Civ 6 Tier List: All 53 Leaders And Civilizations Ranked

Civilization 6 is a massive game with dozens upon dozens of unique factions the player can control. And with our Civ 6 Tier List, we’re going to divide each of the game’s 53 different civilizations into five tiers. And as much as this article is about the Civilizations themselves, it is also about the Civ 6 leader tier list, where we will discuss leader rankings.

Summary of Civ 6 Tier List ranking Leaders and Civilizations:

We will also mention that we will divide the civilizations according to how easy it is for them to achieve victory in a match. So entries in S-Tier will absolutely decimate the competition, while D-Tier will struggle even to survive. 

With that out of the way, let’s jump into our Civilization 6 Tier List.

S Tier 

All of the following entries on our Civilization 6 Tier List are among the absolute best in the entire game. If you choose to play as them, you will be able to effortlessly dominate your enemies.

Japan (Hojo Tokimune)

As it stands, Japan is perhaps the best civilization in the entire game due to its ability to adapt to a number of different victory conditions. It’s unique Divine Wind ability allows it to build Encampments, Holy Sites and Theater Squares in half the time, allowing them to get a massive head start over all the other players on the board. All of their Districts also receive a +1 adjacency bonus, as opposed to the regular bonus of +0.5.

And finally, Japanese units also gain a +5 bonus to their Combat Strength when fighting on costal and shallow water tiles. This civilization can basically win through whichever victory type the player chooses.

Russia (Peter Alexeyevich)

If rapid expansion if what you’re looking for, then Russia should be you go to choice. This civilization gains five additional tiles for each city they find, allowing them to rapidly expand their reach and secure resources for themselves. They also gain +1 Faith and +1 Production from Tundra tiles, which are usually not considered to be all that great otherwise.

Russian units are also immune to damage from Blizzards, while players at war with them take +100% damage from the storms when inside Russian territory. While not as thoroughly versatile as Japan, this civilization is also suited to almost all victory conditions.

Germany (Frederick Barbarossa)

Like all civilizations so far, Germany is well suited to most victory types, though it does best when working towards a Domination or Science victory. This is because its Free Imperial Cities ability allows it to build an additional specialty District per city beyond what the game’s normal population limit would otherwise allow. Using these, players can quickly generate resources like gold and culture much faster in the early game than most other civilizations.

Additionally, the unique Hansa District gives Germany massive bonuses towards production. Their leader also gives a +7 Combat Strength bonus to all units when fighting city-states, allowing players to quickly and efficiently take over settlements and expand their empire.

Australia (John Curtin)

Australia is a unique entry on this Civ 6 leader tier List because it actually thrives when someone declares war on them. So when a hostile civilization makes this declaration, you gain +100% Production for the next 10 turns. This exact same bonus is also given for an increased 20 turns anytime Australia liberates a city.

On top of this, this civilization gains +3 Housing when you establish coastal cities. Building a Pasture on a tile also triggers a Culture Bomb that claims a number of surrounding tiles, allowing Australia to supplement their resource production and expansion.

Persia (Cyrus II)

As our first civilization on this list that strongly favors a cultural victory, Persia gains +1 Trade Route capacity with the Political Philosophy civic. Additionally, internal Trade Routes also generate +2 Gold and +1 Culture by default, and all roads built by this faction are automatically a level more advanced than what is usual.

And if that wasn’t enough, Persia is so slouch when it comes to warfare either. When players launch a Surprise War with this civilization, their units gain +2 movement for the next ten turns. These conflicts also count as Formal Wars, so you do not accumulate the warmongering penalties that otherwise come with declaring Surprise Wars.

Korea (Seondeok)

With the help of its unique Seowon district, Korea can gain +1 Food from farms and +1 Science from Mines if they are built adjacent to it. On top of this, the Korean leader’s unique ability allows cities with an established Governors to gain +3% Culture and Science for each promotion that the Governor has.

So as you can probably tell, Korea does really well on the Science route, but you have to start in an area where a lot of farms and mines can actually be built. Luckily, this civilization’s Tier 3 starting bias towards Hills ensures that you’ll almost always spawn in an appropriate area.

Rome (Trajan)

While Rome does not get some of the massive bonuses that some of the other entries so far in this Civilization 6 Tier List, it is still nonetheless an S Tier civilization. With its leader’s ability, all newly founded cities start with one free building in the City Center. This is a massive advantage when expanding, as new cities are usually slow to grow and construct new structures.

