.CIV5SAVE File Extension

A CIV5SAVE file is a saved game created by Sid Meier's Civilization V, the fifth game in the Civilization turn-based strategy series. It contains a record of a player's progress in a campaign or custom game.

Civilization V, or Civ 5, is a strategy game in which players attempt to grow a civilization to worldwide dominance via technological, cultural, or military means. The game includes single-player and multiplayer modes, and it allows players to play standalone scenarios or series of linked scenarios, known as campaigns.

When a player saves their progress in a Civ 5 custom game or scenario, that progress is saved in a CIV5SAVE file. The game stores these files in its Sid Meir's Civilization 5/​Saves directory.

The Saves directory contains multiple sub-directories, used to store different types of Civ 5 games. For example, the Single sub-directory contains single-player saved games.

To resume the saved game a CIV5SAVE file contains, place the file in the correct sub-directory within Civilization V's Saves directory. In Windows, the Saves directory is located at:

~/​Documents/​My Games/​Sid Meier's Civilization 5/​Saves

Then, find and load the saved game your CIV5SAVE file contains in Civilization V (multiplatform).

You can also edit the data a CIV5SAVE file contains using the unoffical, online Civilization V Save Editor.