10 Best Leaders For A Cultural Victory In Civ 6

One of the more challenging victories in Sid Meier's Civilization 6 is the Cultural Victory, which requires players to attract visiting tourists from other civilizations through Tourism, Wonders, Great Works, yields from Cultural Districts, and more. A strong Culture-based strategy starts with the right leader for the task, and Civ 6 has no shortage of options, though some leaders such as Pericles have a clear edge in the Culture game.

Other great options for a Cultural Victory are less obvious, however, and it's important to look at how effectively each civilization and leader combination boosts Tourism, both foreign and domestic. Domestic Tourism in Civ 6 is just as important, and acts as the defensive Cultural element in the game. The best leaders for a Cultural Victory in Civ 6 all feature multiple advantages that help them work toward this goal, so it's hard for even Civ 6 beginners to go wrong with any.

10 Pericles Of Greece

Features The Surrounded By Glory Ability & Acropolis

Pericles is among the best Cultural Victory options due to his unique Surrounded by Glory ability that provides +5% Culture per city-state the player is Suzerain of, as well as Greece's unique Cultural District, the Acropolis. Further, Greece is awarded a free Wildcard Policy slot by default, and will have a huge selection of useful policies to choose from as players advance quickly through the Civics Tree.

Pericles can acquire an early Cultural foothold by allying with city-states and taking advantage of the boost from his ability, and the Acropolis District awards an extra Envoy when completed, making this even easier and cementing his position as a great leader for beginners. The Acropolis also provides boosted Culture bonuses for each adjacent district, City Center, Wonder, Entertainment Complex, and Water Park. Surrounding the Acropolis strategically in each city will put Pericles leagues ahead of the competition in Culture.

9 President Abraham Lincoln Of America

Founding Fathers & Emancipation Proclamation Boost Tourism

Because of America's late-game Modern era boost to Tourism from the Film Studio and the flexibility with policy slots from the Founding Fathers ability, Abraham Lincoln is a strong contender for a Cultural Victory. The Founding Fathers ability converts all policy slots to Wildcard Slots, allowing players a strategic Diplomatic advantage, which can be leveraged for an upper hand in Culture yields

Lincoln has a strong synergy with Production due to the Emancipation Proclamation leader ability, which provides additional Amenities from Industrial Zones. Unlocking the Film Studio as soon as possible will also open Apprenticeship and Industrialization along the way, providing the ability to pump out Cultural Wonders and further increase tourism. If that doesn't cut it, players can use Great Merchant points to unlock Masaru Ibuka, who gives Industrial Zones a +10 boost to Tourism.

8 Catherine De Medici (Magnificence) Of France

Catherine's Magnificences Utilize Luxury Resources

Catherine De Medici Magnificence from Civ 6

By all accounts, the Magnificence version of Catherine De Medici is designed for a Cultural Victory and centers around using Luxury Resources to boost Culture and Gold yields. For starters, France's Château building provides an amazing Culture buff based on Luxury Resources, as well as providing Tourism from the Culture on these buildings after Flight is researched. To complement that, Catherine's Magnificences ability adds +2 Culture for improved luxury resources adjacent to Theater Squares or Châteaus.

If that wasn't enough, Catherine can initiate the Court Festival project in Theater Squares, which awards bonus Tourism and Culture based on excess Luxury Resources. Additionally, France's Grand Tour ability gives a +20% Production boost to Medieval, Renaissance, and Industrial Wonders and increases Tourism by 100% from Wonders of any era. With all these features at play, a Cultural Victory should be no problem.

7 Qin Shi Huang (Mandate Of Heaven) Of China

The First Emperor & Dynastic Cycle Speed Up Civics

Qin Shi Huang has a variety of Culture-boosting abilities and features that make him an excellent choice for a Cultural Victory. The First Emperor ability for the Mandate of Heaven variant of Qin allows players to spend Builder charges to help complete Ancient and Classical Wonders, allowing an early Cultural lead with quick Wonder construction. China's Dynastic Cycle ability can also help speed up Civic research as it enables Inspirations to contribute 10% more towards Civics than usual.

The most important asset for Qin in a Cultural Victory is building the Great Wall, which is a unique building that is unlocked very early in the game. Not only does it provide extra Gold, but it also acts as a Defensive boost and, most importantly, provides Culture and Tourism adjacency bonuses as players advance through the Tech Tree.

6 Pedro II Of Brazil

Features Magnanimous, Copacobana, & Carnival Projects

Pedro II is a great choice for a Cultural Victory due to his and Brazil's focus on Great People patronage. His Magnanimous ability refunds 20% of Great Person points after recruiting or patronizing a Great Person of any type, while Brazil's unique Rainforest bonuses will be ideal if properly strategized with Rainforest terrain.

Most significantly, Brazil has two unique districts that enhance Great People recruitment: the Street Carnival Entertainment Complex replacement and the Copacabana Water Park district replacement, both of which unlock a Carnival project that awards a variety of Great People points once completed. These districts cannot be built in the same city, but give players more options to guarantee every city in an empire has access to the Carnival project. Recruiting Great Artists and collecting Great Works is a tried and true way of achieving a Cultural Victory.

