Civilization fans rejoice - the latest in the series, Civilization VI is now released. Here's a final roundup of all the best Civ VI deals on both the Deluxe and Standard Edition for launch week.

If you didn't spot the news this morning, Civilization VI pre-load is now live on Steam. Huzzah! For those that have already pre-ordered the game, you can get started on the download once you launch your Steam client.

For the rest of us still on the fence, retailers are betting on select incentives to nudge you into picking up a copy. Below you'll find the best Civilization VI digital deals for Steam as we head into this Friday's release.

Best Civilization VI Deals

Update: Prices above are updated for December and Winter Sale deals. If any of them are expired unexpectedly, you can also find the latest Civ VI deals listed here.

At GMG, you can pick up Steam copy of Civilization VI standard or deluxe for 20% off. Simply add the game to cart and you'll see the price reduced to $47.99 for Standard and $63.99 for Deluxe. The discount percentage is also at 20% in the UK/EU, with pricing at £39.99/€47,99 for Standard and £55.99/€63,99 for the Digital Deluxe, respectively.

Note that while the US/North America deal is a new addition - thanks to a limited time "hidden" Halloween sale GMG is running (note the pumpkin icon on the box cover) - the deal for Civ VI in the UK/EU are fairly "standard" in the sense that pre-purchase discounts are much more flexible than the US.

At DLGamer, you can pick up Civilization VI for full price of $59.99 but the France-based digital retailer is offering a $7 discount code for any future purchases in their store catalog (except Civilization VI and Mafai III). This is a good deal if you spot something you want to pick up at DLGamer

Essentially, if you want to play on Friday and take advantage of current pre-load, pick up the discount now before it expires suddenly, as it surely has expired at random times before.

What's in the Civilization VI Digital Deluxe Edition?

For those on the fence but you're still a significant Civilization fan - you may be wondering if you should pick up the Digital Deluxe or the Standard Edition. Here's what's included in Digital Deluxe that's not available in the Standard:

  • 25th Anniversary Digital Soundtrack
  • Four post-launch DLC packs
  • Each pack includes new maps, scenarios, civilizations, and leaders at a bundled discount
  • Expect each of these DLC packs to cost around $5.99 to $12.99
  • You'll save about around $3.99 to $7.99 by buying the Deluxe "bundled" price vs these individual packs separately
civ-6-deluxe-vs-stadard-steam

Launch Schedule for Civilization VI

With preloading under away on Steam, the release schedule has also been finalized by Firaxis on Civilization VI. The schedule is available below:

  • Zone 3: North/South America, game goes live on Steam at October 21, 12AM Eastern Time
  • Zone 2: Europe/Russia/Africa/Middle-East, game goes live at October 21 at 12AM British Standard Time
  • Zone 1: Asia/Australia/Oceanic, game goes live at October  21 at 3AM Australian Eastern Daylight Time
civ6-release-schedule-steam

Digital Deluxe or 25th Anniversary Edition Worth It?

To be honest this is a subjective question so you'll get a subjective answer. In essence, if you're a Civ fan and you haven't already finished preloading (yep there's plenty of us out there), the Deluxe Edition makes sense if you'll be wanting more content via the DLC packs, but if you're about to spring the extra cash for the digital deluxe, you may want to consider the even more expensive 25th Anniversary Edition.

Pricing at $89.99, the Anniversary Edition will cost more than $26 (or 28% more) than the discounted Digital Deluxe. The $28 is worth it if you want these additional physical goodies:

  • Anniversary Edition custom packaging
  • Civilization Through the Years hardcover art book
  • 25th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Set + Display Case
civ-6-anniversary-edition

For the physical goodies and extra price, this is an even more subjective purchase. Collector's and big fans of the series will most likely be enticed, but we think you should only get the 25th Anniversary Edition if you currently have access (or about to buy) Best Buy's Gamers Club Unlocked membership. Here's the deal in question:

Basically for those with GCU, this is a better buy vs. the discount on the Standard or Digital Deluxe of Civilization VI. If you don't have membership, you should strongly consider it as for the price of $30 (2 year membership), you'll immediately save $18 during checkout - making the membership cost only $12 for all the useful benefits. If you buy just one more game, you'll save the price you paid for GCU during this purchase.

While the artbook is cool and the commemorative coins even cooler - at the end these are collectibles without real functional use (the artbook may be a good coffee table book). If you just care about the game and its content - we'll go with the Digital Deluxe and save your cash for future Civilization VI expansion. That seems like the best way to go.