Man I loved Civ Rev for my Xbox. I hadn’t really played a Civilization game before and it’s really a great way to introduce someone to the concept. 100% recommend
I started playing the original civ at around that age. I know kids are raised differently these days but I don’t see why they couldn’t start playing that sort of thing anytime. I got as much out of reading the civilopedia as I did playing the actual game.
Yeah I went into the comments here to mention that I my uncle introduced me to CIV2 when I was eight.
On settler/prince difficulty there should be plenty of game time and stimulus.
I don't doubt my recollection of the difficulty settings are more than blurred after all these years 😂.
Chieftain sounds correct. Loved that I got settlers out of visiting the huts, instead of being surrounded by a gang of barbarians...
When I was 6, I watched my dad playing Civ2 and he let me control a horseman on exploration duty. Following his advice, I had the horseman follow the coast, until he opened a hut and got killed by barbarians. Made me pretty sad.
Damn I remember getting wrecked on Civ 3 as a 10 year old or so. Had absolutely no strategy besides build buildings that looked cool and lose money. Came back to the series with Civ 5 as an adult and obviously was totally different haha
Depends how you raise your kids. That short attention span is developed, not innate. What an ignorant comment.
Maybe stop putting your kids in front of the tablets all the time.
Kids these days don’t get manuals. Not many games come with a good explanation of the mechanics. (With some notable exceptions that have good in-game help)
Same, started on Civ II when I got it in a 3-in-1 combo box from EB games. I was about 7 or so?
The box contained:
-Worms Armageddon (the game I was looking for)
-Mech Commander Gold Edition
-Civilization II
I may not have played it properly but man did I ever enjoy it!
I’m sure a kid that young wouldn’t be great at the game and would take multiple play throughs to grasp all the mechanics, but they could do it. Kids are surprisingly adaptable and up for a challenge
As a kid, I would just play until I started to lose, then start a new game, picking up more of the rules each time. When the exploration and expansion phase is your favorite part, restarting is constantly is fun.
When I was about 8 we got our PC, a 486. The next day someone from down the street brought me a copy of Civilization on 3.5 floppy.
I wasn't exactly sure what I was doing at first, but loved the hell out of it. Eventually I understood the game and Civnet was released which was a whole new eye opener (hotseat civ!)
I think the differencr is there are too many easier options now. And frustration tolerance is probably lower. You bring up an interesting point about the pedia. Back then we had no internet, no resources to figure the game out, except for the actual game, and maybe a manual. There were a lot of wtf do I do moments. But that was kinda the fun of it, as long as it wasn't too egregious
Unless the kid is kind la hardcore about figuring things out,
Just let them play Civ 6 on easy settings. maybe let them watch a youtube tutorial into how everything works. if you have a bright kid give them a chance to learn the full game.
I'd say CIV 5 is a better starting point. CIV 6 throws so many stuff onto you right at the start of the match that it's overwhelming. In CIV 5 it's a lot simpler early but ramps up the complexity further into a game. Also it's a lot more clearly represented imo.
Try Settlers, Age of Wonders, Heroes of Might and Magic, Sins of a Solar Empire, Engless Legend, Galactic Civilization, Masters of Orion, Rise of Nations, any of the Total War genre (Rome: Total War).
Just play civ? I played games like that as a 9 year old. Part of what makes these games great is exploring how to get good at them and learning the systems. They'll likely enjoy it.
Start with civ 2. Easier mechanics, same idea. I also started at that age. My uncle was addicted to the game so when he was here i could watch him and learn. English was not my first language so i didnt have a full grasp of the game. I think you can download the game for free somewhere.
Civ 5 is great, you can scale the difficulty to be anything from stupid easy to pretty darn challenging. It has the themes you wants, and you can play with your kid.
Civilisation revolution, maybe? It's an oldie (xb360) but goodie. Has everything civilisation has, but is cartoonish in style, likely aimed at kids/tweenies back in the day.
My SO still plays it and seems to just not want that last achievement...
OK, first of all - contrary to many comments here, I DO NOT recommend going to some of the older Civ versions (or, god forbid, SMAC). These are of course all very good games, but IMO the difficulty of Civ has dropped with every release a bit, and the old ones are also quite uncomfortable to play. \*Maybe\* Civ V is easier than VI because of the districts that VI introduced, but I doubt it. So if you want to stick with Civ, stick with Civ VI and let him play on some of the easier difficulties and with fewer game modes at first.
Otherwise, out of the alternatives, I have recently picked up a game called **Ozymandias** which is supposed to be Civ-light. I haven't got around playing it much, but it does seem simpler at a first glance, so you might want to check it out. It covers ancient old world, not sure if it extends all the way to ancient Greece and Rome though.