Additionally, conquered or founded cities also start with a Trading Post. And if they are within range of the Capital city, the Trade Routes are able to generate +1 additional Gold from any Roman Trading Posts they pass through. The unique Legion unit is also a fairly strong melee unit that can help you immensely in the early hours of the game.

Maya (Lady Six Sky)

The Mayan civilization is fascinating because it incentivizes players to build their cities within an extremely limited amount of space. Each city that is founded within 6 tiles of the capital gains +10% to all yields and gains a Builder. All units within this range also get +5 Combat Strength.

Meanwhile, cities built outside of this range suffer -15% to all yields. So player are encouraged to create their empire within a small area and focus on defense over aggressive tactics. The unique Mayan Observatory district also gives decent bonuses to Science, so this strongly hints that you’re supposed to stay in place and focus on a Science Victory.

A Tier 

The A Rank entries on our Civ 6 Tier List are not the the greatest civilizations in the entire game, but they are the next best thing. There are quite a few unique characters in this Civ 6 Leader Tier List, and playing as any of them is enough to easily carry you to the finish line.

Gran Colombia (Simón Bolívar)

As we move onto the A-Tier, let’s start off with a civilization that favors the domination victory condition. With the help of their leader’s unique ability, entering each new era grants the players a Comandante General. This is a unique type of ‘Great Person’ unit that cannot itself attack, but grants +5 Combat Strength to all land units within 2 tiles of them.

Gran Colombia also has access to the unique Llanero unit, which gains +2 Combat Strength for each adjacent unit of the same type. And finally, every unit of this civilization also gains +1 to their movement by default.

Sumerian (Gilgamesh)

When starting up a new game, the Sumerian civilization’s unique War-Carts can prove invaluable since they can be trained without any prior technological research. This unique heavy cavalry unit is one of the strongest starting units in the entire game, and it receives no combat penalties whatsoever when facing off against any anti-cavalry units. Using this, you can easily take out enemy units if the situation calls for it.

Additionally, the Sumerians are great potential allies for any other faction in the game. They can declare war on any other civilization that is at war with an ally of theirs without incurring any warmonger penalties. On top of this, Sumerian units and their allies gain a +5 bonus to their Combat Strength when engaging a common enemy, and they share combat experience and rewards if they are within 5 tiles of each other.

Hungary (Matthias Corvinus)

Here we have yet another entry on our Civ 6 Tier list that leans towards a Domination victory. Hungary can use it’s leader’s unique ability to enlist city-state units that have +2 Movement speed and +5 Combat Strength. These units can then also be upgraded at a massive 75% discount.

Hungary also has access to their own unique Black Army Calvary unit, which gains +3 Combat Strength for each Levied unit next to it. Using a combination of this unit and the easily upgradable city-state units, this faction can quickly accumulate a powerful army.

Macedon (Alexander the Great)

The Macedonian civilization is one that is purpose built for the domination victory condition. Whenever you capture an enemy city with this faction, a free Eureka boost is rewarded for each Campus and Encampment district in the conquered settlement. Additionally, a free Inspiration boost is also given for each Theater Square and Holy Site district present.

Furthermore, Macedonian cities never accumulate war weariness regardless of what era you’re on. So you can keep on engaging in battles for as long as you have the resources available. Macedonian units are also fully healed every time a city with a constructed Wonder is captured by you.

Byzantium (Basil II)

Next up on our Civ 6 leader tier list is a civilization that makes use of Religion, but in a combat focused way. When the units of this faction defeat another unit from an enemy civilization, the Byzantium Religion is actually spread to a nearby city.

If that city happens to be a Holy City, then all Byzantium units get +3 Combat Strength and +3 Religious Strength for each city of that type that is converted. And due to the unique ability of their leader Basil II, light and heavy cavalry actually deal full damage when they attack cities following the exact same Religion as their civilization.

Greece (Pericles)

As a civilization, Greece gains access to the extremely powerful Hoplite unit which gains a staggering +10 Combat Strength against all anti-cavalry units. They also have access to their unique Acropolis district, which allows them to rapidly generate Culture if the necessary conditions are met.

