Source: https://gamesranker.com/blog/unciv-android-new-game-settings/ Game guides Mobile game article # Unciv new game settings: what to pick for an Android campaign Unciv opens on Medium, Quick, and Prince. See what each setting changes in version 4.21.19 and which choices keep a long Android campaign playable. Published Sep 12, 2026 Reading time9 min read Written by[GamesRanker Editorial](/authors/gamesranker-editorial/) ![Unciv new game screen showing Game Options, Map Options, and Civilizations columns with the nation picker open on Siam](/_astro/unciv-android-new-game-settings-setup-screen.BqJ8tocC_G4bQq.webp) Yair Morgenstern and Unciv contributors. Resized WebP; see the project media credits. · [View source](https://github.com/yairm210/Unciv/blob/4.21.19/fastlane/metadata/android/en-US/images/phoneScreenshots/03-NationPicker.jpg) · [Media use terms](https://github.com/yairm210/Unciv/blob/4.21.19/docs/Credits.md) On this page + **For a first [Unciv](/games/unciv/) campaign on an Android phone, leave the defaults alone: Medium map, Quick speed, Prince difficulty. The one setting worth changing deliberately is map size, because it is the only new game choice that affects both your research rate and how well the game runs after 200 turns.** The official Unciv documentation tells new players that unmodded gameplay matches Civ V, so any Civ V guide will do. That is broadly true of the rules and misleading about the setup screen. Unciv defines its own map dimensions, its own default speed, and its own difficulty table, and several of those numbers differ from the Civ V values a borrowed guide will quote. Everything below was read from Unciv’s own data files at the tagged [4.21.19 release](https://github.com/yairm210/Unciv/releases/tag/4.21.19), published September 9, 2026, which was the current version when this guide was written. These are source-verified values, not a GamesRanker playthrough, and they describe the built-in Civ V ruleset without mods. ## What Unciv actually starts you with Open a new game and Unciv has already made these choices for you, per its [default game parameters](https://github.com/yairm210/Unciv/blob/4.21.19/core/src/com/unciv/models/metadata/GameParameters.kt) and [default map parameters](https://github.com/yairm210/Unciv/blob/4.21.19/core/src/com/unciv/logic/map/MapParameters.kt): | Setting | Default | | --- | --- | | Difficulty | Prince | | Game speed | Quick | | Map size | Medium | | Map shape | Hexagonal | | Map type | Pangaea | | Opponents | 3 AI civilizations | | City-states | 6 | | Starting era | Ancient era | Two of these are worth noticing before you touch anything. The default speed is **Quick**, not Standard, which is set by a [constant in the speed model](https://github.com/yairm210/Unciv/blob/4.21.19/core/src/com/unciv/models/ruleset/Speed.kt). And the default shape is **hexagonal**, which matters because hexagonal maps are measured by radius rather than by width and height. ## Map size is the setting that matters most Unciv’s five map sizes are defined in [MapSize.kt](https://github.com/yairm210/Unciv/blob/4.21.19/core/src/com/unciv/logic/map/MapSize.kt). Because the default shape is hexagonal, the tile count comes from the radius, using the hexagon area calculation in [MapParameters.kt](https://github.com/yairm210/Unciv/blob/4.21.19/core/src/com/unciv/logic/map/MapParameters.kt). | Size | Tiles (hexagonal default) | If set to rectangular | Technology cost | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Tiny | 331 | 23 x 15 | no multiplier | | Small | 721 | 33 x 21 | no multiplier | | Medium (default) | 1,261 | 44 x 29 | x1.1 | | Large | 2,791 | 66 x 43 | x1.2 | | Huge | 4,921 | 87 x 57 | x1.3 | Map size is not only a space decision. From Medium upward it raises the cost of every technology, so the same research plan takes noticeably longer on Huge than on Small. Larger maps also lower the amount each extra city adds to technology and policy costs, dropping the per-city technology increase from 5% on the three smaller sizes to 3.75% on Large and 2.5% on Huge. Expanding wide is punished less on a big map, which is the opposite of what the raw technology multiplier suggests on its own. ### Why the Civ V numbers you find elsewhere will not match The Unciv source file keeps a commented reference list of the original Civ V dimensions next to its own, with the note that Unciv’s sizes are lighter. Comparing rectangular dimensions from that same file, Unciv’s Medium at 44 x 29 sits close to the Civ V Small it records as 42 x 30. Unciv also has no Duel size at all. So a Civ V guide that says “four cities is right for a small map” is describing an area that Unciv labels Medium. Treat borrowed advice as being about a **tile count**, not a size name, and check the table above before trusting a city count or expansion timing. ## On a phone, map size is also a performance setting This is the part no Civ V guide covers, and it is the reason to think about map size before your first turn rather than after your fiftieth. An [open Android performance issue](https://github.com/yairm210/Unciv/issues/15273) filed against version 4.21.2 reports camera and selection lag appearing after roughly 200 turns in a single session. The reporter states that lag arrives sooner the more of the map has been explored, that mods bring it on faster, and that restarting the app helps temporarily. Their device handles other demanding games without the same problem. That is one user report rather than a measured benchmark, and version 4.21.19 has had fixes since. We have no device testing that shows the concern is resolved, which is also why our [Unciv review](/games/unciv/) scores Performance below its other categories. But the reported pattern points the same way the data does: a Huge map has almost four times the tiles of a Medium one, and the more of it you reveal, the more the game is tracking. The practical version for a phone: * **Pick Tiny or Small for your first campaign.** At 331 and 721 tiles they finish in a sensible number of turns, they carry no technology cost multiplier, and they keep the least explored area on screen. * **Treat Huge as a tablet setting.** 4,921 tiles of late-game cities, units, and notifications is a lot to hit accurately with a thumb, quite apart from the reported slowdown. * **Add mods after you know the base game runs well on your device**, since the same issue names mods as an accelerant. * **Restart the app between long sessions** rather than leaving a 300-turn game suspended for days. None of this is unique to Unciv as a game design problem; it is the ordinary cost of a full 4X on a handset. It is worth planning around because Unciv, unlike most of the catalogue, will happily let you start a campaign far bigger than the device wants to finish. ## Game speed decides how long you are committing to Unciv’s four speeds are defined in [Speeds.json](https://github.com/yairm210/Unciv/blob/4.21.19/android/assets/jsons/Civ%20V%20-%20Vanilla/Speeds.json). The modifier scales production, gold, science, culture, faith, and improvement build times together. | Speed | Cost modifier | Final turn | | --- | --- | --- | | Quick (default) | x0.67 | 330 | | Standard | x1.0 | 500 | | Epic | x1.5 | 750 | | Marathon | x3.0 | 1,500 | Marathon is the trap on mobile. It is not simply a slower game; it is up to 1,500 turns, triples every cost, and multiplies barbarian strength by four rather than three. Combined with the late-game slowdown above, a Marathon campaign on a phone is a commitment measured in months of sessions. Quick being the default is a sensible mobile choice, and it is the one default I would keep without hesitation. If a guide you are following quotes “build a settler by turn 30,” check which speed it assumes, because on Quick that turn number arrives at a different point in the game. ## Difficulty above Prince does not weaken you This is the most useful thing in [Difficulties.json](https://github.com/yairm210/Unciv/blob/4.21.19/android/assets/jsons/Civ%20V%20-%20Vanilla/Difficulties.json), and it is not obvious from the setup screen. | Difficulty | Your building, unit, and policy costs | Your base happiness | Your bonus against barbarians | AI free techs | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Settler | x0.5 | 15 | +75% | none | | Chieftain | x0.67 | 12 | +50% | none | | Warlord | x0.85 | 12 | +40% | none | | Prince (default) | x1 | 9 | +33% | none | | King | x1 | 9 | +25% | Pottery | | Emperor | x1 | 9 | +20% | \+ Animal Husbandry | | Immortal | x1 | 9 | +10% | \+ Mining | | Deity | x1 | 9 | +0% | \+ The Wheel | Read the middle columns down. From Prince upward, **your own numbers never change**: same building costs, same unit costs, same policy costs, same research costs, same happiness, same unit supply. Everything that makes King harder than Prince is applied to the AI instead. On Deity the AI builds units and buildings at half cost, starts with four free technologies, and receives a free Settler, Worker, Scout, and three era starting units. Below Prince, the discount is yours. Settler halves what your buildings, units, and policies cost, gives you 15 base happiness instead of 9, and cuts research cost by 10%. The barbarian column is a real combat modifier, not flavor. Unciv applies it as a percentage bonus to your combat strength whenever your opponent is a barbarian, which you can see in the [battle damage calculation](https://github.com/yairm210/Unciv/blob/4.21.19/core/src/com/unciv/logic/battle/BattleDamage.kt). Barbarian behavior shifts too: on Settler they effectively never enter your territory, on Chieftain not until turn 60, on Warlord not until turn 20, and from Prince upward immediately. One more Prince-specific change is easy to miss. Prince is the first difficulty where AI civilizations trade technologies with each other. On Warlord and below they do not, so the AI research pace you get used to on Chieftain is not the pace you will meet one step up. ### Which to choose Prince is the honest default: no advantage to you, no advantage