The Best Governments in Civilization 6

Whether you go with America, India, Sumeria, or anything in between, Civilization VI starts you out with the lowly Chiefdom government. This ineffectual means of governing offers only a single Military and Economic policy slot each, so you’ll want to work through the Civics tree to unlock other forms of government.

Other forms have different policy slots, allowing you to gain bonuses on everything from naval production to extra Great Writer points to bonus Housing for cities with multiple Districts. 

Best Government Options

Any government can potentially be useful in the right circumstances, depending on what victory condition you are going for or whether you are currently being aggressive or building up your cities. Governments are also now highly customizable with the policy slots.

 Setting government and policy options

Don’t discount switching governments over time, but pay attention to your various boosts: you don’t want to build up an army using a government with tons of Military policy slots, only to then switch just before a war breaks out and find yourself needing those bonuses back.

First and foremost on the various combinations: America combines extremely well with any government option, as that civ automatically earns Legacy bonuses in half the time over every civilization.

For those seeking a religious victory, Spain combos well with a Theocracy, as that civ gets a combat bonus against units of opposing religions. The Arabian civ is another shoe-in for Theocracy with its cheaper Faith purchases.

Fascism can be an excellent government for any civ with its large number of policy slots, but is particularly useful if you need a large military and want to go for a Domination victory with a war-themed civ like Sumeria.

Civilization VI Governments

Government	Requirement	Legacy Bonus	Base Ability
Autocracy	Political Philosphy	Bonus Wonder Production	+1 Yield Boost In Capital
Classical    Republic	Political Philosphy	Bonus Great People Points	+1 Amenity In Cities With Districts
Oligarchy	Political Philosphy	Bonus Combat Experience	Bonus Strength To Melee Units
Monarchy	Divine Right	Bonus Influence Points	Bonus Housing In Cities w/Medieval Walls
Theocracy	Reformed Church	Discounted Faith Buys	Faith Units Available And Gain Bonuses
Merchant   Republic	Exploration	Discounted Gold Buys	Bonus Trade Routes
Democracy	Suffrage	Bonuses From District Projects	Great People Cost Less Gold
Communism	Class Struggle	Bonus On All Production	Land Units Gain Bonus Defense
Fascism	Totalitarianism	Bonus Unit Production	Bonus Strength To All Combat Units

Looking for other Civilization VI guides? Check out:

• America
• England
• India
• Rome
• Districts Guide
• Maps Overview
• Fixing Common Bugs And Errors