Civilization 5 was a landmark release for the series, expanding on the series' patented gameplay in many ways and giving players a wealth of paths they could embark on to attain victory. The game's focus on strategy is quite intense without being too overbearing, making it quite accessible at lower difficulties before players decide to up the ante. There aren't many 4X strategy games that are accessible to beginners, making it clear why Civilization has such a loyal fanbase that loves every title in this illustrious series.

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Players can take on the role of many leaders as they form massive countries and help their residents achieve happiness while researching new technologies, training their army, and either engaging in diplomacy or taking over territories by force. Civilization 5 has a captivating gameplay loop that can be further enhanced with a wealth of mods, most of which can help players enjoy this excellent title in a new light all over again. Ideally, first-timers should play through a few games first before thinking about messing around with Civ 5 mods.

Updated on December 22, 2023, by Ritwik Mitra: Civilization 5 is a classic 4X turn-based strategy game that many fans still play religiously to this day, even with the latest title in the series being quite popular for fans of the genre. There's something about the alluring charm of the game that makes players come back for more strategic goodness, and it helps that the wealth of mods available for this title means that players will have a great time going through this title while checking out the many ways fans have freshened up the experience to help veterans enjoy this game even more without getting too fatigued.

16 Play The World Extended

Downloads: 113,455

Play the World Extended mod for Civilization 5

There's something alluring about going through Civilization 5 on a map that replicates what the world looks like. It makes the session feel more authentic, and fans of the game would love this simple yet effective mod that facilitates the same.

The interesting manner in which kingdoms can evolve on an established map of the realm world is going to be fascinating to witness firsthand. With world leaders actively seeking to expand and become more powerful, this map is bound to offer hours of enjoyment to veteran Civilization players.

15 Tamriel

Downloads: 85,146

Tamriel mod for Civilization 5

The world of The Elder Scrolls is a detailed and fascinating one. The amount of work Bethesda has put into developing the massive lore of this series should be commended extensively, and any mod that allows Civ 5 players to check out a version of this map they can play on is bound to be a treat.

So, it's easy to see why Tamriel is one of the most popular custom maps players can download for their game. Sure, the idea of using modern weapons in a fantasy map may seem odd, but most players will get over this minor issue in no time flat once they establish a massive and respected kingdom in this world.

14 The Goths

Downloads: 167,892

The Goths mod for Civilization 5

A custom civilization that is pretty fun to get used to, the Goths are certainly a fascinating culture to witness in Civilization 5. A lot of work has been put into making this civilization feel as vanilla-friendly as possible, letting it merge seamlessly with the gameplay of this title.

Mods like these show just how passionate fans are about their favorite 4X strategy title. Players wanting to start a fresh playthrough in Civilization 5 will find it pretty engaging to get used to Gothic culture and how it can fit into the ever-evolving world of Civilization 5.

13 Really Advanced Setup

Downloads: 312,363

Really Advanced Setup mod for Civilization 5

Players who are tired of playing through the same campaigns over and over again in Civilization 5 can use a mod that lets them configure the setup of a game in a more complex and nuanced manner. The Really Advanced Setup mod lets players lets players configure pretty much anything they want to make for a customized and engaging playthrough.

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It's a great way to build some custom scenarios that are a blast to play through. The suite of changes is vast and only recommended for veterans to handle. Beginners should get some experience and victories under their belt before even thinking about fiddling with these complex metrics.

12 Ingame Editor

Downloads: 693,811

Ingame Editor mod for Civilization 5

There's nothing wrong with playing god in a game. In fact, Civilization 5 wants players to enjoy the high of a power trip as they form massive settlements, strike alliances that are more beneficial to them than others, and wage war against any leader who's dumb enough to take on their massive might. So, it's easy to see why the Ingame Editor is such a popular mod for the game.

As the name suggests, this mod allows players to change any metric they want during a playthrough, ranging from changing terrain to attaining a ton of resources in no time at all. Suffice it to say, this mod isn't recommended for new players, but veterans who don't mind spicing things up in their playthrough and tweaking things to their liking will love what this editor brings to the table.

11 InfoAddict

Downloads: 444,975

InfoAddict mod for Civilization 5

Given how important it is to track one's progress in Civilization 5, it's rather odd that there isn't a clear way to facilitate the same in this game. Thankfully, with the advent of mods, players can add graphs that map a civilization's progress across multiple departments.

InfoAddict is a simple mod, but the function it accomplishes is invaluable. Players who love tracking the many metrics calculated in this game to measure the progress of their civilization and that of others will love what InfoAddict brings to the table.

10 The Elder Scrolls Civilization V Pack

Downloads: 179,170

The Elder Scrolls Civilization V Pack mod

The Elder Scrolls is one of the most unique and brilliant fantasy worlds that fans can easily get lost in. So, the idea of roleplaying as one of its leaders in Civilization 5 is pretty much a dream come true for many fans.

