Wonder (Civ6)

Back to Civilization VI

A Wonder is a mega-building that is unique in the world and provides potent bonuses to a civilization. All Wonders are inspired by, and named after, famous real-world buildings or landmarks that have stood the test of time and changed the world forever. Wonders require time, energy, and effort to complete, but once constructed, they provide your civilization with many benefits.

Civilization VI adds a feature known as "wonder movies," which allows you to watch a Wonder being constructed from scratch in less than 30 seconds (somewhat similar to the wonder movies from Civilization IV). This replaces the announcement screen you see in Civilization V when you complete a Wonder.

Building a Wonder

Building a World Wonder is an important achievement for a civilization. Each specific Wonder may exist only once in the whole world, so their construction is, in fact, a race between civs. Players should plan their progression well if they want to be able to build the Wonders they covet! Note that, unlike in Civilization V, the "consolation prize" for failing to complete a Wonder before another player is not Gold but Production (which is arguably much more useful, since it allows the players who didn't complete the Wonder to catch up on lost construction opportunities).

In relation to previous games, Civilization VI adds a revolutionary new feature: Wonders are now constructed not inside a city (that is, on the city tile), but on a separate tile near a city (like a Planetary Wonder in Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth). What's more, there are now a slew of specific requirements for almost all Wonders, which can encompass terrain type, adjacency, or other game elements. Finally, many Wonders are now unlocked via the new civics tree, instead of the normal tech tree.

Wonders can only be built on valid land tiles (or Coast tiles in some cases) that don't contain a district. You'll only be able to build a Wonder on a Marsh if you have Irrigation or on a Rainforest if you have Bronze Working (because these are the techs which enable you to remove such features from the terrain). Also, any other existing improvements and resources will be removed from the tile, so it as advised you build them on flat land or hill tiles with no resources or features (like forests). Flat desert tiles with no resources are perfect for constructing Wonders since they don't provide any yield normally anyway. Note that, since you cannot "work" a Wonder (that is, you cannot assign Citizens to its tile), you will be unable to use the yields of its tile anymore; however, the tile will continue providing adjacency bonuses. This is important for Wonders which are constructed on terrain features without removing them (such as Chichen Itza or Mahabodhi Temple).

Wonder construction can be accelerated via Industrial City-States. The Capital Capital gains a +2 Production bonus from every such City-State where you have at least 1 Envoy Envoy. All other cities which have an Industrial Zone (including the Capital Capital, if it has one) will gain +2 Production bonus from every such City-State where you have 3 Envoy Envoys, and another +2 Production if you have 6 Envoy Envoys.

With these new mechanics it becomes much more difficult to construct Wonders because, depending on their specific starting location and available nearby terrain (as well as their general development), players will have access to far fewer Wonders than before. We can expect to see much more strategy-specific Wonder construction, where each particular civ will construct only Wonders which suit its overall strategy and/or terrain availability (except in the early game, when it is still easy to grab Wonders due to their less restrictive demands on things like tile placement).

Starting the process of building a land-based Wonder also builds a road in (but not to) that tile, and unlike most natural wonder tiles your units can move across them. If a city is razed after building a Wonder, the Wonder can be rebuilt in another city.

List of Wonders

Unless a Wonder's description stipulates otherwise, its effects apply only to the civilization that builds it. Both standard districts and buildings and their unique replacements will satisfy any listed placement restrictions.

