thumb|300px|rightThere are eighteen civilizations available from the start, and Civilization V is also the first incarnation of the series where the leaders speak their native language.
Babylon comes as a bonus with a pre-order of the Deluxe Edition through a number of Digital Distribution platforms e.g. Steam / Direct 2 Drive. It was later made available as DLC.
Mongolian was made available as free DLC on 25th October, 2010 and is added automatically through Steam update.
Spanish and Incan were made available as DLC on 16th December, 2010.
Polynesia was made available as DLC on 3rd March, 2011.
Danish civilization was made available as DLC on 3rd May, 2011.
Korea was made available as DLC on August 11, 2011.
Nine new civilizations will come with the Gods and Kings DLC in late Spring, those confirmed are Mayans, Byzantines, Celts, Carthage, and the Netherlands.