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Civilization VII Modding API Reference

Welcome to the comprehensive API reference for Civilization VII modding.

What's Different in Civ VII?

JavaScript Instead of Lua

Unlike Civilization VI which used Lua for scripting, Civilization VII uses JavaScript for:

• UI modifications
• Gameplay scripting
• Map generation scripts

Age-Based Content System

Content in Civ VII is organized by Ages:

• Antiquity Age - Ancient civilizations (Rome, Egypt, Greece, Han, etc.)
• Exploration Age - Medieval/Renaissance (Spain, Ming, Mongolia, etc.)
• Modern Age - Industrial to future (America, Prussia, Meiji, etc.)

Mods must specify which Age(s) their content applies to using ActionCriteria in the .modinfo file.

Two Database Scopes

• Shell/Frontend - Main menu and game setup screens
• Game - Active gameplay database

Quick Start

1. Setting Up Your Mod - Create your first .modinfo file
2. modinfo Files Reference - Complete .modinfo documentation

Tutorials

Step-by-step guides for common modding tasks:

Tutorial	Description
Adding Policies	Create new traditions with modifiers
Creating a Unit	Add custom units with combat abilities
Creating a Building	Add buildings, wonders, and unique buildings
Creating a Civilization	Build complete civs with leaders and abilities
Creating a Narrative Event	Create pop-up events with choices and rewards
Creating a Map Generator	Write JavaScript map scripts
Creating UI Extensions	Add custom panels and hotkeys

Core Documentation

Database Reference

Topic	Description
Types and Kinds	The type system that powers all game entities
Units	Unit definitions, stats, and abilities
Buildings	Buildings, improvements, and wonders
Civilizations	Civilization definitions and traits
Leaders	Leader definitions and abilities
Map & Terrain	Terrain types, biomes, features, natural wonders

Modifier System

The modifier system is how all game effects work in Civ VII.

Topic	Description
Overview	How modifiers work
Effect Types	All available effects
Collection Types	Target subject collections
Requirement Types	Conditional requirements

JavaScript API

Civ VII uses JavaScript for scripting instead of Lua.

Topic	Description
Overview	Global objects, events, and API reference

Narrative Events

Pop-up events with choices and quests.

Topic	Description
Overview	Event structure, triggers, and rewards

Examples

See the Examples page for quick reference templates and code snippets.

Official Resources

The Civilization VII Development Tools (available on Steam) includes:

• Official documentation
• Example mods (fxs-new-policies, fxs-new-narrative-events, etc.)
• FireTuner debug console

Location: Steam\steamapps\common\Sid Meier's Civilization VII Development Tools\

File Locations

Content	Path
Game Files	Steam\steamapps\common\Sid Meier's Civilization VII\
Dev Tools	Steam\steamapps\common\Sid Meier's Civilization VII Development Tools\
User Mods	%LOCALAPPDATA%\Firaxis Games\Sid Meier's Civilization VII\Mods\
Logs	%LOCALAPPDATA%\Firaxis Games\Sid Meier's Civilization VII\Logs\

Contributing

This documentation is community-maintained. Found an error or have additions? The source is available for contributions.