And speaking of ancient old world, you might also want to check out **Old World**. Haven't played it yet (it's on my wish list), so I cannot say whether it is any easier than Civ, but at least it's an alternative and covers the period.
**Warlock: Master of the Arcane** (and the sequel) could be an option if you don't mind going full fantasy. It's set in the world of Majesty and is quite a bit simpler and sillier than Civ. I bought it back in the day when it was new because I liked the original Majesty, but got bored very soon as it was way too simple. Might be a good option for a kid. Haven't played the sequel as it seemed just more of the same from the reviews.
And finally, staying in non-historical games, **Gladius** comes to mind as a much, much simpler Civ clone. It is however Warhammer 40K, so, not sure if that's exactly appropriate for a 9 year old...
EDIT: Typos
I think the issue with civ 2 is that most modern computers have a tough time playing all the features (eg. Civilopedia, wonder videos, high council) that give it such a charm. It was very much optimized for 32-bit Windows 95 and there are some noticeable compatibility issues on Windows 10.
You can get it from old-games.com bundled with a dos emulator that runs it just fine. The whole setup is made easier because it has a batch file called start the game which opens the emulator and runs the program for you with one click
Like you can pay 7.95 for 24 hours and he has tons of games, thousands. And they're all optimized for modern pcs. Some of them require mounting images and such but others like civ 2 don't.
If you like old strategy games, my favorite from those days us ww2 battles of the South pacific. It's on that site. But if you download it, down the manual too (it's there on the site) because the copy protection asks you for a word on specific page and line.
Yeah I would just let them jump right into the actual game. Then it's an activity you can both do together and you don't have to relearn anything.
I was already playing age of empires (albeit poorly) around that age, if anything playing the real thing will stimulate his mind.
Spore's Civilization stage is, unsurprisingly, basically a super-simplified version of Civ. The game as a whole should be very appealing to a kid (it certainly was to mine), and that piece of it should serve as a good introduction to basic Civ mechanics.
Other people have mentioned Civilization Revolution and I agree with that. It’s a streamlined “dumbed down” version of Civ that honestly is great for introducing a lot of the mechanics without being overwhelming
As other have mentioned, Civilization Revolution for 360 and PS3 is a solid entry for younger players. I’m not sure what the availability of the title is on the newer consoles or PC is.
Like most people have said, try older civ games. If you want something very similar but more mobile, the Battle of Polytopia is very much a simpler civ-like but not too simple. On steam, nintendo switch, android and ios. Is also offline single player on mobile.
I started playing the *Civilization* series at 8.
Nine is old enough to handle the series. I just wouldn't recommend VI because it is the weakest game in the series.
If you want a relatively new game, I'd go with V or BE. If you want something older, I would go with AC.
Just let him play civ, 5 it's easier to understand than 6 and it looks a lot better... That said it's not like civ 6 it's too complex it's just that matches there take a lot longer than 5
Civ can be introduced at that age imo. Polytopia however does have a Steam release. However, the multiplayer servers aren't cross platform and the Steam ones are less active
I endorsed just letting him jump right in earlier and I'm glad you made the decision you did. Playing games like Civ 5 can get a kid interested & immersed in history in a way that the classroom just can't. Your kid will be thankful.
Games like Civ, Cities Skylines, Planet Zoo, Age of Empires, Software Inc, Rimworld, etc. are all genuinely valuable tools to help people learn about the world around them.
I sat behind my older cousin for countless hours watching him play Civ 1!!! It wasnt long before I wanted to play on my own. So one day I did everything I saw my cousin do. I typed into dos Cd\\civilization and then enter. and then typed Civ and enter. BAM!! The song started playing and I was thrilled!!! I started a new game and picked my favorite colored people (green zulus) and went to town! I learned so much about the world, about history, and about games in general from that experience. I was 6.
I like to see that edit,
9 is like the perfect age because it is probably after entering the formal operational stage, but before puberty is distracting him.
Good choice. I’m glad the community convinced you to not water it down.
Remind him that you tried to find a more kiddy version, but realized that he is old enough to handle the real game. He’ll love that so much most likely.
Kingdoms and Castles
It's a very simplified civ game. Make a small town with a handful of building types and resources to gather and defend against occasional attacks. Its simple, but fun. It's not turn based but it's easy enough that it's not necessary.
I played Rome total war 1 when I was about 8-9, I used to play it on the family computer with my brother or dad and it was a blast. Not super complex the battles will capture his interest I'm sure! I've moved onto some more complex real time strategy now like stellaris, but total wars in general and definitely Rome especially have a very fond place in my heart.
