Looking for the definitive Civilization 6 leader tier list? Our comprehensive ranking analyzes all 70+ leaders across every expansion and Leader Pass to reveal the absolute best rulers for domination, culture, science, and religious victories in November 2025. Based on current meta analysis and community consensus, this guide will help you choose the perfect leader for your next Deity conquest.
| Tier | Leaders | Key Strengths |
|---|---|---|
| S-Tier | Abraham Lincoln, Yongle, Victoria (Age of Steam), Ludwig II, Tokugawa | Production bonuses, flexible victory paths, explosive growth |
| A-Tier | Amanitore, Basil II, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Hammurabi, Korea leaders | Specialized excellence, strong mid-game power |
| B-Tier | Jayavarman, Wilhelmina, Matthias Corvinus, Sundiata Keita | Niche strengths, situational dominance |
| C-Tier | Gandhi, Gilgamesh, Harald Hardrada | Challenging but viable with skill |
| D-Tier | Ambiorix, Dido, Lautaro | Significant weaknesses, high difficulty |
Before diving into the complete tier list, it's crucial to understand how we evaluate Civilization 6 leaders. Our ranking system considers multiple factors that determine a leader's effectiveness across different game scenarios and difficulty levels.
Contents
1. Victory Condition Flexibility
2. Power Curve Timing
3. Deity Difficulty Performance
4. Synergy with Civilization Abilities
5. Community Consensus & Meta Analysis
These leaders represent the pinnacle of Civilization 6 power. Whether through overwhelming production advantages, flexible victory options, or explosive growth potential, S-tier leaders consistently dominate games and can overcome almost any situation.
Why S-Tier: Lincoln transforms America into an industrial juggernaut with unprecedented production capabilities. His ability "The American Experiment" provides additional amenities beyond his other bonuses, while Industrial Zones generate state-of-the-art melee units with each new building.
Key Strengths:
Optimal Playstyle: Focus on early Industrial Zone construction and rapid military expansion. Lincoln excels at domination victories but can pivot to science or culture with his robust production base.
Community Consensus: Ranked among the top 3 leaders in multiple tier lists, with particular praise for his versatility and power spike timing.
Why S-Tier: Yongle's "Lijia" ability creates an economic powerhouse by providing massive population growth and adjacency bonuses. While slower to start than other S-tier leaders, once Yongle gets going, he becomes nearly unstoppable.
Key Strengths:
Optimal Playstyle: Prioritize early growth and district construction. Yongle rewards patient players who can survive the early game to reach his economic mid-game explosion.
Community Consensus: Received 42.6% of votes as one of the best Leader Pass leaders in CivFanatics polling, placing him in the top 3 community favorites.
Why S-Tier: Victoria's Age of Steam persona focuses entirely on production, the single most important resource in Civilization 6. Her ability to generate massive production while maintaining population growth makes her incredibly versatile.
Key Strengths:
Optimal Playstyle: Build cities rapidly and focus on production districts. Victoria can pursue any victory type effectively thanks to her ability to produce anything needed quickly.
Community Consensus: Consistently ranked among the top leaders since her release, with particular praise for her straightforward power and reliability.
Why S-Tier: Ludwig's unique ability turns Germany into a wonder-building machine. His "Swan King" ability provides culture and tourism based on the number of wonders built, creating powerful synergy with Germany's already-strong district bonuses.
Key Strengths:
Optimal Playstyle: Focus on wonder construction and district planning. Ludwig excels at culture victories but can adapt to other conditions with proper planning.
Community Consensus: Received 40.4% of votes as a top Leader Pass leader, with players praising his unique playstyle and power level.
Why S-Tier: Tokugawa's emphasis on domestic trade routes creates a self-sufficient empire with powerful loyalty and tourism bonuses. His ability to thrive while limiting international trade makes him uniquely resilient.
Key Strengths:
Optimal Playstyle: Focus on internal development and limit international trade. Tokugawa rewards players who can build self-sufficient empires with strong internal economies.
Community Consensus: Topped the CivFanatics Leader Pass poll with 44.7% of votes, making him the community's favorite Leader Pass leader.
These leaders may not have the overwhelming flexibility of S-tier, but they excel spectacularly in their specific roles and can consistently win games with proper play.