Greece also has access to two different leaders, the first of which is Pericles. With him in charge, you generate +5% Culture for each city-state that Greece has Suzerainty over. Using this ability in conjunction with the Acropolis district, you can quickly work your way towards a Cultural victory.

Dutch (Wilhelmina)

The Dutch faction on our Civilization Tier list is the first entry on this article that is perfectly suited to a Diplomacy Victory. While playing as this faction, domestic Trade Routes generate +2 Loyalty per turn for the city where the route begins. On top of this, +2 Culture is earned for each and every Trade Route going to, or coming from any other civilization on the map.

Building on River Tiles also grants this civilization a +2 adjacency bonus for Campus, Industrial Zone, and Theatre Square districts. And if you’re ever looking to expand, constructing a Harbor triggers a Culture Bomb that claims all surrounding tiles.

Ethiopia (Menelik II)

Ethiopia’s strength comes from being able to rapidly generate Faith, which in turn can not only be used for a Religious victory, but also a Science and Culture one. For starters, each improved resource within your empire will generate +1 Faith for each copy of that particular resource that the city owns.

Trade Routes also provide +0.5 Faith for each type of resource that the origin city has. Additionally, with their leader’s unique ability, Ethiopian cities started on Hills also receive bonus Culture and Science equal to 15% of their total Faith output.

Maori (Kupe)

As the Maori civilization, you start the game in the Ocean and are able to generate +2 Science and Culture per turn before you’ve even settled your first city. When you do eventually establish your first city, you then receive a free Builder, +1 to your Citizen Population, +3 Housing and finally +1 Amenities.

The Maori also start the game with the Sailing and Shipbuilding technologies already unlocked, allowing them to quickly explore large swathes of water. Units embarked on their ships also gain bonuses to their Movement and Combat Strength. And any Fishing Boats you build on a tile also trigger a Culture Bomb that claims surrounding tiles.

Inca (Pachacuti)

For most civilizations, Mountains are completely unusable terrain. But for the Incan, these tiles can provide up +3 Production and even +1 Food for each adjoining Terrace Farm.

This Food output can even be increased further by setting up internal Trade Routes that run between cities in your own empire. For each Mountain tile you own within the territory of the starting city, an additional +1 Food is rewarded.

Arabia (Saladin)

The Arabian civilization utilizes a unique combination of Religion and Science in order to secure its place on the board. And as a start, this faction automatically gains the final ‘Great Prophet’ whenever the second-last one is claimed. This type of Great Person can then be used to establish a new Religion. For each foreign city that follows Arabia’s religion, the civilization gains +1 Science.

Additionally, this faction can construct a unique building known as the Madrasa that grants them +5 Science. Combine this with their leader’s unique ability that let’s cities with the Worship building gain +10% Science, Faith, and Culture, and you have a civilization that benefits from spreading their religion as far and wide as possible.

Mali (Mansa Musa)

Mali can go for a variety of different victory routes, purely by virtue of how much funds it can accumulate over a short period of time. But the downside of this is that this civilization suffers from a lack of Production capabilities, forcing it to purchase things rather than build them.

Mines built by Mali get -1 to Production, but in return they generate an extra +4 Gold. International Trade Routes with other factions also grant +1 Gold for each and every flat Desert tile owned by the sending city. For those who enjoy making a lot of money, Mansa Musa should be your go-to character on our Civ 6 Leader Tier List.

Spain (Philip II)

Spain is a civilization on our Civ 6 Tier list that receives massive bonuses through trade and expansion to other continents. By default, any Trade Routes you establish receive +3 Gold, +2 Faith and +1 Production. If any of these Routes happen to run between multiple continents, then these rewards are tripled.

Any City you establish on a continent that does not house your Capital, also receives +25% Production towards District construction and Builder training. So you’re encouraged to expand your empire and trade with as many other factions as possible to gain massive benefits.

Indonesia (Gitarja)

The Indonesian civilization is suited towards almost all victory conditions, but their true power comes from the sea and Religion. The unique ‘Great Nusantara’ ability allows all Lake and Coast tiles to give a minor adjacency bonus of +0.5 to Campuses, Holy Sites, Industrial Zones and Theater Squares.

Building city centers next to Lake and Coast tiles however rewards you with +2 Faith, all but ensuring that Indonesia will be among the first factions to pick a pantheon. On top of this, you can purchase naval units with Faith as well and your Religious Units do not use their Movement when they embark or disembark from ships.

