Galactic Civilizations IV

 PC
User Score
2.6

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 12 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 12
  3. Negative: 9 out of 12

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  1. cayenne_spicy
    Apr 28, 2022
    0
    Beta tester here. This product is incomplete at launch. Developers failed to respond or acknowledge hundreds of: bugs; significant exploitable issues with AI; tooltips which were incorrect, misleading, vague, or missing altogether; gameplay mechanics which were either malfunctioning based on stated/expected parameters or not apparently functioning at all; lack of instruction/tutorial/etc.;Beta tester here. This product is incomplete at launch. Developers failed to respond or acknowledge hundreds of: bugs; significant exploitable issues with AI; tooltips which were incorrect, misleading, vague, or missing altogether; gameplay mechanics which were either malfunctioning based on stated/expected parameters or not apparently functioning at all; lack of instruction/tutorial/etc.; incomplete multiplayer features; incomplete/broken custom civilization features; performance and memory leak issues; the list goes on. Multiple beta testers advised against release but the developers only responded to any criticism with repeated mantras of "the game is great" and have taken efforts to silence contrary opinions, including banning respectful but dissenting beta testers from their official Discord server and forums. Censorship like that can only be interpreted as an effort to mislead potential buyers into purchases. It's very disappointing that the developers have decided to go that route. If you love this series, wait on this entry for now. Gamers endure enough premature/incomplete game launches, don't reward this one by giving them your hard-earned money yet.… Expand
  2. TheGnome
    May 2, 2022
    1
    Pros:
    Highly customizable races/game setup. Large maps, with unique sector mechanics. Large tech tree. Good graphics/sound

    Cons:
    Shallow gameplay, poorly balanced, feels incomplete. UI is very good in places, but where it's bad, it's really bad. Annoying cutsie race selections. Epic Games exclusive.
  3. ShadyAlligator
    Apr 27, 2022
    1
    "Despite a few ideas for improving the 4X genre, Galactic Civilizations IV misses the mark on almost all of them to succeed only at feeling bland, derivative and soulless." IGN already said it, plus crashes, broken graphics, and a tedious UI. They ignored player feedback and released anyway.

    play Stellaris or Distant Worlds instead.
  4. g014n
    Apr 10, 2023
    4
    With every feature, the designers choose to remove player agency when it comes to your choices. Can't appreciate that in a strategy game and it rarely works well in other genres.

    It's also very similar in many ways to GC3, just with less features, more barebone and with fewer mods. It might not be that big of an issue had they delivered some more content since release, but it's not the case.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
69

Mixed or average reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 29, 2024
    80
    The developers have done a good job of balancing a nice visual appearance with the low power requirements of iron. There is also good use of the fact that no one knows what the universe looks like. The colours, textures and spaceships look believable and the moving parts look like they are supposed to move. Not forgetting the soundtrack, which has just the right vibe for intergalactic battles and enhances the atmosphere of stellar infinity. [Issue#320]
  2. GameStar
    May 25, 2022
    67
    Galactic Civilizations 4 is a competent 4X turn-based strategy game, but it doesn't offer any reasons to choose it over its competition.
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  3. MMORPG.com
    May 18, 2022
    60
    Stardock has created a game with good bones. Some of the new systems, such as the core world management and ideology system, add to/improve the game. Unfortunately, other systems feel tedious at times. They are not broken per se but are not quite there yet. They either bog down the gameplay or lack impact on the experience. The core gameplay loop is decent, but it just didn’t hook me into feeling the need to play one more turn before bed. If you enjoy the series, Galactic Civilizations IV is worth picking up. Otherwise, I would wait for a few patches or DLC to help flesh out some of the systems.
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