Civilization- The King of Turned Based Strategy Games Pt.1

At Retro Gaming of Denver we love all types of games including strategy games. Civilization is the king of turn- based 3x strategy games.  

Sid Meier’s Civilization first appeared in 1991 by MicroProse games.  This was the game company that Sid Meier and Bill Stealey started because they wanted to create better simulation games after playing some very weak ones at that time.  Their first games were released in 1982 for the Commodore 64.  I have been a fan for some time of Civilization and Purchased every version from 1.0 to today’s modern 6.0.  In the world of 3x strategy games there are many choices from, in my humble opinion Civilization is king.  With at least 4000 hours playing just version 5.0 and 6.0 this is a game that is near and dear to my heart.  I have quite a few fond memories of various video games and Civilization remains a true favorite.  

Civilization has been updated and re-released several times, each version remains true to the core game play.  Having said that, each version is also different and is fun to go back and play from time to time. Civilization VI is the most recent version being released in 2016. This for me this article is both the history of the game and kind of a love letter to those who have worked hard on it over the years.  

If you are curious about the various platforms this game is available here is a partial list.

1. PC: Civilization was first released for PC Commodore 64 and later MS DOS. Commodore 64 was my first computer so that is where I started.

2. Macintosh versions: Civilization II was released for Macintosh in 1996 and continues to support Apple desktop computers. 

3. PlayStation: Civilization II was released for PlayStation in 1999. The current civilization VI can be played on PlayStation 5. 

4. Nintendo: Civilization Revolution, a simplified version of the game designed for consoles, was released for Nintendo DS in 2008 and for Wii in 2009.

5. Xbox: Civilization Revolution was also released for Xbox 360 in 2008.

6. Mobile devices: Several versions of Civilization have been released for mobile devices, including Civilization Revolution 2 (iOS and Android), Civilization VI (iOS), and Civilization VI: Rise and Fall (iOS).

7. Nintendo Switch: Civilization VI was released for Nintendo Switch in 2018.

As you can see there is a version of Civilization that will fit your favorite video game platform. 

Check back for part two to for a deep dive into each version’s gameplay!