Welcome to the Civ 6 Tier List. In this guide, we will discuss the best leaders in Civilization 6. The game is massive and it can be difficult to know where to start, but this guide will help you choose the best civ 6 leaders for your play style.
Civ 6 tier list: Best Leaders & Civilizations
Since the release of Civilization VI in 2016, there has been much debate over which leaders are the best.
In this Civ 6 tier list, we’ll take a look at some of the top leaders in the game, as well as their associated civilizations and playstyles.
Why is a Civilization VI tier list important?
Choosing the right civilization and leader for your playstyle is one of the most important decisions you can make when starting a new game of Civilization 6.
It’s also one of the first choices you’ll make in Civ 6, which means you need to know what to look for so that you don’t waste time playing with bad civs and leaders.
A Civ 6 tier list is important because it can help you decide which leader to play as.
If you’re new to the game, or if you’re just looking for some new strategies, then the best leaders can help you find your feet and determine your preferred playstyle. Don’t forget to also check out our Civ 6 Wonder Tier List to view our rankings of the best wonders in the game.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the best Civ 6 leaders.
January, 2024 – We have updated our CIV 6 Leader Tier List
S Tier – Best Civ 6 Leaders
The best of the best. These leaders are all highly effective in their roles, and they’re worth pursuing if you can get them.
They’re all capable of winning games on their own, or at the very least making them a lot easier for you. They make great starting choices if you want to get off to a strong start in Civ 6.
- Basil II (Byzantium)
- Frederick Barbarossa (Germany)
- Pericles (Greece)
- Hojo Tokimune (Japan)
- Seondeok (Korea)
- Montezuma (Aztec)
- Wilfrid Laurier (Canada)
- Simón Bolívar (Gran Colombia)
- Peter (Russia)
- Suleiman (Ottomans)
- Eleanor of Aquitaine (England)
- Genghis Khan (Mongolia)
A Tier
These leaders are all very strong, but not quite as good as those in the S tier.
They still make great starting choices if you want to get off to a strong start in Civ 6, but they might not be quite as effective.
- Chandragupta (India)
- Gorgo (Greece)
- Victoria (England)
- Kublai Khan (Mongolia)
- Tomyris (Scythia)
- Gitarja (Indonesia)
- John Curtin (Australia)
- Matthias Corvinus (Hungary)
- Catherine de Medici – Black Queen (France)
- Eleanor of Aquitaine (France)
- Kupe (Maori)
- Philip II (Spain)
- Harald Hardrada (Norway)
- João III (Portugal)
- Kristina (Sweden)
Related: Rise of Kingdoms Tier List
B Tier
The B tier is a collection of civilizations that have some good, but not great qualities. They’re still worth pursuing, but they might not be quite as effective as those in the A tier or S tier.
- Alexander (Macedonian)
- Pedro II (Brazil)
- Dido (Phoenicia)
- Wilhelmina (Netherlands)
- Catherine de Medici – Magnificence (France)
- Trajan (Rome)
- Lautaro (Mapuche)
- Jayavarman VII (Khmer)
- Qin Shi Huang (China)
- Teddy Roosevelt – Rough Rider (America)
- Gandhi (India)
- Saladin (Arabia)
Civ 6 – C Tier
These leaders are not bad, but they don’t have the best bonuses or abilities. C Tier Civ 6 Leaders can still win games, but they’re not great starting choices if you want to get off to a strong start in Civ 6.
- Teddy Roosevelt – Bull Moose (America)
- Mansa Musa (Mali)
- Ba Trieu (Vietnam)
- Ambiorix (Gaul)
- Hammurabi (Babylon)
- Cyrus (Persia)
- Mvemba a Nzinga (Kongo)
- Kublai Khan (China)
- Shaka (Zulu)
- Poundmaker (Cree)
- Pachacuti (Inca)
- Gilgamesh (Sumerian)
- Menelik II (Ethiopia)
Related: cEDH Best Commanders Tier List
Civ 6 – D Tier
The civilizations and their leaders in this tier are not as good as the others in the game.
They may have some specific perks that make them stand out, but they don’t compare to the more well-rounded leaders that you can find above them on this Civ 6 tier list.
