Unciv
"An open-source reimplementation of the most famous civilization-building game ever - fast, small, no ads, free forever! Build your civilization, research technologies, expand your cities and defeat your foes!"- Unciv's F-Droid description
Unciv is a free and open source 4X (abbreviation of explore, expand, exploit, exterminate) strategy game developed by Yair Morgenstern (known online as yairm210). The game is described as an Android and Desktop remake of the game Civilization V by Firaxis, and it aims to play similarly to said game.
As the game it is based on, the goal behind Unciv is to create a prosperous civilization and reach the goal (such as building the Utopia project, defeat all other civilization, or win United Nations vote) before other civilization does. You are able to build buildings, conduct research, create units (builders, soldiers, etc), enact policies, erect cities, and more all in pursuit of reaching victory.
Installation
Unciv is available on a few platforms, including Windows, Linux, and Android. On Android, you can install the game from Google Play Store, F-Droid, itch.io, or Github. During our playthrough, we use version 4.16.8 of the game which was released on 6 May 2025. However, as the game is updated very frequently (once every only few days!), it is very likely that the version we are using is outdated by the time you are reading this review. The game evolves very quickly, so it is hard to keep the game and our reviews of it always up to date.
We installed the game through F-Droid and did not experience any issues during installation (though it can be a hassle to keep the game up to date). Unciv's download size is around 23.5 MB which would expand to 45 MB after installation.
Though we put the game's frequent updates in a bad light, it is important to keep in mind that frequent updates are a good thing; it means the developer maintains the game well and are constantly on the lookout to patch issues and improve the game. However, it also means that the game may need to be updated frequently, especially if you play multiplayer, which can take quite a bit of internet data, especially if auto-update is enabled in your app store of choice.
Gameplay
When you first start a campaign, the game will walk you through a tutorial to help you get a grip of the game's basics. This is very helpful, given that the game is rather complex (even the first screen of the tutorial mentions that fact). The game also features "Civilopedia" in the in-game menu which contains a lot (and we mean A LOT!) of information about the game and its mechanics.
At its core, Unciv is a turn-based game; every player takes a turn to do their things before ending their turn and letting the other players make their next move. You can play Unciv against computer-controlled AI or against fellow humans. The basic principle of the game is deceptively simple: you play as a civilization (usually a country or historical kingdoms such as The Netherlands, The Ottomans, Arabia, Germany, Rome, etc) and you need to build buildings, conduct research, create units, enact policies, erect cities, and more to secure victory.
Every civilization has their own unique characteristics; for example, Arabia receives double quantity of oil produced, Polynesia can explore the oceans earlier, Germany has panzers instead of tanks, and so on.
By default, you start from the Ancient era (right after agricultural revolution), and you start with a settler. Using the settler, you can begin founding your first city which will also be your civilization's capital. Once you found a city, you'll be able to construct units and buildings in your city. Units serve certain purposes (such as scout for exploration, settler for founding cities, and warriors for battle), and buildings can give certain effects (such as increasing culture, science, faith, or other effects). You are also able to begin research on technologies such as pottery, husbandry, archery, and mining. The units, buildings, and technologies will get more advanced as you continue playing the game and advances to later eras (medieval, renaissance, industrial, information eras, and more).
Then, you also have builders which can build buildings on your city tiles, Social Policies which you can enact after gathering enough culture. There are a few other things to pay attention to such as faith and religion (if gods and kings ruleset is chosen), though explaining all of them here would take a while.
As you build your empire, you should pay attention to your empire's gold (the currency used to buy stuff), natural resources (required to create certain stuffs), citizen happiness, culture, science, and more. You should also pay attention to the terrains around you because different terrains have different properties; grasslands are open and easy to pass through by units, forests and hills require more effort for units to pass through and offer extra defenses, rivers allow you to build water-based structures like water mills and hydro plants, and so on. Different tiles also have different resources which you can use to create stuff, so it's a good idea to make your cities where resources are plenty. There are also natural wonders which give extra bonuses.
Aside from all of that, you must also pay attention to other civilizations. Not only should you make your civilization more prosperous than the others, other civilizations can also declare war on you. Defend your civilization by building soldiers of units and fight back. Of course, your relationship with others does not need to always be violent; you can also act diplomatically with the other nations.
This description can only scratch a surface on everything Unciv offers. There are many more things in this game, but explaining them would take a while; it is a complex game, after all. But, as long as you pay attention, you might be able to understand the game as you play; the game starts quite slowly so you can focus on few things at a time.
Of course, the core of this game is strategy. You should balance everything; too much growth can lead to citizen unhappiness, but too little means you'll lag behind other civs. You must use the resources you have wisely, and think strategically about your next move.
Aside from all of that, the game also features a map editor which allows you to create custom maps to play on.
From the interview we conducted, our respondent stated that the game is "a little bit complex in the beginning", though things would make more sense later on as you invest time and energy into the game. The respondent also found the game "not to difficult" in earlier levels; indeed, the earlier difficulties such as Settler and Chieftain are not too difficult and is rather easy to approach, though the Warlord difficulty and higher require more understanding and deliberate strategizing to play on.