Why A-Tier: Amanitore's Nubian Pyramids provide incredible tile bonuses when properly planned, making her one of the best city-planning specialists in the game.
Key Strengths:
Optimal Playstyle: Plan cities carefully around Nubian Pyramid placement. Amanitore rewards players who think several turns ahead about city development.
Why A-Tier: Basil combines religious and military prowess in a devastating package. His Tagma units and religious bonuses create powerful synergy for domination or religious victories.
Key Strengths:
Optimal Playstyle: Early religious focus followed by military expansion. Basil excels at converting and conquering simultaneously.
Why A-Tier: Eleanor's unique ability to flip cities through loyalty pressure creates a completely different playstyle that can be incredibly effective with proper execution.
Key Strengths:
Optimal Playstyle: Focus on generating culture and loyalty pressure. Eleanor can expand rapidly without direct warfare through her city-flipping ability.
Why A-Tier: Hammurabi's ability to complete technologies instantly by achieving Eurekas creates a completely different tech progression approach that can be incredibly powerful with proper planning.
Key Strengths:
Optimal Playstyle: Plan tech progression carefully to maximize Eureka opportunities. Hammurabi rewards players who understand the tech tree deeply.
Why A-Tier: Korea's leaders provide exceptional science bonuses and governor synergy, making them consistently strong for science victories.
Key Strengths:
Optimal Playstyle: Focus on science districts and governor placement. Korea rewards players who can maximize their science adjacency bonuses.
These leaders have clear strengths but require more specific conditions or playstyles to reach their full potential. They're capable of winning games but lack the consistency of higher-tier leaders.
Why B-Tier: Jayavarman excels at creating large, populous cities with strong religious components, but his focus is more specialized than higher-tier leaders.
Key Strengths:
Why B-Tier: Wilhelmina's focus on trade routes and city development provides strong economic potential but requires specific map conditions to excel.
Key Strengths:
Why B-Tier: Matthias's unique relationship with city-states provides powerful bonuses but makes him dependent on city-state positioning.
Key Strengths:
Why B-Tier: Sundiata's ability to generate gold and production from Great Works creates interesting economic options but requires specific cultural focus.
Key Strengths:
These leaders have significant weaknesses or require very specific conditions to succeed. They can win games but demand expert play and favorable circumstances.
Why C-Tier: Gandhi's peace-focused abilities are powerful in theory but difficult to maintain in practice, as AI civilizations rarely maintain peaceful relations.
Key Strengths:
Why C-Tier: Gilgamesh's focus on alliances and shared victories is interesting but often unreliable, depending heavily on AI behavior.
Key Strengths:
Why C-Tier: Harald's naval focus is powerful on water maps but significantly weaker on land-heavy maps, making him inconsistent.
Key Strengths:
These leaders have significant weaknesses that make them challenging to play effectively. They're primarily recommended for players seeking specific achievements or extreme challenges.
Why D-Tier: Ambiorix's focus on defensive improvements and limited expansion options makes him struggle with the core Civilization 6 expansion mechanics.
Key Strengths:
Why D-Tier: Dido's extreme dependence on coastal cities severely limits her flexibility and makes her vulnerable on land-heavy maps.
Key Strengths:
Why D-Tier: Lautaro's focus on fighting larger civilizations is interesting but often puts him at odds with standard expansion strategies.
Key Strengths:
The introduction of the Leader Pass in 2025 dramatically altered the Civilization 6 meta, introducing several leaders who now dominate the S-tier rankings. Understanding these changes is crucial for current competitive play.
1. Power Creep Concerns
2. Playstyle Diversity
3. Community Reception
The Civ 6 community continues to debate whether certain Leader Pass additions are overpowered. Forums like CivFanatics and Reddit regularly discuss potential balance changes, though no official patches have addressed these concerns recently.
Different leaders excel at different victory conditions. Understanding these specializations can help you choose the right leader for your preferred playstyle.
S-Tier: Abraham Lincoln, Basil II
A-Tier: Genghis Khan, Montezuma, Alexander
B-Tier: Shaka, Tomyris
These leaders provide military bonuses, unit production advantages, or combat effectiveness that makes conquest more efficient.
S-Tier: Yongle, Korea (Sejong/Seondeok)
A-Tier: Hammurabi, Wilhelmina
B-Tier: John Curtin, Qin Shi Huang
Science specialists provide tech bonuses, production advantages for space projects, or unique science generation methods.
