Accidentally launching Sid Meier’s Civilization VI in Russian (Русский) can be a frustrating experience, especially if you don’t read Cyrillic. Navigating a complex 4X strategy game in an unfamiliar language makes it nearly impossible to understand tech trees, diplomacy screens, or unit commands.
Fortunately, changing the language back to English (or any other language) is straightforward—once you know where to look. The process differs slightly depending on whether you are using Steam, the Epic Games Store, or a standalone version. Below is the definitive guide to switching Civilization VI from Russian back to English.
Launch the game again. It should now be in English.
| English | Russian | Pronunciation (rough) | |------------------|--------------------|--------------------------------| | Settings | Настройки | Nastroyki | | Game | Игра | Igra | | Language | Язык | Yazyk | | Russian | Русский | Russkiy | | English | Английский | Angliyskiy | | Restart now | Перезапустить сейчас| Perezapustit seychas | | Audio | Аудио | Audio | | Graphics | Графика | Grafika |
Objective: Switch the in-game display language from Russian to English across different platforms (Steam, Epic Games, macOS, and Console).
Change the line to:
Language = "en_US"
If the line has a semicolon ; at the beginning, remove it. A semicolon means the line is commented out (disabled). Correct examples:
Language = "en_US"Language = "English"The process for Epic Games is slightly different because the launcher handles language settings globally.
Step 1: Open the Epic Games Launcher.
Step 2: Go to your Library (the icon that looks like a grid of squares in the left sidebar).
Step 3: Find Civilization VI. Click the three dots (...) underneath the game’s title or next to the “Launch” button. How to Change Language in Civilization 6 from
Step 4: Select Options from the dropdown menu.
Step 5: A panel will slide out. Scroll down to the Language section.
Step 6: Use the dropdown menu to switch from Русский to English.
Step 7: Click Apply. Epic will now download the English language assets.
Step 8: Launch Civilization VI. The interface should now be in English. Click on the drop-down box
Inside the text file, look for a line that says:
; Language code
or
Language = "ru_RU"
It may also appear as:
Language = "Russian"
Language = "ru"
Navigating a game’s settings menu can be frustrating when you don’t understand the language on screen. If you’ve launched Civilization VI and found the interface in Russian (Русский) but need it in English, you’re not alone. Whether you accidentally changed the language, bought a version that defaulted to Russian, or are helping a friend, this guide will walk you through the process.
Important note before starting: Civilization VI has two separate language settings: one for the in-game text (menus, civilopedia, leader dialogue) and one for audio (voiceovers). This guide focuses on changing the text from Russian to English, but we’ll cover audio as well.