Sid Meier's Civilization® V
To run Sid Meier's Civilization® V (2010) on PC you need at least a Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8 GHz or AMD Athlon X2 64 2.0 GHz processor and a 256 MB ATI HD2600 XT or better, 256 MB nVidia 7900 GS or better, or Core i3 or better integrated graphics, with 2GB of RAM and 8GB of free storage. For higher settings and frame rates, the recommended specs are a 1.8 GHz Quad Core CPU and a 512 MB ATI 4800 series or better, 512 MB nVidia 9800 series or better with 4GB of RAM. Check your exact PC against Sid Meier's Civilization® V with our free Can I Run It tool, estimate your frame rate with the FPS Estimator, or see the best GPU for Sid Meier's Civilization® V.
System Requirements
Minimum
- CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8 GHz or AMD Athlon X2 64 2.0 GHz
- GPU: 256 MB ATI HD2600 XT or better, 256 MB nVidia 7900 GS or better, or Core i3 or better integrated graphics
- RAM: 2
- Storage: 8
Recommended
- CPU: 1.8 GHz Quad Core CPU
- GPU: 512 MB ATI 4800 series or better, 512 MB nVidia 9800 series or better
- RAM: 4
- Storage: 8
Building a PC to play Sid Meier's Civilization® V at its best
Meeting the Sid Meier's Civilization® V minimum requirements (a 256 MB ATI HD2600 XT or better, 256 MB nVidia 7900 GS or better, or Core i3 or better integrated graphics) is enough to launch the game, but it won't give you high frame rates at 1440p or 4K. The recommended 512 MB ATI 4800 series or better, 512 MB nVidia 9800 series or better is a solid target, and stepping up to a GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, RTX 5080 or Radeon RX 9070 XT gives you the headroom for ultra settings, ray tracing and high-refresh play. On mid-range cards, DLSS 4 and FSR frame generation can lift Sid Meier's Civilization® V's frame rate substantially, while a flagship RTX 5090 drives 4K at maximum settings.
The processor matters just as much: pairing your graphics card with a Ryzen 7 9800X3D or an Intel Core Ultra, at least 4GB (ideally 32GB) of DDR5 RAM and a fast Gen5 NVMe SSD removes the stutter and long load times that can hold Sid Meier's Civilization® V back. For modern textures at 4K, aim for a GPU with 12–16GB of VRAM so you never run short.
The same premium components also decide whether your rig is VR ready: if you game in virtual reality on a Meta Quest 3, Valve Index or PlayStation VR2, a strong GPU and CPU are what hold a steady 90 FPS. Check your exact setup against Sid Meier's Civilization® V with the free Can I Run It tool, or see the best GPU for Sid Meier's Civilization® V.
Sid Meier's Civilization® V — Frequently Asked Questions
What are the minimum requirements for Sid Meier's Civilization® V?
Sid Meier's Civilization® V needs at least a Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8 GHz or AMD Athlon X2 64 2.0 GHz CPU and a 256 MB ATI HD2600 XT or better, 256 MB nVidia 7900 GS or better, or Core i3 or better integrated graphics graphics card, 2GB of RAM and 8GB of storage.
What are the recommended specs for Sid Meier's Civilization® V?
For a smooth experience, Sid Meier's Civilization® V recommends a 1.8 GHz Quad Core CPU and a 512 MB ATI 4800 series or better, 512 MB nVidia 9800 series or better with 4GB of RAM.
How much RAM does Sid Meier's Civilization® V need?
Sid Meier's Civilization® V requires 2GB of RAM as a minimum, with 4GB recommended.
What GPU do you need to run Sid Meier's Civilization® V?
The minimum graphics card for Sid Meier's Civilization® V is a 256 MB ATI HD2600 XT or better, 256 MB nVidia 7900 GS or better, or Core i3 or better integrated graphics, while a 512 MB ATI 4800 series or better, 512 MB nVidia 9800 series or better is recommended for higher settings. Check any GPU against this game with our Can I Run It tool.
