New to this!

[ObKid09]

So a while back, they released a demo for civilization six and I really enjoyed it. I have never played any of the civilization games and I’m quite looking forward to getting into it. What I wanted to know is should I give this game a try or just wait until civilization seven and just start with that one?

[Varanus]

I'd say grab either 4,5, or 6. It really depends. Big split between who prefers which. Some people swear by 4, but hate 6. I prefer 6 over the others. Its really hard to say whats going to work best for who. Stay clear of 7 for now. Wait a bit for the dlcs to come out, and see what people are saying. Theres a alot of controversy there right now.

[BlackSmokeDMax]

4 is the one most likely to give you a challenge as it is a much simpler game for the AI to play.

6 is by far the most complex of the series. 5 is somewhere between.

One of the biggest differences you'll be needing a decision on is whether you want unlimited units per tile. Starting in Civ 5, it is one unit per tile for units (some exceptions to particular unit types), and switching to hex style maps.

When the AI doesn't have to worry about tactical movement it is much better at combat. And when it doesn't have to worry about a lot of the city-building decisions introduced in 6 it has a much better shot.

All that being said, these days I by far prefer 6 just because of the city building aspect and decisions that need to be made. YMMV of course!

[jmerry82]

If you're interested in playing Civ 6, it frequently goes on sale. With very deep discounts. Base game for less than $5, or the full package with all DLC for about $30. You might want to try it out during one of those periods; if you decide you don't like it very much, at least you didn't spend a lot on it.

[BlackSmokeDMax]

Originally posted by jmerry82:

If you're interested in playing Civ 6, it frequently goes on sale. With very deep discounts. Base game for less than $5, or the full package with all DLC for about $30. You might want to try it out during one of those periods; if you decide you don't like it very much, at least you didn't spend a lot on it.

Base game still even has a demo, doesn't it?

Granted I couldn't see playing the base game these days, but I suppose that doesn't mean playing the demo wouldn't at least give a good idea about the game.

[ObKid09]

Originally posted by jmerry82:

If you're interested in playing Civ 6, it frequently goes on sale. With very deep discounts. Base game for less than $5, or the full package with all DLC for about $30. You might want to try it out during one of those periods; if you decide you don't like it very much, at least you didn't spend a lot on it.

I was just able to get Civ 6 off of CDKeys for $3.

[BlackSmokeDMax]

Originally posted by ObKid09:

Originally posted by jmerry82:

If you're interested in playing Civ 6, it frequently goes on sale. With very deep discounts. Base game for less than $5, or the full package with all DLC for about $30. You might want to try it out during one of those periods; if you decide you don't like it very much, at least you didn't spend a lot on it.

I was just able to get Civ 6 off of CDKeys for $3.

Nice!

Give that a try for a bit, then decide later if you want more content. Know that the "more content" does improve the games mechanics a good bit.

[Wormerine]

Generally buying a Civ game at launch is the worst moment you can buy it at. Those games have long legs and lengthy post launch content and usually two expansions that transform it from “boo, previous game was better” to something that can stand on its own feet.

As such I would recommend picking complete editions of either Civ5 or Civ6, and waiting for Cov7 to be in a more complete and cheaper state.

As to which of the two:
I think Civ5 is a better, tighter game. I like a tone of it more and feels like a better… hmm… historical strategy game. I also feel it is still good entry place - it’s discourages extreme expansion and has some mechanics working on global scale rather than city scale.

Civ6 has a lot of cool stuff as well, and I love its district planning, but it never grabbed me the same way. Some of the systems are more fleshed out but in a way that IMO makes them more micromanagement heavy rather than interesting.

Fankly, both games are good. So pick whichever seems more appealing to you.

Edit: when I say complete editions I mean base game and 2nd expanion - it is especially critical for Civ5 which was barren before the expansions. I think you only need 2nd expansion, as it includes mechanics from the first one (all you get by owning two are extra Civs to play as).