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Civilizations are playable factions, each of which represents a historical nation, empire or cultural group. Each civilization in Civilization VI has a unique ability (a.k.a. "trait") and two unique components: a unit and a piece of infrastructure, which may be a building, a district, or a tile improvement.
Civilization VI makes a distinction between a civilization and its leader, not unlike Civilization IV - each civilization can now have multiple leaders, and each leader comes with his or her own unique ability, which is added to the other unique traits of the civilization (and, in some cases, provides an additional unique unit, piece of infrastructure, and/or Governor that further augments that civ's and leader's specifics). When controlled by AI, each leader also pursues a specific agenda throughout the game, which modifies the AI behavior of this civilization. Thus the same civilization may behave quite differently throughout the game, depending on which leader leads it. A wise player will learn not only all different civilizations' special abilities and units, but also their leaders' special traits and agendas, which will allow him or her to anticipate the AI behavior during the game.
Vanilla Civilization VI included 18 different civilizations at the launch, with the Aztecs (19th) as a pre-order bonus that became available to everyone 90 days after the launch. The Poles, Australians, Persians, Macedonians, Nubians, Khmer, and Indonesians were later added as DLC. The Rise and Fall and Gathering Storm expansions added 8 new civilizations each, bringing the total number of playable civilizations to 42. The New Frontier Pass will add another 8, for a total of 50 playable civilizations, the largest number in any game in the franchise to date.
Originally there was only one civilization with multiple leaders: the Greeks, who may be led by either Pericles or Gorgo. The Rise and Fall expansion added Chandragupta as an alternative leader to Gandhi for the Indians. The Gathering Storm expansion added Eleanor of Aquitaine, who can lead either the English or the French.
List of civilizations[edit | edit source]
Civilization | Leader(s) | Civilization Ability | Unique Unit | Unique Infrastructure |
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() American |
![]() Teddy Roosevelt |
Founding Fathers
Government legacy bonuses accumulate in half the usual number of turns. |
P-51 Mustang | Film Studio |
![]() Arabian |
![]() Saladin |
The Last Prophet
Automatically receives the final |
Mamluk | Madrasa |
![]() Australian[1] |
![]() John Curtin[1] |
Land Down Under | Digger | Outback Station |
![]() Aztec[2] |
![]() Montezuma[2] |
Legend of the Five Suns
Can spend Builder charges to complete 20% of a district's |
Eagle Warrior | Tlachtli |
![]() Babylonian[3] |
![]() Hammurabi[3] |
Enuma Anu Enlil
|
Sabum Kibittum | Palgum |
![]() Brazilian |
![]() Pedro II |
Amazon
Rainforest tiles provide a +1 adjacency bonus for Campus, Commercial Hub, Holy Site, and Theater Square districts, and provide +1 Appeal to adjacent tiles, instead of the usual -1. |
Minas Geraes | Street Carnival |
Copacabana ![]() | ||||
![]() Byzantine[4] |
![]() Basil II[4] |
Taxis
+3 |
Dromon | Hippodrome |
![]() Canadian ![]() |
![]() Wilfrid Laurier ![]() |
Four Faces of Peace
Cannot declare Surprise Wars or war on City-States. Surprise Wars cannot be declared on Canada. For every 100 |
Mountie | Ice Hockey Rink |
![]() Chinese |
![]() Qin Shi Huang |
Dynastic Cycle
|
Crouching Tiger | Great Wall |
![]() Cree ![]() |
![]() Poundmaker ![]() |
Nîhithaw | Okihtcitaw | Mekewap |
![]() Dutch ![]() |
![]() Wilhelmina ![]() |
Grote Rivieren
Rivers provide a +2 adjacency bonus for Campus, Theater Square, and Industrial Zone districts. Building a Harbor triggers a Culture Bomb, claiming surrounding tiles.