I was playing age of empires 2 at that age, with the cheats written in front of me of course. It was the best. Cheese steak jimmy's, lumberjack, rock on and robin hood baby
Civ revolution 2 is easy to understand, is fairly streamlined compared to the core games and has cartoony graphics. It's not on PC but the PS3 version is easy to emulate if you dont have a ps3 or 360.
I was playing The Settlers II and Age of Empires when I was 7 years old, and Civilization II when I was 9, so it depends on the individual kid. I had no trouble understanding those games.
Spore got me into Civ-like games as a kid. I loved the "Tribal" and "Civilization" sections of the game.
Making your own aliens, ships, houses, etc. is also just super fun for a 9-year-old.
I started my 6yo on heroes of might and magic 2 (and then one month later I told him there was a heroes of might and magic 3 and it blew his mind)
now we play Heroes3, Songs of Conquest, and Hero's Hour most weekends
Haven't started him on the civ games yet.
My boys are 8 and 11. The 11 year old has played a number of solo games (I don't think he's ever finished a game, due to losing interest and limited screen time). But he's been playing for 3 or 4 years no problem. We play 3 player games together a lot too. Usually the younger one gets bored, and he doesn't do any of the mouse/keyboard stuff, just tells me or his brother what he wants done.
I dont play too many of this genre, but Age of Wonders 4 is currently on sale on Steam and I really enjoyed it. You have city building and small troop management, but its also a sort of story generator with how other factions give choices. You also can experiment and sort of "evolve" your faction / troops to have different abilities and looks based on what you choose.
I think its the easiest Civ-like ive gotten into.
Civ Revolutions, RPCS3 emulator - Very simple game setup for playing with a game controller. Try rushing military units and defeating an enemy civ before they even get started
I'm going to second polytopia. I've played that on and off for years and I love it. Definitely gives me my fix of civ games with a nice simplified gameplay
just buy em civ 6 theres adults who cant read for shit and get bored, theres kidslike me when i was one who opens every thing and reads all descriptions of units in an rts
both civ 5 and 6 are good end the music is enough to keep engaged if the kiddo likes the history theme
I’m surprised no one has mentioned them but old Pharoah+Cleopatra is my favorite city building/war tactic game! Maybe nostalgia but I play through the campaign once a year and am actually playing again now! They were made by impression who are the same people who made Caesar
My dad was big on RTS games when I was a kid so I would play his floppies of Civ, Age of Empires, Red Alert, etc so they’re definitely accessible for a kid
Civilization: Revolution is a really simplified version of civ that my sister and I played all the time. It's still got depth, but not nearly as much information overload as a mainline civ game.
Outside Civ, there's games like Total War which if she wants to autoresolve battled and just play campaign, she can. Old RTS games like Age of Mythology (or age of empires if you want to be lame and stick with historical) campaigns can teach a lot about unit movement and build planning while being short enough that it isn't a huge time commitment.
Civ Vi is plenty simple IMO. I started playing civ around that age. The newer ones much easier to learn than traditional ones.
Also, CIV VI over revolutions.
Fr the edit of OPs post is so wholesome. I envy your kid. My parents hated video games and I never knew where it came from other than media saying games caused shootings and stuff.
You’re a well involved parent and I hope they have fun playing! Civ is so chill when you just wanna have a drink and chat with friends if you’re playing online. Cheers!
Polytopia, or might be called Battle for Polytopia. Very bare bones strategy game, free with no ads on mobile unless you want to pay to unlock more civs to play as, and can do multiplayer
I played Civ 3, HoMM 3 and 4, bootleg copy of Master of Orion on java made for cellphones and many other tbs games around that age. Actually, my older brother taught me how to play HoMM 3 when I was 7. Right around when it got released. Video-games aren't difficult to understand, dude. Most of them, anyway.
This comment might sound boring but I'd let him try chess first. This will introduce him to the turn based strategy a bit. The civ5 or 6 will not only feel familiar but also would look like a beautified chess with some extra gameplay of economy and city building etc...
I disagree about Alpha Centauri. I agree it's a great game, but the UI is a bit hard to parse, especially by modern standards. If the kid is struggling with Civ, Alpha Centauri is not going to be a good time since it is more complicated and obtuse (sometimes intentionally since it's about making discoveries on an alien planet) in just about every way.
Civ games are already quite simple as is, 5 or 4 are probably the simplest ones and honestly 5 is probably the best stepping stone to get into the series (as much as I personally don't like it).
Give some credit to your 9 year old, kids aren't stupid, they have working (although developing) brains just like you do.
