The best Civilization 6 mods are the interface fixes almost every player runs (Detailed Map Tacks, Quick Deals, Better Report Screen), followed by the gameplay overhauls that turn Sid Meier’s Civilization VI into a different game. The 30 below are grouped by what they change, and every one is free on the Steam Workshop. We checked each against its creator’s own Workshop page on September 21, 2026. This list is for Civ VI only: Civilization VII launched in February 2025 with its own separate Workshop, and Civ VI mods do not carry over to it.
“Current version” for Civ VI means Gathering Storm plus the Leader Pass. The last gameplay patch arrived in August 2023, per the official update notes, so a mod updated in 2021 or 2022 can still be up to date, and we note each mod’s last update below. Setup is simple: subscribe on the Workshop, then switch each mod on under Additional Content in the main menu. Mods that change gameplay usually affect saved games, which means a save made with one will not load without it. If you like big mod lists, our 50 best Sims 4 mods are picked the same way.
Essentials
The interface and mod-management mods that most Civ VI players install first.
1. Detailed Map Tacks
Detailed Map Tacks turns the game’s map pins into a district planner. Drop a tack for a Campus, Holy Site or wonder and it shows the yields and adjacency bonuses that spot would give you, and whether the district can actually be placed there. It also adds hotkeys for placing tacks and deletes a tack automatically once you build on that tile. With more than 2.7 million subscribers, it is the most-subscribed Civ VI mod on the Workshop. Last updated January 2024. Creator: wltk. Download: Detailed Map Tacks on the Steam Workshop.
2. Quick Deals
Selling luxuries to the AI normally means opening every leader one at a time to see who pays most. Quick Deals asks all of them at once and sorts their offers, so you can sell to the highest bidder in one click, swap one-time gold for gold per turn, or open any offer to tweak it. Press D to open it (you can change the key in the key bindings). Its creator was still updating it on September 20, 2026. Creator: wltk. Download: Quick Deals on the Steam Workshop.
3. Better Report Screen (UI)
Better Report Screen expands the F8 reports into the empire overview Civ VI never had. It adds tabs for units, deals, policies and city-states, and its policy tab shows the exact yield each policy card would give you before you slot it. Its page lists compatibility with the base game, Rise and Fall, Gathering Storm, the official scenarios, CQUI and Concise UI. Several other mods on this list build on it. Last updated May 2023. Creator: infixo. Download: Better Report Screen on the Steam Workshop.
4. Extended Policy Cards
Extended Policy Cards puts the policy math right on the cards in the Government screen, so you can see what each card is worth without leaving the screen. It keeps the original card look and, per its page, works in multiplayer. Without Better Report Screen enabled the Government screen simply behaves like the base game, so it is safe to try. Last updated April 2021, after the final seasonal patch. Creator: Aristos. Needs: Better Report Screen (UI). Download: Extended Policy Cards on the Steam Workshop.
5. CQUI: Community Quick User Interface
CQUI is the long-running open-source interface overhaul maintained by the community on CivFanatics’ GitHub. It merges buying with gold and faith into one production panel, adds Civ V style city management, richer city banners, configurable lenses and barbarian clan details. Better Trade Screen and More Lenses come built in, so do not install them separately alongside it. If you prefer lighter tweaks, pick Sukritact’s Simple UI Adjustments instead. Last updated April 2023. Creator: the_m4a and the CQUI community. Download: CQUI on the Steam Workshop.
6. Better Trade Screen
Trade routes are one of Civ VI’s clumsiest menus, and Better Trade Screen fixes most of it. You can sort routes by any yield or by turns remaining, filter for city-states and trade quests, and see every available route in the overview, which the base game does not always list, per its page. Routes are color-coded by origin city. Skip it if you already run CQUI, which includes it. Last updated August 2023. Creator: astor. Download: Better Trade Screen on the Steam Workshop.
7. More Lenses
More Lenses adds map overlays the base game is missing. The builder lens highlights unimproved resources and removable features and turns on automatically when a builder is selected, the city overlap lens shows how many cities reach a tile (handy for placing area buildings), and a hold-Ctrl settler lens outlines a potential city’s full radius. Like Better Trade Screen, it is already part of CQUI. Last updated April 2023. Creator: astor. Download: More Lenses on the Steam Workshop.
