A River is a type of terrain feature in Civilization VI. It exists almost everywhere in the world, and runs between tiles. It always ends in a body of Water.
- Yields: Nothing
- Movement needed: 3
Movement MPs to cross - Defense provided: +5 bonus against melee attacks coming from across the river (Ranged attacks are unaffected)
- Additional traits:
- Provides Fresh Water to nearby tiles
- Can provide Fresh Water via an Aqueduct
- Cities founded next to it can construct the Water Mill building
May contain Floodplains areas which inundate during Flood disasters, causing destruction and killing 
Citizens from nearby cities.- Cities founded next to it can construct the Dam district to mitigate flooding.
- The Lumber Mill Improvement receives a +1 Production bonus if next to a River
- +1 Appeal to nearby tiles
- Provides +2 Adjacency bonus to Commercial Hub Districts
- River Goddess Pantheon: +1 Amenities Amenity for cities which have a Holy Site District near a River.
Strategy
Rivers are invaluable for city settlement, as they supply fresh water and enable the Water Mill (and various wonders) to be built. With it, any city may get a good start at growing and producing as early as the Ancient Era! An Aqueduct built next to it will also supply a nearby city with Fresh Water for 
Housing Housing purposes.
But rivers do more than that. They provide a bulwark against invasions for any commander that knows how to use them; they turn Deserts into paradise by enabling the Floodplains feature; elsewhere they allow improved farming with the Civil Engineering Civic; they improve commerce thanks to the additional transport opportunities they provide for merchants.
Finally, you may use a River as means of finding the nearest sea in your early exploration. Every river flows from its source to either another river, or to a large body of water - just follow the flow direction.
Gathering Storm brings a whole new level of strategy to rivers: they are now areas of one of the brand new disasters: the flood. Pay attention to the areas marked as Floodplains (they can appear now not only in deserts, but also in plains and grassland areas) - they are the ones which will flood during disasters! You can still develop them normally, but floods may damage, or even outright destroy your improvements and districts placed there! However, they will also enrich the soil, adding 
Food and/or 
Production to their base yields, and making them potentially even more useful than before! So, developing floodplains becomes a calculated risk which may bring lots of pain or rich rewards.
River Names
Gathering Storm introduced a new mechanic in which Rivers can have different names based on the first civilization that finds them. Below is a list of river names and, where applicable, the civilization/s they are assigned to.
| River | Civilization | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Abukuma River | Japan | The 2nd longest river in the Tōhoku region and the 6th longest river in Japan |
| Achelous River | Greece | It formed the boundary between Acarnania and Aetolia. In ancient times its spirit was venerated as the river god Achelous. |
| Agno River | None | A river on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. It is one of the largest river systems in the country. |
| Alazani River | Georgia | The main tributary of the Kura in eastern Georgia. Part of its path forms the border between Georgia and Azerbaijan. |
| Amazon River | Brazil | The largest river by discharge volume of water in the world |
| Amiskwasîpi | Cree | Cree name of Beaver River. Flows east through Alberta and Saskatchewan and north into Lac Île-à-la-Crosse on the Churchill River which flows into Hudson Bay. |
| Amnok River | Korea | AKA "Yalu River". A river on the border between North Korea and China. |
| Amu Darya River | None | Historically known by its Latin name "Oxus". A major river in Central Asia. Darya is Persian for "River", so it is also known as the Amu or Amo River. |
| Amur River | China, Russia | The world's 10th longest river, forming the border between the Russian Far East and Northeastern China |
| Apurimaq Mayu | Inca | Quechua name of the Apurímac River. It flows generally northwest past Cusco and is twice as deep as the Grand Canyon. |
| Aras River | Ottomans | The river that flows along the borders between Turkey and Armenia, Turkey and the Nakhchivan area of Azerbaijan, between Iran and both Azerbaijan and Armenia, and finally through Azerbaijan to the Kura River. |