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The Elder Scrolls Civilization V Pack serves as a total conversion mod that allows players to interact with the many elements of this unique fantasy world to make for an immersive fantasy playthrough of this title. It's surprising just how fleshed out this mod is, allowing players to experience the world of Civilization 5 for hours on end.

9 Faster Turn Processing

Downloads: 2,564

Overhead view of Civilization 5 with river between two cities

Every time a turn passes in Civilization 5, players have to wait for the rest of the AI leaders to carry out their moves that take into account the situation and their personalities. While this adds to the authenticity of the experience, it can come at the cost of players having to wait for a while until all this data is computed.

This changes with the advent of the Faster Turn Processing mod, which accomplishes what the title states. It hastens this process without compromising their decision-making, which is a great quality-of-life upgrade that every Civ 5 player should check out.

8 Great Prophet Historical Names

Downloads: 18,040

A bunch of units in Civilization 5 Cropped

There are many Great People units that players can use in the game to great effect. The fact that these units have real historical names adds to the charm of the Civilization series that so many people adore.

That being said, one unit of this type doesn't follow this naming criterion — the Great Prophet. This mod aims to fix that by adding real names to these units, adding to the immersion of the game.

7 Community Balance Patch

Downloads: 1,062,914

Civilization 5 Gustavus Adolphus Cropped

Games that have mods are bound to have players who want to fix every small issue that may be present in the game. Such is the case with the Community Patch, which is exactly what most people would expect.

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It fixes several bugs in Civilization 5 and improves the AI to make them less brain-dead and more engaging to deal with. With this mod, players can enjoy a nigh-perfect playthrough of the game with little to no issues plaguing their enjoyment.

6 Events And Decisions

Downloads: N/A

Civ5 Events and Decisions Mod

Many players love games like Crusader Kings 3 for adding great storytelling in the form of critical decisions and events that have serious ramifications in the world. It's a simple yet great way to immerse players into the many human stories that can be told.

The Events and Decisions mod aims to replicate this experience in Civilization 5, which makes it an essential mod for storytelling purposes. Players who want their playthrough of the game to have a human touch to it will be pretty well-serviced after downloading this.

5 More Wonders

Downloads: N/A

Wonders in Civilization 5

There are many victory conditions that players can achieve in any playthrough of Civilization 5, given that certain custom victory conditions aren't in place. One such way to attain victory is by creating a massive Wonder that requires substantial resources and a lot of time to develop.

The collection of Wonders in the game is pretty impressive, but some people would've liked a bit more variety here. The More Wonders mod is quite useful in this regard, allowing players to create a wealth of structures that all adhere to their respective cultures and civilizations.

4 Cultural Diversity

Downloads: N/A

Civ5 Cultural Diversity Mod

There are many cultures that players can adopt in the game, each with its unique additions and features that make them quite fun to engage with. That being said, some people would want more cultures to add more variety to the game.

This is where the Cultural Diversity mod comes into the picture. As the name states, players will have even more cultures to choose from, with all of them having unique benefits of their own, including new events if players have the Events and Decisions mod installed too.

3 Rise To Power

Downloads: N/A

Bombing a city in Civilization 5 Cropped

Sometimes, the best mod that players can download is a collection of tweaks and fixes that are pretty easy to implement. Such is the case with the Rise to Power mod collection, which aims to improve the depth of Civilization 5's gameplay mechanics.

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Rise to Power aims to ensure that both politics and religion are fleshed out quite a bit in the game. Given how important both elements are in Civilization 5, it's easy to see why this mod would be welcomed by so many veterans.

2 Renaissance Era Revised

Downloads: 17,493

Renaissance Era Revised in Civilization 5

Civilization 5 is a game where players will go through several eras as they develop their society over time. The Renaissance era is one particular time period that will also be explored, but some players find this particular era to be somewhat undercooked compared to the rest of the experience.

For these players, the Renaissance Era Revised mod is the way to go. It improves the visual artifacts present in this time period while fleshing out the many units and technologies that can be accessed as well.

1 Historical Religions

Downloads: 92,213

A fledgling country in Civilization 5 Cropped

It's easy to love the depth and complexity of the religions in Civilization 5 since it's pretty engaging to explore while also having unique effects on gameplay. Suffice it to say, any mod that adds more religions is bound to be enjoyed by the masses.

This is precisely what Historical Religions aims to accomplish, and it does so quite successfully. In fact, this mod also adds a mechanic that makes certain religions branch off into others, which is pretty accurate.

Civilization 5
Sid Meier's Civilization 5

Platform(s)
PC
Released
September 21, 2010
Developer(s)
Firaxis Games
Genre(s)
Strategy