Let’s talk about one of the biggest strategic choices in any 4X game: should you build a “tall” or a “wide” empire? If you’re a Civilization veteran, you know this debate well. But if you’re coming to Civilization VI with habits from older games, you need to throw them out the window. The old rules that made “building tall” the undisputed best strategy are gone, replaced by a new system that completely changes how you should think about growing your empire.
Civilization VI doesn’t just pick a side; it offers a whole spectrum of strategies. While the game definitely rewards expansion, a well-planned “tall” empire isn’t just a handicap you give yourself for fun—it’s a powerful way to win if you have the right leader and starting position. This guide will break down exactly how empire-building works in Civilization VI. We’re going beyond the simple definitions to give you a real, actionable analysis of both tall and wide play. The best rulers aren’t the ones who stick to one playbook, but the ones who understand the principles of both and adapt to the world they’re given.
What “Tall” and “Wide” Really Mean in Civ 6
To get a grip on strategy in Civilization VI, you have to understand the massive changes to its core mechanics. The old push-and-pull between a few huge cities and a ton of small ones has been replaced by something much more interesting.
From Global Happiness to Local Amenities
The biggest change from Civilization V is the removal of global happiness. In that game, every new city you founded tanked your empire’s happiness, putting a hard limit on expansion. In Civilization VI, that’s gone. Happiness is now called Amenities, and it’s handled city by city. Each city needs a certain amount of amenities based on its population, which it gets from luxury resources, entertainment buildings, and certain policies.
What this means is that founding a new city has zero negative impact on your other cities’ happiness. A tiny new settlement is perfectly content on its own, giving you a huge incentive to expand and grab new land without worrying about your core cities falling into chaos.
The Age of Districts: Your Empire’s Engine
The second game-changer is the District system, which “unstacks” your cities. In older Civ games, every building was crammed into the single city center tile. In Civilization VI, you have to build specialized districts on the map to hold your buildings. You need a Campus for a Library and University, a Commercial Hub for a Market and Bank, and so on.
This is the main reason why “going wide” is now the default path to victory. A city’s population limits how many districts it can have, but even a small city can build one or two important ones. So, an empire with ten cities, each with its own Campus, will generate way more science than an empire with four super-populous cities that each have just one Campus. The sheer number of districts a wide empire can build creates a massive advantage in science, culture, faith, and gold that’s almost impossible for a tall empire to compete with.
Redefining “Tall”: Precision and Population
With these mechanics, what does “playing tall” even mean in Civilization VI? It’s not about sticking to just three or four cities. A modern “tall” strategy is about building a core of about six to eight extremely developed cities. The focus isn’t on having the most districts, but on making every single district in your core cities as efficient and productive as possible.
The secret to a good tall strategy is population growth. High-population cities unlock more district slots, which lets you specialize them and create powerful synergies. Plus, some of the best policy cards and governor abilities give percentage-based bonuses that are much stronger in big cities. Playing tall is a game of precision, where you aim to create a few urban powerhouses that can outperform the individual cities of a wider opponent.
Redefining “Wide”: Spreading Out and Powering Up
“Going wide” is the most straightforward way to use Civilization VI’s systems to your advantage. This strategy is all about founding as many cities as you possibly can, often reaching ten, twelve, or even fifteen or more. The goal is simple: overwhelm your opponents with sheer size.
A wide empire tries to cover the map, controlling huge amounts of territory to get a monopoly on luxury and strategic resources. The main challenge isn’t generating resources—that happens naturally—but managing the logistics of a huge empire. You’ll need to maintain Loyalty in cities far from your capital, defend a long and vulnerable border, and deal with the rising production costs of Settlers and Builders. A great wide player is an expert in logistics and power projection.
The Case for Going Wide
Playing Civilization VI means understanding that more is almost always better. A wide empire is a powerful instrument that can crush its way to victory through overwhelming numbers.
The Simple Math of More
- More Districts, More Power: It’s worth repeating. Two cities with one Campus each will give you more base science than one city with a single Campus, even if that one city is bigger. Spreading out lets you build multiple copies of your key districts, giving you a strong foundation for any victory type.
- Control of Strategic Resources: Winning in the mid to late game often comes down to who has the strategic resources. Horses and Iron are critical for early wars, Niter is key for Renaissance units, and Coal, Oil, and Aluminum fuel the late-game war machine. A wide empire, just by controlling more land, is far more likely to have these resources, giving it a huge military and industrial edge.
- The Trade Route Empire: Every city with a Commercial Hub or Harbor can build a Market or Lighthouse and train a Trader. More cities mean more Trade Routes. This lets you build a massive economic network to fund a huge army, buy buildings and units outright, and influence other civs.
Leaders Built for Going Wide
Some leaders feel like they were designed specifically for a wide, expansionist strategy, with abilities that help solve the logistical problems of a large empire.
- Example: Trajan (Rome): Rome is the classic “go-wide” civ. Trajan’s “All Roads Lead to Rome” ability automatically builds a road from your capital to any new city and gives it a free Trading Post. This saves you the trouble of using your first few traders to build a road network and helps with unit movement and trade. On top of that, every new city starts with a free Monument, which boosts Culture and, more importantly, Loyalty, making it easier to hold onto your new cities.
- Example: Montezuma (Aztec): Montezuma is all about aggressive expansion. His “Gifts for the Tlatoani” ability makes luxury resources in his territory give an Amenity to two extra cities and also gives his units a combat bonus for each different luxury he has. This pushes you to settle wide to collect as many different luxuries as you can, which then powers up your military. His unique ability to use Builder charges to rush 20% of a district’s cost lets your new cities get up and running incredibly fast.
- Example: Eleanor of Aquitaine (France or England): Eleanor gives you a unique, peaceful way to build a wide empire. Her “Court of Love” ability makes Great Works in her cities drain the Loyalty of foreign cities within 9 tiles. By building a few culturally-packed cities near a rival, you can literally flip their cities to your side without ever declaring war, turning their empire into your own.
How to Play a Wide Strategy
- Early Game (Ancient/Classical): Your number one job is to produce Settlers. After you get your capital set up with a scout and a slinger, you should be pumping out settlers one after another. As soon as you unlock the Early Empire civic, slot in the
Colonizationpolicy card for a +50% production boost to Settlers. Settle your cities in clusters to help with Loyalty, and prioritize spots with fresh water and new luxury resources. - Mid Game (Medieval/Renaissance): Now, Loyalty is your biggest challenge. The
Audience Chamberbuilding in your Government Plaza is a must-have, giving you +2 Loyalty and +2 Housing in any city with a Governor. Appoint your Governors to the right places; Victor with theGarrison Commanderpromotion can lock down a new city on the frontier, while Amani the Diplomat can be placed in a conquered city to keep it from rebelling.