Civilization V announced for autumn

By Tom Bramwell Published 18 February, 2010

Exclusive details and screenshots.

2K Games has announced Sid Meier's Civilization V for release on PC this autumn.

We popped over to Baltimore-based developer Firaxis recently to check on the game's progress and will have a full preview and interview to present in a few weeks.

In the meantime, you can check out the first Civilization V screenshots on Eurogamer now. What the hex.

We can also reveal that Civ V (or "Civvy" if you like) puts you back in the role of a world leader, guiding one of 18 civilisations from the dawn of man to the space age, and that you will be doing war, diplomacy, research and reality TV in between. Most of those.

You will also pit your wits against some of the greatest and most notorious leaders of this or any age, although full details are still to be announced.

We do know, however, that City States will present a new diplomatic battleground, and that you will continue to manage relationships with other leaders by bribing them, trading and kicking their heads off.

'Civilization V announced for autumn' Screenshot 1

Constantinohmygoooood.

When all else fails war will take place on "vast, realistic and diverse landscapes", and this time you will be able to fall back on ranged bombardment, too, loosing off rounds from behind the front lines.

Perhaps adopting from the BAFTA-winning successes of Civilization Revolution on consoles, the developer is also promising a more intuitive interface suitable for veterans and newcomers alike, with a range of "trusted advisors" to walk you through things if you get stuck.

Interestingly, Firaxis also mentions "new ways to play and win, new tools to manage and expand your civilisation, extensive modding capabilities, and intensely competitive multiplayer".

Modders and multiplayer fans will be able to take advantage of an in-game community hub for playing via internet or email, and for sharing scenarios, comparing scores and achievements and accessing fan-sites.

Unlike a lot of modern PC games, Civ V also promises LAN and hotseat multiplayer support, so you really can fill your boots.

Look out for more on Sid Meier's Civilization V in the next few weeks when we report on our Baltimore adventures. So that's Civ V, autumn 2010. Nobody tell Iain Banks.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (75) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Jeepers #1 2 years ago

    Oh dear.

    That's another slice of my already limited life gone then.

  • endintears #2 2 years ago

    Looks gorgeous, can't wait!

  • Arcadiian #3 2 years ago

    This series has always gotten better and better so I'm really looking forward to this.

  • DrR0b3rts #4 2 years ago

    Might have finished my game of Civ 4 by then.

  • Eraysor #5 2 years ago

    *drools everywhere*

  • Koozer #6 2 years ago

    :o

  • vyseofhr #7 2 years ago

    This does indeed look utterly gorgeous.

  • Poorandugly #8 2 years ago

    Yes!!

  • cnlfailure #9 2 years ago

    \o/

  • cianchristopher #10 2 years ago

    Oh well, "PC Gaming is dying" etc. etc. etc.

  • ignatiusjreilly #11 2 years ago

    Oddly enough, I've never played a Civ game for more than a few minutes. Is it hectic stuff, or can I just sit back and relax? Anno 1404 was a massive surprise hit for me, mainly because I could sit back, chill and have a little toke while playing.

  • Stupid_Fat_Hobbit #12 2 years ago

    Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hexes? Not squares?

    Mind. Blown.

  • JayArr #13 2 years ago

    *Hyperventilates*

  • dsmx #14 2 years ago

    Civ games are turn based so you can take as long as you want.

  • Alterego-X #15 2 years ago

    FUCK YEAH!

  • DoctorZoidberg #16 2 years ago

    Great news, but...did anyone else find Civ 4 to based on combat? I know war is obviously a massive part of the game, but I really struggled to stay neutral and diplomatic, and the majority of the time ended up being started on...

  • the_dudefather #17 2 years ago

    Moar Leonard Nimoy please

    beep beep beep beep

  • Freelancepolice #18 2 years ago

    This date will be mentioned on the bottom of my gravestone as the real time I "died"

  • Zidargh #19 2 years ago

    Bye bye sleep.

  • tobsen #20 2 years ago

    I haven't touched this crack-cocaine stuff since Civilization 2 and my life has become better for it... STAY AWAY SID MEIER!