Aztec (Montezuma)

The Aztecs are a civilization geared towards a Domination victory, and they get a boost in combat though Luxury resources of all things. With their leader’s unique ability, improved luxury items are able to provide an Amenity to two extra cities. And for each different improved Luxury resource in the Aztec empire, their units gain a +1 Combat Strength bonus.

This lets the Aztecs dominate in the early game as you hunt down more and more resources, but they also have another trick up their sleeve. As a standard, they can complete 20% of a district’s Production cost instantly by spending a Builder Charge, allowing the civilization to also build Production capabilities as they progress through the eras.

China (Qin Shi Huang)

With the help of their leader’s unique ‘The First Emperor’ ability, the Chinese civilization places a focus on production and Wonder building for a Cultural victory. Each of their Builders receive one additional build charge per unit, and players can also spend those charges to instantly complete 15% of the Production cost of any Ancient and Classical wonders.

Anytime this civilization actually completes a Wonder, they are granted a Eureka and Inspiration boost from that particular Wonder’s era. These boosts then also provide an additional 10% of the Culture and Science costs for researching new civics and technologies. Qin Shi Huang is the first leader on China on this Civ 6 leader tier list.

Ottoman (Suleiman)

The Ottomans are a faction that was built specifically to conduct sieges and take over cities. They gain +50% Production toward training Siege units, and these then also get +5 Combat Strength against defensible districts in enemy cities.

When a city is conquered by the Ottoman units, it doesn’t lose any of its Citizen Population at all either. On top of this, you also gain +1 Amenities and +4 Loyalty per turn for any cities that were not originally founded by the Ottomans. So using this, player can quickly take over enemy settlements with little to no repercussions.

Egypt (Cleopatra)

Now Egypt is yet another entry on our Civ 6 Tier List that can go for all victory conditions, but the preferred route is usually Diplomacy. As this civilization, Trade Routes with other factions grant an additional +4 Gold by default. And Routes sent to Egypt from any other civilizations provide an extra +2 Gold for you, while the other party receives +2 Food. You also gain +100% Alliance Points by trading with any allies you might have.

Egypt also really favors river tiles as a rule, perhaps more than any other civilization in the game. Districts and Wonders built on these gain a decent +15% Production, and any improvements and units you might have are completely immune to damage from floods. Cleopatra is perhaps one of the more recognizable personalities on our Civ 6 leader tier list.

Nubia (Amanitore)

The Nubian civilization is a faction that focuses on ranged units and rapid district construction. They gain +30% Production when training any Ranged units, and then these units also get +50% combat experience as well. So you can quickly train and even promote ranged units to build your army.

By default they have +20% Production when constructing Districts, but this changes to +40% if their unique Nubian Pyramid improvement is built adjacent to the City Center. This structure itself also provides a bunch of resources like Food and Faith depending on what’s adjacent to it.

Khmer (Jayavarman VII)

While playing as the Khmer, players will be able to quickly gain more land and population for their empire. Due to their leader’s unique ability, building Holy Sites next to rivers grants them +2 adjacency bonus, which in turn allows them to generate Food equal to that bonus. This also grants +2 Housing, and triggers a Culture Bomb that claims all surrounding tiles.

Building an Aqueduct in the city also rewards you with +1 Amenities and Faith for every Citizen Population in the settlement. Farms also receive +2 Food when next to an Aqueduct, and +1 Faith when next to a Holy Site.

B Tier

B-Tier.Each of the B Rank factions on this Civ 6 Tier List are decent civilizations, but your skill with the game will determine how well you do. A moderately skilled player can do tremendously well with these, while an inexperienced one can fail badly.

England (Victoria)

Exactly like in real life, England is a colonial power that reaps additional benefits when it colonizes continents other than where it starts. The first city you establish on each and every continent other than the one where your capital is located, rewards you with a free melee unit and +1 Trade Route capacity for that city. Building a Royal Navy Dockyard also grants you a free naval unit.

Coal and Iron Mines generate +2 resources per turn, and buildings that give additional resources when powered have their respective yields increased by +4. England also gets a significant boost to Production when training Military Engineers, and the units themselves also get +2 charges.

