Final Score: Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth

For many fans Civilization is their go to 4X game, and for the last four years they've been chugging along nicely ruling their empires in the fifth installment of Sid Meier's Civilization building masterpiece. Now for the first time since Alpha Centauri, the 4X kings have taken a turn back into the Scifi world. But does Civilization: Beyond Earth have what it takes to lead as long a lifespan as previous Civ games? We’ve rounded up the hottest reviews to give you a baseline for making your final decision. Do you press that purchase button? Or does this game sit wasting away on your wishlist until the Steam sales kick in?

Shacknews: 7/10

“Despite its faults, Civilization: Beyond Earth does fulfill its promise to take you to a distant world, where you'll find exotic alien life, meet future leaders of mankind... and conquer them.”

Eurogamer: 8/10

“Civ's always gobbled your time, but Beyond Earth makes clearer demands on your attention. Sit up. Lean in.”

Joystiq: 4/5

“Beyond Earth's design distinguishes itself because rather than having the multiple layers of micromanagement that Civilization typically introduces over hundreds of turns (with some of them frustratingly late in the game to incorporate), Beyond Earth offers a full tool chest nice and early. “

IGN: 7.9/10

“Even on these barely recognizable alien worlds, the addictiveness of building cities, exploration, and tactical combat holds up well. From there, developer Firaxis runs a series of bold experiments with Civilization’s established design. A few – such as the new Affinities system and streamlined unit upgrading – bear promising results, but cumulatively, enough of them go awry that I have to label Beyond Earth as my least-favorite Civilization in more than a decade.”

Destructoid: 9/10

“But even with everything new, Civilization: Beyond Earth is still Civilization, but set in the future on an alien planet. And it is exactly as good as that sounds.”

Escapist: 3/5

“Beyond Earth has a large number of new concepts that separate it from its roots in Civilization V, but not all of them are successful. But, beyond the success or failure of individual features, is the disappointment I felt in playing a game that doesn't truly feel like it's on a new world.”

PCGamer: 87/100

“Beyond Earth’s many similarities to Civ 5 mask, to its detriment, a game that is remarkably new and different, and once I was able to see past those similarities, the newness and wonder of playing in a future Civ sandbox washed over me like a slow boiling pot of water. I was engrossed before I realized it.”

Polygon: 9/10

“Beyond Earth is an adventure about the future of humanity, an ode to discovery and to enquiry. It is also a work of science itself, the result of developer Firaxis' patient accumulation of data and ideas, culminating in a gameplay machine that whirrs with a fierce and quiet efficiency.”

Josh Hawkins

Guides Editor

Joshua holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and has been exploring the world of video games for as long as he can remember. He enjoys everything from large-scale RPGs to small, bite-size indie gems and everything in between.