  • Garwoofoo #21 2 years ago

    Interesting to see where they go with this one. Civ IV: Beyond The Sword was pretty much perfect and they seem to have nailed all the basic concepts now. I hope this isn't just a case of "let's upgrade the graphic engine and make some more money". Also, I hope it's less buggy than either Civ III or IV were on release.

  • AphoticCosmos #22 2 years ago

    Looks unbelievably good.

    I missed out on Civ IV because of a glut of explodey games, but I fondly remember Civ II. Ahhh . . .

    Definitely going to pick it up!

    Actually, having seen that Civ IV is only about £8 on Amazon, I'm going to pick it up now. 5 years late is better than never, right?
    Edited by 1 at 18/02/10 @ 16:35

  • Ginger #23 2 years ago

    \o/ Sounds just like the other civs that I've given my life over too :)

  • Earl_G #24 2 years ago

    Oh no...

    I'm planning to get married around then...

  • Evolution #25 2 years ago

    @Earl_G

    Sounds like a change of plans is in order, Earl :)

  • CrunchinJelly #26 2 years ago

    Where's Civ Rev 2 for us console peasants?

  • Eldritch #27 2 years ago

    ... I'm spent.

  • SteelPriest #28 2 years ago

    omg. this is all.

  • Eraysor #29 2 years ago

    Civ IV is still brilliant now, I would heartily recommend it.

    EDIT: And I agree with dudefather's comment a million times over. That Sputnik quote was priceless.
    Edited by 1 at 18/02/10 @ 17:14

  • Eldritch #30 2 years ago

    BTW Nectaris is out now on iPod! \o/

    Oi, Ubisoft, there IS a market for turn-based games, so take your thumbs out of your a**e and do something proper with those Incubation and Battle Isle brands you bought ages ago!

  • rob76 #31 2 years ago

    The greatest game series ever...FACT. Played and loved them all from 1 to 4.

  • WJF #32 2 years ago

    @DoctorZoidberg

    They don't tend to hassle you if your armies are big enough (and placed correctly) to put them of...unless they're one of the crazy leaders like Napoleon, Shaka or Montezuma who love to just charge in with no real reason, but that was the same in the older Civs too.

    Civ V is a day one purchase for me. No demo playing, no preview or review reading. Day one.

    And then play it until day three nonstop before collapsing onto the keyboard.

    Edited by 2 at 18/02/10 @ 17:11

  • Gartt #33 2 years ago

    The only game ive played more than CIV IV was probably Counter Strike. I hope its not too much of a resource hog though, I cant afford to upgrade my PC atm.

  • Eldritch #34 2 years ago

    @WJF: Amen to that, mate! I hope there's going to be a really absurd Special Edition, something in the vein of a life-size Bismarck. Day One purchase for me, too.

    Trivia: Civ IV has one of the worst German localizations ever. But the English version also has some serious text problems ("You have built a Archer.";). Maybe providing Excel sheets with no context to translators isn't that great an idea after all, eh, Sid? And what about adding a routine checking whether a noun starts with a vowel? Oh, and while you're at it, how about adding a routine to check whether a noun is at the beginning of a sentence or not? That way you wouldn't have those mid-sentence capitalizations anymore.

    Sorry for the localization rant, but it had to be said!
    Edited by 1 at 18/02/10 @ 17:19

  • Earl_G #35 2 years ago

    @Gartt Same here, but the dev's have shown a willingness to create a large spread of compatible hardware in the past, so here's hoping!

  • Ged42 #36 2 years ago

    one *twitch* more *twitch* turn *twitch*

  • Invisible_Cow #37 2 years ago

    Bastards. Now I'lll have to buy a new PC in August.

  • Hunam #38 2 years ago

    YES!

    \o/

  • GamesConnoisseur #39 2 years ago

    Still remember the moment I played the first game and was in awe of it!

    Civ still has the magic and looking forward to the latest iteration and wonder what new thrills it will have and delights my underused PC.

    I was PC gamer for most part until seduced by the dark side.

  • JediMasterMalik #40 2 years ago

    Fuck yeah! Can't wait, Civ 4 was so damn good, hopefully this continues the tradition.

  • ChthonicEcho #41 2 years ago

    Even for someone who loathes strategy games, Civilization IV stunned me.

