In Civilization Revolution, the player takes the role of an enduring, supremely powerful ruler, who leads a tribe of people from pre-historic beginnings through the ancient, medieval, industrial, and modern eras, to eventually become the most powerful nation on the planet (and perhaps even beyond). Each turn, players make decisions about which technologies to research, what city improvements to build, how many military units to train and support, and whether to go to war or seek peace with competing civilizations. Food, research, and money are generated each turn, according to the types of terrain in the civilization's territory and the allocation of labor and infrastructure. A civilization can expand its territory by establishing new cities in unclaimed areas, or by taking over cities belonging to other nations.
Maps are randomly generated for each game, and players can adjust various set-up and difficulty options. While interfaces and appearances vary, all versions of Civilization Revolution feature the same content and run on the same rule set. All versions support multiplayer games for up to four over an internet connection.