Humankind offers a myriad of different combinations of cultures throughout the game’s eras but some of them are objectively better in most situations than others. This tier list will help you out whenever it’s time to choose the next culture for your people.
The cultures tier list has been updated to include the cultures added to the game by the Cultures of Africa DLC.
Ancient Era
Tier 1
- Egyptians
- Harappans
Tier 2
- Mycenaeans
- Babylonians
- Assyrians
- Bantu
Tier 3
- Zhou
- Nubians
Tier 4
- Olmecs
- Phoenicians
Tier 5
- Hittites
Classical Era
Tier 1
- Maya
- Persians
Tier 2
- Carthaginians
- Hunns
- Celts
- Mauryans
Tier 3
- Romans
- Garamantes
Tier 4
- Greeks
- Aksumites
Tier 5
- Goths
Medieval Era
Tier 1
- Khmer
- Swahili
Tier 2
- Ghanaians
- Mongols
Tier 3
- Norsemen
- English
- Byzantines
- Umayyads
- Franks
Tier 4
- Aztecs
- Teutons
Tier 5
- –
Early Modern Era
Tier 1
- Mughals
Tier 2
- Ming
Tier 3
- Dutch
- Haudenosaunee
- Ottomans
- Spanish
- Maasai
Tier 4
- Edo Japanese
- Poles
- Joseon
Tier 5
- Venetians
Industrial Era
Tier 1
- French
Tier 2
- Italians
- Germans
- Persians
- Siamese
Tier 3
- Mexicans
- Austro-Hungarians
Tier 4
- British
- Ethiopians
Tier 5
- Russians
- Zulu
Contemporary Era
Tier 1
- Soviets
- Japanese
- Swedes
Tier 2
- Australians
Tier 3
- Turks
- Chinese
Tier 4
- Americans
- Brazilians
- Nigerians
Tier 5
- Egyptians
- Indians
Interested in more Humankind guides? Visit our Humankind section – or check out the guides for all other games we cover on the website.