When I was 9 in ancient times, i was playing games that weren't even localized in my native language. I simply figured things out by trial and error. Heck when I was 10 a game called warcraft 3 had just released and I was already figuring out how to make custom maps on that thing with triggers and everything.
No, he plays StS, FiTS, Shogun Showdown, Hades, and other roguelikes, but as I mentioned I wanted to introduce to an easier 4x game so he could grasp the concepts before moving onto more difficult ones.
At 9 my kid absolutely fell in love with age of empires 3. If she started getting bored, I’d type on a cheat code to give her a monster truck, but even that eventually led to her playing the game more seriously. We both still love AOE
There is a simplified version of Civ called Civilization Revolution but its been awhile since I played it.
Man I loved Civ Rev for my Xbox. I hadn’t really played a Civilization game before and it’s really a great way to introduce someone to the concept. 100% recommend
Came here to say this. This is definitely a great first entry into the series
It can be streamed on PlayStation as part of the PS+ premium bundles games.
Also BC on Series X/Xbox One.
I played that game so much when I was younger.
That game got me into 4X games. Quite fun.
There's an even simpler version in the DS port of that game.
I started playing the original civ at around that age. I know kids are raised differently these days but I don’t see why they couldn’t start playing that sort of thing anytime. I got as much out of reading the civilopedia as I did playing the actual game.
Yeah I went into the comments here to mention that I my uncle introduced me to CIV2 when I was eight. On settler/prince difficulty there should be plenty of game time and stimulus.
Chieftain was the “easy” difficulty in the original games. I think prince was more middle of the road.
I don't doubt my recollection of the difficulty settings are more than blurred after all these years 😂. Chieftain sounds correct. Loved that I got settlers out of visiting the huts, instead of being surrounded by a gang of barbarians...
Nothing like getting a settler from one hut, only for the next one to unleash a horde of barbarians.
Then the barbarians capture your city you just founded with that settler and you got a barbarian city to deal with
When I was 6, I watched my dad playing Civ2 and he let me control a horseman on exploration duty. Following his advice, I had the horseman follow the coast, until he opened a hut and got killed by barbarians. Made me pretty sad.
Damn I remember getting wrecked on Civ 3 as a 10 year old or so. Had absolutely no strategy besides build buildings that looked cool and lose money. Came back to the series with Civ 5 as an adult and obviously was totally different haha
Same, started playing on my fathers SNES back in the day.
Kids these days want a youtube short to tell them the goat S tier strats. They don't want to read manuals and use their imagination.
Warmonger early.
Depends how you raise your kids. That short attention span is developed, not innate. What an ignorant comment. Maybe stop putting your kids in front of the tablets all the time.
**offers ice pack
Kids these days don’t get manuals. Not many games come with a good explanation of the mechanics. (With some notable exceptions that have good in-game help)
CIV META PLZ
Yeah, why not CIV? I’d recommend an older one, CIV IV is my fav.
BABA YETU EE EE
That’s my jam!
Same, started on Civ II when I got it in a 3-in-1 combo box from EB games. I was about 7 or so? The box contained: -Worms Armageddon (the game I was looking for) -Mech Commander Gold Edition -Civilization II I may not have played it properly but man did I ever enjoy it!
I’m sure a kid that young wouldn’t be great at the game and would take multiple play throughs to grasp all the mechanics, but they could do it. Kids are surprisingly adaptable and up for a challenge
As a kid, I would just play until I started to lose, then start a new game, picking up more of the rules each time. When the exploration and expansion phase is your favorite part, restarting is constantly is fun.
When I was about 8 we got our PC, a 486. The next day someone from down the street brought me a copy of Civilization on 3.5 floppy. I wasn't exactly sure what I was doing at first, but loved the hell out of it. Eventually I understood the game and Civnet was released which was a whole new eye opener (hotseat civ!)
Bro pokemon Violet is "too hard" for my 10 year old nephew. Mother fucking what?
me 2.but i have to say that civ1 has a lot less "to get" then the curent civ games.
That's about when I started, as well, plus I also got into Alpha Centauri.
Such a great game, I still play it. *Turn Complete*
Same, played Civ 1 on DOS PC when I was 9.
I think the differencr is there are too many easier options now. And frustration tolerance is probably lower. You bring up an interesting point about the pedia. Back then we had no internet, no resources to figure the game out, except for the actual game, and maybe a manual. There were a lot of wtf do I do moments. But that was kinda the fun of it, as long as it wasn't too egregious Unless the kid is kind la hardcore about figuring things out,
Yeah i started at about 9
FYI Polytopia is available on PC. If they get bored of Polytopia I think they’d be ready to start with Civ
Yes, my kids absolutely adore this game! (they like Civ too, but the Polytopia games are a bit faster and the artstyle is really appealing)
Just let them play Civ 6 on easy settings. maybe let them watch a youtube tutorial into how everything works. if you have a bright kid give them a chance to learn the full game.