8. Enhanced Mod Manager
Once you subscribe to more than a handful of mods, the default mod screen becomes a mess. Enhanced Mod Manager splits it into enabled and disabled lists, lets you right-click to toggle a mod or shift-select several, and adds sorting by author, last update and dependency. Its most useful filter hides or shows mods that affect saved games. Last updated April 2023. Creator: FinalFreak16. Download: Enhanced Mod Manager on the Steam Workshop.
Interface and Information
Panels and trackers that surface information the base game hides or buries.
9. Sukritact’s Simple UI Adjustments
Sukritact’s Simple UI Adjustments is the lighter alternative to a full overhaul. It shows worked tiles, next border growth and city yields when you hover over a city banner, lets you rename cities from the city panel, and makes the food yield account for amenities and housing. Its creator describes it as simple quality-of-life changes built on the existing interface rather than a CQUI-style rebuild. Last updated October 2024. Creator: sukritact. Download: Sukritact’s Simple UI Adjustments on the Steam Workshop.
10. Real Great People (UI)
Real Great People replaces the generic Great Person art with portraits of the real historical figures, 203 of them per its page, and rebuilds the Great People window around them. The screen shows every civilization’s progress toward each Great Person sorted by turns remaining, and adds an overview tab plus filters for previously recruited people. It is not compatible with scenarios that bring their own Great People popup. Last updated December 2022. Creator: infixo. Download: Real Great People on the Steam Workshop.
11. Better Tech Tree (UI)
Better Tech Tree adds about 150 icons to the tech and civic trees so each node shows what it really unlocks: Eureka and Inspiration boosts, resource harvests, improvement yield bonuses and more. It makes planning a beeline far quicker than reading tooltips one at a time. Its page notes that it overwrites CQUI’s own tree features if you run both. Last updated December 2023. Creator: infixo. Download: Better Tech Tree on the Steam Workshop.
12. Real Era Tracker (UI)
Golden and Dark Ages hinge on era score, and the base game never tells you what historic moments are still up for grabs. Real Era Tracker lists every moment you have not earned yet, split into world firsts, civilization firsts and repeatable moments, so you can find the last few points you need before the era ends. Last updated December 2023. Creator: infixo. Needs: Rise and Fall or Gathering Storm. Download: Real Era Tracker on the Steam Workshop.
13. Sukritact’s Global Relations Panel
Civ VI diplomacy keeps you guessing about what the AI leaders think of each other. The Global Relations Panel shows, at a glance, every leader’s opinion of every other leader, who is at war with whom, what kinds of alliances exist, and deals such as open borders and defensive pacts. It opens from a button at the top left of the screen. It has passed a million subscribers. Last updated July 2020. Creator: sukritact. Download: Sukritact’s Global Relations Panel on the Steam Workshop.
14. Detailed Wonder Reminder Enhanced
Losing a wonder you spent 20 turns on is a Civ rite of passage. Detailed Wonder Reminder Enhanced adds a wonder panel showing which wonders are built, under construction or still open, how many turns other civilizations need, and which of your cities can build each one. It warns you when a rival starts a wonder you are building and will finish first. Its page says it works with wonder mods. Last updated September 2025. Creator: 榊野木乃实. Download: Detailed Wonder Reminder Enhanced on the Steam Workshop.
15. Policy Change Reminder
Civ VI lets you swap policy cards for free when you finish a civic, and it is easy to forget to do it. Policy Change Reminder pops up a prompt if you try to end the turn without changing policies on a free turn. It only appears when a change is actually free, and its creator says finishing a Future Civic no longer triggers it. Last updated March 2023. Creator: FinalFreak16. Download: Policy Change Reminder on the Steam Workshop.
Gameplay Changes
Targeted additions that change how a game plays without replacing the whole rulebook.
16. Movable Districts
Placed a district in the wrong spot 100 turns ago? Movable Districts lets you move it, buildings and all, for gold equal to twice its original production cost. A move button appears on eligible districts in the city’s production panel, and unfinished building progress carries over. It supports one-per-city districts only; Neighborhoods, Canals and Dams cannot be moved. Last updated February 2022. Creator: wltk. Download: Movable Districts on the Steam Workshop.