| Arkansas River | America | A major tributary of the Mississippi River. The 6th longest river in the United States, the 2nd longest tributary in the Mississippi–Missouri system, and the 45th longest river in the world. |
| Arno River | Rome | A river in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the most important river of central Italy after the Tiber. |
| Atbarah River | Nubia | A river in northeast Africa rises in northwest Ethiopia, north of Lake Tana and west of Gondar. Referred by ancient authors as the Astabaras River |
| Athabasca River | Canada | A river that originates from the Columbia Glacier of the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada |
| Atoyac River | Aztec | One of two Mexican rivers. One flows into the Rio Verde, which empties into the Pacific near Laguna Chacahua, west of Puerto Escondido. The other forms part of the Río Balsas. |
| Awriq Mayu | Inca | Quechua name for the Marañón River. The principal or mainstem source of the Amazon River. |
| Ayung River | Indonesia | The longest river on the Indonesian island of Bali. The river is famous for white water rafting. |
| Bahr Yussef | Egypt | A canal which connects the Nile River with Fayyum in Egypt. In ancient times, it was known as Mer-Wer (the Great Canal). This project was built during Amenemhat III's rule. The Arabic name refers to the prophet Yusuf, the Quranic counterpart of the Biblical Joseph |
| Balsas River | Aztec | A major river of south-central Mexico. The basin flows through the states of Puebla, Morelos, Guerrero, and Mexico. The river flows through the Sierra Madre del Sur, and empties into the Pacific Ocean at Mangrove Point, adjacent to the city of Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán |
| Bani River | Mali | The pricipal tributary of the Niger River. |
| Barada River | Arabia | A major river of Syria. It flows through Damascus. |
| Barito River | Indonesia | A river of Borneo. |
| Bassac River | Khmer | One of the major channels of the Mekong Delta |
| Batanghari River | Indonesia | |
| Beirut River | Phoenicia | |
| Bengawan Solo River | Indonesia | |
| Bio-Bio River | Mapuche | |
| Brahmaputra River | India | |
| Brisbane River | Australia | |
| Bug River | Poland | |
| Bukhan River | Korea | |
| Chinchipe River | Inca | |
| Coatzacoalcos River | Aztec | |
| Colorado River | America | |
| Columbia River | Canada, America | |
| Congo River | Kongo | |
| Cooper Creek | Australia | |
| Dal River | Sweden | |
| Damietta River | Egypt | |
| Danube River | Hungary, Germany | |
| Darling River | Australia | |
| Daugava River | Russia | |
| Delaware River | America | |
| Diyala River | Sumer | |
| Dnieper River | Russia | |
| Dniester River | None | |
| Don River | Russia, Scythia | |
| Douro River | Spain | |
| Dunajec River | Poland | |
| Ebro River | Spain | |
| Elbe River | Germany | |
| Enguri River | Georgia | |
| Euphrates River | Arabia, Sumer | |
| Eurotas River | Greece | |
| River Forth | Scotland | |
| Fraser River | Canada | |
| Gambia River | Mali | |
| Ganges River | India | |
| Geum River | Korea | |
| Glomma River | Norway | |
| Godavari River | India | |
| Great Zab River | Sumer | |
| Guadalquivir River | Spain | |
| Guadiana River | Spain | |
| Gudbrandsdalslågen | Norway | |
| Hai River | China | |
| Haliacmon River | Macedon, Greece | |
| Han River | Korea | |
| Hutt River | Australia | |
| IJssel River | Netherlands | |
| Imjin River | Korea | |
| Indal River | Sweden | |
| Indus River | India | |
| Inkisi River | Kongo | |
| Irrawaddy River | None | |
| Ishikari River | Japan | |
| Itata River | Mapuche | |
| Jājrūd River | Persia | |
| Jordan River | Phoenicia, Arabia | |
| Júcar River | Spain | |
| Kapuas River | Indonesia | |
| Karkheh River | Persia | |
| Karun River | Persia | |
| Kasai River | Kongo | |
| Kātēpwēwi-sīpī | Cree | |
| Kaveri River | India | |
| Kawarau River | Māori | |
| Kawatiri River | Māori | |
| Kerülen River | Mongolia | |
| Khabur River | Sumer | |
| Kisiskāciwani-sīpiy | Cree, Canada | |
| Kitakami River | Japan | |
| Kızılırmak River | Ottomans | |
| Klara River | Sweden | |
| Körös River | Hungary | |
| Kshipra River | India | |
| Kura River | Georgia | |
| Lek River | Netherlands | |
| Lena River | Russia | |
| Limpopo River | Zulu | |
| Litani River | Phoenicia | |
| Loire River | France | |
| Lule River | Sweden | |
| Mackenzie River | Canada | |
| Madeira River | Brazil | |
