Galactic Civilizations IV: Supernova Edition

About

Prepare yourself to explore the galaxy, research new technologies, meet new alien civilizations and develop a galactic civilization that will pass the test of time. As leader of a fledgling interstellar species, it’s up to you to guide your people to develop new worlds, construct new kinds of starships and fight wars to ensure your civilization survives in what is often a hostile universe.

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6
Based on
1596 reviews
Country Compatibility:
Languages:
Developer:
Stardock Entertainment
Release date:
19 October 2023
Recent Steam reviews:
Mostly Positive (22)
All Steam reviews:
Mostly Positive (1596)

Game features

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Description

Prepare yourself to explore the galaxy, research new technologies, meet new alien civilizations and develop a galactic civilization that will pass the test of time.

As leader of a fledgling interstellar species, it’s up to you to guide your people to develop new worlds, construct new kinds of starships and fight wars to ensure your civilization survives in what is often a hostile universe.

4X Meets Grand Strategy

eXplore, eXpand, eXploit and eXterminate are just the start! Our in-game storyteller is combined with a sophisticated AI strategist to ensure that the living, lore rich universe you are experiencing is also populated with opponents who follow their own agendas and wield the intellect to make good on them.

Design Your Own Cosmic Legacy

Unleash your creativity with the unrivaled power of AlienGPT by describing your civilization’s characteristics, preferences, and aspirations, and watch our AI weave them into distinctive lore, diplomatic dialogues, starship selections, and ambassador portraits.

Play Tall or Wide

Govern as few, or as many, worlds as you like with the Core World and Colony split system. Tall play is viable by linking many Colonies into just a handful of Core Worlds, greatly increasing their resource output. Alternatively, many lower class planets can be manually improved and developed for a super-wide playstyle.

Craft Custom Interstellar Fleets

Harness your creative abilities to construct interstellar armadas with the Ship Designer, a feature that allows you to design and customize your own interstellar spacecraft. With an array of options for hulls, weapons, engines, and more, you can create a fleet that perfectly suits your strategy and style.

Forge a Unique Empire

With setup options that allow the player to play games lasting less than an hour, or for months, Galactic Civilizations IV supports many viable strategies. Create or play as a civilization with deep diplomatic and cultural abilities or play as a ravenous species bent on spreading to every world in the universe: Galactic Civilizations offers a deep set of options to ensure your style of play is rewarded.

Claim Victory Your Way

Conquering your rivals with force of arms isn’t the only way to win - enlighten the galaxy with superior cultural influence, navigate treacherous diplomatic waters to unite your rivals under your leadership, or earn a Prestige Victory with difficult Galactic Challenges.

Never The Same Game Twice

Experience thrilling adventures within procedurally generated galaxies teeming with surprises. Engage with a multitude of galactic events and rival civilizations to ensure every game is a unique and exciting experience, filled with challenges and opportunities.

Recommended system requirements

minimum*

Requirement 1:
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS:
Windows 10 64-bit
Processor:
Quad-Core Processor (Intel Core i5 / AMD Ryzen 2x00)
Memory:
8 GB RAM
Graphics:
1GB VRAM Video Card
DirectX:
Version 11
Network:
Broadband Internet connection
Storage:
22 GB available space
Sound Card:
Any
Additional Notes:
720p Minimum Screen Resolution Required

recommended*

Requirement 1:
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS:
Windows 10 / Windows 11 (64-bit)
Processor:
Quad-Core Processor (Intel Core i5 / AMD Ryzen 2x00)
Memory:
16 GB RAM
Graphics:
1GB VRAM Video Card
DirectX:
Version 11
Network:
Broadband Internet connection
Storage:
22 GB available space
Sound Card:
Any
Additional Notes:
720p Minimum Screen Resolution Required

User reviews

Pinkeh
Not recommended | 18 Apr 2026
2.9h played

I am perplexed by the studio's seeming inability to build upon their legacy, particularly given their three decades of experience within the gaming industry. The fourth installment in this esteemed series falls short of

Helpful: 21
Lifemin
Recommended | 02 May 2026
193h played

This is just a great game. Like the ultimate game of chess. I have been playing 4X space games for over 20 years, and this one has it all. Challenging AI, many playstyle choices, on and on. Very much recommended

Helpful: 0
xune_everhate
Recommended | 18 Apr 2026
280h played

I like this franchise of space x4 and this game makes justice to previous ones. So I recommend it to play as a single player game. I can't however recommend it to play multiplayer. Each turn you'll get 2 desync pop ups

Helpful: 3
Bee3Bee
Not recommended | 22 Apr 2026
10.1h played

Seemed similar to Endless Space 2 or Stellaris. But so far the Tutorial missions seem bugged, quests repetitive or bugged (planet with 54 pollution was getting "new plague emerged" event every month for 10 months in a

Helpful: 4
jet800
Not recommended | 17 Apr 2026
8.5h played

I've been following GC Series since 2nd installment. I cannot say I'm huge fan of 4X, but I do love them. With GC4 even after few years since release it still kinda feels like step back comparing to GC3. It feels dated,

Helpful: 6
MegaMiniMonsterMech
Not recommended | 27 May 2026
92.9h played

The game is mediocre with a souless quality. It has potential but as of now prepare for a 1000 turns of nothing. The community around stardock are so uptight I wonder if they even need toilet paper.

Helpful: 2