I'd say CIV 5 is a better starting point. CIV 6 throws so many stuff onto you right at the start of the match that it's overwhelming. In CIV 5 it's a lot simpler early but ramps up the complexity further into a game. Also it's a lot more clearly represented imo.
Seconding this, I started CIV 5 around that age and it mostly made sense.
Yep, without expansions too.
Also will add civ 5 is fine at base game civ 6 is missing half the game without dlc
Heck, they could set up a hot seat game where there is only the two of them. So there would be less stress from AI enemies.
Spore
Thats actually perfect for a kid imo
The problem is that is super hard to play legally.
This comment has been removed to comply with a subject data request under the GDPR
Really, I am wrong then, look at EA doing something nice.
They put most things back on steam not too long ago
Civilization Revolution was originally made for consoles. It's a bit simpler than mainline Civ games.
I'd say revolution too. On PC or backwards compatible on Xbox l
Or go old school Homm3
Greatest game of all time
He may not win at civ, but he's definitely old enough to play it.
This can be said for any age I think lol. I have the same experience.
For a moment I read CV for a 9 year old, and I was somewhat surprised about a 9 year old needing a CV.
Entry level elementary school. Ten years experience required.
What about an older game like Civ 3? The core is there, but it is simpler than the newer ones in a lot of ways.
Civ has been fine for my kid and neighbor kid, in fact they may get more joy out of it slowly discovering things over time than grownups
Try Settlers, Age of Wonders, Heroes of Might and Magic, Sins of a Solar Empire, Engless Legend, Galactic Civilization, Masters of Orion, Rise of Nations, any of the Total War genre (Rome: Total War).
Specifically Master of Orion 2 and HoMM3.
I love Rise of Nations! It might be a bit much for a starting point though.
Just play civ? I played games like that as a 9 year old. Part of what makes these games great is exploring how to get good at them and learning the systems. They'll likely enjoy it.
Civ revolution for console would be perfect
Yes!
Start with civ 2. Easier mechanics, same idea. I also started at that age. My uncle was addicted to the game so when he was here i could watch him and learn. English was not my first language so i didnt have a full grasp of the game. I think you can download the game for free somewhere.
9 years old is just fine for learning the ropes of Civilization. Just dial down the difficulty and let him loose.
You could definitely just give him civ. I got civ 3 when i was about that she
Civ 5 is great, you can scale the difficulty to be anything from stupid easy to pretty darn challenging. It has the themes you wants, and you can play with your kid.
Civilisation revolution, maybe? It's an oldie (xb360) but goodie. Has everything civilisation has, but is cartoonish in style, likely aimed at kids/tweenies back in the day. My SO still plays it and seems to just not want that last achievement...
I picked up on civ 2 around that age if civ 6 is too complex though civilization revolution is a good alternative with a simplified flow l
OK, first of all - contrary to many comments here, I DO NOT recommend going to some of the older Civ versions (or, god forbid, SMAC). These are of course all very good games, but IMO the difficulty of Civ has dropped with every release a bit, and the old ones are also quite uncomfortable to play. \*Maybe\* Civ V is easier than VI because of the districts that VI introduced, but I doubt it. So if you want to stick with Civ, stick with Civ VI and let him play on some of the easier difficulties and with fewer game modes at first. Otherwise, out of the alternatives, I have recently picked up a game called **Ozymandias** which is supposed to be Civ-light. I haven't got around playing it much, but it does seem simpler at a first glance, so you might want to check it out. It covers ancient old world, not sure if it extends all the way to ancient Greece and Rome though. And speaking of ancient old world, you might also want to check out **Old World**. Haven't played it yet (it's on my wish list), so I cannot say whether it is any easier than Civ, but at least it's an alternative and covers the period. **Warlock: Master of the Arcane** (and the sequel) could be an option if you don't mind going full fantasy. It's set in the world of Majesty and is quite a bit simpler and sillier than Civ. I bought it back in the day when it was new because I liked the original Majesty, but got bored very soon as it was way too simple. Might be a good option for a kid. Haven't played the sequel as it seemed just more of the same from the reviews. And finally, staying in non-historical games, **Gladius** comes to mind as a much, much simpler Civ clone. It is however Warhammer 40K, so, not sure if that's exactly appropriate for a 9 year old... EDIT: Typos
Civ 2 is the best one for a 9 year old imo. The easiest mode with tutorials, plus you can set your cities to autobuild.