| Mahakam River | Indonesia | |
| Maipo River | Mapuche, Inca | |
| Mamberamo River | Indonesia | |
| Mantō-sīpiy | Cree | |
| Mapocho River | Mapuche | |
| Mareb River | Nubia | |
| Maritsa River | Greece | |
| Mata-Au River | Māori | |
| Maule River | Mapuche, Inca | |
| Medjerda River | Phoenicia | |
| Mekong River | Khmer | |
| Meuse River | Netherlands, France | |
| Mississippi River | America | |
| Missouri River | America | |
| Mixteco River | Aztec | |
| Mogami River | Japan | |
| Mtkvari River | Georgia | |
| Murat River | Ottomans | |
| Murray River | Australia | |
| Murrumbidgee River | Australia | |
| Musi River | Indonesia | |
| Nakdong River | Korea | |
| Narew River | Poland | |
| Narmada River | India | |
| Nestos River | Greece | |
| Niger River | Mali | |
| Nile River | Nubia, Arabia, Egypt | |
| Northern Dvina | Russia | |
| Noteć River | Poland | |
| Numedal River | Norway | |
| Ob River | Russia | |
| Ochekwi-Sipi | Cree | |
| Oder River | Poland, Germany | |
| Ofanto River | Rome | |
| Ohio River | America | |
| Okavango River | None | |
| Orange River | None | |
| Orinoco River | None | |
| Orkhon River | Mongolia | |
| Orontes River | Phoenicia | |
| Otra River | Norway | |
| Papaloapan River | Aztec | |
| Paraguay River | None | |
| Paraná River | Brazil | |
| Paroo River | Australia | |
| Pearl River | China | |
| Po River | Rome | |
| Potomac River | America | |
| Powinigow Sipi | Cree, Canada | |
| Putumayu | Inca | |
| Rába River | Hungary | |
| Rakaia River | Māori | |
| Rangatikei River | Māori | |
| Rauma River | Norway | |
| Red River | None | |
| Rhine River | Netherlands, Germany, France | |
| Rhone River | France | |
| Rio Grande | America | |
| Río Negro | Brazil | |
| Rioni River | Georgia | |
| River Avon | England | |
| River Clyde | Scotland | |
| River Dee | Scotland | |
| River Eden | England | |
| River Great Ouse | England | |
| River Severn | England | |
| River Spey | Scotland | |
| River Tay | Scotland | |
| River Tees | England | |
| River Trent | England | |
| River Welland | England | |
| Rosetta River | Egypt | |
| Rubicon River | Rome | |
| Saint Lawrence River | Canada, America | |
| Sakarya River | Ottomans | |
| Salween River | China | |
| San River | Poland | |
| Sankarani River | Mali | |
| Sankuru River | Kongo | |
| São Francisco River | Brazil | |
| Saraswati River | India | |
| Scheldt River | Netherlands | |
| Se Kong River | Khmer | |
| Sefīd River | Persia | |
| Seine River | France | |
| Senegal River | Mali | |
| Seomjin River | Korea | |
| Shinano River | Japan | |
| Songhua River | China | |
| Srepok River | Khmer | |
| Struma River | Macedon, Greece | |
| Susquehanna River | America | |
| Syr Darya River | Scythia | |
| Tagus River | Spain | |
| Tapiskwan Sipi | Cree | |
| Tarim River | China | |
| Te Awakairangi | Māori | |
| Tehuantepec River | Aztec | |
| Tenryu River | Japan | |
| Teshio River | Japan | |
| River Thames | England | |
| Tiber River | Rome | |
| Tigris River | Sumer, Arabia | |
| Tisza River | Hungary | |
| Tocantins River | Brazil | |
| Toltén River | Mapuche | |
| Tonalá River | Aztec | |
| Tone River | Japan | |
| Tongariro River | Māori | |
| Tonlé San River | Khmer | |
| Tonlé Sap River | Khmer | |
| Torne River | Sweden | |
| Truful-Truful River | Mapuche | |
| Tshuapa River | Kongo | |
| Tugela River | Zulu | |
| Tuul River | Mongolia | |
| Ucayali River | Inca | |
| Umfolozi River | Zulu | |
| Umzimkulu River | Zulu | |
| uMzinyathi River | Zulu | |
| Ural River | Russia, Scythia | |
| Vardar River | Macedon | |
| Vistula River | Poland | |
| Volga River | Russia, Scythia | |
| Waal River | Netherlands | |
| Wadi Al-Batin | Arabia | |
| Wadi al-Rummah | Arabia | |
| Wadi Hanifa | Arabia | |
| Waiapu River | Māori | |
| Waiau River | Māori | |
| Waikato River | Māori | |
| Waimakariri River | Māori | |
| Waitaki River | Māori | |
| Wallaqa Mayu | Inca | |
| Warrego River | Australia | |
| Warta River | Poland | |
| Wazalafken River | Mapuche | |
| Wei River | China | |
| Weser River | Germany | |
| Whanganui River | Māori | |
| Willkamayu | Inca | |
| Wisłoka River | Poland | |
| Wuskwi Sipi | Cree | |
| Yamuna River | India | |
| Yangtze River | China | |
| Yellow River | China | |
| Yenisei River | Mongolia, Russia | |
| Yeşilırmak River | Ottomans | |
| Yukon River | Canada, America | |
| Zagyva River | Hungary | |
| Zambezi River | None | Unclear |
| Zavkhan River | Mongolia | |
| Zāyandé River | Persia |