Civilization V — How to Play
What it is
Civilization V (2010) changed the series' map to hexagons and allowed only one military unit per tile, turning war into a game of positioning. It added city-states and social policies. Gods & Kings (2012) brought back religion and added espionage; Brave New World (2013) added trade routes, tourism and ideologies.
Getting the game
- Civilization V: The Complete Edition is sold on Steam, with both expansions and every DLC civilization.
- Play with Brave New World — the base game alone lacks most of the systems people mean when they talk about Civ V.
The basics
- Cities defend themselves and claim tiles as they grow.
- Happiness is empire-wide: every city and citizen costs some, so expansion is a choice.
- Social policies are bought with culture, in trees such as Tradition, Liberty and Honor.
- City-states give food, culture, faith or units to the civilizations they ally with.
- Victory by domination, science, culture (tourism), diplomacy, or time.
Starting out
- Play the tutorials, then a game on a standard map at Prince difficulty.
- Pick Tradition for a few strong cities, or Liberty for many.