|
De Zeven Provinciën | Polder |
![]() Egyptian |
![]() Cleopatra |
Iteru
+15%
|
Maryannu Chariot Archer | Sphinx |
![]() English[5] |
![]() Victoria |
Vanilla and ![]() Each Archaeological Museum can hold six ![]() ![]() ![]() Iron and Coal Mines accumulate 2 more resources per turn. +100% ![]() |
Sea Dog | Royal Navy Dockyard |
![]() Eleanor of Aquitaine[6] ![]() | ||||
![]() Ethiopian[7] |
![]() Menelik II[7] |
Aksumite Legacy
Improved resource tiles receive +1 |
Oromo Cavalry | Rock-Hewn Church |
![]() French |
![]() Catherine de Medici |
Grand Tour
+20% |
Garde Impériale | Château |
![]() Eleanor of Aquitaine (French)[6] ![]() | ||||
![]() Gallic[4] |
![]() Ambiorix[4] |
Hallstatt Culture
Mines gain +1 |
Gaesatae | Oppidum |
![]() Georgian ![]() |
![]() Tamar ![]() |
Strength in Unity
Dedications chosen at the beginning of a Golden Age or Heroic Age also grant their Normal Age bonuses towards improving Era Score, in addition to their regular bonuses. +50% |
Khevsur | Tsikhe |
![]() German |
![]() Frederick Barbarossa |
Free Imperial Cities | U-Boat | Hansa |
![]() Gran Colombian[8] |
![]() Simón Bolívar[8] |
Ejército Patriota | Llanero | Hacienda |
![]() Greek |
![]() Pericles |
Plato's Republic
Gain an additional Wildcard policy slot in all Governments. |
Hoplite | Acropolis |
![]() Gorgo | ||||
![]() Hungarian ![]() |
![]() Matthias Corvinus ![]() |
Pearl of the Danube
+50% |
Huszár | Thermal Bath |
![]() Incan ![]() |
![]() Pachacuti ![]() |
Mit'a
Citizens may work Mountain tiles. Mountain tiles provide +2 |
Warak'aq | Terrace Farm |
![]() Indian |
![]() Gandhi |
Dharma
Indian cities receive the Follower Beliefs of all religions with at least one follower in them, not just the majority religion.
|
Varu | Stepwell |
![]() Chandragupta ![]() | ||||
![]() Indonesian[9] |
![]() Gitarja[9] |
Great Nusantara
Coast and Lake tiles provide a +0.5 adjacency bonus for Holy Site, Campus, Industrial Zone, and Theater Square districts. Entertainment Complexes built adjacent to a Coast or Lake tile provide +1 |
Jong | Kampung |
![]() Japanese |
![]() Hojo Tokimune |
Meiji Restoration
Districts receive a +1 adjacency bonus for each adjacent district, instead of +0.5. |
Samurai | Electronics Factory |
![]() Khmer[9] |
![]() Jayavarman VII[9] |
Grand Barays | Domrey | Prasat |
![]() Kongolese |
![]() Mvemba a Nzinga |
Nkisi
|
Ngao Mbeba | Mbanza |
![]() Korean ![]() |
![]() Seondeok ![]() |
Three Kingdoms | Hwacha | Seowon |
![]() Macedonian[10] |
![]() Alexander[10] |
Hellenistic Fusion
Conquering a city grants a free |
Hypaspist | Basilikoi Paides |
![]() Malian ![]() |
![]() Mansa Musa ![]() |
Songs of the Jeli
City Centers receive +1 |
Mandekalu Cavalry | Suguba |
![]() Māori ![]() |
![]() Kupe ![]() |
Mana
Starts with Sailing and Shipbuilding unlocked and the ability to enter Ocean tiles. +5 |
Toa | Marae |
![]() Mapuche ![]() |
![]() Lautaro ![]() |
Toqui
All units trained in cities with an established Governor gain +25% combat experience. +10 |
Malón Raider | Chemamull |
![]() Mayan[8] |
![]() Lady Six Sky[8] |
Mayab
Cities do not receive additional |
Hul'che | Observatory |
![]() Mongolian ![]() |
![]() Genghis Khan ![]() |
Örtöö
Sending a |
Keshig | Ordu |
![]() Norwegian |
![]() Harald Hardrada |
Knarr
Norwegian units gain the ability to enter Ocean tiles with Shipbuilding, instead of Cartography, and pay no additional |
Berserker | Stave Church |
![]() Nubian[11] |
![]() Amanitore[11] |
Ta-Seti
+50% |
Pítati Archer | Nubian Pyramid |
