In Civilization 6, the growth of your empire is dependent on the happiness of its citizens. Contented cities will grow faster, which provides you with a larger labor force, meaning you can work all of the most desirable tiles. In previous games in the series, Happiness was the mechanic around which you would grow your cities, but it’s been replaced with Amenities in Civ 6. So let’s run down the basics of Amenities, their various sources, and how they factor into the growth of your cities.
Growing Your Cities – Civ 6 Amenities Guide
There are two factors that contribute to the growth of your cities in Civ 6: Amenities and Food. Each citizen in any given city require two units of Food in order to stay productive. Any surplus Food that you generate beyond this requirement gets added to a pool. It’s this pool that dictates how fast your cities gain new citizens. More Food in this pool means faster growth, obviously.
The way Amenities fit in is by affecting the value your city gains from that surplus Food. Having a positive total of Amenities results in a bonus growth rate of 10%, whereas a negative Amenity count bestows a -15% growth rate. It’s important to know, though, that Amenities work similar to food. One Amenity is required for every two citizens a city has, and surplus Amenities are sent to a pool that then go on to bestow bonuses or penalties upon growth rates.
Sources of Amenities – Civilization VI Amenities Guide
There are many sources of Amenities in Civilization 6. In fact, you’ll begin your empire with an Amenity; your capital city always starts with one by default. However, additional cities will begin with zero Amenities, and require one once it gains its third citizen.
In total, there are seven ways to gain Amenities:
- Resources
- Civics
- Entertainment
- Great People
- Religion
- National Parks
- Wonders
Luxury Resources are the primary source of Amenities, especially in the early game. These are things like Diamonds, Citrus, Cocoa, Dyes, Ivory, Marble, and more. For the full list of Luxury Resources that can be acquired in the game, click this link. Each Luxury Resource provides one Amenity to a city automatically, for up to four cities total.
As for the Wonders that provide Amenities:
- Alhambra: +2 Amenities.
- Colosseum: +1 Amenity, and +1 Amenity to all cities withing six tiles.
- Estádio do Maracanã: +2 Amenities to all cities in your civilization.
- Huey Teocalli: +1 Amenity for each adjacent Lake tile.
Throughout the Civic tree, you’ll find a number of government policies that provide bonuses to your Amenity output:
- Retainers: A military policy that provides an Amenity for cities that have a garrisoned unit.
- Liberalism: An economic policy that provides +1 Amenity for all cities with at least two specialty districts.
- New Deal: An economic policy that provides +2 Amenities, +4 Housing, and -8 Gold to all cities with at least 3 specialty districts.
- Sports Media: An economic policy that provides +1 Amenity to cities with a Stadium.
Another primary method of providing Amenities is through the Entertainment Complex specialty district, which is unlocked via the Games and Recreation Civic. At its most basic form, the Entertainment Complex provides a single Amenity to the city where it’s located. As you continue through the Technology and Civics trees, you’ll unlock new buildings that can enhance an Entertainment Complex’s Amenity output:
- Arena: +1 Amenity.
- Zoo: +1 Amenity, which extends to all cities within 6 tiles.
- Stadium: +2 Amenities to all cities within 6 tiles.
And those are the basics of Amenities and citizen happiness in Civilization 6! Did this guide help you out at all? Let us know in the comments section!
