Civilization 3 multiplayer returns on Steam with new update

A new update for Sid Meier's Civilization 3 brings Steam-based online multiplayer functions to the game, nearly a year after publisher 2K Games warned that GameSpy's closure would take the game offline temporarily.

According to an update notice on Steam, Civilization 3's multiplayer "functions identically" to the previous GameSpy version with one exception: the Direct IP option is no longer supported.

2K says that Civ 3 players who own a physical disc version of the game will need to submit a support request to receive the multiplayer update.

GameSpy Technology ended service in May 2014, taking a long list of games offline. Some titles, like the 2K-published Borderlands, had their GameSpy-based multiplayer services restored on console and PC through updates.