Turns over daysAgainst the computer

Freeciv-web

An open-source game in the Civilization tradition that runs in a browser tab. Found a city in 4000 BC and play AI nations alone, or join a LongTurn world where everyone takes one turn a day.

Play in the browser ↗

An isometric river valley with a walled town, square fields, an ox cart, a wooden ship and a temple on a hill
An early civilisation: a walled town by a river, farms, an ox cart, a trireme and a temple on the hill. Illustration made for PlayWharf, not a screenshot.

Freeciv-web at a glance

PW-05Freeciv-web
One game
Hours solo; up to a year in LongTurn
Check in
None solo; daily in LongTurn
Players
Up to 20 seen
  • Players message you
  • Daily turns
  • Try it without an account
  • Sells nothing
  • No adverts

Facts

Made by
Freeciv volunteers, open-source project, no company
Running since
Freeciv since January 1996. freecivweb.com has counted games since 20 February 2016.
Setting
A civilisation from 4000 BC onwards
Format
Turn-based civilisation building: single-player against AI nations, multiplayer, play-by-email, hotseat on one computer, and LongTurn worlds with one turn a day.
One game lasts
As long as you like in single-player (saving needs an account); a LongTurn world runs up to 365 turns at one a day, so up to about a year (est.)
Check in
None in single-player; once a day in LongTurn worlds (est., from the 23-hour turn timer)
Players
3 to 20 human players in the five LongTurn worlds listed on 23 October 2026; the home page says LongTurn takes up to 300
Phone
No app, and we did not test the site on a phone.
Account
None for single-player: type any player name and start. Saving a game, and most multiplayer, needs an account with an email address. Some LongTurn games hand out their password on Discord.
Money
Nothing for sale and no adverts. The privacy policy says the site uses no marketing, advertising or commercial cookies. It asks for donations through Patreon.
Paid random items
None. The Odds tab in the game is a battle-odds calculator, not a purchase.
Chat
Chat inside each game and private messages to other nations; most community talk happens on Discord. The rules ban doxxing and links in game chat, and game masters handle complaints.
Age
The privacy policy says the site is for people 13 or older, and that under-13s should use it only with parental supervision. With no app, no PEGI rating applies.
Languages
English, in the web version we saw
Last update seen
LongTurn worlds running on 23 October 2026; last public code change on 3 July 2024

How it plays

How Freeciv-web plays

Freeciv is a free strategy game in the Civilization tradition. Three students at Aarhus University in Denmark started it in November 1995, and the first playable version came out in January 1996. Freeciv-web is the browser version, kept running by volunteers at freecivweb.com.

Our single-player test began in 4000 BC, turn 1, as the Western Romans, with settlers, workers and explorers on an isometric map. The page says an account is optional, but saved games need one, so without an account a session ends when you close the tab.

LongTurn is the slow version. One live world on 23 October 2026 had 19 human players, a 23-hour turn timer and a limit of 365 turns, and had reached turn 32. The rules warn that players idle for two turns early in a game may lose their nation.

The site's counter shows 3,147,979 single-player and 62,643 multiplayer games since 20 February 2016.

Your first game

  1. Step 1
    Go to www.freecivweb.com. Use only the .com address; the reason is below.
  2. Step 2
    Choose single-player, type any player name and press Start.
  3. Step 3
    Make an account if you want to save the game and come back to it.
  4. Step 4
    Before joining a LongTurn world, read the rules page: idle players can lose their nation.

Money, chat and age

Use www.freecivweb.com only. On 23 October 2026 the old address freecivweb.org showed an Indonesian slot-machine gambling site, and fciv.net redirected to another gambling site. The game's own footer still points its rules, terms and privacy links at the .org address; the same pages work on .com.

The game sells nothing and shows no adverts; its privacy policy rules out marketing and advertising cookies, and donations go through Patreon.

Multiplayer games have chat and private messages between nations, with game masters for complaints and a ban on doxxing. The privacy policy sets 13 as the minimum age, or younger with a parent watching.

Good for

Long solo evenings, players who like building more than fighting, and anyone who wants no adverts and nothing for sale.

Harder for

Phone players, quick sessions, and saving a single-player game without making an account.

Sources

Freeciv-web facts checked on 23 October 2026. How we check.

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