    I expect my grey matter to be the new tapestry in my room once this comes out.

  • Mnia786 #42 2 years ago

    Yay but diappointed no PS3 version. Can be played just like the PC version with kb and mouse but hope it does get ported as my pc is not up to scratch for these latest games

  • Murton #43 2 years ago

    Reilly: Civ can be pretty hardcore, especially if you get drawn into a war on multiple fronts, but it's turn based so you can take your time to really think about what you're doing and relax with it. There's also the ingame civlopaedia that has information on just about everything in the game, so if you do get stuck wondering what to do next you can just look up what each option will give you and decide from there. Overall, I'd say if you're into strategy with emphasis on macro management rather than micro, Civ is for you

    In Autumn this year the whole world will be silent except for a barely uttered four word chant: Just one more turn.

  • Drpwnage #44 2 years ago

    Finally got round to playing Civ Rev on my 360 last year. I somehow managed to never play a Civ game before that, anyway CiV V Full Fat PC version please, timing looks good, autumn looks to be a lull in the game release schedule this year.

  • Felwyn #45 2 years ago

    but I wanted alpha centauri :(

  • CaptainTrips #46 2 years ago

    I hope this does well. Civ games are incredible, but with Blizz releasing a WoW expansion and SC2 this year might limit sales.

    I'll definitely be picking it up!

  • Alterego-X #47 2 years ago

    "I hope this does well. Civ games are incredible, but with Blizz releasing a WoW expansion and SC2 this year might limit sales."

    Yeah, it might limit the sales... of SC2!!!

  • Nabokov #48 2 years ago

    Oh my god. For some reason I thought IV is the last one ever? Never been this excited of any game ever. Very surreal.

  • WrongShui #49 2 years ago

    It's been 4 games now, for the love of God can we go past the space age!

  • gjgjg #50 2 years ago

    hexagons eh?

  • the_mtfr #51 2 years ago

    To be honest 3 years ago I played for a few days the pirated version of Civ 4. I fell in love but I never had the time to play it more than that. YESTERDAY I just picked up my fresh genuine copy of the USA release of Complete Edition from the customs, as I ordered it overseas from the Take 2 store (this baby a USA release only apparently). When I read that they have this edition that's DRM free and includes the new Colonization, I just had to buy it man. But I had to pay 26 dollars for post, almost as much as the game pack, it's insane, why USA only? I just hope for Civ 5 they'll sort out their worldwide releases and not put DRM in the first place.

    Hex map looks delicious, but I hope they don't make it into an Empire Earth sequel. Keep the Civ roots please.

    And btw, I was hoping their next game is Alpha Centauri 2, Civ 5 seems kinda rushed.
    Edited by 1 at 19/02/10 @ 10:24

  • Hantheman #52 2 years ago

    I love Sid.

  • Nighthaunter #53 2 years ago

    It's the second coming! Well maybe the 5th, still can't wait.

  • Kanjin #54 2 years ago

    Great. It's time for my soul to become entwined with small imaginary lots of land, AGAIN

  • dsmx #55 2 years ago

    I don't think you could play a proper Civ game with a pad, widescreen support is entirely dependent on the people making the game and the guys who make Civ games make games for the PC so chances are they won't screw about with widescreen support. That just leaves the shitty DRM problem and since 2K obviously haven't learned there lesson from the first bioshock debacle chances are that Civ 5 will come with some insane DRM scheme that stops the game from working, but it will still be less stupid than the Ubisoft option.

  • dsmx #56 2 years ago

    Steam version was fine eventually I believe, it was retail versions and the demo which were the problem. As a starting point to look into the demo had securom on it and when the game launched securom made it so the game didn't work on a lot of peoples computers. I seem to remember the first working version of the game was a pirated version.
    Edited by 1 at 19/02/10 @ 01:10

  • Shikasama #57 2 years ago

    I hope they've worked on the mid to end game.

    Every Civ game I have ever played it has become apparant by turn 180/200 if I can win or not. After that, and especially after 220 its basically pressing continue until I win. There's not an awful lot to do when the map is full.

  • aids #58 2 years ago

    A bit off topic - I just bought the Civ 4 Complete DVD, does anyone know if it has SecuROM?

