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Map (Civ5)

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The map is the virtual game board on which a game of Civilization V takes place. Most scenarios use premade maps, but other types of games allow players to choose their own map script and let the game generate a world for them.

The map consists of a rectangular set of hexagonal tiles, and comes in six sizes. In most cases, the map will be cylindrical with wraparound on an east–west axis, with impassible ice caps at the northern and southern edges. However, there are some map scripts, such as Inland Sea, that do not feature wraparound with hard borders on all four edges.

Map scripts[]

Maps can be randomly generated through scripts, some of which were added with the Gods & Kings and Brave New World expansions. These scripts arrange the continental land and open sea into various configurations. There are also advanced map settings, which allow players to adjust aspects of a map such as ocean levels, rainfall levels, resource abundance, and the age of the world.

Icon Name Added in Description Notes
Random Map Type Civilization V The game will randomly pick one of the map types for you to play (not Earth). You will not be told what was picked. Default map when generating a new game.
Continents Civilization V The world will consist of a few large landmasses and some smaller islands.
Pangaea Civilization V All players start on one large landmass. There may be small islands off of the main continent.
Archipelago Civilization V This world will consist of many islands.
Fractal Civilization V A highly random map that will often form thin, snaky continents. No map customization options.
Earth Civilization V A map that spans the entire planet. One of two available maps of the Earth. No map customization options.
Amazon Plus Gods & Kings A region similar to the Amazon Jungle of South America, but with random elements. No map customization options.
Americas Cradle of Civilization Map Pack: Americas A large map spanning from Peru in the south to America in the north. Sets map size to Small. No map customization options.
Ancient Lakes Civilization V An all-land region featuring a large crater lake in the middle. Sets map size to Small. No map customization options.
Arborea Gods & Kings A world almost completely covered in forest.
Asia Cradle of Civilization Map Pack: Asia A large map dominated by the Himalayans and jungles of south east Asia. Sets map size to Large. No map customization options.
Boreal Gods & Kings A large region that is all tundra and well forested.
Europe Gods & Kings A randomly generated map that resembles Europe. No map customization options.
Four Corners Civilization V This map is sectioned into 4 equal sections, separated by water, with land in the very middle.
Frontier Gods & Kings A single continent scattered with mountains to simulate the rough environment of the frontier.
Great Plains Civilization V A region similar to the Great Plains of North America, but with random elements. No map customization options.
Great Plains Plus Gods & Kings A region similar to the Great Plains of North America, but with random elements. No map customization options.
Hemispheres Gods & Kings A world with two large, fairly balanced continents. Suitable for duel or two-teams multiplayer.
Highlands Civilization V A large region dominated by hills and mountain ranges.
Ice Age Civilization V A severely glaciated world where only regions near the equator are habitable.
Inland Sea Civilization V An all-land region that has a large salt water sea in the center.
Lakes Civilization V A world without oceans, only lesser bodies of water.
Large Islands Gods & Kings A world with numerous large islands, roughly equal in size but varying in terrain. Civs are placed on the best available islands.
Mediterranean Cradle of Civilization Map Pack: Mediterranean A large map covering the entire Mediterranean basin . Sets map size to Large. No map customization options.
Mesopotamia Cradle of Civilization Map Pack: Mesopotamia A large map spanning the Nile River valley to the west and extending east down the Tigris and Euphrates. Sets map size to Standard. No map customization options.
North vs South Civilization V A region split horizontally by desert.
Oval Civilization V An oval-shaped pangaea with random bays carving in to the sides.
Rainforest Gods & Kings A world almost completely covered in jungle.
Ring Civilization V Each civilization gets its own subcontinent. All are connected in clockwise fashion to adjacent neighbors.
Shuffle Gods & Kings A truly random map, including all core settings like world age, rainfall, etc.
Skirmish Civilization V A balanced map designed for 2 players.
Small Continents Civilization V The world will consist of a few medium landmasses and some smaller islands.
Terra Civilization V A very large world, similar to Earth, where all civilizations start on the continent akin to Asia-Europe-Africa.
Tilted Axis Gods & Kings A very large world, tilted on its side with its south pole always locked in to facing the sun.
Tiny Islands Civilization V This world will consist of many tiny islands.
West vs East Civilization V A region split vertically down the middle by a wide channel of water.
Amazon Explorer's Map Pack A region similar to the Amazon Jungle of South America, but with random elements. No map customization options.
Bering Strait Explorer's Map Pack The Bering Strait and lands surrounding, including the Russian Far East, Kamchatka, and Alaska. Sets map size to Standard. No map customization options.
British Isles Explorer's Map Pack Great Britain, Ireland, and countless smaller islands. Sets map size to Standard. No map customization options.
Caribbean Explorer's Map Pack Explore the Caribbean, in all its tropical splendor. Sets map size to Standard. No map customization options.
Continents Plus Explorer's Map Pack Similar to Continents, but with expanded scripting for chains of islands and city state placement.
Donut Explorer's Map Pack A circular pangaea. You can choose what type of terrain is in the center. No map customization options.
Eastern United States Explorer's Map Pack A map that spans the southern tip of Texas all the way up to the eastern tip of Nova Scotia. Sets map size to Standard. No map customization options.
Japanese Mainland Explorer's Map Pack This map focuses exclusively on Japan, with no surrounding countries in play. Sets map size to Tiny. No map customization options.
Pangaea Plus Explorer's Map Pack Similar to Pangaea, but with expanded scripting for chains of islands and city state placement.
Sandstorm Explorer's Map Pack A harsh world composed primarily of desert with smaller patches of plains and grassland.
Africa Scrambled Continents Map Pack A map of Africa, randomized except for some key features. No Tiny and Huge map sizes. No map customization options.
Antarctica Thawed Scrambled Continents Map Pack A randomized fantasy version of Antarctica where only a small portion remains frozen. Sets map size to Large. No map customization options.
Earth Scrambled Continents Map Pack The entire Earth, with geographically correct landforms and randomized terrain and features. One of two available maps of the Earth. No map customization options.
East Asia Scrambled Continents Map Pack A map of Eastern Asia, where the landforms and the Himalayas are constant, with all other terrain randomized. Only Small and Large map sizes. No map customization options.
Middle East Scrambled Continents Map Pack A map of the Middle East spanning the Black Sea to the Arabian Sea, where the landforms are constant, and all other terrain is randomized. No Huge map size. No map customization options.
North America Scrambled Continents Map Pack A map of North America spanning Colombia to Alaska, where the landforms and northern tundra are constant, and all other terrain and features are randomized. No map customization options.
Oceania Scrambled Continents Map Pack Similar to Archipelago, with more of a continental feel with clusters of broken continents, small islands, and plenty of open water. Limited map customization options.
Small Continents Plus Scrambled Continents Map Pack A new approach to the original Small Continents map, adding sprawling island chains and better continent generation.
South America Scrambled Continents Map Pack A map of South America, where the landform is constant, and all other terrain and features randomized, including the "wandering" mountain ranges. Only Tiny and Standard map sizes. No map customization options.
Western Europe Scrambled Continents Map Pack A map of Western Europe, where the landforms and mountain ranges are constant, with all other terrain and features randomized. Only Small and Standard map sizes. No map customization options.
Australia Scrambled Nations Map Pack A map of Australia, with randomized terrain and coastal start locations. No Large and Huge map sizes. No map customization options.
Canada Scrambled Nations Map Pack A map of Canada with northern banding of tundra and snow, and randomly generated swaths of plains, grasslands and forest. No Duel and Huge map sizes. No map customization options.
China Scrambled Nations Map Pack A script-driven map that resembles the shape and terrain of China, completely randomized. No map customization options.
France Scrambled Nations Map Pack A map of France, where the landform is constant, and all internal terrain is randomized. No Huge map size. No map customization options.
Italy Scrambled Nations Map Pack A map of Italy, where the landform and the Alps are constant, with all other terrain randomized. Only Small and Standard map sizes. No map customization options.
Japan Scrambled Nations Map Pack A map of Japan, where the landform and key mountains are constant, and all other terrain is randomized. Only Duel and Small map sizes. No map customization options.
Russia Scrambled Nations Map Pack A map of Russia, where the landform is constant, and all the internal terrain is randomized. No map customization options.
Scandinavia Scrambled Nations Map Pack A map of Scandinavia, randomized except for some key features. Only Small, Standard, and Large map sizes. No map customization options.
Turkey Scrambled Nations Map Pack A map of Turkey, where the landform is constant, and all internal terrain is mountainous and randomized. Only Small, Standard, and Large map sizes. No map customization options.
United Kingdom Scrambled Nations Map Pack A map of the United Kingdom, including England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, with all terrain randomized. Only Tiny and Standard map sizes. No map customization options.

