PCGame

Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization

Turn-based colonial strategy about building an economy and winning independence

Firaxis Games · Published by 2K · Released Sep 23, 2008

Strategy

Reviews
Very Positive
87% of 1,581
Recent reviews
Mostly Positive
70% of 10 in 30 days
Playing now
225
peak 24h 243
Steam Deck
Playable
Last update
Unknown
no patch notes found

Metacritic: 83/100 (critic reviews)

What is Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization?

A historical 4X strategy game set in the New World, where you lead an English, Spanish, French, or Dutch colony. Each turn, you establish settlements, turn resources into goods, trade and negotiate with Native peoples and rival colonists, fight enemies, and prepare to seek independence from your homeland in single-player or multiplayer.

For you if...

  • +you prefer slow, meticulous turn-based campaigns
  • +you enjoy historical 4X games centered on colonial expansion
  • +you want single-player and multiplayer strategy options

Not for you if...

  • you prefer fast matches over long campaigns
  • you dislike managing settlements, production, and diplomacy
  • you want action instead of turn-based planning

What players say

87% of 1,581 reviews are positive · 70% of 10 in the last 30 days

Players praise the colony-building economy and early expansion, particularly with overhaul mods such as We the People. Common complaints focus on a dated, cumbersome interface and awkward manual trade-route management, while several players find the unmodded game less satisfying.

Screenshots and trailer

Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization

Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization system requirements

As published by the developer.

Minimum

Processor
1.2 GHz Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon processor or equivalent
Graphics
DirectX 9.0c-compatible 64 MB video card with Shader 1.1 Support or better
Memory
512 MB RAM
Storage
900 MB

Recommended

Processor
1.8 GHz Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon processor or equivalent
Graphics
128 MB Video Card w/ DirectX 9 support (pixel & vertex shaders)
Memory
1 GB RAM

PC version details

DRM, required accounts, controller support and Steam features.

DRM
None declared on Steam
Controller
Keyboard and mouse
Platforms
Windows, macOS
Steam features
Family Sharing

Steam Deck: Playable

  • Sometimes shows mouse, keyboard or non-Deck controller icons
  • Some text entry requires manually opening the on-screen keyboard
  • The native resolution is not the default one
  • All functionality is accessible with the default controller configuration
  • In-game text is legible on Steam Deck
  • Default graphics settings perform well on Steam Deck

Multiplayer and co-op

Languages

Text only: English, French, German, Spanish - Spain, Italian.

Tags

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