- Robert the Bruce (Scotland)
- Jadwiga (Poland)
- Amanitore (Nubia)
- Cleopatra (Egypt)
- Tamar (Georgia)
- Lady Six Sky (Maya)
Who is The Best Leader in Civ 6?
There are a lot of different factors to consider when choosing a leader in Civilization 6. Do you want a leader who is strong in the military? One who is good at diplomacy? One who is great at expanding your empire?
Ultimately the best leader in Civ 6 is the one that you enjoy playing as. Remember, this is your game and you can choose whatever leader you want, so the rankings of the best Civilization VI leaders depend on personal playstyle and strategy.
For example, if you like to “turtle” heavily and build up to an overwhelming force, then Incan (Pachacuti) is a great choice because he can easily get the upper hand in combat when it matters most.
However with that being said, in our opinion, Hojo of Japan is the best leader in Civ 6.
Why is that?
We believe that Hojo is the best leader in Civilization 6 because of the various bonuses that Japan’s military receives.
Japan is an excellent civilization for beginners, and that’s why it sits on top of our Civ 6 tier list rankings. Its unique ability, Meiji Restoration, can ramp up production for all buildings in the city by up to 50% if there are many districts close together.
Another great reason why we think Japan is the best civilization in Civ 6 is because of their Samurai unit that receives no combat penalties when they are damaged.
This allows them to stay on the battlefield longer than other units, which can be important when trying to expand your empire or defend against an attack.
Additionally, Japan’s Electronics Factory increases production significantly.
And finally, district adjacency bonuses encourage compact cities which is an effective strategy for defending and expanding cities in Civilization 6.
How Was This Civ 6 Tier List Created?
As with every tier list that we create we first like to do plenty of research beforehand to have a broad spectrum of opinions and make sure that we cover all our bases (no pun intended).
So even though we have our own opinions of what we think is the best civilization in the game (and the best leader in Civ 6), we also like to get feedback and the opinions of other players. To do that we also browse Civ 6 online communities such as the official Discord and the Reddit page.
Still, rankings in a strategy game like Civilization VI are totally subjective, because skill and playstyle, and preferences are more important than a couple of extra bonuses and stats. So keep that in mind before you rant away in the comments below 🙂
This list is meant to be a guideline, not a rule. Some civilizations might be better suited for your playstyle than others, and that’s okay!
You should take into consideration which civilizations you have unlocked when trying to find one that fits your needs best, hopefully, you have all the S-tier ones from this Civ 6 tier list unlocked, otherwise well, play more to unlock them.
Civ 6 Leader Tier List: Conclusion
The civilization and leader that you choose will greatly affect how well you do.
Hopefully, with our Civ 6 tier list, you get a bigger picture and more insight into which civilization and leaders are best for beginners, intermediate players, and advanced players.
If you’re a beginner, I’d recommend playing with a civilization and leader that are both in the top two tiers.
This will give you more room for error and let you learn how to play the game without being too pressured by tough AI opponents.
If you want something a little more challenging then try playing with an S-tier leader against another S-tier leader on Immortal or Deity difficulty.
This will be one of the most challenging things that you can do in Civ 6 but also one of the most rewarding experiences as well! Oh, and if you’re playing the older game, check out our Civ 5 tier list.
Civilization 6 FAQ
The best strategy for most of the games is simply focusing on military and expansion, which will give you a good chance to win in the end.
If you want to get more specific, however, you should try to get as many districts as possible, because they will help with your production and keep your people happy.
You also have to figure out where it’s safe to expand without getting into conflicts with other civilizations too soon – usually, this means trying not to go out too far until you’ve got enough troops/navy on hand or else someone will take all your land before you even know what happened!
The unit that would be most useful in almost any situation would probably be an archer since they can attack from behind walls or cover without having an attack penalty like other units might have (especially cavalry).
However, if there are no cities nearby then making settlers right away might actually be better than making archers since then at least one city gets started sooner rather than later!
In general, though it depends on what type of map we’re talking about here, if there aren’t many resources nearby then maybe building worker units could work better instead.
It depends on how you like to play, but I generally prefer democracy because they’re more flexible and can adapt to different situations better than other types.
If you want something that will help you build up quickly then monarchy might be what should be chosen instead.
Subjective answer but the Great Library, for me. I’ve seen a lot of players build other wonders but this one seems like it has more consistently positive results than anything else (except maybe Stonehenge).
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