Sid Meier’s Civilization 7: Cheat Codes & Debug Console Guide

by Fernando Diaz / Articles, Misc. Guides / 06 Feb 2025

Let’s be honest: in Civilization 7 even the strongest leaders sometimes need a bit of… assistance. When barbarians keep attacking your planned Petra city, your scouts move as if they’re trapped in syrup, or you just want to send fighter jets against enemies on horseback, Civilization VII’s debug console can help you out. Here’s how to tweak the rules (without ruining your game… most likely).

How to Access the Debug Console & Use Cheats

Locate the AppOptions.txt File – Go to: Users > AppData > Local > Firaxis Games > Sid Meier’s Civilization VII

(Hint: AppData is usually hidden. Turn on “Hidden Items” in File Explorer if you can’t find it.)

Open the file with Notepad (or your text editor of choice). Hunt down this line:

;EnableDebugPanels -1

Change it to:

EnableDebugPanels 1

Save the file. Congrats -> you’ve just unlocked god mode. Sort of. Using the Debug Console…

Now fire up Civ 7 and load your game. Press the ~ key (or ` if your keyboard’s feeling quirky – It’s next to 1). A mysterious blue bar will appear at the top. No blue bar? Double-check your file edits actually saved…

Use Move to adjust its position, then hit Debug to open the cheat menu.

Civ 7 Cheat Codes (Debug Menu)

Reveal All – Immediately reveals the full map.

View All – Turns on the map, but does not remove the fog of war.

Enable FOW – Check this to show all, or uncheck it to keep blacked out.

Force Age Transition – Forcefully transitions to the next Age.

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Fernando Diaz

Fernando is doing what he always did, sharing his honest opinions about games whenever he can. The difference is now he is writing and not talking about it.
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