PCGame

Sid Meier's Civilization® III Complete

Historical turn-based strategy about exploring, settling, and conquering civilizations

Firaxis Games · Published by 2K · Released Oct 25, 2006

Strategy

Reviews
Very Positive
90% of 5,961
Recent reviews
Very Positive
91% of 23 in 30 days
Players
1,434
daily peak, Nov 7, 2026
Steam Deck
Unsupported
Last update on Steam
11 years ago
Apr 23, 2015
Minimum PC
–
not published

Metacritic: 90/100 (critic reviews)

What is Sid Meier's Civilization® III Complete?

A historical turn-based strategy game in which you explore maps, found and connect cities, research technologies, manage diplomacy, and wage war. This edition includes the base game plus Play the World and Conquests content, with additional civilizations and scenarios; multiplayer is limited to LAN.

For you if...

  • +you enjoy planning across technology, diplomacy, economy, and war
  • +you prefer exploration, settlement, and building large civilizations
  • +you want single-player strategy or LAN multiplayer matches

Not for you if...

  • −you want fast-paced combat instead of turn-based planning
  • −you dislike managing large stacks of units and workers
  • −you expect modern controls and streamlined movement

What players say

90% of 5,961 reviews are positive · 91% of 23 in the last 30 days

Players praise its layered strategy, especially exploration, city building, technology, diplomacy, and large-scale warfare. The most common complaint is poor reliability on modern systems, including startup and map-loading crashes, resolution problems, and required workarounds. Some also find the pace slow and unit management clunky.

Players over time

▼ -4% vs a month ago

Players online on Steam, one sample a day.

Highest since Sep 2026: 1,534 players on Oct 11, 2026.

Show the data
DayPlayers
Nov 7, 20261,434
Nov 6, 20261,342
Nov 5, 20261,219
Nov 4, 20261,278
Nov 3, 20261,317
Nov 2, 20261,435
Nov 1, 20261,479
Oct 31, 20261,434
Oct 30, 20261,279
Oct 29, 20261,288
Oct 28, 20261,290
Oct 27, 2026880
Oct 27, 20261,354
Oct 26, 20261,385
Oct 25, 20261,496
Oct 24, 20261,448
Oct 23, 20261,351
Oct 22, 20260
Oct 21, 20261,336
Oct 20, 20261,331
Oct 19, 20261,485
Oct 18, 20261,486
Oct 17, 20261,428
Oct 16, 20261,289
Oct 15, 20261,365
Oct 14, 20261,357
Oct 13, 20261,436
Oct 12, 20261,504
Oct 11, 20261,534
Oct 10, 20261,477
Oct 9, 20261,331
Oct 8, 20261,375
Oct 7, 20261,344
Oct 6, 20261,374
Oct 5, 20261,485
Oct 4, 20261,531
Oct 3, 20261,438
Oct 2, 20261,263
Oct 1, 20261,350
Sep 30, 20261,380
Sep 29, 20261,360
Sep 28, 20261,463
Sep 27, 20261,523
Sep 26, 20261,379
Sep 25, 20261,312
Sep 24, 20261,340
Sep 23, 2026977
Sep 23, 20261,349
Sep 22, 20261,408
Sep 21, 20261,436

Screenshots and trailer

Sid Meier's Civilization® III Complete screenshot 1

Sid Meier's Civilization® III Complete system requirements

As published by the developer.

Can my PC run Sid Meier's Civilization® III Complete?

The published requirements do not name a graphics card we can compare.

Set up my PC →

Minimum

Windows® 2000/XP (only), Pentium® II 400 MHz, 128 MB RAM, 1.7 GB Free HDD space, Windows® 2000/XP compatible video card*, Windows® 2000/XP compatible sound card*, DirectX® version 9.0b (included) or higher * Indicates device should be compatible with DirectX® version 9.0b or higher.

Does Sid Meier's Civilization® III Complete have co-op or multiplayer?

Yes: multiplayer (mode not specified). It also has a single-player mode.

Does Sid Meier's Civilization® III Complete run on Steam Deck?

Unsupported No: Valve rates it Unsupported on Steam Deck.

  • Not supported on SteamOS

PC version details

DRM
None declared on Steam
Controller
Keyboard and mouse
Platforms
Windows
Steam features
Family Sharing
Languages
Text only: English.

Does Sid Meier's Civilization® III Complete use AI-generated content?

No AI-generated content is disclosed on the game's Steam page.

Self-reported by the developer under Steam rules: it covers AI content that ships in the game, not tools used to make it. Steam page checked on Nov 6, 2026. How to filter AI games on Steam

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