Civilization 6 sits at the top of the 4X pantheon seven years after launch, and regardless if you’re just now starting out or have played since the very beginning, it’s always handy to have some console commands and cheats at the ready.
Civilization 6’s console commands and cheats have proven rather elusive since launch and there’s a good reason for that. The title doesn’t have the richest offering and you will have to mostly play by its rules. If, however, you’re okay with any amount of technically forbidden power, read on below to find out more about your options.
Civ 6 Console Commands
On PC, activating Civilization 6’s console commands and cheats requires you to head over to X:\Documents\My Games\Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, then open the AppOptions.txt using Notepad. Look for a line that reads EnableDebugMenu 0 and change the number to 1.
Heading into any game, you should find the console accessible using the tilde ` key. You also have access to three menus by clicking the small buttons in the upper-left corner of the screen. Most of the available options show statistics about your ongoing game, so you won’t be able to do much about the enemy armies that threaten to steal your precious resources.
The middle button does, however, open up the debug menu, giving you access to a slider that allows you to set the time of day, which can be useful if you’re after a particular type of lighting in your screenshots.
The only two Civilization console commands and cheats that seem to work serve the same function – uncovering the map.
- Reveal All/Explore All - Sets the entire in-game map to explored, granting full vision
If you’re on the lookout for some juicier options that, perhaps, increase the amount of resources or let you spawn in units when the situation is truly desperate, you’ll have to tinker with a mod.
More specifically, the Cheat Menu Panel mod adds a new section to the in-game interface that hosts several buttons which act as shortcuts to a variety of Civ 6 cheat options.
They range from adding Faith and Gold to instantly completing production in cities, adding Era points, movement to units, or completing all technology and civic research.
The only caveat with using the mod is that it can be rather temperamental, requiring restarting the game before it functions or, sometimes, seemingly refusing to function at all.
This might be solely because, at the time of updating this article, the mod itself hasn’t really been touched since 2022. Nevertheless, its presence on Steam Workshop makes it easy to subscribe to (or drop, should it prove uncooperative).
Civilization 6 is out now on PC, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and mobile.
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