S-Tier: Ludwig II, Victoria (Age of Steam)
A-Tier: Eleanor of Aquitaine, Pericles
B-Tier: Kristina, Peter the Great
Culture leaders generate tourism, have great work bonuses, or provide unique cultural pressure mechanics.
S-Tier: Jayavarman VII
A-Tier: Basil II, Saladin (Vizier)
B-Tier: Philip II, Menelik II
Religious specialists provide faith generation, religious combat advantages, or unique religious spread mechanics.
A-Tier: Wilfrid Laurier, Matthias Corvinus
B-Tier: Harald Hardrada, John Curtin
C-Tier: Gandhi
Diplomatic specialists excel at city-state relationships, favor generation, or unique diplomatic mechanics.
1. Map Considerations
2. Victory Condition Planning
3. Difficulty Level Adaptation
1. Over-specialization
2. Ignoring Leader-Civ Synergy
3. Poor Timing
1. Leader Availability
2. Control Considerations
3. Meta Differences
S-tier leaders typically possess exceptional flexibility, powerful early-game momentum, or unique abilities that create overwhelming advantages. Leaders like Abraham Lincoln and Yongle can pursue multiple victory conditions effectively and maintain strong performance throughout the game.
Tier lists evolve with each major update, balance patch, or new content release. The Leader Pass in 2025 significantly changed the meta, introducing several new S-tier leaders. Minor adjustments occur as the community discovers new strategies and optimal playstyles.
Many older leaders remain competitive, though some struggle against the power creep introduced by newer additions. Leaders like Amanitore and Korea continue to perform well, while others like Gandhi have become more challenging to use effectively.
For beginners, leaders like Hojo Tokimune (Japan) offer excellent balance and clear strategic direction. Japan's district adjacency bonuses encourage good city planning habits, and their military strength provides security while learning other game mechanics.
Civilization choice is crucial as it determines your unique units, buildings, and abilities. The best leader-civilization combinations create powerful synergies that amplify both elements. Some leaders can lead multiple civilizations, offering different strategic options.
Tier lists are most relevant for higher difficulties (Emperor and above) where AI bonuses create significant challenges. At lower difficulties, more leaders become viable as player skill can overcome inherent weaknesses. S-tier leaders tend to perform well at all difficulty levels.
Based on community discussions, leaders like Matthias Corvinus (Hungary) and Sundiata Keita (Mali) are often underrated but can be extremely powerful in the right hands. Their unique mechanics require specific playstyles but offer tremendous potential when mastered.
Countering S-tier leaders requires understanding their strengths and exploiting their weaknesses. For example, early aggression can disrupt Yongle's economic buildup, while religious pressure can challenge Lincoln's domination plans. Adapt your strategy based on the opponent's leader choice.
While no official bans exist, some competitive communities restrict certain leaders like Yongle and Ludwig II due to their overwhelming power levels. Always check tournament rules before participating in competitive events.
For speed running, leaders with strong early-game momentum like Abraham Lincoln and Basil II excel. Their ability to generate early advantages and maintain pressure throughout the game makes them ideal for rapid victory conditions.
Selecting the right leader in Civilization 6 is crucial for success, especially at higher difficulties. Our comprehensive tier list reveals that while S-tier leaders like Abraham Lincoln, Yongle, and Victoria (Age of Steam) offer the most consistent power across all situations, many A and B-tier leaders can be equally devastating in the right hands.
The key to success lies not just in choosing a high-tier leader, but in understanding their unique strengths, optimal playstyles, and how they synergize with their civilization's abilities. Whether you prefer the explosive growth of Yongle, the production dominance of Victoria, or the unique city-flipping mechanics of Eleanor, there's a leader perfect for your playstyle.
Remember that the Civilization 6 meta continues to evolve, especially with the recent Leader Pass additions. Stay connected with the community through Reddit, Discord, and competitive forums to keep up with the latest strategies and balance changes. Most importantly, experiment with different leaders to find the ones that match your personal playstyle and bring you the most enjoyment.
Bookmark this guide and check back regularly for updates as the Civ 6 meta continues to evolve in 2025 and beyond!
Looking for more Civilization 6 content? Check out our other guides on victory strategies, district planning, and multiplayer tactics to elevate your game to the next level!