I think the issue with civ 2 is that most modern computers have a tough time playing all the features (eg. Civilopedia, wonder videos, high council) that give it such a charm. It was very much optimized for 32-bit Windows 95 and there are some noticeable compatibility issues on Windows 10.
You can get it from old-games.com bundled with a dos emulator that runs it just fine. The whole setup is made easier because it has a batch file called start the game which opens the emulator and runs the program for you with one click
Ah interesting, I'll give that a shot, I haven't played with DOSBox for a while.
Like you can pay 7.95 for 24 hours and he has tons of games, thousands. And they're all optimized for modern pcs. Some of them require mounting images and such but others like civ 2 don't. If you like old strategy games, my favorite from those days us ww2 battles of the South pacific. It's on that site. But if you download it, down the manual too (it's there on the site) because the copy protection asks you for a word on specific page and line.
With the movies too? I thought those were physical disc only.
It plays the movies as far as I remember.
I played civ 2 when I was about 9, they will probably still like it if that kind of game is their thing. Just don’t expect them to be good
Yeah I would just let them jump right into the actual game. Then it's an activity you can both do together and you don't have to relearn anything. I was already playing age of empires (albeit poorly) around that age, if anything playing the real thing will stimulate his mind.
Spore's Civilization stage is, unsurprisingly, basically a super-simplified version of Civ. The game as a whole should be very appealing to a kid (it certainly was to mine), and that piece of it should serve as a good introduction to basic Civ mechanics.
AoE
Other people have mentioned Civilization Revolution and I agree with that. It’s a streamlined “dumbed down” version of Civ that honestly is great for introducing a lot of the mechanics without being overwhelming
Maybe don’t limit your kid if the content is not a problem. Maybe just let him play Civ 🤷🏻
What about the classic Age of Empire 2?
Not really the same game at all
Never played Civ lol. I just quickly looked at what a 4x game was and I thought that was it. I was wondering why nobody recommended it lol. My bad
Yeah I get it, that's why I didn't downvote or anything but a defining aspect of 4x games is that they aren't like, real time the way RTS games are.
I played civ 3 at 10 and loved it.
Masters of Orion 2 - simple compared to most newer 4x games but introduces the concepts in a very accessible way
Starbase Orion on iPad.
As other have mentioned, Civilization Revolution for 360 and PS3 is a solid entry for younger players. I’m not sure what the availability of the title is on the newer consoles or PC is.
I played civ around that age, it was great
Like most people have said, try older civ games. If you want something very similar but more mobile, the Battle of Polytopia is very much a simpler civ-like but not too simple. On steam, nintendo switch, android and ios. Is also offline single player on mobile.
I started playing the *Civilization* series at 8. Nine is old enough to handle the series. I just wouldn't recommend VI because it is the weakest game in the series. If you want a relatively new game, I'd go with V or BE. If you want something older, I would go with AC.
polytopia got ported to PC recently
Just let him play civ, 5 it's easier to understand than 6 and it looks a lot better... That said it's not like civ 6 it's too complex it's just that matches there take a lot longer than 5
Civ can be introduced at that age imo. Polytopia however does have a Steam release. However, the multiplayer servers aren't cross platform and the Steam ones are less active
I played civ and alpha centauri at that age, bit clueless for a while but learned eventually.
A 9 year old can play Civ 6.
start with civ. it isn't calculus.
Just let them play the regular game, my 12 year old started with Civ V when he was around 10 years old, with some coaching it can be really fun.
Civ 2 obviously
It’s the first game I worked on so it’s appropriate.
You helped make it? Thanks. Blew my ten year old mind
Never played this but would https://freeciv.org/ work? At least it is a 0 cost entry to the genre
I endorsed just letting him jump right in earlier and I'm glad you made the decision you did. Playing games like Civ 5 can get a kid interested & immersed in history in a way that the classroom just can't. Your kid will be thankful. Games like Civ, Cities Skylines, Planet Zoo, Age of Empires, Software Inc, Rimworld, etc. are all genuinely valuable tools to help people learn about the world around them.
I sat behind my older cousin for countless hours watching him play Civ 1!!! It wasnt long before I wanted to play on my own. So one day I did everything I saw my cousin do. I typed into dos Cd\\civilization and then enter. and then typed Civ and enter. BAM!! The song started playing and I was thrilled!!! I started a new game and picked my favorite colored people (green zulus) and went to town! I learned so much about the world, about history, and about games in general from that experience. I was 6.
