Nothing can be more irritating than a game crashing when you are deeply engrossed in it. That’s also the case with Civilization VI, our all-time favorite strategy game, sadly. Most gamers have reported that it crashes during gameplay, leaving them high and dry. And what’s even more frustrating is that there is no way to avoid the game crash. Try anything, and the event keeps on repeating. In such a scenario, what can a gamer do?
Fix the Lags and Freezes for Civilization VI: Rise and Fall
ST Cleaner is digitally signed and a safe download
To help gamers with avoiding such a scenario, we decided to find tested ways that help prevent unnecessary crashes in the Civilization VI: Rise and Fall gameplay.
Shutdown and Restart
Please note that this solution is only for Windows based computers and won’t work on for Mac or Linux PCs.
First of all restart your PC and then launch Steam. Go to Civilization VI – Rise and Fall DLC entry and see if the check mark in front of it is selected.
If you are still having trouble, simply uncheck all other DLCs, and try again.
Verify Integrity of Files
Before playing any Steam game you have to verify its integrity. Do that with Civilization VI as well. Simply right-click the Civilization VI entry in the library and select Properties. Next, make your way to the Local Files tab and then select Verify integrity of game files.
Follow the messages that pop up. You may have to re-download the game if an issue is detected with the integrity of the game.
Disable or Uninstall mods
Sometimes Civilization VI doesn’t work properly simply because of the mods that have been installed. So either disable them or uninstall the ones that are causing trouble.
Open up the Main menu and navigate to the Additional Content section. Now make sure that only the Community Created Content option is checked. Select Disable All to turn off all mods at once. Now restart the game and you will be good to go. (Source)
Get rid of mods.sqlite File
There is an older mod file in Civilization VI that may become a reason for the lag. Simply, get rid of it in the following way.
Open File Explorer and then navigate to My Documents\My Games\Sid Meier’s Civilization VI.
Look for a file named as either mods.sqlite or mods and delete it. Now restart Civilization VI. (Source)
Update the Graphic Drivers
Either try to run the game at low graphics and see if that solves the problem. If it doesn’t help you out, then update the graphics drivers. Make sure that the graphics card is adequate to run the game.
You can get the latest Nvidia drivers here, and the latest AMD drivers here.
Create an Exclusion in Windows Defender
Civilization VI players on both Reddit and CivFanatics have indicated that the lagging problem can also occur because of Windows Defender. The Windows Security Suite considers the game or its mods as malicious software and therefore quarantines them. In order to fix that, simply add an exclusion in Windows Defender for Civilization VI: Rise and Fall.
You can do that by going to the start menu in Windows 10 | Settings | Update & Security | Windows Defender.
Click on Add an exclusion, and then navigate to Civilization VI and select it. This will prevent Windows Defender from scanning the game during play.
You can also disable Windows Defender altogether if it still doesn’t solves your problem, even though this option isn’t recommended at all.
Missing .DLL files
If there is a file missing in the game folder, replace that by searching for it on Google. Usually, .DLL files are easy to find online. They are often removed by antivirus software because they look malicious.
If you are not sure which .DLL files to replace, simply update DirectX and try launching the game. You will get an error message telling you which .DLL files to replace.
Now search for those files online and grab them.
Final Word
These are some user-tested ways that help reduce lag and freeze time in the Civilization VI gameplay.
