Like other great strategy games of its kind, there's always something new to do in Civilization 6. Taking the reins of a budding civilization and cultivating it through multiple centuries doesn't get old very quickly. However, both veterans and newcomers alike frequently look for new ways to enhance their experience.
Civ 6: 26 Tips On How To Get A Diplomacy Victory
This way of victory takes a lot more strategy and cunning than the other, more straightforward ways that come with the base game. Here are some tips.
Unsurprisingly, this is where the modding community comes into play. The Steam Workshop contains a veritable treasure trove of useful Civ 6 mods that players may find interesting. Installing them is as simple as clicking a button, making experimentation quick and painless. Any serious fan of Civilization 6 should definitely give these mods a try.
Updated December 13, 2024 by Joe Grantham: With the confirmation of Civilization 7 being in the works, and recent updates to the game, interest in Civilization 6 has been rekindled, and many returning players will be looking to flesh out their grand strategy experience with more amazing mods. From small quality-of-life mods to larger overhauls that warp the game in exciting ways, to those that add extra layers of realism, there are mods for all types of players.
The fact that the best mods for Civilization 6 can be browsed and installed easily on the Steam Workshop makes the modding experience all the more enjoyable. Furthermore, new mods for Civ 6 are always being released, and golden oldies also see continuous updates from dedicated modders, meaning the community always has new experiences to look forward to.
1 Civ6 Plus: Harmony In Diversity
A Complete Overhaul Mod
- Link to Civ6 Plus: Harmony In Diversity by D
If players own the Rise and Fall DLC as well as Gathering Storm, then the Harmony in Diversity mod may interest them as it overhauls the game to make an overall more interesting experience. The aim of the mod is to give players more options in every aspect of the game and to create more realistic and historical evolutions of civilizations.
Specific changes include those to the terrain, resource yields, buildings, districts, religions, governors, civs, great people, the tech tree, and much more. As it is such a large overhaul, players may want to do further research before downloading it.
2 City Lights
Gameplay Mod
- Link to City Lights by Albro.
For those who love city builder games, the City Lights mod is a great addition to the game and is considered to be one of the best Civ 6 mods among the playerbase. What the mod does is allow the creation of either urban or rural cities, through the use of specialized districts. The biggest standout is the aesthetics, with cities looking more realistic, but there are also gameplay benefits to specialization.
Rural cities, which are created by building a few rural community districts, depend on the tiles and resources for success and can help provide more food. These districts are unlocked early in the game, and this is where they are best utilized. Urban cities, on the other hand, which are made out of borough districts, are all about the later stages of the game when going all out for victory. To get the most out of rural or urban cities, players will need to plan ahead and maximize the bonuses of adjacent districts.
3 Sukritact's Oceans
Gameplay Mod
- Link to Sukritact's Oceans by Sukritact.
Sukritact is one of the most established modders in the community and players can check out Sukritact's Steam workshop page to browse a number of great Civ 6 mods. One of the best is Sukritact's Oceans which makes oceans in the game a more valuable asset, and a place of contention for those looking to become the next superpower. It does this in a number of ways, such as by adding two new bonus resources; seals and squids.
Players will also be able to acquire many more luxury resources, such as caviar, coral, and stingrays, among others. The addition of the kelp forest terrain is another welcome addition, with these forests being abundant in food, but a hindrance to passing ships. The beauty of these kelp forests should not be overlooked either. The mod also includes balance changes to fisheries and water parks, and as the mod is technically a new game mode, players will need to make sure to enable it in the game mode section.
4 GoldenAge - Brave New World
Gameplay Overhaul Mod
- Link to GoldenAge - Brave New World by Gold
GoldenAge - Brave New World claims to be the most comprehensive gameplay mod for Civ 6 and has the ratings and subscribers to back up this claim. From new game modes to custom rules and unique mechanics, this mod has it all, and in some ways can be seen as an unofficial patch. A standout feature of the mod is an emphasis on increasing the importance of population levels, making playing tall, rather than expanding outwards, more fun and rewarding.
