# Civilization IV

15 Hacker News commenters recommended Civilization IV and 3 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 3 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Praised for engaging strategy play and strong modding support. Critics say the AI is predictable and it's less appealing than the original.

## Why people recommend it

- Complex simulations with interesting problems (2 comments): "It's so much more enjoyable because it's simply about playing a game where complex simulations put together interesting problems to solve." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45780922)) "Civ 4 was the first one that really, really hooked me." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46920468))
- Strong modding support (2 comments): "Civ 4's modability that made it the best for me" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46920986)) "Even with dll mods it works great in linux" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47563344))
- Favorite of the modern Civ games (2 comments): "those have always been my favorites of the 'Modernish' civ games" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46919407)) "My next most played was Civ4" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46920089))

## What people warn about

- Predictable, boosted rather than smart AI (2 comments): "the AI makes the trajectory of each game too predictable if you understand the mechanics well enough" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46921469)) "Wake me up when OpenCiv4, but only when there's an option for smart AI rather than boosted fake AI." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46919841))
- Religion and flashy modern changes (2 comments): "4 was a travesty unless you’re REALLY into religion." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46921542)) "4 was way too modern/ flashy for me" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46919546))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Battle for Wesnoth](https://hackerapproved.com/p/battle-for-wesnoth.md): 39 recommend
- [Sid Meier's Civilization](https://hackerapproved.com/p/civilization.md): 25 recommend
- [Sid Meier's Civilization III](https://hackerapproved.com/p/civilization-iii.md): 20 recommend
- [Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri](https://hackerapproved.com/p/alpha-centauri.md): 16 recommend
- [Heroes of Might and Magic III](https://hackerapproved.com/p/heroes-of-might-and-magic-iii.md): 16 recommend

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Civilization IV", https://hackerapproved.com/p/civilization-iv/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).