America (Teddy Roosevelt)

America is an absolute powerhouse in the late game, during which time a number of different victory conditions are possible for the civilization. With the Bull Moose Teddy Roosevelt Persona, tiles with Breathtaking appeal gain +2 Science when they are next to a Natural Wonder/Mountain, and +2 Culture when it’s either a Wonder/Woods.

With the Rough Rider Teddy Roosevelt Persona, however, all American units inside the home continent gain +5 Combat Strength. You also gain access to the Rough Rider cavalry unit, which gains +10 Combat Strength when fighting on Hills and earns Culture from kills. Teddy Roosevelt is a unique character on this Civ 6 leader tier list because he has two different personas with different abilities.

Babylon (Hammurabi)

Babylon has the potential to be the strongest Science focused civilization, but that requires an expert understanding of the mechanics of the game. Because this faction loses -50% Science per turn, in exchange for that, Eurekas unlock their respective technologies instantly.

This allows Babylon to quickly make its way through the tech trees and rapidly develop its empire. But this particular mechanic also requires players to understand how to trigger Eurekas frequently, which is not an easy task for newer players.

Brazil (Pedro II)

Brazil’s power comes from Rainforest tiles, which the civilization usually spawns close to due to its Starting bias. These provide a +1 adjacency bonus for Campuses, Commercial Hubs, Holy Sites, and Theater Squares, and they even give +1 Appeal to all regular adjacent tiles.

The usefulness of Rainforest tiles usually diminishes near the mid to late game, but with proper planning Brazil can continue to benefit from them immensely. With their leader’s ability Magnanimous, the faction can also constantly recruit and use Great Persons.

Zulu (Shaka)

As we move further and further down this Civ 6 Tier List, let’s take a look at the Zulu civilization. If Nationalism and the Mobilization of civics have been unlocked, Zulu units automatically upgrade into a Corps or Army whenever they conquer a city. Normally this would require multiple units to be combined otherwise.

Additionally, you earn +3 Loyalty per turn for cities where your units are garrisoned. If these units happen to be Corps or Army instead, then the bonus is increased to +5.

Mongolia (Genghis Khan)

With Genghis Khan as the leader, Mongolia is well-suited for a Domination victory. Any time a Trade Route is started with a settlement, a Trading Post is automatically created at the destination city. And as a result of establishing a Mongolian Trading Post with any civilization, you also gain an additional level of Diplomatic Visibility with them

Now to reach the level of Diplomatic Visibility that Mongolia has over other civilizations, its units gain +6 Combat Strength. With Genghis Khan’s unique ability, cavalry units in particular get an additional +3 Combat Strength and have a chance to capture defeated units of the same type. This civilization has another leader you can play as, and we’ll discuss more them as we head further into this Civilization 6 Tier List.

Canada (Wilfrid Laurier)

Canada is an entry on our Civ 6 Tier List that makes great use of the Tundra, which as previously discussed, is not something all factions in this game can do. Farms and Camps built on these tiles receive +2 Food, while Mines and Lumber Mills get +2 Production.

And Canada is not a warmongering civilization either, their strength lies in Diplomacy. For every 100 Tourism accumulated, they gain 1 Diplomatic Favor, and they also get twice the Favor from any successfully completed Competitions and Emergencies.

Kongo (Mvemba a Nzinga)

Kongo is unique on this Civ 6 leader tier list because, unlike most other civilizations in the game, it cannot construct Holy Sites or establish a religion. Instead, this faction gains massive benefits from acquiring and creating Artifacts, Relics, and Sculptures.

The problem however is that there is a lot of luck involved in this process. Sculptures can be created by Great Artists if you can earn them, but otherwise, there’s never a guaranteed chance that you’ll always have access to Artifacts and Relics. A veteran players can constantly know what they have to do, but this is otherwise not a civilization for new players.

C Tier 

As we enter the lower brackets of our Civ 6 Tier List, we’ll look at some of the less than great civilizations in the game. If you don’t have a great grasp of the mechanics, we don’t recommend that you play as any of these.

Norway (Harald Hardrad)

Norway once used to be the worst civilization in the entire game, but the faction has since been updated to be more effective. As raiders, Norwegians, gain +50% Production toward all naval melee units, which also have the ability to perform coastal raids by default. Normally this action is reserved for Naval Raider class units only.

Costal raiding and pillaging also grants the civilization Science and Culture, on top of the regular rewards of Gold and Faith. Using this, Norway can get a head start on a lot of different victory routes, especially with the use of their powerful Viking Longship.

