Comparison

Sid Meier's Civilization® VI vs Steam Link

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Sid Meier's Civilization® VI

Lead a civilization from the Stone Age to the Information Age. Wage war, conduct diplomacy, and advance culture to build the greatest empire. Play 60 turns for free, with expansions available for purchase.

Highlights
  • Turn-based strategy gameplay
  • Build an empire through ages
  • Wage war and conduct diplomacy
  • Advance culture and technology
  • Cross-platform cloud saves
  • Expansion packs available
Features
Read full description

Play 60 turns of Civilization VI for FREE! ———————————————————— U P G R A D E · TO · K E E P · P L A Y I N G ———————————————————— Originally created by legendary game designer Sid Meier, Civilization is a turn-based strategy game in which you attempt to build an empire to stand the test of time. Become Ruler of the World by establishing and leading a civilization from the Stone Age to the Information Age. Wage war, conduct diplomacy, advance your culture, and go head-to-head with history’s greatest leaders as you attempt to build the greatest civilization the world has ever known. ———————————————————————— C R O S S -P L A T F O R M · C L O U D · S A V E S ———————————————————————— Civilization VI supports cross-platform cloud saves between all your favorite devices. When you own Civilization VI on multiple platforms, you can continue playing on compatible save files between your favorite devices. Link your 2K Account, tick the multi-platform cloud save box in options, and you're good to go! Get your 2K Account: accounts.2k.com/signup ———————————————————————— A D D I T I O N A L · C O N T E N T · A V A I L A B L E ———————————————————————— Expand your Civilization VI experience throughout world history with additional leaders, civilizations and features! The Rise and Fall expansion introduces new Great Ages, Loyalty, and Governors systems, expands existing Diplomacy and Government systems, and adds a variety of new units, districts, wonders, buildings, and more. The Gathering Storm expansion adds new Environmental Effects, Engineering Projects, Power and Consumable Resources, as well as the World Congress and a new Diplomatic Victory. New Frontier Pass introduces 6 new game modes that allow you to play with recruitable heroes from history and myth, dial-up natural disasters in Apocalypse Mode, or join secret societies that can enhance or undermine your empire. With Leader Pass, explore 18 new ways to play with a new roster of 12 leaders and 6 new personas for your Civilization VI experience. Break out of your comfort zone with new approaches to diplomacy, war & expansion. Each leader has a suite of new or updated abilities. Complete your Civilization VI experience with these expansions plus additional scenario packs, available now as In-App Purchases. ————————— Supported Devices ————————— Please make sure that your device is listed below. If your device is not listed below, the game will not work on your device! - iPhone 7, 7 Plus - iPhone 8, 8 Plus - iPhone X, XS, XS Max, XR - iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max - iPhone 12, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max - iPhone 13, 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max - iPhone 14, 14 Pro, 14 Pro Max, 14 Plus - iPad Air 2 - iPad Air (3rd Gen, 4th Gen) - iPad Mini (5th Gen) - iPad (5th, 6th, 7th, 8th Gen) - iPad Pro 9.7" - iPad Pro 10.5" - iPad Pro 11” (1st, 2nd, 3rd Gen) - iPad Pro 12.9" (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th Gen) ———————————— Technical Support Notes ———————————— We’re here to help! You can contact Aspyr’s Support Team via support.aspyr.com ———— Refunds ———— To request a refund, please visit reportaproblem.apple.com ©1991-2022 Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Developed by Firaxis Games. 2K, Sid Meier's Civilization, Civilization, Civ, Firaxis Games, Take-Two Interactive Software and their respective logos are all trademarks of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. All rights reserved. Published and distributed by Aspyr Media, Inc. Aspyr is a registered trademark of Aspyr Media, Inc., and the Aspyr star logo is a trademark of Aspyr Media. All rights reserved. Apple, iPad and iPhone are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

About

Steam Link

Play your PC Steam games on your iPhone or iPad. Connect a controller and stream your library wirelessly from your computer to your mobile device. Enjoy your favorite titles on the go with this app.

