Choose Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization
Choose Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization if it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 87.2% positive across 847 reviews.
Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization vs Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI
Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization and Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI both land in Strategy on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both are Strategy games on Steam. Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization (2008) is 8 years older than Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI (2016). Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization scores higher on Steam reviews (87.2% positive) than Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI (85% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI
Choose Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI if you want the Shared/Split Screen, Steam Turn Notifications, and Online PvP side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2016) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 105,864 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization and Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI sit in Strategy on Steam and both list Multi-player, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization |  Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2008 | 2016 |
| Genres | Strategy | Strategy |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Playable |
| Price | 4.99 USD | 5.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 87.2% positive (847 reviews) | 85% positive (105,864 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer |
| Developers | Firaxis Games | Firaxis Games, Aspyr (Mac), Aspyr (Linux) |
Side by side
- Both are Strategy games on Steam.
- Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization (2008) is 8 years older than Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI (2016).
- Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization scores higher on Steam reviews (87.2% positive) than Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI (85% positive).
- Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization is currently ~17% cheaper on Steam than Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI (4.99 USD vs. 5.99 USD).
- Both are Deck Playable.
Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization vs Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI — FAQ
- Which is better, Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization or Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI?
- On Steam reviews Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization scores higher (87.2% positive) than Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI (85% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization or Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI first?
- If you want chronology, Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization (2008) came out before Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI (2016). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization and Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI similar?
- They overlap on Strategy on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.