Choose Sid Meier's Civilization® V
Choose Sid Meier's Civilization® V if you want the Multi-player side of the pairing. On Steam, it's currently about 63% cheaper on the Steam Store. 78,108 Steam reviews back the pick.
Sid Meier's Civilization® V vs The Ancients
Sid Meier's Civilization® V and The Ancients 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® V (2010) is 14 years older than The Ancients (2024). Sid Meier's Civilization® V scores higher on Steam reviews (95.5% positive) than The Ancients (42.9% 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 The Ancients
Choose The Ancients if you want an Indie, Simulation, and Early Access experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2024) and ships with the modern feature baseline. The Ancients launched in 2024.
Both Sid Meier's Civilization® V and The Ancients 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
 Sid Meier's Civilization® V |  The Ancients | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2010 | 2024 |
| Genres | Strategy | Strategy, Indie, Simulation, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Unsupported |
| Price | 7.49 USD | 19.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 95.5% positive (78,108 reviews) | 42.9% positive (14 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Single-player only |
| Developers | Firaxis Games, Aspyr (Mac), Aspyr (Linux) | GorillaSoftWorks |
Side by side
- Both are Strategy games on Steam.
- Sid Meier's Civilization® V (2010) is 14 years older than The Ancients (2024).
- Sid Meier's Civilization® V scores higher on Steam reviews (95.5% positive) than The Ancients (42.9% positive).
- Sid Meier's Civilization® V is currently ~63% cheaper on Steam than The Ancients (7.49 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
- Steam Deck: Sid Meier's Civilization® V is Deck Playable, The Ancients is Deck Unsupported.
Sid Meier's Civilization® V vs The Ancients — FAQ
- Should I play Sid Meier's Civilization® V or The Ancients first?
- If you want chronology, Sid Meier's Civilization® V (2010) came out before The Ancients (2024). 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® V and The Ancients 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 The Ancients have multiplayer like Sid Meier's Civilization® V?
- No. Sid Meier's Civilization® V supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player), while The Ancients is listed as single-player only.