France (Catherine de Medici)

It’s almost too obvious that a civilization like France would be suited for a Cultural victory, and yet that’s exactly the case here. The faction gains +20% Production towards any Medieval, Renaissance and Industrial Era Wonders that you construct in your cities. And Tourism generated from those Wonders is automatically doubled.

With Catherine de Medici in charge, France also gains +1 Diplomatic Visibility for every civilization you encounter on the map. You also gain a free Spy as soon as you research Castles, and all Spies already start off with a free promotion. Catherine is one of the two French leaders on this Civ 6 leader tier list.

Poland (Jadwiga)

Poland can win though a number of different victory conditions, but the process does require the player to staunchly commit to one path alone. The civilization utilizes a combination of military power and Religion, allowing it to convert territory taken from a foreign city with a Culture Bomb immediately to Poland’s religion.

Holy Sites in Polish territory also receive an increased +1 adjacency bonus from nearby districts, and Relics also grant +4 Gold, +2 Faith and +2 Culture. Also, if this faction builds an Encampment or Fort, it triggers a Culture Bomb of its own that claims surrounding tiles.

Scythia (Tomyris)

The Scythian civilization is a purely militaristic faction that works best when it strikes quickly and without any mercy. Whenever you train any light cavalry unit or the unique Saka Horse Archer, you immediately get another copy of that unit absolutely free.

All Scythian units also get +5 Combat Strength when attacking any wounded units, and they even heal up to a maximum of 30 hit points after killing an enemy unit. So as your units kill more enemies, they heal themselves and gain bonuses for injuring their enemies.

India (Gandhi)

With Gandhi as its leader, India has a strong chance of securing a Religion victory. By default, Indian cities reap the Follower Beliefs of all religions with at least a single follower. The religion does not have to be the dominant belief to get these benefits.

You also get +1 Amenities for each of these religions, +2 Spread Religion charges and +100% Religious pressure from your Trade Routes. With Gandhi’s unique ability, +5 Faith is also rewarded for each encountered civilization that is not currently at war and has founded a Religion.

Greece (Gorgo)

While Greece under Pericles gains Culture based on how many city-states it has Suzerainty over, under Gorgo you are encouraged to go for a more combat oriented approach.

With her Thermopylae ability, killing any unit rewards you with Culture equal to half of its Combat Strength. Greek units also gain +1 Combat Strength for each active Military Policy card in play. Gorgo is the second leader of Greece on this Civ 6 leader tier list.

Vietnam (Bà Triệu)

Vietnam is a defensive civilization that reaps the rewards of settling on tiles that might otherwise be detrimental to other factions. So for example, land based Districts can only be built on Marshes, Rainforests and Woods, but in return you gain bonuses to your Culture, Science and Production.

On top of this, all Vietnamese units gain +1 Movement when they start their turn on these tiles, as well as +5 Combat Strength when fighting on them. If any of these tiles happen to be inside your territory, then these bonuses are doubled.

Mongolia (Kublai Khan)

Similar to when Genghis Khan is the leader of Mongolia, the faction get’s its power by establishing Trading Posts in various different cities and gaining Diplomatic Visibility. These are the civilization’s most basic features, and they are the same for both leaders.

But under Kublai Khan in particular, you gain an additional Economic Policy slot in all Government types. You also get a random Eureka and Inspiration boost on first establishing a Trading Post in another major civilization’s city.  

Portugal (João III)

The Portuguese civilization places a heavy emphasis on Trading, but it has certain restrictions that might make it a bit annoying to play as. First off, you are only allowed to establish international Trade Routes with cities that are on the coast or have a Harbor built.

In exchange, all of your trades have a +50% increase to their yields. You also gain open borders with all city-states in the game, and encountering new civilizations grants +1 Trade Routes. Portugal is one of the entries on this Civilization 6 Tier List that can generate a tremendous amount of Gold.

Cree (Poundmaker)

The Cree are another civilization that gain massive bonuses from trading, but their effectiveness starts to wane in the mid to late game. Whenever a Trader of yours moves into any unoccupied tiles within three tiles of a Cree city, they automatically come under your empire’s control.

You also gain shared visibility with all of your alliances, and Trade Routes even grant additional Gold depending on the number of Camps and Pastures present at the destination city.