Map size[]

As mentioned above, Civilization V separates maps into six distinct sizes. The size of a map determines the default numbers of players and city-states and the number of natural wonders in the game, as shown in the table below. It also affects penalties related to warmongering. These are the default sizes for most maps, but individual maps can use different sizes. Of the official maps, Tilted Axis and Terra have the largest dimensions, while Four Corners, North vs South, and West vs East have the smallest.


Duel
Tiny
Small
Standard
Large
Huge
Dimensions 40×24 56×36 66×42 80×52 104×64 128×80
Players (Default) 2 4 6 8 10 12
City-State City-States (Default) 4 8 12 16 20 24
Natural Wonders 2 3 4 5 6 7
Maximum active Religion Religions 2 3 4 5 6 7
Unhappiness Unhappiness per city +3 +3 +3 +3 +2.4 +1.8
Unhappiness Unhappiness per annexed city +5 +5 +5 +5 +4 +3
Tech cost modifier* 100% 100% 100% 110% 120% 130%
Tech cost per city+ +5% +5% +5% +5% +3% +2%
Policy cost per city+ +10% +10% +10% +10% +7.5% +5%

* Multiplicative
+ Additive

See also[]

  • Map in other games

External links[]

Civilization V [edit]
Gods & Kings • Brave New World
Lists
Concepts
Miscellaneous
† Only in vanilla Civ5 • ‡ Only in Gods & Kings and Brave New World
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