Civilization VI Arrives On iPad With Unheard Of $60 Price Tag

Apple iPad owners who are used to paying just a few dollars for non-free mobile games might be in for a bit of sticker shock if they plan on playing Sid Meier's Civilization VI on their tablet. The turn-based strategy title was developed by Firaxis Games and published to PC a year ago by 2K Games, and now Aspyr Media has brought the full game experience to the iPad, with a $60 asking price.

The game is free to try out for the first 60 turns. After that, you have to pay the piper. Setting the price for the iPad version to the same as it sells for on Steam for PC is a bold move, and unprecedented for a mobile port. To put this into context, 2K Games set a $20 price for the iOS port of XCOM: Enemy Unknown when it released to mobile in 2013. Civilization VI costs three times as much, though this isn't a stripped down port.

"It is rare for a premium game experience from PC/Mac to launch on iPad, and it’s important to note this isn’t a trimmed-down mobile version of Civilization VI. This is Civilization VI," Aspyr Media told Polygon.


Aspyr Media further explained that it optimized the game for the iPad platform, adding new features such as a battery life indicator, settings for map movement inertia and zoom sensitivity, options to have the game confirm certain actions (combat, movement, and harvesting), and adviser messages to explain how the controls have changed for the iPad versus PC. Or put a different way, Civilization has been "rebuilt with touch controls."

Part of the optimization process also meant that some things needed to be taken out. Specifically, the Strategic View is gone on the iPad version. In addition, Leaders only use static images, and Wonders will have less animation when being built. Otherwise, the port should play the same on iPad as it does on PC.

For iPad, Civilization VI requires iOS 11.0 or later and will run on an iPad Air or newer, iPad mini 2 or newer, or any iPad Pro model. It is the base game that is available without any DLC. On PC, the game will get its first expansion, Rise and Fall, on February 8, 2018. Aspyr Media says it hopes to eventually support DLC and expansions on the iPad, but did not have any other details to share.

If you're a Civilization fan and want to play Civilization VI, now is the time to buy. It's marked down 50 percent to $30, both on Steam for PC and in the App Store for iPad. That sale price will be in effect until January 4, 2018.