Galactic Civilizations IV
- October 19, 2023
- Stardock Entertainment
- 83h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on Epic Games Store"Galactic Civilizations IV" is a 4X strategy game that lets you explore the vastness of space as a newly space-faring civilization. Choose from over a dozen civilizations, each with its own unique history and abilities, or create your own using the AlienGPT AI. Build and customize starships, colonize planets, and engage in diplomacy with alien species as you strive for interstellar dominance. The game features a rich, immersive universe filled with lore and discovery.
Reviews
- Deep and interesting gameplay with a focus on customization and strategy.
- Improved UI and streamlined gameplay, making it easier to manage colonies and resources.
- Active developer support with frequent updates and community engagement.
- Game can feel repetitive and lacks depth in certain areas, particularly in combat and diplomacy.
- Numerous bugs and performance issues, especially in multiplayer mode.
- Over-reliance on AI-generated content, which can lead to inconsistent quality and immersion-breaking elements.
- gameplay187 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 66 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its streamlined mechanics and engaging strategic elements, while others criticize it for being overly complex and lacking clarity. Many users noted the enjoyable customization options and expansive tech tree, but also pointed out issues with micromanagement, bugs, and a lack of comprehensive tutorials to help new players understand the mechanics. Overall, while the core gameplay is solid and offers a lot of potential for replayability, it suffers from unpolished mechanics and a steep learning curve that may deter some players.
“The gameplay is filled with interesting choices in how you layout different planets and balance different needs over time; it's engaging and fun, and it even makes the experience bearable when I have reached the point of steamrolling the map.”
“The game is deep, with lots of interesting mechanics to engage with, and great replayability coming from the different species.”
“Gameplay can be as fast-paced and exciting or as slow and relaxing as you choose; there's a ton of options for you to choose from as you build your own starfaring empire from a single planet up!”
“One of those complex 4x-style games going in the wrong direction of layered sub-systems and opaque mechanics where you just kind of make the numbers go up, micro-manage an increasing pile of things every turn, and get to choose if you are content with not really understanding why things happen the way they do or obsessively focus on digging through micro-systems and menus so you do, but it makes the game a boring job.”
“There are tons of game mechanics that are barely explained or not at all requiring me to use Google to figure out why my games keep failing.”
“The game's mechanics and interface can be bewildering for newcomers, making it difficult to grasp the nuances of the gameplay.”
- graphics89 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising the colorful and detailed visuals as a significant improvement over its predecessor, Galactic Civilizations III. However, some players feel that while the graphics are modern and aesthetically pleasing, they lack innovation and depth, often blending together in a way that can obscure important gameplay elements. Overall, the visuals are considered solid within the genre, though not groundbreaking, and there are reports of graphical bugs that detract from the experience.
“The graphics are beautiful and modern, the progress steady and fair, and overall an enjoyable experience worth the investment of both time and money.”
“Overall a very good 4x space game, great graphics, lots of aliens, lots of variety in worlds, huge selection of galaxy sizes and formations.”
“The graphics are colorful and really relaxing.”
“The developers did nothing to make a new game, they just updated some graphics from Galactic Civilizations III and put a $60 price tag on it.”
“It's slightly better than Galactic Civilizations III; it has a bit better graphics (but it's still ugly, most indie games look better these days), it has improved on some gameplay mechanics (but those are still almost the same as 20 years ago, there is no innovation), the battles are still a letdown (not very balanced or clear, autoresolved, you can't really set any tactics) and I really don't have any positive thing to say about it.”
“However, there are graphical bugs everywhere (huge ships, missing stars, missing ships, missing portraits), spelling mistakes on tooltips and, worst of all, my 7-hour game, on middle range settings, is unplayable due to game crashes which will happen every time if saved before the crash.”
- story39 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players expressing disappointment over the lack of a cohesive narrative and engaging campaign content. While some appreciate the AI-generated quests and world-building elements, they feel that the missions are often generic and fail to create a meaningful connection to the civilization's story. Overall, players desire more structured, scripted missions and a deeper storyline to enhance their gaming experience.
“Story-driven campaign: the branching narrative allows for more personalized playthroughs and adds replayability.”
“I do have to give a special shout-out to the devs for the game's atmosphere and 'immersion factor': from the visuals & artwork, to the flavor text, to the background lore, story events, and the excellent soundtrack, Galactic Civilizations IV has done a good job in the world-building department.”
“I am excited to see where the story progresses from here.”
“I wanted to like this game, but the lack of a storyline and campaign just left it feeling empty.”
“So I was quite bummed to see that the story didn't match the game and why I said there wasn't really a story.”
“Very low story content.”
- stability31 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- -6 % neutral mentions
- 97 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a significant concern, with numerous reports of freezing, crashing, and various glitches affecting gameplay across different systems. Despite ongoing feedback efforts from the developers, players describe the game as consistently buggy and unpolished, particularly in ship creation and multiplayer modes. Overall, many users advise against purchasing the game in its current state due to these persistent stability issues.
“The game is not buggy and has been getting better and better.”
“I appreciate how stable the game feels; I rarely encounter any crashes.”
“The developers have done a fantastic job ensuring a smooth experience without major issues.”