One aspect of the mod that is great for veteran players is that the AI can become more powerful throughout the game, making the overall experience more challenging, and thus more rewarding for those who still prevail. Impressively, the mod is also split up into multiple components, which allows players to disable specific features they don't like or those that clash with some of the other best Civ 6 mods.
5 Resource Info
Clarity/UI Mod
- Link to Resource Info by osddx
While Civ 6 is fairly easy to get into for a strategy game, understanding the finer details and what all the symbols mean can be quite confusing. In fact, the game doesn't explain how all the resources on the map work. The Resource Info mod aims to plug this hole by showing players exactly what bonuses they will gain from building an improvement, such as a plantation, on the tile in question.
In the Yields section, players will even be shown whether or not the tile is currently being worked by a citizen. In the case that it is not, the number will be in red and this means these resources are being missed out on. Players are so happy with how much clearer the game is with this feature, that many fans are hoping it is something that will be implemented in Civilization 7.
6 NotificationClear
Quality Of Life/UI Mod
- Link to NotificationClear by 336tarot
Not all mods have to be complicated to improve the playing experience, and that is exactly the case with the small, but helpful NotificationClear mod. The mod simply adds another button to the notification panel, and when clicked it will delete all notifications apart from those alerting players about transactions.
Civilization 6: 13 Best Civilizations For A Religious Victory
Religious Victories can be difficult win conditions to pull off in Civilization 6, but these nations help make it a little easier.
This saves players from having to manually clear every individual notification, which is usually quite a tedious task. The only problem with this mod is that it doesn't seem to currently work in multiplayer games, which is annoying for those who enjoy playing strategy games with friends.
7 Civilization VI, But Minecraft
Aesthetic Mod
- Link to Civilization VI, But Minecraft by IthildinX.
If players have ever wondered what it would be like to combine Minecraft, which has its own assortment of amazing mods, and Civilization 6, then they should look no further than the Civilization VI, But Minecraft mod.
This purely aesthetic mod changes the textures of certain things within the game, such as the landscape and resources, and replaces them with pixilated Minecraft models. This is just one way to make the game more fun.
8 Create Your Pantheon
Faith Mod
- Link to Create Your Pantheon by nea_baraja.
One thing that can be found lacking in Civilization 6 is the ability to get creative, and this is something that the Create Your Pantheon mod helps put right. Instead of simply choosing from a pre-set selection of pantheons, players are able to combine different Domains and Powers.
This allows players to form a unique pantheon for their civilization to follow, opening up new playthrough possibilities that more veteran players should appreciate. Players can either aim for a fun pantheon or one that will give them a strategic advantage.
9 Removable Districts
Gameplay & Quality Of Life Mod
- Link to Removable Districts by TC.
Much like in real life, cities that grow large enough in Civ 6 can form Districts, where a special form of activity can take place. These Districts impart bonuses and other benefits that can aid players in specific sectors of their civilization, such as Culture, Production, Religion, etc.
However, once a District is chosen and subsequently built, it can't be removed or demolished. This is annoying since it's not uncommon for players to change their minds or otherwise alter their long-term plans. The Removable Districts mod is an exceedingly helpful quality-of-life improvement. With it, fans have a mechanism to remove a District and replace it with something else they may find helpful.
10 Detailed Map Tacks
Quality Of Life Mod
- Link to Detailed Map Tacks by wltk.
Staying on the topic of Districts, it can be difficult sometimes to formulate a clear idea of how a potential new District will perform. As stated previously, Districts are permanent once built (unless the preceding mod is installed). Knowing how a particular District will help in terms of yield buffs and adjacency bonuses can be a bit unclear while playing the vanilla game.
Civilization 6: 7 Most Optimal Luxury Resources To Improve, Ranked
In Civilization 6, improving these luxury resources will net the player several useful bonuses that shouldn't be overlooked.
To obtain a clearer picture of how a potential District will perform, it's highly recommended to give the Detailed Map Tacks mod a shot. This mod automatically calculates the yields and adjacency bonuses a District will impart to nearby hexes before having to actually build it. The mod is a tremendous boon for players who enjoy having as much information as possible before committing to an important decision.