  • vx-chemical #59 2 years ago

    Curse EA for holding the Alpha Centuri name

  • UncleLou #60 2 years ago

    And btw, I was hoping their next game is Alpha Centauri 2, Civ 5 seems kinda rushed.

    I wouldn't mind AC2 at all, but how does Civ V seem "rushed"? By the time it is out, Civ IV will be 5 years old.

  • Harlequeen #61 2 years ago

    Maybe it's the cold, or the old school Squad leader player in me. But will the hexagons be arranged north/south or east/west?
    It's really important you know.

  • Caimbeul #62 2 years ago

    Woohooo!
    Looks lovely, cant wait, LAN support - thank god! and firaxis and on top of that my wife loves the Civ games! bonus!

  • Caimbeul #63 2 years ago

    "I love Sid."

    ...and Sid loves you...

    "Curse EA for holding the Alpha Centuri name"

    ...They could use Beta Centauri or any other of the trillions of starst
    Edited by 1 at 19/02/10 @ 10:20

  • Lukree #64 2 years ago

    Alpha Centauri revisit please Firaxis!!!!

  • TSYNDMonkfish #65 2 years ago

    /booked Autumn off work..

  • Earl_G #66 2 years ago

    @Harlequeen Depends on how they interpret the numpad.. Which leads me to the though of, how are they going to interpret the num-pad for 6-directional movement? 789-123, 789-456, 79-46-13? Oh but some designer is going to have agonised over that one!

  • Stroller4 #67 2 years ago

    New CIV? Briliant! I need to go on a diet anyway, though I really must remember to eat *something* during the CIV weekends.

  • Murton #68 2 years ago

    EarlG: I thought the exact same thing when I saw the screenshots and commented there. As there's no direct up or down hex I'm thinking a 147 vs 369 west/east arrangement, seems the most intuitive of the options you list, though all are viable.

    Seriously can't wait for this, I hope the in box documentation is as good as the previous games, even though everything is in the civlopaedia anyway I still prefer to use the books and reference poster.

  • cairbre1977 #69 2 years ago

    I am going to get this too its one of the old gents of the pc gaming world I have bought them all so I aint going to stop now. Cant wait to see what they come up with.

    Bring back spock

  • Zephro #70 2 years ago

    Yknow what makes me happy? A game franchise where the numbering on the PC version doesn't get reset once they start releasing on consoles! At the end of any Civ Rev game the victory screen should read "Congratulations go play the full game"

    Take that you sofa bound dribblers! *wanders off to play Mass Effect 2 on the Xbox"

  • Koborover #71 2 years ago

    Civ Rev was an excellent game for what it is: a turn-based strategy game for consoles. I could do with more customization options and less cartoon caricatures runnning around, but the streamlined (or "oversimplified" according to others) game basics were just what I needed (my favourite PC Civ is still plain-and-simple Civ 1). I certainly wouldn't mind a less-is-more design philosophy behind Civ 5.

  • Bitkari #72 2 years ago

    Are you excited about Sid Meier's Civilization V on PC?

    Where's the "TOO FUCKING RIGHT I AM!!!" button!?!

  • Kua #73 2 years ago

    Best news ever? Yes.

  • Murton #74 2 years ago

    Civ Rev gets a lot of stick for being "dumbed down" but I've played all of the Civs and it's not a dumb version by any means. It's quicker to learn than Civ 4 but takes just as long as any other Civ game to truly master it. I prefer to think of it as a diet version, you can complete a full game of Civ Rev in an afternoon whereas the full fat Civs take many, many hours to finish.

    I play both Civ 4 and Civ Rev, hell I still play Civ 2 from time to time, each requires a different hand and gives a different experience, but all are great games.

  • WJF #75 2 years ago

    'would be fun if they tried something new instead of rehashing civ II for the umpteenth time.'

    Eh? Why not say rehashing Civ 1? It's not like Civ 2 was that that much different to the original.

    I don't get this comment at all. Civ 4 was very different to previous versions (not as much as rev, but we'll ignore that one). Love it or loathe it, it didn't play the same as Civ 3 (which /is/ pretty much a rehash of the first 2, only mucked up a bit.)

    What were you expecting? A 3rd person action game?