17. Real Strategy (AI)
Real Strategy is one of the most-subscribed attempts to make Civ VI’s AI a tougher, more deliberate opponent. Its creator describes a mix of Lua “thinking” and retuned AI priority lists, and the latest version, per its page, teaches the AI to build walls. The page says it works with every expansion configuration but is balanced for Gathering Storm, should not be used with scenarios, and does not affect saves, so you can switch it on or off at any time. Last updated August 2023. Creator: infixo. Download: Real Strategy on the Steam Workshop.
18. CIVITAS City-States Expanded
CIVITAS City-States Expanded adds four new city-state types (Agricultural, Consular, Entertainment and Maritime) and more than 40 new city-states, bringing the total above 70. It also makes city-states sturdier with free Ancient Walls, stops them from spamming scouts, and gives them historically sensible start locations. Its page notes it is incompatible with Better City States (UI). Last updated October 2021. Creator: thecrazyscotsman. Download: CIVITAS City-States Expanded on the Steam Workshop.
19. Tomatekh’s Historical Religions
Tomatekh’s Historical Religions adds a large set of pre-modern and indigenous religions to found, and gives leaders who had no religious preference (such as the Aztecs and Greece) a fitting historical one. It also updates some existing religious symbols. Its page recommends disabling it before scenarios that define their own religions, and says every player in multiplayer needs identical settings. Last updated March 2023. Creator: Tomatekh. Download: Tomatekh’s Historical Religions on the Steam Workshop.
20. Resourceful 2
Resourceful 2 adds 51 new resources to the map, making starts more varied and trade more interesting. Every luxury resource can be harvested, and the new resources tie into existing pantheons: Aloe, Berries and Saffron benefit from Oral Tradition, for example. Its page says it fully supports the Monopolies and Corporations game mode from the New Frontier Pass. Last updated August 2022. Creator: Amatheria. Download: Resourceful 2 on the Steam Workshop.
21. District Expansion: Commerce
JNR’s District Expansion series reworks each district’s buildings, and Commerce is the most-subscribed entry. It reworks the eight existing Commercial Hub, Harbor and Aerodrome buildings and adds 12 new ones, many with new 3D models, giving each city several different ways to earn gold for tall or wide play. The series also covers Industry, Campus, Theater and more if you like it. Last updated September 2024. Creator: JNR. Needs: Gathering Storm. Download: District Expansion: Commerce on the Steam Workshop.
22. Steel and Thunder: Unit Expansion
Steel and Thunder fills gaps in Civ VI’s unit upgrade lines, adding eight global units (five with Gathering Storm installed) such as the Gatling Gun, Mortar, Self Propelled Artillery, Cog and Galleass. Its page shows exactly where each one slots into the melee, cavalry and ranged upgrade paths. Units that Firaxis later added officially, like the Man-at-Arms, were retired from the mod. Last updated June 2021, marked as updated for the final patch. Creator: Deliverator23. Download: Steel and Thunder: Unit Expansion on the Steam Workshop.
Total Overhauls
Big mods that rewrite large parts of the game. Run one at a time, and do not combine them with the smaller balance mods above.
23. Better Balanced Game (BBG)
Better Balanced Game is a community rebalance of civilizations, leaders and systems aimed at fairer matchups, and it is still actively maintained: version 7.5.0 was updated on August 30, 2026. Its page links a full summary of changes at civ6bbg.github.io and a Discord for bug reports. Balance mods matter most in multiplayer, and if your group wants something else to play together, see our best PC co-op games of 2026. Creator: Vodairo and the BBG team. Needs: Rise and Fall and Gathering Storm. Download: Better Balanced Game on the Steam Workshop.
24. Civ6 Plus: Harmony in Diversity
Harmony in Diversity is a large-scale overhaul built on Gathering Storm that aims to make civilizations develop in a more natural, historical way. It rebalances terrain and resource yields, reworks map generation and starting spots, and adds regional building effects, with companion mods for districts, city-states and corporations. Its team updated it on August 26, 2026. Creator: the Harmony in Diversity team. Needs: Gathering Storm. Download: Harmony in Diversity on the Steam Workshop.
25. GoldenAge: Brave New World
GoldenAge is built around one idea: in its creators’ view, the base game rewards spamming small cities, so this mod rewards tall play instead. A penalty grows with your city count, cities upgrade from Village to Metropolis, and matching districts placed together earn large adjacency bonuses. Its page says every civilization and leader has been reworked too. It was updated on September 8, 2026. Creator: the GoldenAge team (Gold, Clear8Sky and others). Download: GoldenAge: Brave New World on the Steam Workshop.
