There are virtually no built-in cheats for playing Sid Meier’s Civ 6 game. However, Civilization 6 does have a hidden debug console you can activate on Windows PCs. Activating that debug console enables you to execute one cheat command to reveal everything on a map. You can then see everything on a map from the start of a game, which is quite useful. This is how you can reveal a Civilization 6 map with and without activating the game’s debug console on a Windows PC.
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How to Reveal a Civilization 6 Map Without Cheating
First, let’s start by looking at how to reveal a Civilization 6 map without cheating. To do this, you must research the Rocketry technology for unlocking the Launch Earth Satellite Project. Completing the Launch Earth Satellite Project reveals the entire map and is the first step toward winning a scientific victory. However, it’s worth launching a satellite for a full map view even when not trying to win a space race.
You can see all geographical land and sea after launching an Earth satellite with the fog of war cleared. However, this doesn’t reveal all units on the map. The territories of rival civilizations beyond your nation will only be partly visible, as in the snapshot below.
A partly revealed Civilization 6 map
How to Fully Reveal a Civilization 6 Map With a Console Command
Thus, launching a satellite doesn’t totally reveal a Civilization 6 map. The only way you can fully reveal a Civilization 6 map and all units on it is to execute a reveal all debug console command. However, the debug console command isn’t enabled by default, meaning you’ll also need to tweak a config file. This is how you can see everything on a Civilization 6 map by executing the reveal all command.
- Press the Windows logo keyboard button + E to utilize File Explorer.
- Go to this folder path: Documents\My Games\Sid Meier’s Civilization VI (Epic).
- Right-click the AppOptions.txt file to select Open With > Notepad.
- Click Edit > Find in Notepad.
The AppOptions.txt file
- Enter EnableDebugMenu in the Find what box and click OK.
- Change the EnableDebugMenu setting to EnableDebugMenu 1.
The EnableDebugMenu setting
- Click the File menu and select Save to set the new debug menu setting.
- Start the Civilization VI game.
- Load a game or start a new one.
- Press the ~ to activate the debug console at the top-left of Civilization 6.
- Enter reveal all in the debug console and press Return.
The reveal all command and debug console
You will now see everything on the Civilization 6 map for which you executed the reveal all command. This includes all barbarians, resources, natural wonders, tribal villages, and units of rival civilizations on the map. Revealing the whole map from the start of the game will enable you to easily identify the best settlement spots and see where nearby tribal villages are. You’ll also see the locations of nearby barbarian outposts for you to crush before they start spawning lots of units.
A full revealed Civilization 6 map
There’s not a lot else you can do with this debug console other than reveal the entire map. Clicking on its cog icon brings up a debug view menu with options for showing performance stats and info that will probably be of little interest to most players. You can remove the debug console by pressing the ~ key again.
The reveal all command for showing a Civilization 6 map is a valuable cheat. Activating it doesn’t guarantee victory, but seeing the whole map from the beginning will give you a notable advantage in a single-player game for finding natural wonders, strategic resources, tribal villages, and other civilizations. However, it could also be argued that activating this cheat spoils the fun of Civ 6 map exploration.