India (Chandragupta)

India still gains the Follower Beliefs of all religions regardless of who the leader is. But unlike Gandhi, whose unique ability works perfectly with this feature, Chandragupta simply doesn’t work all that well here.

His unique ‘Arthashastra’ ability allows him to declare Wars of Territorial Expansion with the Military Training civic, which gives Indian units +2 Movement and +5 Combat Strength for the next 10 turns. This is an okay boost to be fair, but it doesn’t work in synergy with the civilization’s otherwise Religious focus. Chandragupta is the second Indian leader on this Civ 6 leader tier list.

Gaul (Ambiorix)

While the Gallic do not make a tremendous splash with their entry into the Civ 6 Tier list, there is value in this faction if you’re an experienced player. Mines are of great importance to the Gallic, and building them anywhere triggers a Culture Bomb that claims surrounding tiles. Each mine also grants +1 Culture, and provides a +0.5 adjacency bonus for any nearby districts.

Whenever this civilization trains a non-civilian unit, they also generate Culture equal to 20% of the initial Production cost of that unit. Most of their combat units also receive +2 Strength for each nearby military unit.

Mapuche (Lautaro)

The Mapuche are another civilization on this list that reap great benefits by utilizing a domination strategy. They gain bonuses to their Culture, Production and combat experience if their Cities have appointed Governors, and these bonuses are tripled in captured settlements.

Their leader’s unique ability also gives them +10 Combat Strength when fighting with any civilizations that are either in a Golden, or Heroic Age, or if they are Free Cities. And when any enemy unit is killed within the borders of its own cities, then the city loses Loyalty.

D Tier 

And finally, we come to the most weakest civilizations in our Civ 6 Tier List. We honestly don’t know why anyone would want to play as any of these.

Scotland (Robert the Bruce)

As our first entry on the D-Tier, Scotland is kind of a mixed bag. This civilization benefits from keeping it’s cities happy in order to gain boosts to Science and Production, but the +5% increase is extremely limited. You can double this bonus by keeping the cities Ecstatic, but that still doesn’t make much of a difference.

The faction can also go for a Domination victory, but the benefits there are not great either in terms of actual Combat Strength. Declaring a War of Liberation also gives you +2 Movement for all of your units, and +100% Production in all your cities for the next 10 turns.

France (Eleanor of Aquitaine)

France still gains +20% Production towards any Medieval, Renaissance and Industrial Era Wonders that you construct in your cities, but under Eleanor of Aquitaine the Loyalty mechanic plays a greater role instead. For each Great Work in any of your cities, foreign cities within 9 tiles of them lose 1 Loyalty per turn.

Any city that leaves its civilization due to a complete loss of Loyalty, ends up joining France instead of becoming a Free City. This sounds great on paper, but most players in any game are actively trying to keep their settlements happy and prosperous, so you might not get too much use of the feature. Eleanor is definitely one of the weaker characters on our Civ 6 Leader Tier List.

Phoenicia (Dido)

The Phoenician civilization can technically go for any victory path they choose, but they don’t particularly specialize in anything. They start the game with the Eureka boost for Writing, allowing them to gain a head start in Science, but even this has a limit.

Their Settlers get increased Movement and Sight, allowing them to spread out quicker and expand the Phoenician empire over a large area. They can even move their Capital city with the help of the ‘Move Capital’ project. None of these features however are incredibly worthwhile.

Georgia (Tamar)

Georgia is without a doubt the worst civilization on this Civ 6 Tier list, even with the improvements that have been made to it. Basically with the help of Dedications, this faction is able to reliably gain extra Era Score in Golden and Heroic Ages. This allows them to chain together multiple Golden Ages and constantly reap the benefits that come with that.

This is definitely useful in the hands on an extremely skilled player. But the civilization itself doesn’t have any useful abilities that make it worthwhile to play as. It has no redeeming qualities, and occasional Golden Ages do not make it fun to play as.

Changes Due To Latest Update

Last Update: December 15th, 2022.

• The developer has revamped the “Last Best West” ability of Canada’s leader Wilfrid Laurier which now grants a +2 Production bonus instead of the previous +1. This happens for the faction-special Tundra Hills and Snow Mines also.

This has been eXputer’s Civilization 6 Tier List, complete with our Civ 6 leader tier list as well.