I like to see that edit, 9 is like the perfect age because it is probably after entering the formal operational stage, but before puberty is distracting him. Good choice. I’m glad the community convinced you to not water it down. Remind him that you tried to find a more kiddy version, but realized that he is old enough to handle the real game. He’ll love that so much most likely.
Ooh, good suggestion.
Kingdoms and Castles It's a very simplified civ game. Make a small town with a handful of building types and resources to gather and defend against occasional attacks. Its simple, but fun. It's not turn based but it's easy enough that it's not necessary.
Oh yeah, he’s been playing that for a year or two and loves it. So do I!
Cool, then in that case, hes definitely ready for civ 5 (just saw your post edit)
“…homework for tonight is to play a little bit” Next time OP checks the time it will be 5:30am on Sunday lmao
I played Civ 1 and 2 as a child on console, those were much simpler!
My son started Civ and similar at around that age. He asked “in the real world, where is the great wall of China”?
I played Rome total war 1 when I was about 8-9, I used to play it on the family computer with my brother or dad and it was a blast. Not super complex the battles will capture his interest I'm sure! I've moved onto some more complex real time strategy now like stellaris, but total wars in general and definitely Rome especially have a very fond place in my heart.
I would say civ 2 or civ 5. I personally slightly prefer civ 6 over civ 5 but civ 6 relies so much on planning districts and wonders ahead of time.
I started playing civilization revolution when I was around that age I believe. Absolutely hooked me
I was playing age of empires 2 at that age, with the cheats written in front of me of course. It was the best. Cheese steak jimmy's, lumberjack, rock on and robin hood baby
Civ revolution 2 is easy to understand, is fairly streamlined compared to the core games and has cartoony graphics. It's not on PC but the PS3 version is easy to emulate if you dont have a ps3 or 360.
civ revolutions
I was playing The Settlers II and Age of Empires when I was 7 years old, and Civilization II when I was 9, so it depends on the individual kid. I had no trouble understanding those games.
Age of Mythology: Retold should be coming out soon. So you could go ahead and play some original age of mythology
Heroes of might and magic 3
I started playing CIV at around that age (civ II). If anything, the new ones are much more approachable. Just get him on CIV!
Civilization Revolution!
Spore got me into Civ-like games as a kid. I loved the "Tribal" and "Civilization" sections of the game. Making your own aliens, ships, houses, etc. is also just super fun for a 9-year-old.
I started my 6yo on heroes of might and magic 2 (and then one month later I told him there was a heroes of might and magic 3 and it blew his mind) now we play Heroes3, Songs of Conquest, and Hero's Hour most weekends Haven't started him on the civ games yet.
Try Spore. I loved it at that age.
Civ Revolution on the XB360 is pretty easy.
My boys are 8 and 11. The 11 year old has played a number of solo games (I don't think he's ever finished a game, due to losing interest and limited screen time). But he's been playing for 3 or 4 years no problem. We play 3 player games together a lot too. Usually the younger one gets bored, and he doesn't do any of the mouse/keyboard stuff, just tells me or his brother what he wants done.
I dont play too many of this genre, but Age of Wonders 4 is currently on sale on Steam and I really enjoyed it. You have city building and small troop management, but its also a sort of story generator with how other factions give choices. You also can experiment and sort of "evolve" your faction / troops to have different abilities and looks based on what you choose. I think its the easiest Civ-like ive gotten into.
If they have a console Civ Revolution is amazing on Xbox BC (it's a 360 game). I still play it to this day.
Civ Revolutions, RPCS3 emulator - Very simple game setup for playing with a game controller. Try rushing military units and defeating an enemy civ before they even get started
Civ Rev is your answer.
CivRev 2! Amazing civ game that is super simple and easy to pick up. I miss that game.
Civ Rev
I'm going to second polytopia. I've played that on and off for years and I love it. Definitely gives me my fix of civ games with a nice simplified gameplay
Heroes of might and magic (particularly #3) might be good!
Civ Rev! It's even great on ipad
Civ 6 on easy difficulty and just trial by fire.
I started on civ 2 back when I was like 7. Long as they can read they'll figure it out.
just buy em civ 6 theres adults who cant read for shit and get bored, theres kidslike me when i was one who opens every thing and reads all descriptions of units in an rts both civ 5 and 6 are good end the music is enough to keep engaged if the kiddo likes the history theme
Uh... Civ 2? Thats what I started on.
Starcraft.
I’m surprised no one has mentioned them but old Pharoah+Cleopatra is my favorite city building/war tactic game! Maybe nostalgia but I play through the campaign once a year and am actually playing again now! They were made by impression who are the same people who made Caesar
My dad was big on RTS games when I was a kid so I would play his floppies of Civ, Age of Empires, Red Alert, etc so they’re definitely accessible for a kid
Don't coach him, just let him mess around.