5 Kristina Of Sweden

Boost Culture With Minerva Of The North & Nobel Prizes

Civilization 6 Sweden faction leader Kristina

Kristina of Sweden is a Cultural powerhouse who utilizes Great Works through the Minerva of the North ability, which automatically themes buildings with at least three Great Work slots and wonders with at least two once all the slots are filled. This ability also unlocks the Queen's Bibliotheque building in the Government Plaza, a unique building with 2 slots for Writing, Music, or Art that benefits from the above effect.

"Players can pursue a Nobel Prize in Literature with Kristina for a serious boost toward a Cultural Victory."

To boot, Sweden has two unique Culture-boosting features, the first of which is an Open-Air Museum building that provides +2 Loyalty, Culture, and Tourism for each terrain type in which a Swedish city is founded. The second feature is a completely unique World Congress competition based on the Nobel Prize. Players can pursue a Nobel Prize in Literature with Kristina for a serious boost toward a Cultural Victory.

4 Egyptian Queen Cleopatra (Ptolemaic)

Unlock The Mystery Of The Sphinx

Players will need to carefully plan the placement of their cities and districts around rivers to fully capitalize on the Ptolemaic variation of Queen Cleopatra's Cultural prowess. With her Arrival of the Hapi ability, resources along floodplains receive +1 Food and Culture, while Egypt's Iteru feature gives a +15% Production boost to districts and wonders next to a river and prevents damage from floods. Cleopatra constructs Wonders quickly in the early eras and grows population quickly, boosting Production and Culture yields.

The Sphinx building is a serious Culture boost as well, providing +1 Faith and Culture, +2 Appeal, and additional Culture if built on floodplains and after Natural History is unlocked. These Sphinx buildings also provide Tourism after players have researched Flight, making rivers and floodplains essential for Cleopatra's Culture Victory. Egypt is a fantastic civilization for the Ancient Era across the board, but working to build Culture is an especially good plan.

3 Persian King Cyrus

Witness The Fall Of Babylon

A Cultural Victory with King Cyrus involves taking advantage of the unique Persian building, the Pairidaeza. These buildings provide +1 Culture and +2 Gold, plus Appeal bonuses and further Culture for adjacent Holy Sites and Theater Squares. These buildings provide additional Culture and Tourism as players advance through the Civics and Technology Trees. Further, the Satrapies feature awards Culture and Gold for domestic trade routes.

Cyrus also has unique defensive features in the event of inevitable clashes with opponents. His Fall of Babylon ability lessens Grievances and warmongering penalties for declaring a Surprise War, and the Immortal melee unit is a powerful defensive military unit that can be garrisoned throughout the empire. After Diplomatic Service is unlocked, the effects from the Pairidaeza combined with a defensive military strategy will propel Cyrus to a surefire Cultural Victory.

2 Kongo's King: Mvemba A Nzinga

A Religious Convert With Cultural Appeal

Mvemba can achieve a Cultural Victory more easily thanks to the Nkisi Kongo feature, which provides Food, Production, Faith, and Gold from each Relic, Artifact, and Sculpture Great Work of Art in addition to the usual Culture yields. This ability also awards 50% more Great Artist, Great Musician, and Great Merchant Points than the typical base amount, and gives players a Palace in the City Center that has 5 Great Works slots.

"With the right strategy, Great People recruitment will far exceed what any other civilization is capable of, providing more Great Works, Culture, and Tourism."

Because Mvemba's Religious Convert ability adopts the majority religion's beliefs, the Kongo can take advantage of the unique bonuses of the dominant religion at the time. With the right strategy, Great People recruitment will far exceed what any other civilization is capable of, providing more Great Works, Culture, and Tourism. The Mbanza district also helps to bolster population growth in the pursuit of higher Domestic Tourism.

1 Wilfrid Laurier Of Canada

The Last Best West & Four Faces Of Peace

Under the leadership of Wilfrid, Canada utilizes National Parks and Ice Hockey Rinks to maximize Tourism. Wilfrid will flourish in Tundra terrain with the Last Best West ability that allows Farms to be built on Tundra Hills and boosts Production from Mines on those tiles. The Ice Hockey Rink is a unique Canadian building that provides +1 Culture for each adjacent Tundra, Tundra Hill, Snow, or Snow Hill. This Culture provides Tourism after Flight is unlocked, +2 Food and Production when Professional Sports are unlocked, and +4 Culture when next to a Stadium.

The Canadian Mountie unit can create two National Parks, and will be crucial for propelling Wilfrid to a Cultural Victory. Canada might be as far as a Civ 6 civilization can get from a good choice for a Domination Victory, but putting the focus on cultural strengths more than makes up for it. While there are many great strategies and approaches to a Cultural Victory, these ten Sid Meier's Civilization 6 leaders will give players an edge in the Culture wars.