Performance
Performance is one of the game's main selling point. As the developer stated, "If you're in the market for high-res graphics, amazing soundtracks, animations etc, I highly recommend Firaxis's Civ-V-like game, 'Civilization V'. If you want a small, fast, moddable, FOSS, in-depth 4X that can still run on a potato, you've come to the right place."
In this regard, the game performs quite well even on smartphones. There are barely any lags, especially early on in the game. However, as the game progresses and more moving parts are on the playing field, the game may start to slow down during the AI's turn. Larger maps can also be quite laggy.
Overall, the performance should be good for the most part, even on weaker phones. However, caution should be taken if you decide to play for longer turns or on larger maps as those may demand more of your device's resources.
Graphics
Unciv is played from the top-down perspective with simplistic and pixellated graphics by default. The tiles, terrains, and units in the game is done in bright, colorful pixel-art style which looks beautiful despite its simplicity. The game may utilize pixel art, but it does not feel retro.
The user interface design of the game, however, is not pixelated. Instead, it follows flat design with simple flat graphics and a lot of blue backgrounds. While the user interface may be simple, it is still well-made, though it does not fit the game's historical or strategical themes too well; the art direction feels disconnected from the game's historical civilization theming.
Still, the game's graphics serve its purpose well, and you can even download texture packs and UI modifications easily (explained later in the customization section).
Audio
Unciv features both music and sound effects, though you would need to download "additional music" in the settings in order to have music in the game. By default, Unciv only has one music which constantly plays in the background without stopping in every screens and menus of the game (in-game, settings menu, new games menu, mods menu, etc), even if you switch screens. The music is a royalty-free track titled "Thatched Villagers" by Kevin MacLeod (perhaps one of the most famous royalty-free composer).
According to the interview we conducted, our respondent stated that the track fits the game well. Indeed, the track is fitting given the game's medieval and historical vibes, though having just this one track for hours and hours of playthrough does feel grating after a while. You'll probably feel sick of the music if you haven't turned it off entirely, though you could always download additional music in the mods menu if you want to.
The sound effects of the game mostly consists of clicking sounds whenever you tap on anything in the game. Along with that, there are also swiping sounds, metal-hitting sounds, explosion sounds, and a few other natural sound effects whenever a unit does something relevant or a relevant event occurs. These sound effects
Multiplayer
At it's core, Unciv is a multiplayer player vs player game, though it can be played in singleplayer if you compete against AI. Of course, as a competitive game, you can play multiplayer in Unciv through various methods, both offline and online.
First, you can play multiplayer offline on the same device by taking turns. Whenever a player is done with their turn, they pass the device (e.g. phone) to the other player and let them play their turn, repeat this step for all players and circle back once the next turn starts. Note that even in multiplayer, you can still have AI control certain number of players.
Additionally, you can play online multiplayer by enabling it when creating a new game and assigning a player id for every player you want to have joining your game. Once the game is created, you will receive a game id which you can share to your friends so they can join. The "help" button in the multiplayer menu should help you set up and join a multiplayer game.
Customizability
Unciv is a very customizable game. When starting a new game, you are able to customize the game in many ways including base ruleset, difficulty, game speed, max turns, victory conditions, map options, the available civilizations, and more to make the game fit your liking.
Opening the mods menu
Aside from that, mods made by the community are also available for the game and can be readily downloaded straight from main menu. These mods add a variety of stuff, including new units, new base ruleset, new civilizations, new buildings, new music (which is a very important addition), and so on. They can also change the way the game looks in terms of tileset, unitset, and UI.
The in-game settings also provide various options to customize the game by showing or hiding certain advanced UI elements, changing automation and autoplay, adjusting the display, and more. The customization is certainly welcome, though it can be overwhelming especially for newer players who might not be familiar with all the jargons and mechanics in the game.
The game also supports a good number of languages, including English, Italian, Russian, German, Indonesian, Dutch, Japanese, and so on, though most of the translations are incomplete.
Verdict
Unciv is an interesting take at a FOSS 4X strategy games based on Firaxis's Civilization series. Designed to be lightweight and moddable, the game has certainly achieved that goal with its small size and its treasure trove of community-made mods, even if it is not a looker compared to other 4X games on the market.
As with many 4X games, it is a complex strategy-based game that is certainly not for everyone. However, if you are in the market for a free of charge, free of ads Civilization-like games in your pocket, then Unciv is worth a shot. As the common sentiment goes, the game may make you say "one more turn" as you sink hours into a single session.
External Links
Google Play Store - Google Play Store listing of the game
F-Droid Repo - F-Droid repository of the game
Github - The game's source code
itch.io - Unciv on itch.io
Google Play Store - Google Play Store listing of the game
F-Droid Repo - F-Droid repository of the game
Github - The game's source code
itch.io - Unciv on itch.io
