Civilization 6, one of the most popular turn-based strategy games around has bested many a conqueror trying to take over the world. Published by 2K Games in 2016, Civilization 6 still holds up in 2020 with new content and DLC still being released for the game. But to fully immerse yourself as an up and coming ruler of the world, you're going to need the best laptop for Civilization 6 and that's what we're doing today; finding the best laptop for your conquests in Civ 6.
But first, let's take the time to find out what Civilization 6 is all about.
What is Civilization 6?
Civilization 6 gives the player the opportunity to be one of many various conquerors and nations around the world. From there, players will do everything in their power to build an empire to stand the test of time. You will advance your civilization from using stone tools, to swords, to guns and modern warfare technologies. Manage your civilization and culture while bringing peace or war mongering around the world with some of the greatest leaders through history.
No seriously, fancied yourself a pacifist like Gandhi? Or maybe the crueler ways of Genghis Khan? How about advancing one of the most ancient civilizations with Cleopatra? The possibilities are endless. Civilization 6 in particular adds in various game modes and mechanics such as how leaders in game will follow their real life motto and goals. Advance your civilization and achieve victory in battle in one of five various ways to win the game.
All in all, an interesting strategy game with not that many others out there like it.
Now that we have a better understanding of the game and its mechanics, we're going to take a look at the minimum and recommended system requirements for Civilization 6. Considering that it's a fairly old game, we're probably going to see some pretty minimal specs to match up with. That being said, let's get straight into it.
Minimum System Requirements
The minimum specs needed for Civilization 6 seem to be modest enough. You're going to need an Intel Core i3 or AMD Phenom II processor with a base 2.5GHz clock speed. Not too intensive considering the latest Intel Gen processors like the 10th or 11th Gen Core i5/ Core i7 will out match these speeds relatively easily. Civilization 6 also requires 4GB RAM, 12GB of storage on your HDD and at least an AMD 5570 or Nvidia Geforce GTS 450 graphics card with 1GB of VRAM minimum.
All this really means is that to get the game up and running, you're not going to have to splurge on the most expensive laptop. But while having these bare bones specs will get you playing Civilization 6, it probably won't be a very pleasant experience. Not to mention you're limiting your own gaming experience with other games and releases. For that, we're going to have to take a look at the recommended specs for Civ 6.
Recommended Specs
From here we can see that Civilization 6 needs a little extra boost in power to get the best performance on your gaming laptop. Mainly the addition of a 4th Gen Intel Core i5 or AMD FX8350 processor, 8GB of RAM and at least a AMD 7970 or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 with at least 2GB VRAM. Based off this, still fairly reasonable requirements as most hardware made in recent years outshine these specs. Most gaming laptop brands especially will have the most recent processor and graphic card setups so I'm not too worried here.
Having these specs will get your game looking the best it can with the graphics turned up and no lag/slow framerate. A very integral part of the overall gaming experience, especially if you're out and about on the globe, conquering civilizations left and right, fighting off hordes of barbarians. But just having the graphics turned up isn't enough, to fully add to the Civ 6 immersion. You're going to need some little extras to make the game pop out even more. The best laptop for Civilization 6 will hit most if not all of these extra features, so keep a lookout for these when you're shopping for a gaming laptop.
The Extras
Display
One important aspect of your gaming laptop will be the display. Mainly because what you're looking when you play games is, well, the screen. Pretty obvious right? Anyway, having a great screen comprises of one major factor; the screen resolution.
Screen Resolution
The base for most games, videos and content online for laptops is 1920 x 1080, also known as Full High Definition (Full HD). That's the minimum we should look for on a gaming laptop. You could also opt for a 4K resolution display, but that would entail a larger price-tag solely for a screen upgrade. Considering we don't need 4K for Civ 6, we'll mostly be considering Full HD displays. Some of the laptops on the list will have options to upgrade to a 4K display, so check that out if that's what you're looking for.
Size of Screen
Another aspect of the display will be the size. The size of the screen matters less as a 'spec', and comes down to personal preference. Depending on your needs, you might want a bigger, or smaller laptop. A good range for Civ 6 would be 14" - 15.6" as I feel anything bigger or smaller than that might not be worth the money. Especially so for gaming. Most gaming laptop brands will probably mash in other display features such as a higher refresh rate or low response times. All great add-ons, but not totally essential for playing Civilization 6.
Battery Life
Battery life on a laptop is an integral part to the experience. Not many will care about how long the battery lasts, but it can drastically change the way you use a gaming laptop. Most gaming laptops are bulky, heavy machines with only one goal in mind: run games. Adding to that bulk is probably a big, and heavy power brick that you'll need to lug around with you to charge up the laptop.