Wonder	Era	Req.	Prod.	Bonus	Placement
Alhambra	Medieval	Castles	710	+2 Amenities Amenities +1 Great General point per turn +1 Military policy slot Provides the same defensive bonuses as the Fort improvement	Must be built on Hills adjacent to an Encampment district.
Amundsen-Scott Research Station	Atomic	Cold War	1620	+5 Great Scientist points per turn +20% Science and +10% Production in all cities. Yields are doubled if there are 5 Snow or Snow Hill tiles within 3 tiles of a city owned by this player.	Must be built on a Snow or a Snow Hills tile next to Campus with a Research Lab.
Angkor Wat	Medieval	Medieval Faires	710	+2 Faith +1 Population in all current cities when built. +1 Housing Housing in all cities.	Must be built adjacent to an Aqueduct district.
Apadana	Classical	Political Philosophy	400	+2 Great Work slots +2 Envoy Envoys when you build a wonder, including Apadana, in this city.	Must be built adjacent to a Capital Capital.
Big Ben	Industrial	Economics	1450	+6 Gold +3 Great Merchant points per turn +1 Economic policy slot Doubles current treasury	Must be built next to a River adjacent to a Commercial Hub district with a Bank.
Bolshoi Theatre	Industrial	Opera and Ballet	1240	+2 Great Writer points per turn. +2 Great Musician points per turn. +1 Great Work of Writing slot. +1 Great Work of Music slot. Awards 2 randomly-chosen free civics when completed.	Must be built on flat land adjacent to a Theater Square district.
Broadway	Modern	Mass Media	1620	+3 Great Writer points per turn. +3 Great Musician points per turn. +1 Great Work of Writing slot. +2 Great Work of Music slot. +20% Culture in that city Gain a free random Atomic Era civic boost	Must be built on flat land next to a Theater Square district.
Casa de Contratación	Renaissance	Cartography	920	+3 Great Merchant points per turn Gain 3 Governor promotions All your cities on your non-home continent with a Governor gain +15% Production, +15% Faith and +15% Gold.	Must be built adjacent to a Government Plaza.
Chichen Itza	Medieval	Guilds	710	+2 Culture and +1 Production to all Rainforest tiles for this city	Must be built on Rainforest.
Colosseum	Classical	Games and Recreation	400	+2 Culture and +3 Amenities Amenities to this city and all cities within 6 tiles +2 Culture, +2 Amenities Amenities and +2 Loyalty to each City Center within 6 tiles	Must be built on flat land adjacent to an Entertainment Complex district. Must be built on flat land adjacent to an Entertainment Complex district with an Arena.
Colossus	Classical	Shipbuilding	400	+3 Gold +1 Great Admiral point per turn +1 Trade Route Trade Route capacity Grants a Trader unit.	Must be built on coast and adjacent to a Harbor district.
Cristo Redentor	Modern	Mass Media	1620	+4 Culture Tourism output from Relics and Holy Cities is not diminished by other civilizations who have researched The Enlightenment civic. Doubles Tourism output of Seaside Resorts across your civilization.	Must be built on Hills.
Eiffel Tower	Modern	Steel	1620	All tiles in your civilization gain +2 Appeal	Must be built on flat land adjacent to City Center.
Estádio do Maracanã	Atomic	Professional Sports	1850	+6 Culture in each city of your civilization +2 Amenities Amenities in each city of your civilization	Must be built on flat land adjacent to an Entertainment Complex with a Stadium.
Forbidden City	Renaissance	Printing	920	+5 Culture Gain a permanent Wild Card policy slot	Must be built on flat land adjacent to City Center.
Great Library	Classical	Recorded History	400	+2 Science +1 Great Scientist point per turn +2 Great Works of Writing slots Receives boost to all Ancient and Classical era technologies. +1 Great Writer point per turn Receive a random tech boost after another player recruits a Great Scientist.	Must be built on flat land adjacent to a Campus with a Library.
Great Lighthouse	Classical	Celestial Navigation	290	+3 Gold +1 Great Admiral point per turn +1 Movement Movement for all naval units.	Must be built on the coast and adjacent to a Harbor district with a Lighthouse.
Great Zimbabwe	Renaissance	Banking	920	+5 Gold +2 Great Merchant points per turn. +1 Trade Route Trade Route capacity. Your Trade Route Trade Routes from this city get +2 Gold for every Bonus resource in this city's territory.	Must be built adjacent to Cattle and a Commercial Hub district with a Market.
Hagia Sophia	Medieval	Education	710	+4 Faith Missionaries and Apostles can spread religion 1 extra time.	Must be built on flat land adjacent to a Holy Site district, and player must have founded a religion.
Hanging Gardens	Ancient	Irrigation	180	Increases Growth by 15% in all cities. +2 Housing Housing	Must be built next to a river.
