Actions Sid Meier's Civilization 4 takes place in 4000 BC. At the start of the passage, the player receives one settler and a warrior under control. If you upgrade your hunting technology, a scout will appear instead of a soldier. Minor factions, barbarian tribes and small villages emerge on the map. Before the match, you can choose the type of map: island archipelago, 2-3 continents or pangea.

The size of the terrain will affect the number of civilizations fighting each other. The user is able to adjust the climate and sea level, which will change the landscape and the amount of resources available throughout the area. Sid Meier features a turn-based system of battles, capturing territories and extracting resources. Each move equals a certain number of years. The gamer is able to change the speed of the game. The closer civilizations are to modernity, the fewer years there are in one turn. The combat has been changed, now each unit has experience that accumulates through completed battles. Barracks, dry docks, and other recruit locations provide researched upgrades.

Ways to achieve victory:

• Dominance. If you take control of 56% of the land area and 25% of the population on the existing map.
• Conquest. It will be necessary to eliminate the largest number of rivals capable of resisting the controlled state.
• On points. The match ends in 2050 and the side with the most points wins.
• Culture. It is necessary to recreate 3 cities with the most developed culture, earning 50,000 points in a given area at normal speed.