A longer battery life negates all these adverse effects to portability, making it easier for you to use on the go. I mean, imagine you were in an intense game of Civ 6 with your friends online, and suddenly it shuts off mid game. Trust me, it's not a fun experience, especially if you're gaming with a bunch of friends waiting to roast you as soon as you're back in the chat.
Keyboard
A good keyboard will have you typing and navigating Windows as best you can. A great keyboard however, will have extra functionalities such as backlit keys, mechanical keyboard, island style keyboard, and many other options. For a gaming laptop, the most sought out feature would probably be the backlit keyboard. This could come in the form of a single back light such as red, green, or white. But on a flagship gaming laptop, they might include a variety of colors, patterns, and functionalities included on the laptop.
These extra keyboard features and lighting doesn't affect gameplay, but are very cool aesthetic wise. There are some games which take advantage of this functionality and change the colors on the keys according to certain actions in game, so it's definitely something to look out for. I doubt Civ 6 will feature such functionality, but on other games, you're good to go.
And now after we've highlighted some great extra features to look out for, let's get straight into the list to find the best laptop for Civilization 6!
The Best Laptop For Civilization 6
1. Acer Nitro 5
The Acer Nitro 5 is one of the most sought out gaming laptops for one very practical reason; the affordable price. That's not the only reason of course, as the Acer Nitro 5 packs in some heavy hitting hardware for a lower price compared to other gaming laptops. You can pack in more power for a higher price, and this version of the Acer Nitro 5 comes with top tier specs. On the front you've got a 15.6-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS widescreen panel with some fairly thin bezels around the frame, perfect for taking in the scenes in Civilization 6 before totally running amok in villages on the map.
Powering the gaming laptop is a 9th Gen Intel Core i7 processor with 16GB RAM and 256GB SSD on board. The 9th Gen Intel Core i7 in combination with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 graphics card with 6GB on-board VRAM makes for best-in-class performance. All together, the Acer Nitro 5 is well equipped to take on Civilization 6 and many newer games as well. Some fun extras added into the package include a pretty great red backlit keyboard with a 1.6mm travel distance. This makes gaming and typing more comfortable, making for accurate input. They also include a 'NitroSense' key which you can set to various commands in game.
The Acer Nitro 5 will get you through up to 8 hours of battery life, so that's some sizable power to get you through some gaming. When you take a look at the total package you're getting with the Acer Nitro 5, it's some great hardware with some solid extras for a complete gaming experience. Paired with the reasonable price and ability to take it down a notch to get a better deal, this is a great option for the best laptop for Civilization 6.
2. ASUS ROG Strix G15
The ASUS ROG Strix G15 is part of some of the best of the best in ASUS's ROG gaming laptop lineup. This one is no exception, housing a 15.6-inch FHD display with a crisp 240Hz refresh rate and 3ms response time. This one feature puts the ASUS ROG Strix G15 ahead of the competition, as a higher refresh rate means a smoother and faster gaming experience. It also does help when you're browsing the internet and scrolling through your laptop, so that's a plus. Though, the pretty screen isn't the only thing that's special about the ROG Strix G15.
On the inside, the ROG Strix 15 is powered by a 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10750H, 16GB DDR4 RAM, and a hefty 1TB SSD. Paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 with 8GB on-board VRAM, you're looking at a powerhouse gaming laptop more than capable of handling Civ 6. There are some other great extras built into the ROG Strix 15, as it comes with ROG's Intelligent Cooling which keeps the laptop cool while performing at high-levels. This is done with a combo of a liquid metal compound and well-ventilated design around the laptop.
But that's not all folks. Another essential for gamers, has to be the look of their gaming gear. The ROG Strix G15 has that and some with RGB lighting on the keyboard, logo on the back, and an Aura Sync bar at the bottom of the laptop. This greatly adds to the overall gamer aesthetics, and it's just so fun to have all that RGB lighting sync up with one another. It's something you don't know you're missing, until you use it yourself. It greatly adds to the gaming experience, making it feel that much more premium. But for that premium feeling, you're going to have to pay a premium. The only downside on an otherwise stellar entry to the list of the best laptop for Civ 6.
3. MSI GF63
If you were in the market for a more affordable gaming laptop, the MSI GF63 might be the best fit for you. It comes with a 15.6-inch FHD IPS-level display with a rather paltry 60Hz refresh rate. It does make up for it with fairly thin bezels around the display which is a welcome feature for gaming laptop displays. Definitely not the best, but considering the price a 60Hz panel is pretty reasonable. Internally, the MSI GF63 packs a 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9750H processor with 8GB DDR4 RAM and a 256GB SSD. By itself, these specs are fairly impressive with a strong processor and RAM combo, making it match up to Civ 6's recommended specs.
