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Recently Sid Meier's Civilization VI from Firaxis Games had a major update and DLC release that broke it on macOS and reverted to a really old version for Linux but porter Aspyr Media has partially fixed it for Linux now.

For the Native Linux build, it is at least now up to date with version 1.0.12.9 instead of the really old version they seemingly put up by accident. It still won't launch on a lot of newer Linux distributions without workarounds though, which Aspyr are likely to never fix and that has been a problem for years. This means the new Leader Pass should work fine.

As an example of the Linux workaround for the Native version, you can use a simple Steam Launch Option:

Arch:

LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib/libfreetype.so.6 %command%

Fedora:

LD_PRELOAD=/lib64/libfreetype.so.6 %command%

Debian:

LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libfreetype.so.6 %command%

I'm still honestly amazed such a seemingly simple library issue was left in for years. It's also surprising it took over a week for them to fix the wrong game version for Linux…

However, due to performance, you're likely far better off with the Windows version in Proton and you can work around the problematic 2K launcher with this Steam launch option:

eval $( echo "%command%" | sed "s/2KLauncher\/LauncherPatcher.exe'.*/Base\/Binaries\/Win64Steam\/CivilizationVI.exe'/" )

Seems like they haven't yet fixed it for macOS, with lots of complaints on Steam about it. Aspyr really dropped the ball on this update and the annoyance from users is quite understandable.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly came back to check on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly. Find me on Mastodon.
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6 comments

dpanter Dec 5, 2022
Debian and derivatives:
LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libfreetype.so.6 %command%
Liam Dawe Dec 5, 2022
Quoting: dpanterDebian and derivatives:
LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libfreetype.so.6 %command%
Thanks, added in.
dpanter Dec 5, 2022
*buntu was implied in the 'derivatives' part. ;)
Geamandura Dec 5, 2022
I can't play Civ 5 and BE any more due to startup crashes (have to force Win version in Proton instead), I'm disgusted by 2K, just trash on a platter instead of goodwill, but I'm really surprised this trash has caught up with Civ 6 so quick after release. It's still their flagship Civ... JFC 2K. Not seeing a penny, rather give it to Humankind or Old world.
Teodosio Dec 6, 2022
They should stop porting their games, and start releasing native versions instead. They have plenty of money, get another couple of developers and check that the game compiles on GNU from the start.
LNX Dec 8, 2022
"All I wanna say is that they don't really care about us" (c)
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