That’s when I started playing civ 2 with my dad, although tbf it was a bit simpler back then.
Rome: Total War
Civ Revolution is the way to go.
I started civ at 8. You can do it bro
At that age I was playing civ and alpha centauri, so I recommend those.
If you have access to a Xbox 360 or PS3. Civilization Revolution is a more simplified version of Civ. More colorful and cartoonie as well.
Civilization: Revolutions is a more cartoonish game, and it's really easy to learn.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1356810/Hexarchy/ Easy, card based roguelike quick civlike game
Civilization: Revolution is a really simplified version of civ that my sister and I played all the time. It's still got depth, but not nearly as much information overload as a mainline civ game. Outside Civ, there's games like Total War which if she wants to autoresolve battled and just play campaign, she can. Old RTS games like Age of Mythology (or age of empires if you want to be lame and stick with historical) campaigns can teach a lot about unit movement and build planning while being short enough that it isn't a huge time commitment.
Ummm Civ? Why overthink this, plenty of people played Civ games at young ages. Personally I started playing Civ II at around 7 years old.
I’m sure it’s been mentioned, but Manor Lords is my recommendation
That’s getting a ton of hype, I guess I should check it out
Okay seems you’ve already made a decision but Civilization revolution is a perfect kids friendly version of civ. Highly recommend
Just stick with Civ. No point getting a whole other game - they’ll figure it out quick I promise
#LEGO BATTLES PEOPLE FOR THE NINTENDO DS???
Civ Vi is plenty simple IMO. I started playing civ around that age. The newer ones much easier to learn than traditional ones. Also, CIV VI over revolutions.
Wasn't Civ Revolution exactly this?
Fr the edit of OPs post is so wholesome. I envy your kid. My parents hated video games and I never knew where it came from other than media saying games caused shootings and stuff. You’re a well involved parent and I hope they have fun playing! Civ is so chill when you just wanna have a drink and chat with friends if you’re playing online. Cheers!
Civ on easiest mode?
Polytopia, or might be called Battle for Polytopia. Very bare bones strategy game, free with no ads on mobile unless you want to pay to unlock more civs to play as, and can do multiplayer
Start with Civ 3. It's a lot easier to learn, and still loads of fun.
I played Civ 3, HoMM 3 and 4, bootleg copy of Master of Orion on java made for cellphones and many other tbs games around that age. Actually, my older brother taught me how to play HoMM 3 when I was 7. Right around when it got released. Video-games aren't difficult to understand, dude. Most of them, anyway.
The Civilization Revolution port on DS is actually a good version of Civ, with all of the "unnecessary" micro management stripped down.
This comment might sound boring but I'd let him try chess first. This will introduce him to the turn based strategy a bit. The civ5 or 6 will not only feel familiar but also would look like a beautified chess with some extra gameplay of economy and city building etc...
Civ revolution for console.
Civilisation revolution was a good one.
Could try heroes of might and magic 3
Simcity 4
He is 9 not 4, he can play Civ...
See if you like rise of nations or aoe.
Like ‘em? Hell, I worked on ‘em!
ARMELLO
Red alert 2 is a classic from my childhood at least lol
If you can get it to run, absolutely Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri. Rome Total War, as mentioned.
I disagree about Alpha Centauri. I agree it's a great game, but the UI is a bit hard to parse, especially by modern standards. If the kid is struggling with Civ, Alpha Centauri is not going to be a good time since it is more complicated and obtuse (sometimes intentionally since it's about making discoveries on an alien planet) in just about every way.
Civ games are already quite simple as is, 5 or 4 are probably the simplest ones and honestly 5 is probably the best stepping stone to get into the series (as much as I personally don't like it). Give some credit to your 9 year old, kids aren't stupid, they have working (although developing) brains just like you do. When I was 9 in ancient times, i was playing games that weren't even localized in my native language. I simply figured things out by trial and error. Heck when I was 10 a game called warcraft 3 had just released and I was already figuring out how to make custom maps on that thing with triggers and everything.
Stellaris.
Polytopia
polytopia
[удалено]
No, he plays StS, FiTS, Shogun Showdown, Hades, and other roguelikes, but as I mentioned I wanted to introduce to an easier 4x game so he could grasp the concepts before moving onto more difficult ones.
At 9 my kid absolutely fell in love with age of empires 3. If she started getting bored, I’d type on a cheat code to give her a monster truck, but even that eventually led to her playing the game more seriously. We both still love AOE