Adding to the laptop's capabilities is a humble NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti graphics card, which isn't the latest graphics card, but still an excellent performer. Especially so for games from 2016, which the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti can run with high graphics turned up. For Civilizations 6, it should be more than enough to bring out the fantastic looking graphics in game. Considering Civ 6 is a turn based strategy game, you're not going to need the best performing graphics card with ray-tracing capabilities and other fancy add-ons.
Some of the other notable features that the MSI GF63 comes with includes Cooler Booster 5 to cool the GPU and CPU while in-game and running intensive apps. Another standout for the laptop is the thin dimensions and form factor while retaining a subtle gamer aesthetic throughout. It still has that distinct look of a gaming laptop, but it's muted enough to pass as a normal, everyday productivity laptop. Overall some great features for a great price making for an all-round excellent choice for your Civ 6 companion.
4. HP OMEN 15
HP's OMEN lineup is their latest endeavor into the gaming laptop scene, and the OMEN 15 is a testament to their brand. It's a pretty overpowered laptop, housing an almost alien like 15.6-inch FHD display with a 60Hz refresh rate. Not the fastest display, but still a very attractive design and panel. The laptop also features the trackpad ever so slightly shifted towards the left, not an important part of it, but something to take note of for picky shoppers. Otherwise, the OMEN 15 really has a fantastic, futuristic look to it that I'm totally into. The isolated display design, with intricate patterns and the defined logo on the rear makes for quite a head-turner.
Under the hood the HP OMEN 15 comes with some rather powerful specs, hosting a 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10750H processor. Considering the 1oth Gen Intel Core i7 is one of the latest flagship Intel processor, you shouldn't run into too much trouble in Civ 6. Combining the processor with 8GB RAM and 512GB SSD, you're pretty much covered for the RAM and storage specs for the strategy game. For the graphics, the HP OMEN 15 is equipped with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with 6GB DDR6 VRAM. This makes for a really powerful and speedy performer, perfect for running a few rounds in Civilization 6.
Adding to an already plentiful armada of hardware, the OMEN 15 also comes some of the best in-built gamer features. Some of these features include an RGB enabled backlit anti-ghosting keyboard, OMEN Tempest Cooling Tech, Bang&Olufsen speakers and a 6 1/2 hours of battery life. Not the best battery around, but it does charge back up to 50% in just 45 minutes with HP's Fast Charge technology. Overall a great combination of features, hardware and software that looks almost too good to pass up.
5. Lenovo IdeaPad L340
For the low-key gamer, the Lenovo IdeaPad L340 gaming laptop is the right answer for you. It might not have the best looks in terms of a 'gaming laptop', but for a lower price you get a no nonsense laptop with a simplistic gamer aesthetic and sizable power. On the display, we have a rather standard 15.6-inch FHD IPS Widescreen display with some thin bezels on the side. Nothing too exciting, but it does have a certain allure to it when you look at the laptop.
It's minimalist gamer vibes isn't the only thing the IdeaPad L340 has going on, as it comes with a 9th Gen Intel Core i5-9300H processor with 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD. This hardware alone should be more than enough to run some low-intensity games. But it does add to the firepower with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 with 4GB on-board VRAM, making it a capable performer. Like I said, it's not the highest spec'd laptop, but for the price you're getting some solid hardware than will get games looking the best it can.
Some other notable features the laptop has includes a full-size Island style keyboard, HD audio with the stereo speakers, and a blue-tinted backlit keyboard. Speaking of the blue-tint, the laptop features the color on the keyboard, and two logos on the front and back. This makes for a really standout look, but muted and subtle enough to not overly scream 'gamer'. A great look with some decent hardware and a fantastic price. If you were on a budget, this might be the best laptop for you.
Conclusion
Out of all the stellar gaming beasts we've seen so far, only one can stand out as the best of the best. All the gaming rigs we've shown so far are all capable of running Civilization 6 at it's highest graphic settings with no lag and slowdown. Even though it was a hard fought contest, one comes up victorious as the best laptop for Civilization 6.
Today, the laptop taking the championship belt as the best is the HP OMEN 15!
This laptop truly encompasses what it means to be one of the best gaming laptops around. The HP OMEN 15 has a great design and eye-catching aesthetics all around; from the keyboard, to the rear panel and futuristic display frame. Underneath the stunning looks comes some hard hitting power which will get you through a lot of Civ 6 matches, and any other games you might want to check out. The design, hardware, and gamer-centered features all add into an overpowered, attractive laptop to satisfy all your strategy game needs.
