Play Civilization online — the original 1991 DOS game Works — the full original game runs via DOSBox in your browser
Guide updated October 2026 · Runs via DOSBox + WebAssembly
Civilization — Sid Meier's 1991 game for MicroProse. Start with one band of settlers in 4000 BC, found cities, research from bronze working to space flight, and grow an empire that outlasts its rivals or reaches Alpha Centauri first. Click Play and answer the setup questions: 1 for VGA, 4 for sound, 1 for mouse and keyboard.
1–5: menu choices · Y / N: answer · ENTER: confirm · SPACE: continue
⌨ Keyboard — for menus & name entry
Controls — what does what
| Action | Keyboard | Mouse / touch |
|---|---|---|
| Move a unit | Arrow keys or numeric keypad | Click the destination |
| Found a city | B | — |
| Fortify / sleep | F / S | — |
| End turn | Enter | — |
| Setup prompts | 1, then 4, then 1 | — |
Runs in your browser tab with DOSBox + WebAssembly — nothing is uploaded. Click the screen to capture input; press Ctrl+F10 to release mouse.
Civilization is no longer sold anywhere, and its publisher is gone or has left it unsold for decades. It is hosted here on the same footing as the Internet Archive's software collections. That is a practical position, not a legal claim. This page carries no advertising. Provenance: /apps/civilization/NOTICE.md. Rights holders: it comes down within 48 hours on request.
About Civilization
Civilization made the "one more turn" game. Every city sets what it builds and how its people work the land around it; every turn you choose research, move units and handle diplomacy with leaders from Lincoln to Genghis Khan. Wonders of the World give permanent bonuses. You win by conquest or by landing a colony ship on Alpha Centauri. The game asks a question from its manual early on as copy protection; the answer is in the Civilopedia.
Tips for getting started
Found your first city on the spot unless the land is poor; every turn spent wandering costs growth. Build settlers early, and put warriors in every city before the barbarians arrive.
How it runs here
This is the original DOS release of Civilization, unmodified, running in DOSBox compiled to WebAssembly. The whole game is about 2 MB, so it starts within seconds on a normal connection. Sound and music play once you click into the game.
Frequently asked questions
Can I play Civilization online for free?
Yes. Click Play and the original 1991 DOS version starts in your browser, running in a WebAssembly build of DOSBox. Nothing to install and no account.
Why is Civilization hosted here?
Civilization is not sold anywhere today; we checked the stores listed in its provenance note. It is preserved here the way the Internet Archive preserves old software. That is a practical position, not a legal claim. If the rights holder (Take-Two Interactive (2K)) asks, it comes down within 48 hours.
Does my progress save?
Saved games persist in this browser between visits, best-effort. Clearing site data removes them.
Can I play on a phone or tablet?
Yes. Touch buttons for the keys Civilization uses appear under the game on touch devices.
More you can play in your browser
Related guides
- Dune IIPlay Dune II in your browser: Westwood's 1992 game that founded real-time strategy. Harves
- SimEarthPlay SimEarth in your browser: Maxis' 1990 planet simulator. Shape a world from molten roc
- OpenTTDBuild railways, roads and airports and run a transport empire. Free and instant.
- Run your own DOS gameHave another DOS game on disk? Drop it into the DOS player.
Want a game like this on your own site?
Civilization isn't ours to give away — we host it, we didn't write it. But eleven of the games here we did write from scratch, and those are free for anyone to put on their own page: one line of HTML, no account, no permission, no attribution beyond a credit line.