About Civilization VI
Best entry point to the legendary strategy series. Lead one of 40+ civilisations from 4000 BC to the modern era. Multiple victory conditions make every game different.
Is Civilization VI Right for You?
Best for
Civilization VI is the deep 4X strategy game for players who love the 'one more turn' spiral, leading a civilization from antiquity to the space age. It suits solo strategists and patient multiplayer groups, and it shines on long evenings where you can sink hours into building an empire toward one of its many victories.
Maybe skip it if…
Avoid it if you want a quick session or a clean multiplayer night; full games run many hours and online matches can drag or stall, so it punishes the impatient.
How to Play Civilization VI
Setup
Choose a civilisation. Set difficulty, map, and win conditions.
On Your Turn
- Move units. Found cities. Research technologies and civics.
- Manage housing, amenities, religion, and diplomacy.
- Compete for Wonders, Great People, and resources.
How to Win
Science, Culture, Domination, Religion, or Score victory.
💡 Strategy Tips
Settle near rivers. Don't neglect culture — civics unlock powerful governments.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Stacking everything in one city tile instead of placing districts on the right adjacent terrain, the core new mechanic.
- Ignoring the civics tree while chasing the tech tree; culture unlocks vital policies and government slots.
- Neglecting Loyalty in Gathering Storm, letting border cities flip to rivals or free cities.
- Settling cities too close together so their district and tile yields overlap and choke each other.
Advanced Strategy
- Plan district placement at founding for adjacency bonuses, like Campuses by mountains and Harbors on the coast.
- Chop forests and rush features with builders to pop wonders and districts ahead of rivals.
- Pick a victory condition early and tailor your civ's unique units and infrastructure toward it.
- In Gathering Storm, secure strategic resources and dam flood plains before disasters wreck your unimproved tiles.
Variants & House Rules
Rise and Fall
First major expansion adding Golden and Dark Ages, Loyalty, Governors, and Era Score that swing the mid-game.
Gathering Storm
Second major expansion adding climate change, natural disasters, the World Congress, a Diplomatic victory, and power and resource management.
New Frontier Pass
Six DLC packs adding game modes like Secret Societies, Monopolies and Corporations, plus new civs and leaders.
Video Guides
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Our Verdict
We think Civ VI, with both major expansions, is one of the most rewarding turn-based strategy games ever made; the unstacked-cities redesign genuinely improved the formula. It is a huge time commitment and the AI is no genius, but as a solo or co-op empire-builder it is endlessly replayable. Buy it bundled with Gathering Storm.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Civilization VI single-player or multiplayer?
Both. It has a strong single-player game against AI and supports multiplayer for roughly up to twelve players, though large online games take many hours.
Which Civ VI expansions are worth it?
Rise and Fall and especially Gathering Storm are the big ones; most players consider the base game incomplete without Gathering Storm.
How long is a game of Civ VI?
A full single-player game easily runs six to ten hours or more; you can shorten it with faster game speeds or fewer turns.
Is Civ VI good for beginners?
It is approachable with its built-in advisor and tutorials, but the district system and multiple victory paths take a few games to grasp.