Maps, Terrain and Visuals
New worlds to play on and ways to make the existing one look better.
26. Yet (not) Another Maps Pack
Yet (not) Another Maps Pack, known as YnAMP, is the go-to mod for giant Earth maps with true starting locations, plus map sizes beyond anything the base game offers. It has more than a million subscribers. Its creator warns that since Gathering Storm, maps larger than Enormous crash in the late game, so play the big Earth maps as a smaller region. Last updated March 2021. Creator: Gedemon. Download: Yet (not) Another Maps Pack on the Steam Workshop.
27. Sukritact’s Oceans
Oceans is a new game mode that brings the coasts to life. Kelp Forests grow beside land, rich in food but slowing units that pass through, and new resources such as Seals, Squid and Coral appear. Each continent now gets its own pair of coastal luxuries, so far shores yield different riches, and improvements like the Fishery are adjusted to match. Its page warns it may not be compatible with YnAMP. Last updated April 2023. Creator: sukritact. Download: Sukritact’s Oceans on the Steam Workshop.
28. Terra Mirabilis
Terra Mirabilis reworks Civ VI’s natural wonders and adds 20 new ones, including Krakatoa, Old Faithful, Victoria Falls, the Rock of Gibraltar and Salar de Uyuni. Each has its own yields and effects, detailed on the mod’s page, so maps feel less familiar game to game. It was last updated in August 2020 and is still one of the most-subscribed map mods. Creator: Deliverator and ChimpanG. Download: Terra Mirabilis on the Steam Workshop.
29. Denser Vegetation (Standalone)
Denser Vegetation turns Civ VI’s sparse tree clusters into thick forests and jungles, and gives each forest a distinct look based on the terrain underneath so you can still read the map. The changes are purely cosmetic. Its page says you need High-Detail Clutter switched on in the graphics options, and that Civ V Environment Skin users should grab the separate version it links. Last updated August 2024. Creator: JNR. Download: Denser Vegetation on the Steam Workshop.
30. Environment Skin: Sid Meier’s Civilization V
If Civ VI’s bright, cartoon-leaning palette never won you over, this mod brings the map closer to Civilization V: retextured terrain, water, forests and ice, and a color key that mutes buildings and units. Its author says it was built with ModBuddy as an example of how far visual mods can go. It dates from April 2019, but its page lists it as compatible up to and including Gathering Storm. Creator: GrrrArrrg. Download: Environment Skin: Civilization V on the Steam Workshop.
How We Chose These Mods
We started from the Steam Workshop’s all-time most-subscribed list for Civilization VI and kept mods that are still downloadable, whose pages do not report them as broken on the current version, and that cover a different need from the rest of the list. We checked each one against its creator’s Workshop page on September 21, 2026, and we note each mod’s last update in its entry. We left out map-editor cheats, translation packs and near-duplicates, and where two mods conflict (CQUI and Better Trade Screen, for example) we say so.
Only download from the Workshop links above, or from a creator’s own CivFanatics page if that is where they host their files. Re-upload and “Workshop downloader” sites often serve outdated copies that break saves. Our Valheim mods list follows the same rule.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most popular Civilization 6 mod? Detailed Map Tacks, with more than 2.7 million lifetime subscribers on the Steam Workshop. Quick Deals and Extended Policy Cards are close behind.
Do Civ 6 mods work in Civilization 7? No. Civilization VII is a separate game with its own Steam Workshop, and Civ VI mods cannot be loaded in it. Everything on this list is for Civ VI.
Do Civ 6 mods still work after the Leader Pass? Yes, for the most part. The last gameplay patch arrived in August 2023, after the Leader Pass, and each entry above lists when its mod was last updated. If a mod misbehaves, check its Workshop page and comments for a newer version before loading an old save.
Can you use Civ 6 mods on console? No. Mods are a PC feature; the Switch, PlayStation and Xbox versions of Civ VI do not support them. Console mod support is rare in general, as our look at how mods work in The Witcher 3 Remastered shows.
Are Civ 6 mods free? Yes. Every mod on this list is free on the Steam Workshop. Some creators link optional tip pages, but nothing here is locked behind a payment.