![]() Ottoman ![]() |
![]() Suleiman ![]() |
Great Turkish Bombard
+50% |
Barbary Corsair | Grand Bazaar |
![]() Persian[10] |
![]() Cyrus[10] |
Satrapies
Gains +1 |
Immortal | Pairidaeza |
![]() Phoenician ![]() |
![]() Dido ![]() |
Mediterranean Colonies | Bireme | Cothon |
![]() Polish[12] |
![]() Jadwiga[12] |
Golden Liberty
Building an Encampment or Fort triggers a Culture Bomb, claiming surrounding tiles. One Military policy slot in all governments is converted into a Wildcard policy slot. |
Winged Hussar | Sukiennice |
![]() Roman |
![]() Trajan |
All Roads Lead to Rome
Founded or conquered cities start with a Trading Post and, if within |
Legion | Bath |
![]() Russian |
![]() Peter |
Mother Russia
Founded cities start with eight additional tiles. Tundra tiles provide +1
|
Cossack | Lavra |
![]() Scottish ![]() |
![]() Robert the Bruce ![]() |
Scottish Enlightenment
Happy cities gain +5% |
Highlander | Golf Course |
![]() Scythian |
![]() Tomyris |
People of the Steppe
Building a light cavalry unit or Saka Horse Archer grants a free second copy of that unit. |
Saka Horse Archer | Kurgan |
![]() Spanish |
![]() Philip II |
Treasure Fleet
May form Fleets and Armadas with Mercantilism, instead of Nationalism and Mobilization.
|
Conquistador | Mission |
![]() Sumerian |
![]() Gilgamesh |
Epic Quest
Capturing a Barbarian Outpost also grants a Tribal Village reward. Levying city-state units costs 50% less |
War-Cart | Ziggurat |
![]() Swedish ![]() |
![]() Kristina ![]() |
Nobel Prize
Gains 50 |
Carolean | Open-Air Museum |
![]() Zulu ![]() |
![]() Shaka ![]() |
Isibongo
Capturing a city will upgrade the conquering unit into a Corps or Army if the necessary civics are unlocked. +3 Loyalty per turn to cities with a garrisoned unit, increasing to +5 if the garrisoned unit is a Corps or Army. |
Impi | Ikanda |
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Added in Australia Civilization & Scenario Pack (23 February 2017).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Preorder DLC. Became available for all players free of charge 90 days after the release of the game.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Added in Babylon Pack (19 November 2020).
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Added in Byzantium & Gaul Pack (24 September 2020).
- ↑ The English in the vanilla game and the Rise and Fall expansion have the special ability British Museum while in the expansion Gathering Storm they have the ability Workshop of the World.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Eleanor of Aquitaine is both an English and a French leader.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Added in Ethiopia Pack (23 July 2020).
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Added in Maya & Gran Colombia Pack (21 May 2020).
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Added in Khmer and Indonesia Civilization & Scenario Pack (19 October 2017).
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Added in Persia and Macedon Civilization & Scenario Pack (28 March 2017).
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Added in Nubia Civilization & Scenario Pack (27 July 2017).
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Added in Poland Civilization & Scenario Pack (20 December 2016).
Added in the Rise and Fall expansion pack.
Added in the Gathering Storm expansion pack.
Videos[edit | edit source]
See also[edit | edit source]
- Civilizations: A list of civilizations in all Civilization games.