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Sid Meier's Civilization series has been a mainstay on PCs since the first game's release in 1991, though developer Firaxis has occasionally dabbled in console and mobile titles. The last game to make an appearance on Android was Civilization Revolution 2 in 2014, a simplified version of the usual Civ formula, but now a full-blown port of the latest main game has arrived on Android.
Civilization VI was first released on PC in 2016, but it has since been ported to the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. Aspyr Media handled the game's release on iOS two years ago, which was widely regarded as an excellent port, and now publisher 2K has enlisted Aspyr once again to develop the Android version.
If you're not familiar with it, Civilization VI is a turn-based strategy game where you start an empire from a single city. You must manage units, collect resources, settle more cities, build up infrastructure, and engage with other civilizations — either in trade or war. You can win the game through a variety of different methods, like conquering other civilizations, building a rocket to Mars, or winning the favor of other empires in the World Congress.
The base game is already a complete experience, but the two primary expansion packs are also available for purchase: Rise and Fall ($30) and Gathering Storm ($40). Just like on PC, a variety of other civilizations and scenarios are available for $5-$9 a pop. On Android, you can play the game for free until you reach turn 60, then you have to pay a one-time free of $20 to unlock the whole experience. The in-app purchase also enables local mutliplayer support with other iOS and Android devices.
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I've played a few hours of Civ VI so far, and while it is definitely the full Civilization experience, performance does leave a lot to be desired. It seems like the game is capped at 30FPS, and even in the early game with only a tiny fraction of the world explored, I was dipping into the 22-25FPS range on my Galaxy S20. I'll have a full review later this week, once I'm able to test it on more phones and tablets. Civ VI also wasn't installable on Chromebooks, at least not in the pre-release testing program I was granted access to.
UPDATE: 2020/08/16 1:17pm PDT BY CORBIN DAVENPORT
Full review
Check out our full review of Civilization VI here.