Civilization VI is the first in the Civilization series to be released for the iPad. Warning to those that want to play the game — it will have a very large file size and will feature a $60 price tag.
On the upside, players will get the full game experience conveniently at their hands.
iPad Exclusive
Aspyr Media, the company behind the port of the game, is no stranger to porting games to iOS. Aspyr previously worked on port for BioWare's Jade Empire and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Civilization VI unlike the other games will not be available for the iPhone, only for the iPad but not any iPad — it requires iOS 11 on an iPad Air 2, iPad 2017, or any iPad Pro.
On the iPad, almost nothing is changed from the PC version of the game. It contains the same elements, the UI is changed a bit to be more easily viewed on the iPad.
This version of the game doesn't have support for controllers, but smart keyboards are supported. In a FAQ for the game, Aspyr outlines the touch controls for the iPad port:
- Tapping units selects them. Dragging a unit to a tile will move and attack.
- Press and hold to view tooltips.
- Pinch to zoom the map.
- Single-finger scrolling works on lists and moving the map.
- Three-finger tapping can be used to close menus.
While the iPad version does support multiplayer modes, the game will only work on a local network. Civilization VI will not include cross-platform play either.
Cost Of The Game
There may be some confusion when attempting to buy this game. When gamers reach the game's page in the App Store, the price will say 'Free'. It's not entirely free, only the first 60 moves are free then they will have to pay after that. Civilization VI is currently on sale for $30 until Jan. 4. After that the game will go up to $60. Also at a discount is the desktop version of the game on Steam.
Its first expansion Rise and Fall will be released on PC on Feb. 18.
"We hope to support DLC and expansions in the future but cannot confirm timing or availability at this time," Aspyr said regarding the expansion.
There is a section in the game that reads "additional content." Aspyr also said that it is "evaluating opportunities" to bring the game to Android and iPhone.
