to open the Device Manager. Under Network Adapters right-click Hamachi Network Interface and click Disable.

Another reported fix is changing the MTU settings. First, open a command prompt and enter netsh interface ipv4 show subinterfaces and check the MTU size. You want 1500. If it's not that, use this to set it: netsh interface ipv4 set subinterface "Wireless Network Connection" mtu=1500 store=persistent. You'll need to replace "Wireless Network Connection" with the name of the adapter you're using.

Crashing and Graphics Errors on Multicore Processors

There has been a report that the game will randomly crash or display "checkboard" textures, and large maps would increase the problems. Changing config.ini in My Documents/My Games/Civilization V/ where it says MaxSimultaneousThreads = X to a smaller number (such as half) may help with this.

Leaderhead Crash

If the game is crashing upon meeting other leaders, you can disable leaderheads by editing config.ini in My Documents\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 5\ and changing LeaderHead = 0 to LeaderHead = 1. Leader screens will be blank, however the game will stop crashing.

Setting the Leader Scene Quality to low will give you a static picture of the leaders. This also prevents the game from crashing.

Disappearing Cursor

If pointer trails are enabled in Windows, the cursor might disappear or act strangely during the game. Disabling pointer trails might resolve disappearing cursor issues.

Overheating Issues

Civilization V has been connected to overheating of graphics cards on some computers (especially high end graphics cards). While there is no official fix, there are a few workaround for the issue.

You can adjust the fan speed (either using your graphics software or a third party program) to increase the cooling of your GPU. Overheating symptoms include increased fan noise, graphical corruption, and computer freezes/automatic shutdowns.

A workaround for overheating issues has been found. Installing a trial version of Bandicam allows you to limit the fraterate of the game, reducing the amount of heat produced by the game. Bandicam is recording software, however it also contains a framerate limiter which is active in the trial version.

For those that would rather not need an external program to control the framerate issues, turning on vsync is also a viable solution.

Verify Game Cache Always Finds A Corrupt File

If you run Verify Game Cache in Steam, you will get a message that 1 file failed to validate and must be reacquired. It will then download a single 5 MB file. If you run the game then run verify again, the same message will appear, and the file will download again. This is normal behavior for the game. Every time you run the game, the executable file is modified by Steam, causing it to differ from the original version. When Steam validates the file, it will notice the difference, and download a new copy, which is then modified again. This is not a bug, but it has caused some alarm in people.

Game Corruption

If for any reason, the game will not work and the other fixes here do not help, you have strange behavior in the game (such as a damaged interface/no interface), or the game suddenly begins crashing on loading a game, you may have problems with the database files, user settings, corrupted saves, or other damaged data files. These are stored in My Documents\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 5\. Everything in this folder can be deleted, and will be regenerated the next time the game is run, using the original factory settings for the game, with the following exceptions:

1. Saved games, logs, replays, or other user created data will be deleted unless a backup is made. This does not apply to Steam Cloud saves.
2. User settings (config.ini, GraphicsSettingsDX11.ini or equivalent, UserSettings.ini) will be removed and replaced with the default settings. All preferences, including things such as screen resolution, will be reset and need to be changed.
3. All mods will be deleted. Steam Workshop mods will be redownloaded automatically, however mods from other sources will have to be reacquired.

Problems with files in the user folder are not checked by other troubleshooting means, for instance, verifying the game cache will overlook these files. Deleting the contents of this folder may correct many problems with the game. It should be done as a last resort, however.

You could also try deleting the contents of the My Documents\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 5\cache\ folder first, followed by the .ini files listed above, if you wish to preserve your data.

OS Specific Troubleshooting

If the above does not resolve the issue and you are running Windows 7 or Windows Vista, please complete the instructions in Steam's Windows 7 and Windows Vista Troubleshooting FAQ.

If you are running in Windows XP, take the following steps:

1. Exit Steam.
2. Go to the "Start" menu, select "Run", type "regedit" and click "OK".
3. Navigate to the following registry key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\VALVE
4. Right click and select "Permissions"
5. Check the "Allow" boxes for "Admin" and "System" for both "Full control" and "Read".

Mods

Mods and Mac

The Mac version of Civilization V does not officially support Mods or Steam Workshop. You may be able to manually install a mod, but it is complicated to do so, and has varying results. There is a tutorial on the Steam Forums at http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2917532 that shows how to manually install mods on Mac.

Downloading Mods Using Steam Workshop

The easiest way to find mods is to browse Steam Workshop. This can be accessed from your Steam Library under Sid Meier's Civilization V. You simply browse through the workshop, and any mod that you want, click the "subscribe" button on its page. You can do this from the Steam client, from the workshop website, from the Steam Overlay, or directly from the Mod Menu in Civilization V itself. Once subscribed, the download will begin next time you open the Mod Menu, or if it is already open, immediately. If you play on another computer, the mods will automatically download and install on that computer as well when you open the Mod Menu. If the above does not work, see the Issues and Fixes section.

Activating Mods

From the main menu, choose Mods, and a popup will ask you to agree to the mod usage terms. Then you will have a list of any mods you have downloaded. To activate a mod, click the checkbox next to it. You can have as many mods as you wish, but some conflict with each other. Once you have picked your mods, hit "Next" and continue to the next screen, which is a menu with only one option, which is Single Player. Click this, and the mod will be activated and you can set up a game. Note that clicking the checkbox next to a mod, then hitting back to return to the main menu does not activate mods. Any game launched from the main menu will be played mod-free.

Updating Mods

With Steam Workshop mods, periodic updates are released. If an update is available, an update button will appear on the mod's listing in your Mod Menu. Click this and the mod will automatically update to the new version.

Save Games

Save Game Location

Documents\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 5\Saves

Steam Cloud

Civilization V supports Steam Cloud storage for saved games.

System Requirements

• DirectX 11 mode may not be available on Core i3 integrated graphics. Core i5/i7 graphics are compatible with DirectX 11 mode.

Useful Links

Community

• Steam Forum
• 2K Games Forum
• Steam Forum Troubleshooting Thread

Support

• 2K Support (Publisher, primary contact)
• Firaxis Support (Developer)
• Steam Support (only for Steam related issues such as installation issues, missing DLC, etc.)

See Also

• Civilization II
• Civilization III
• Civilization IV