Civilization IV
Shares rank 6 of 24 strategy games by recommenders
Praised for engaging strategy play and strong modding support. Critics say the AI is predictable and it's less appealing than the original.
Praised for engaging strategy play and strong modding support. Critics say the AI is predictable and it's less appealing than the original.
18 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 15
- criticize it
- 3
- approval share
- 83%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 15 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Complex simulations with interesting problems
“It's so much more enjoyable because it's simply about playing a game where complex simulations put together interesting problems to solve.”
Comment from 1 Nov 2025 on Hacker News “Civ 4 was the first one that really, really hooked me.”
Comment from 7 Feb 2026 in “OpenCiv3: Open-source, cross-platform reimagining of Civilization III” Strong modding support
“Civ 4's modability that made it the best for me”
Comment from 7 Feb 2026 in “OpenCiv3: Open-source, cross-platform reimagining of Civilization III” “Even with dll mods it works great in linux”
Comment from 29 Mar 2026 in “OpenCiv1 – open-source rewrite of Civ1” Favorite of the modern Civ games
“those have always been my favorites of the 'Modernish' civ games”
Comment from 6 Feb 2026 in “OpenCiv3: Open-source, cross-platform reimagining of Civilization III” “My next most played was Civ4”
Comment from 7 Feb 2026 in “OpenCiv3: Open-source, cross-platform reimagining of Civilization III”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Predictable, boosted rather than smart AI
“the AI makes the trajectory of each game too predictable if you understand the mechanics well enough”
Comment from 7 Feb 2026 in “OpenCiv3: Open-source, cross-platform reimagining of Civilization III” “Wake me up when OpenCiv4, but only when there's an option for smart AI rather than boosted fake AI.”
Comment from 7 Feb 2026 in “OpenCiv3: Open-source, cross-platform reimagining of Civilization III” Religion and flashy modern changes
“4 was a travesty unless you’re REALLY into religion.”
Comment from 7 Feb 2026 in “OpenCiv3: Open-source, cross-platform reimagining of Civilization III” “4 was way too modern/ flashy for me”
Comment from 6 Feb 2026 in “OpenCiv3: Open-source, cross-platform reimagining of Civilization III”
Other strategy games people recommend
The four most recommended other strategy games, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battle for Wesnoth | 39 | 4 | 91% | 4 | 10 yrs5 owners | Approved |
| Sid Meier's Civilization | 25 | 9 | 74% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Sid Meier's Civilization III | 20 | 10 | 67% | 3 | — | — |
| Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri | 16 | 0 | 100% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Civilization IVThis page | 15 | 3 | 83% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
14 of the 18 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Even with dll mods it works great in linux”
“I don't like it as much as the original but that's probably my nostalgia bias”
“it's only reiteration based on Civ 4 is not worth it”
“4 in contrast had a bunch of different paths to power”
“4 was a travesty unless you’re REALLY into religion.”
“the AI makes the trajectory of each game too predictable if you understand the mechanics well enough”
“Civ4 is super cheap on Steam BTW”
“Civ 4's modability that made it the best for me”
“Civ 4 was the first one that really, really hooked me.”
“My next most played was Civ4”
“Wake me up when OpenCiv4, but only when there's an option for smart AI rather than boosted fake AI.”
“4 was way too modern/ flashy for me”
“those have always been my favorites of the 'Modernish' civ games”
“It's so much more enjoyable because it's simply about playing a game where complex simulations put together interesting problems to solve.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.