“The game freezes and closes the game.”
“It's a buggy, clunky, DLC money grab... all of which I could have tolerated...”
“But the game is buggy as all hell, even after being released two years ago, which I am still struggling to comprehend... it doesn't crash... but there are a bunch of glitches that cause you to lose control or just lose a ship or fleet about once every game.”
- music23 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received largely positive feedback, with many players praising its quality, fitting ambiance, and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere and immersion. While some users noted a lack of variety and a sense of repetition from previous titles, the soundtrack is generally described as well-executed and enjoyable, contributing significantly to the game's appeal. Overall, players appreciate the music's role in creating an engaging experience, though there are calls for more diverse tracks and customization options.
“The music fits well with the setting and factions.”
“The voice overs are amazing, the animation of the characters and the music are outstanding 10/10.”
“I do have to give a special shout-out to the devs for the game's atmosphere and 'immersion factor': from the visuals & artwork, to the flavor text, to the background lore, to the excellent soundtrack, Galactic Civilizations IV has done a good job in the world-building department.”
“Where they have used the same soundtracks, and even the same cut scenes/animations as Gal Civ 3, it just feels very cheap.”
“I found the music lacking.”
“More music selections and the ability to select which track.”
- replayability23 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is praised for its high replayability, driven by diverse species, customizable options, and engaging mechanics that encourage multiple playthroughs. Players appreciate the AI-generated factions and the ability to tailor game settings, which significantly enhance the replay value. However, some users feel that certain species exhibit minimal differences, which can detract from the overall replay experience.
“The fact that many of the species play very differently, have different tech trees, etc. makes for a very replayable game.”
“The game is deep, with lots of interesting mechanics to engage with, and great replayability coming from the different species.”
“You can change almost everything in the setup of the game, speed of play, speed of tech, size of galaxy, number of sectors, number of opponents, difficulty, etc., which makes replayability enormous.”
“This kills replayability for me because, in essence, every single species you play is exactly the same as the previous one except for minor differences to their characteristics at the start of the game.”
“Replayability is low.”
“Hoping this follows the same pattern as Sid Meier's Civilization games and will improve significantly with each expansion and be a more playable game in a year or two.”
- optimization19 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
Overall, the optimization of the game is a mixed bag; while many players appreciate the smoother performance and visual appeal, especially in the early to mid-game, significant performance issues arise in the late game, even on high-end systems. Users report resource-intensive late-game performance problems, including visual glitches and lag, suggesting that further improvements to core mechanics and optimization are needed for a more consistent experience. Despite these concerns, some players find the performance enhancements a welcome improvement compared to previous entries in the series.
“Visually, it is more appealing with smoother performance and faster gameplay.”
“With some key improvements to core mechanics and performance, GC4 could evolve into a truly exceptional entry in the series.”
“The performance boost is a welcome addition to the series, seeing it could take 4-7 minutes per turn in GCIii endgame on immense galaxy size.”
“Performance is definitely an issue.”
“Even on high-end machines, GC4 suffers from resource-intensive late-game performance issues, leading to visual glitches and delayed responses.”
“Performance isn't the best either, and oftentimes I see the game using nearly all of my GPU and RAM right before a crash.”
- grinding11 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews highlight that the grinding aspect of the game is characterized by tedious micromanagement and slow pacing, making tasks like ship construction and exploration feel unnecessarily cumbersome. Players find the mechanics overly complicated and frustrating, leading to a sense of stagnation rather than engaging gameplay. Overall, the experience is marred by a lack of efficiency and clarity, resulting in a tedious grind that detracts from enjoyment.
“Sometime the micromanagement can get tedious as well as keeping track of your fleets and the threats from the AI.”
“Simplified mechanics: if the goal was to streamline gameplay, why implement tedious micromanagement like single-ship construction?”
“It's so slow and tedious that you barely scratch the surface in 9 hours.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mixed bag; while some players find the AI-generated custom races amusing and the faction creation tool entertaining, others criticize the tutorial for being humorously broken. Overall, the comedic elements can be hit or miss, with some jokes landing well and others falling flat.
“The tutorial was also hilariously broken (and bad) for the longest time, but I suppose that has been fixed by now?”
“The generation tool for creating a faction is fun and hilarious at the same time.”
“AI-created custom races are very fun and on many occasions made me laugh.”
- monetization4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has been widely criticized as a blatant cash grab, leaving players feeling exploited after investing significant time into it. Many users express frustration over the perceived lack of genuine value and the sense that the game was designed primarily to profit from loyal fans.
“This is infuriating and a clear indicator this title was simply a cash grab.”
“It almost feels like this was a cash grab.”
“It is hard after 25 hours of play to not think this was just a cash grab to abuse the trust of idiots like me who have played GalCiv since its inception.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of Galactic Civilizations IV is highly praised for its immersive world-building, which is enhanced by stunning visuals, rich flavor text, engaging background lore, and an excellent soundtrack, all contributing to a captivating gaming experience.
“I have to give a special shout-out to the devs for the game's atmosphere and immersion factor: from the visuals and artwork to the flavor text, background lore, and story events, to the excellent soundtrack, Galactic Civilizations IV has done a great job in the world-building department.”
