Unciv: a Kotlin and LibGDX remake of Civ V that stops at Civ V's rules

If a feature was not in Civ V, it goes into mods and not the base game

Unciv has a one-line scope rule. When asked whether a feature will be implemented, the answer in the project's FAQ is that if it exists in the original Civ V, then yes. If it does not, the base game will not get it, though it may become something modders can do, since the modding system keeps expanding.

The stated reason is practical. A clear vision is what gets things done, anyone can suggest an idea, not every idea is good, viable or simple, and few people can implement them. The work happens in spare time, so the team wants a clear-cut test for what to work on and what to skip. A Civ VI port is ruled out for the same reason, given how long it took to get this far.

For a reader the consequence is concrete. If you want mechanics from Civ VI or invented systems, the base game will not grow them. Your route is the mod system, and the project points modders to its own mods guide. If you want a faithful, smaller Civ V, the scope rule is the feature.

Gods and Kings and Brave New World mechanics are still on the roadmap

The roadmap is ordered: polish first, then Gods and Kings mechanics tracked in issue 4697, then Brave New World mechanics such as trade routes and the world congress. Polish means interface and experience work, plus better in-game automation and AI.

The project then says that at the moment no one is explicitly working on adding those mechanics. So the two expansions are open work rather than scheduled work. If you are coming from a full Civ V install, expect the base game's rules and not the expansion systems, and do not read a missing trade route as a bug you can wait out on a fixed date.

The flip side is that contribution is invited. Programmers are sent to the local build guide, translators to a translation guide with a completion-percentage file, and the contribution text says to open a pull request and it goes into the next version. The repository layout reflects that: android, core, desktop and server modules, a tests folder, fastlane metadata and a docs folder that feeds mkdocs.

Many install channels, and the project's own warning about the downloadable jar

Unciv is distributed through a long list of stores and package managers. Android users get Google Play or F-Droid. Linux users get itch.io, Flatpak through Flathub, or the AUR package unciv-bin. Windows users can take the MSI from the latest release, or itch.io, Chocolatey or Scoop. Raspberry Pi users go through Pi-apps. macOS users can use Brew with this command:

brew update && brew install unciv

There is also a written macOS install guide, and a build-from-scratch guide for people who prefer compiling.

The releases page offers jars, APKs and Windows and Linux builds, and the jar runs with `java -jar Unciv.jar`. The project marks this route as not recommended, because it updates frequently and a downloaded copy quickly falls behind. The cadence supports the warning: 4.22.14-patch1 appeared on 2026-10-26, 4.22.15 on 2026-10-28 and 4.22.16 on 2026-10-31, and the last push was on 2026-11-02. Use a channel that updates for you if you want to stay current, especially for multiplayer or mod compatibility.

The Docker image runs the desktop game inside a VNC session, not as a web app

The container is a way to see the desktop build in a browser. The run command is:

docker run -d -p 6901:6901 -p 5901:5901 ghcr.io/yairm210/unciv

You then open http://localhost:6901/vnc.html?password=headless. Port 6901 serves the browser VNC client and 5901 is the port for a native VNC client. The password is in the URL, so anyone who can reach those ports can reach the session. Do not publish them on an untrusted network.

The Dockerfile explains the mechanism. It builds on accetto/ubuntu-vnc-xfce-opengl-g3, installs openjdk-17-jdk, and compiles with `./gradlew desktop:dist desktop:packrLinux64`. The run stage copies the packed Linux build and Unciv.jar into the image, switches to user 1001 and starts /home/headless/Desktop/Unciv.sh. A comment in the file also records a workaround for Gradle not recognizing the JDK location, solved by re-linking the openjdk-17 directory.

The docker-compose.yml builds from the local Dockerfile, maps both ports and declares a volume named unciv-data aimed at /home/headless/.local/share/Unciv. Saving between runs and across image updates is covered in the Building-Locally guide, so read it before trusting a container with a long game.

There is no iOS build and Steam has declined to host it

Two platforms people ask about are closed. For iOS the author writes that he does not plan it: it means paying Apple, adding yet another release path, and having no iOS device means he cannot test properly. That is a statement about one maintainer's resources rather than a technical limit, so a build would need someone else to volunteer.

For Steam, the FAQ says Steam decided it does not want to host Unciv, and guesses this is to avoid legal risk with Firaxis, although the author argues such risk should not exist. Either way there is no Steam page to wishlist or buy from, and the channels listed above are the full set of official routes.

If you are searching for an iOS or Steam version, the consequence is simple: you will not find an official one. Treat any listing that claims to be Unciv on those stores with suspicion and compare it against the links in the project's install list.

The legal position: mechanics are not protected, assets and branding are

The FAQ addresses whether a Civ V clone is legal. Its argument cites the US Copyright Office document FL-108, which the author reads as saying intellectual property rights do not apply to game mechanics, with Flappy Bird knockoffs as the example.

The project then sorts what is off limits. It is definitely illegal to use assets from the original game, such as images and sound, because they belong to Firaxis. It is probably illegal, with no solid sources according to the author, to use the Civilization name or to impersonate the Civ games with a similar name and logo. The author also notes that the registered trademark appears to cover only one particular logo, then adds that the project is not going there.

This is the maintainer's reading and not legal advice, but it explains choices you can see: the game is called Unciv, its media files are authored by many people, and the code is under MPL-2.0 with TextureArraySpriteBatch.java forked from carlislefox/libgdx-texture-array-batch under CC0 1.0. If you fork or mod Unciv, borrowing Civ V art or sound is the one move the project calls definitely illegal.

Learning the game happens in the Civilopedia, and Civ V guides only partly apply

There is no separate Unciv wiki. The FAQ says all tutorial information lives in the game under menu, civilopedia, tutorials. For anything deeper it points to the Civ V wiki on Fandom, on the logic that Unciv is a Civ V clone and a search for how to play Civ V returns many answers. There is also a Discord server for questions.

The catch is the roadmap above. Advice written for Civ V with its expansions can describe Gods and Kings or Brave New World systems that Unciv has not implemented, so a guide step may refer to something missing from your game. When a Civ V page and the in-game Civilopedia disagree, the Civilopedia describes the build you are running.

The project's own comparison is also modest. It recommends Firaxis's Civilization V to anyone who wants high-resolution graphics, soundtracks and animations, and pitches Unciv as a small, fast, moddable, free and open-source 4X game that can run on very modest hardware.

Editorial conclusion

Unciv suits players who want Civ V's core rules on a phone or a modest PC, and modders who are happy to extend the game through mods rather than the base game. It does not suit anyone who needs Gods and Kings or Brave New World mechanics today, an iOS or Steam build, or Civ VI features. Before installing, pick a store or package channel that updates automatically, because the project moves faster than a downloaded jar.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

1. Issues
2. License: MPL-2.0
3. README
4. Releases
5. yairm210/Unciv on GitHub