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Civilization VI · Expansions & DLC
What's Actually in Each Civilization VI Expansion
Civ 6's content rolled out over several years across two full expansions and two DLC season passes. Here's what each one actually adds, so you know what you're missing if you only own the base game.
Rise and Fall
Expansion · February 2018 Civ 6's first major expansion, introducing the Loyalty system (cities can defect if unhappy or under enemy cultural pressure), Governors (specialist units you assign to cities for unique bonuses), Golden and Dark Ages (era-based bonuses or penalties depending on how your Era Score stacks up), Emergencies (temporary alliances against a runaway civilization), and Alliances.
Adds: Adds 8 new civilizations and 9 new leaders, including Genghis Khan (Mongolia) and Robert the Bruce (Scotland), plus new units, districts, buildings, and Wonders.
Gathering Storm
Expansion · February 2019 The second and larger expansion, built around an active, changing planet — climate change, rising sea levels, and natural disasters (volcanoes, floods, storms) that can damage or, in some cases, enrich your land afterward. Introduces the World Congress (a global diplomacy body for passing binding resolutions), a Diplomatic Victory condition, and extends the Technology and Civic trees into a Future Era.
Adds: Adds 8 new civilizations and 9 new leaders, 7 new Wonders, and a range of new units, districts, buildings, and improvements tied to the new climate and diplomacy systems.
New Frontier Pass
DLC Season Pass · May 2020 – March 2021 Six bimonthly DLC packs (Maya & Gran Colombia, Ethiopia, Byzantium & Gaul, Babylon, Vietnam & Kublai Khan, Portugal) bundled as a single pass, plus two free Persona Packs (Teddy Roosevelt "Rough Rider" and Catherine de Medici "Magnificence"). Introduced six new game modes — Apocalypse, Secret Societies, Monopolies and Corporations, Zombie Defense, and others — several of which require owning Rise and Fall or Gathering Storm to enable.
Adds: Adds 8 new civilizations and 9 new leaders total across the six packs, plus new Wonders, a new District (Diplomatic Quarter), and a new map type (Wetlands).
Leader Pass
DLC Season Pass · November 2022 – March 2023 A later DLC series focused specifically on leaders rather than civilizations — six packs adding 12 new leaders total, plus 6 new Persona takes on existing leaders, reflecting different personas or historical periods for figures already in the game.
Adds: No new civilizations — this pass is entirely new and alternate leaders, playable with existing civilizations.
Do You Need All of Them?
- If you're buying new, the Anthology bundle includes the base game, both expansions, and all DLC passes — the simplest way to get everything at once.
- Gathering Storm is the single most impactful purchase after the base game — the World Congress, climate systems, and Diplomatic Victory meaningfully change the mid-to-late game.
- Several New Frontier Pass game modes (Apocalypse, Secret Societies, Dramatic Ages) require owning Rise and Fall or Gathering Storm to actually enable — check the specific mode before assuming a DLC pack works standalone.