Hermitage	Industrial	Natural History	1450	+3 Great Artist points per turn +4 Great Works of Art slots	Must be built next to a river on a non-desert and non-tundra tile.
Huey Teocalli	Medieval	Military Tactics	710	+1 Amenities Amenity from Entertainment for each adjacent lake tile. +1 Food and +1 Production for each Lake tile in your empire	Must be built on a Lake tile adjacent to land.
Jebel Barkal	Classical	Iron Working	400	Awards 2 Iron Iron. Provides +4 Faith to your cities that are within 6 tiles.	Must be built on a Desert Hills tile.
Kilwa Kisiwani	Medieval	Machinery	710	+3 Envoys when built When you are the Suzerain of a City-state this city gains a +15% boost to the yield provided by that City-state. If you are the Suzerain of 2 or more City-states of that type an additional 15% boost is given to all your cities.	Must be built on a flat tile adjacent to a Coast.
Kotoku-in	Medieval	Divine Right	710	+20% Faith in this city Grants 4 Warrior Monks	Must be built adjacent to a Holy Site with a Temple.
Mahabodhi Temple	Classical	Theology	400	+4 Faith Grant 2 Apostles.	Must be built on woods adjacent to a Holy Site district with a Temple, and player must have founded a religion.
Mausoleum at Halicarnassus	Classical	Defensive Tactics	400	Grants a free Great Admiral when the wonder is constructed. All Great Admirals can use their retirement ability an additional time and Great Engineers have an additional charge.	Must be built on a coastal tile adjacent to a Harbor district.
Mont St. Michel	Medieval	Divine Right	710	+2 Faith +2 Relic slots All Apostles you create gain the Martyr ability in addition to a second ability you choose normally. Provides the same defensive bonuses as the Fort improvement	Must be built on Floodplains or Marsh.
Oracle	Ancient	Mysticism	290	+1 Culture +1 Faith Patronage of Great People cost 25% less Faith. Districts in this city provide +2 Great Person points of their type	Must be built on hills.
Oxford University	Industrial	Scientific Theory	1240	+3 Great Scientist points per turn +2 Great Works of Writing slots +20% Science in city, and awards 2 randomly chosen free technologies when completed.	Must be built on flat Grasslands or Plains adjacent to a Campus district with a University.
Petra	Classical	Mathematics	400	+2 Food, +2 Gold, and +1 Production on all Desert tiles for this city (non-Floodplains)	Must be built on desert or floodplains without hills.
Potala Palace	Renaissance	Astronomy	1060	+2 Culture +3 Faith +1 Diplomatic Policy slot	Must be built on a hill adjacent to a Mountain.
Pyramids	Ancient	Masonry	220	+2 Culture Grants a free Builder. All Builders can build one extra improvement.	Must be built on desert (including floodplains) without hills.
Ruhr Valley	Industrial	Industrialization	1240	+20% Production in this city, and +1 Production for each Mine and Quarry in this city.	Must be built along a River adjacent to an Industrial Zone district with a Factory.
Statue of Liberty	Industrial	Civil Engineering	1240	Grants 2 Settlers. All your cities within 6 tiles are 100% Loyal.	Must be built on a Coast adjacent to land and a Harbor.
St. Basil's Cathedral	Renaissance	Reformed Church	920	+3 Relic slots. +100% Religious Tourism from this city. +1 Food, +1 Production and +1 Culture from all Tundra tiles for this city.	Must be built adjacent to a City Center
Stonehenge	Ancient	Astrology	180	+2 Faith Grants a free Great Prophet. Great Prophets may found a religion on Stonehenge instead of a Holy Site.	Must be built on flat land adjacent to Stone.
Sydney Opera House	Atomic	Cultural Heritage	1740	+8 Culture +5 Great Musician points per turn +3 Great Works of Music slots	Must be built on coast adjacent to a Harbor. Cannot be built on a lake.
Taj Mahal	Renaissance	Humanism	920	+1 Era Score from Historic Moment earned after the wonder is complete if that Moment is usually worth 2 or more Era Score	Must be built next to a River.
Temple of Artemis	Ancient	Archery	180	+4 Food +3 Housing Housing Each Camp, Pasture, and Plantation within 4 tiles provides +1 Amenities Amenity.	Must be built next to a Camp.
Terracotta Army	Classical	Construction	400	+2 Great General points per turn All current land units gain a promotion level. All Archaeologists from the owner may enter foreign lands without Open Borders	Must be built on flat Grassland or Plains adjacent to an Encampment district with a Barracks or Stable.
Venetian Arsenal	Renaissance	Mass Production	920	+2 Great Engineer points per turn Receive a second naval unit each time you train a naval unit.	Must be built on the coast and adjacent to an Industrial Zone district.

All Wonders - Civilization 6 - Some Wonders of the World 🗼

Added in the Rise and Fall expansion pack.

See also

• Natural wonder (Civ6)