Choose Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword
Choose Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword if it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 96.7% positive across 2,802 reviews.
Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword vs Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI
Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword 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. Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword (2007) is 9 years older than Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI (2016). Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword scores higher on Steam reviews (96.7% 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 Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Steam Turn Notifications 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 Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword and Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI sit in Strategy on Steam, 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
 Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword |  Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2007 | 2016 |
| Genres | Strategy | Strategy |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Deck Playable |
| Price | 5.99 USD | 5.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 96.7% positive (2,802 reviews) | 85% positive (105,864 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer |
| Developers | Firaxis Games | Firaxis Games, Aspyr (Mac), Aspyr (Linux) |
Side by side
- Both are Strategy games on Steam.
- Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword (2007) is 9 years older than Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI (2016).
- Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword scores higher on Steam reviews (96.7% positive) than Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI (85% positive).
- Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI is currently ~0% cheaper on Steam than Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword (5.99 USD vs. 5.99 USD).
- Steam Deck: Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword is Deck Unsupported, Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI is Deck Playable.
Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword vs Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI — FAQ
- Which is better, Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword or Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI?
- On Steam reviews Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword scores higher (96.7% positive) than Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI (85% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword or Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI first?
- If you want chronology, Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword (2007) 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 Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword 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.
- Does Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword have multiplayer like Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI?
- No. Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer), while Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword is listed as single-player only.