A quick scan of the web seems to reveal that the launch version of PC game Civilization 5 is solid (as evident by our Civilization 5 review). I don't see evidence of widespread reports of problems with the game, but it is a big launch, and the endless variation of PC builds out there ensures that there will be some problems with installing and running the strategy game, so below, please find some fixes to some of the most common problems I've seen with Civilization 5.

Here are some of the most common problems out there, as well as some solutions/suggestions for fixing them.

• Step One: Make sure your PC is powerful enough to run the game. Here are the specs:

Minimum Requirements:

CPU: Intel Core2 Duo @ 1.8GHz / AMD Athlon X2 64 @ 2.0GHz
Memory: 2.0GB
Video Card: nVidia GeForce 7900GS / ATi HD2600 XT / Intel Core i3 integrated graphics
DirectX: DirectX 9.0c

Recommended Requirements:

CPU: Quad-core processor @ 1.8GHz
Memory: 4.0GB
Video Card: nVidia GeForce 9800 / ATi 4800
DirectX: DirectX 11

• Step Two: Update your drivers. A huge percentage of PC related gaming problems can be taken care of with this easy step.
• Game Freezes: This seems to be a relatively commonly reported problem with Steam users. The game freezes for some users at seemingly random times. The hive-mind over at the Steam forums has determined the following about this problem:

1. It happens probably only on Directx 10/11 mode. Crashes have been similar on Dx9 but not exactly as above.
2. Seems that running DxSetup.exe that came with the game, inside its folders, gives some stability. From my experience I couldn't play for more than 20 minutes and after that almost for two hours, then bam again.
3. Genk said on this topic something that could be related: some oddity about Directx 11 and the refresh rate stuck on 59hz. I really don't know what to do with that information, but seems to fit somewhat.
4. On 2K forums, specifically on this topic, there's another thought about the mess Microsoft did about 10/10.1 directx versions. Since Civ 5 seems to be made for 10.1, Dx 10 cards like 8800 (which are the more affected so far) could be damned, but then it excludes the other cards, like mine - 5850.
5. I guess people have been confusing two similar problems, because some said that lowering the graphics on leaders solves the problem above. That can be true if the link between game engine and the Video options interface are completely messed up since I guarantee some crashes I saw had *nothing* to do with leaders (i.e. one was when I was clicking on an item to be produced inside city screen). But worth a try, since I've been trying everything possible, which I didn't yet.

• Civilization V “Out of Memory” Error Fix: Reducing your graphics to a lower setting may solve this problem.  If it doesn't, and you feel comfortable messing with your computer, find this value in the config(ini) file, “HideOutOfVRamWarning” and set HideOutOfVRamWarning = 1 using notepad. This should remove the warning message.
• Error Code: -5009 : 0x8000ffff : Clean out the temp folder. If that doesn't work, Fix Corrupt Install Shield files. Go to  "C:\Program Files\Common Files\InstallShield\Professional\RunTime," and delete or rename IsProBE.tlb then re-run the install.
  
• Problems with the Civ 5 Intro Movie: Go To:

  “My Documents\My Games\Sid Meiers Civilization 5\”

  and open usersettings.ini in Notepad. About 15 lines down you will find “SkipIntroVideo = 0″. Make this value 1. This will skip the intro video and you will be directly entered to the game menu.

• Civilization V Black Screen Out of Range Error: This error happens because your monitor doesn't support default resolutions, so you have change the video settings first. So: Right click on ‘Civilization V’ in Steam -> Properties -> Set launch options. Add “-w 1024 -h 768 -refresh 60″. Run the game, and change video settings in game options to this resolution and refresh rate.

• Broken DirectX 10 DirectX 11 Launcher Fix: If you get DirectX error on running the launcher. In order to fix that go to properties of Steam.exe and ensure that ‘Compatability mode’ is turned off. Click ‘Change settings for all users’ in order to un-grey the Compatibility mode, but after that everything will work perfectly fine.

• Game Won’t Install From Disc: Requires Download From Steam: Try deleting all the game files and re-install the game using setup.exe from the disk.

I hope this solves your problems. If not, check out these resources:

• 2K's official tech support. Leave a question here. Someone should be able to help you out.
• Steam's Forums
• Website Segment Next has compiled a great list of common bugs and problems with fixes.