Highlights
  • Stream Steam library to mobile
  • Use MFI or Steam controllers
  • Play on iPhone or iPad
  • Requires iOS 11.0+
  • Connect to PC on same network
Read full description

The Steam Link app brings desktop gaming to your iPhone or iPad. Just pair an MFI or Steam controller to your device, connect to a computer running Steam on the same local network, and start playing your existing Steam games. Requirements: * iPhone or iPad using iOS 11.0 or higher * Computer running Steam - Windows, Mac, or Linux * iOS device must be on the same local network as the computer running Steam For best performance: * Connect your computer using Ethernet to your 5Ghz WiFi router * Connect your iOS device to the 5GHz band of your WiFi network * Keep your iOS device within a reasonable range of your router

Screenshots

Sid Meier's Civilization® VI4 screens
Steam Link4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Steam Link at none against Sid Meier's Civilization® VI's 10. Steam Link also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months) and review sentiment (43% vs 34%). Sid Meier's Civilization® VI's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Sid Meier's Civilization® VI sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Steam Link asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.2 for Sid Meier's Civilization® VI against 3.3 for Steam Link. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.6K and 3K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 34% of Sid Meier's Civilization® VI's written reviews are positive against 43% of Steam Link's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sid Meier's Civilization® VI ships an update every 2 months, Steam Link every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Sid Meier's Civilization® VI versus Steam Link: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSid Meier's Civilization® VISteam Link
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.2 (1.6K ratings)3.3 (3K ratings) — better
Positive reviews34.1% of reviews42.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.6K3K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size3.7 GB44 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperAspyr Media, Inc.Valve

Customer experience

Sid Meier's Civilization® VI

All ratings1,499 ratings
Positive51.8%
Neutral8.9%
Negative39.3%
Written reviews2,311 reviews
Positive34.1%
Neutral12.2%
Negative53.7%

Steam Link

All ratings3,041 ratings
Positive52.8%
Neutral10.3%
Negative37.0%
Written reviews1,634 reviews
Positive42.7%
Neutral10.3%
Negative46.9%

User reviews

Sid Meier's Civilization® VI

From 1.6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fully-featured Civ 6 experience on mobile
  • 👍 Intuitive touch controls and UI
  • 🌐 Ability to play on the go
  • 💡 Potential for future DLC and content updates

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive base game and DLC pricing
  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and performance issues
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 🔍 Blurry graphics and oversized UI on larger iPads

Steam Link

From 3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent streaming quality
  • 👍 Works well with controllers
  • 🔥 Allows playing PC games on the go
  • 💡 Versatile and convenient

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 🔌 Requires PC to be on and connected
  • 🔍 Limited touch controls
  • 🔧 Compatibility issues with some devices

Bugs and requests

Sid Meier's Civilization® VI

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Game freezing and crashing after extended play sessions
  • Issues with unit targeting and UI responsiveness
  • Inability to download and install DLC content properly
  • Disappearing save files and lost progress

Requested features

4 requests
  • Improved optimization and performance
  • Smaller UI elements and better scaling for larger screens
  • Ability to transfer saves and DLC purchases from other platforms
  • Support for multiplayer and cloud saves

Steam Link

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes on startup
  • Audio issues and sound problems
  • Controller mapping and input problems
  • Streaming quality and performance inconsistencies

Requested features

4 requests
  • Allow playing games with PC off
  • Add remote access and PC control features
  • Improve touch screen controls and customization
  • Expand device compatibility

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Sid Meier's Civilization® VI

One-time10
  • Multiplayer Compatibility PackFree
  • Play 60 Turns FreeFree
  • Australia Pack$4.99
Show 7 more
  • Poland Pack$4.99
  • Vikings Pack$4.99
  • Persia and Macedon Pack$8.99
  • Khmer & Indonesia Pack$8.99
  • Civilization VI Full Game$9.99
  • Rise and Fall$29.99
  • Gathering Storm$39.99
None

Steam Link

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Sid Meier's Civilization® VI free?
Sid Meier's Civilization® VI is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Steam Link free?
Steam Link is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Sid Meier's Civilization® VI or Steam Link?
Steam Link is rated higher. Sid Meier's Civilization® VI averages 3.2 out of 5 from 1.6K ratings, while Steam Link averages 3.3 from 3K ratings.
Do Sid Meier's Civilization® VI or Steam Link have ads?
Neither Sid Meier's Civilization® VI nor Steam Link shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sid Meier's Civilization® VI or Steam Link?
Sid Meier's Civilization® VI ships an update every 2 months, and Steam Link every 3 weeks. Most recently, Sid Meier's Civilization® VI was updated on October 29, 2026 and Steam Link on October 29, 2026.

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