Getting Started with Civilization VI Modding

Civilization VI modding is Workshop-first and conceptually simple — subscribe, enable in the Additional Content menu, start a game. The Lua + XML + SQL architecture makes mod authoring approachable, and the catalogue is mature enough that there's a mod for almost any rule tweak you can imagine.

This guide walks the standard install on the current Civ VI build.

Step 1 — Subscribe via Workshop

Open the Civ VI Workshop. Subscribe to mods. Steam downloads to Documents/My Games/Sid Meier's Civilization VI/Mods/.

Three popular first picks:

• Better Trade Screen — overhauls the trade-route UI. Most-installed Civ VI QoL mod historically.
• Real Strategy AI — improves the AI's strategic decision-making. Substantial gameplay impact.
• Extended Policy Cards — small UI tweak that fits more visible policy cards on screen.

Step 2 — Enable in Additional Content

Civ VI's main menu → Additional Content → Mods tab. Your subscribed mods appear here with enable toggles.

Enabling requires a game restart for many mods. Civ VI prompts you to restart after toggling.

Step 3 — Configure DLC content alongside

The Additional Content menu also has a DLC tab. If you own the major expansions:

• Rise and Fall — golden ages, dark ages, governors.
• Gathering Storm — climate, late-game tech, World Congress.

Plus the New Frontier Pass (six smaller packs). Make sure these are enabled — many mods assume the expansions are present.

Step 4 — Multiplayer

Civ VI's multiplayer requires every player to have the same enabled mods. The lobby auto-prompts joining players to subscribe to missing mods.

For private games with friends:

1. Agree on a mod list.
2. Everyone subscribes via Workshop.
3. Host creates the game with mods enabled in the lobby's Additional Content settings.

Step 5 — Achievements

Most mods disable achievements. Civ VI marks mods as "official content" vs "unofficial" — only official content (Firaxis DLC) keeps achievements active. A small set of community-made mods declare themselves achievement-safe; most don't.

If achievements matter to you, complete vanilla-achievement runs first, then mod.

Common gotchas

• Mod doesn't appear in Additional Content. Subscription incomplete. Restart Steam, verify Civ VI files via Steam.
• Game crashes on game start. Often a Lua error in a mod. Civ VI's logs (Documents/My Games/Sid Meier's Civilization VI/Logs/) show the failure point.
• Multiplayer disconnects on join. Mod mismatch. Compare enabled mods between host and joiners.
• Custom civ not appearing in civ selection. Mod is installed but disabled, or the civ is in a mod that requires a DLC you don't own.
• AI behaviour seems wrong. AI-modifying mods (Real Strategy AI especially) override Firaxis's AI. If you don't like the changes, disable them.

For modding Civ VI yourself, the Firaxis Modbuddy tool (free, downloads via the game's launcher) is the official authoring environment. The community wiki at Mod Buddy resources documents the Lua API extensively.