to them. If your first campaign is going badly, dropping to Chieftain or Warlord is a genuine mechanical discount rather than a difficulty label, and it is the fastest way to see a full game through to a victory screen. Move to King only when you want the AI strengthened, not because Prince felt like the beginner setting. ## Before you tap Start game Set the difficulty and speed you can finish, then set the map size your phone can carry. A Small map on Quick at Prince produces a complete campaign with every system in it, which is more useful for learning than an abandoned Huge Marathon game. Two things this guide does not cover, because we have not verified them: how any specific device performs over a 300-turn game, and how the community rulesets on the mod list change these numbers. Mods can and do replace the difficulty and speed tables entirely. Unciv is free with no ads or in-app purchases on the [US Google Play listing](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.unciv.app&gl=US&hl=en), which means the only thing a bad setup costs you is time. For the full download decision, including the Android-only availability and our [scoring method](/how-we-rank/), read the [Unciv review](/games/unciv/). If turn-based strategy on a phone appeals but a full 4X does not, [Mini Metro](/games/mini-metro/) asks far less of both your device and your evening, and our guide to [checking whether a game works offline](/blog/check-mobile-game-offline-before-flight/) is worth a read before you rely on a long campaign during a flight. ## Frequently asked questions Can I change map size or difficulty after starting an Unciv game? No. Map size, shape, game speed, and difficulty are fixed when the map is generated and stored with the save. Unciv's map parameters carry an explicit warning against changing defaults because that would alter existing games. If a setup is not working for you, start a new game rather than looking for a mid-campaign switch. Which Unciv map size is closest to a Civ V small map? By tile count, Unciv's Medium is the nearest match. Unciv's Medium rectangular map is 44x29, and the comparison comment in Unciv's own MapSize source records Civ V's Small as 42x30. That is why a Civ V guide's city-count advice can feel wrong when you follow it on an Unciv map with the same label. Does a bigger Unciv map make research slower? Yes, directly. Medium applies a 1.1x technology cost multiplier, Large 1.2x, and Huge 1.3x, while Tiny and Small apply none. Larger maps partly offset this by reducing the per-city cost increase for technologies and policies, so wide empires are penalized less per city than they are on a small map. ## Sources * [Unciv 4.21.19 release](https://github.com/yairm210/Unciv/releases/tag/4.21.19) * [4.21.19: new game defaults (GameParameters.kt)](https://github.com/yairm210/Unciv/blob/4.21.19/core/src/com/unciv/models/metadata/GameParameters.kt) * [4.21.19: map defaults and tile area (MapParameters.kt)](https://github.com/yairm210/Unciv/blob/4.21.19/core/src/com/unciv/logic/map/MapParameters.kt) * [4.21.19: map sizes and Civ V comparison (MapSize.kt)](https://github.com/yairm210/Unciv/blob/4.21.19/core/src/com/unciv/logic/map/MapSize.kt) * [4.21.19: game speed definitions (Speeds.json)](https://github.com/yairm210/Unciv/blob/4.21.19/android/assets/jsons/Civ%20V%20-%20Vanilla/Speeds.json) * [4.21.19: difficulty definitions (Difficulties.json)](https://github.com/yairm210/Unciv/blob/4.21.19/android/assets/jsons/Civ%20V%20-%20Vanilla/Difficulties.json) * [4.21.19: default speed constant (Speed.kt)](https://github.com/yairm210/Unciv/blob/4.21.19/core/src/com/unciv/models/ruleset/Speed.kt) * [4.21.19: barbarian combat modifier (BattleDamage.kt)](https://github.com/yairm210/Unciv/blob/4.21.19/core/src/com/unciv/logic/battle/BattleDamage.kt) * [Android late-game performance issue 15273](https://github.com/yairm210/Unciv/issues/15273) * [US Google Play listing](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.unciv.app&gl=US&hl=en) Covered in this article ## How this game scored [ ![Unciv app icon made from seven hexagons representing production, science, gold, culture, happiness, food, and a city](/_astro/unciv-civilization-symbols-app-icon.D8E6teMo_1s3CUW.webp) Strategy**7.9_/10_** ### Unciv A full-scale civilization strategy game that trades spectacle for speed, freedom, and zero monetization. ](/games/unciv/) Read next ## More from the blog [ ![Mini Metro network with triangle passengers waiting on a brown line that connects to a red line at a diamond station](/_astro/mini-metro-overcrowding-guide-station-queues.Et5ZmEHs_Z1jS0iO.webp) Game guides_5 min read_ ### Mini Metro overcrowding guide: fix queues before adding trains Work out whether a busy Mini Metro station needs a better connection, more frequent trains, or extra seats, with a real map example. ](/blog/mini-metro-overcrowding-guide/) [ ![Official Balatro promotional artwork displaying fifteen different Joker cards in three rows](/_astro/balatro-joker-order-guide-official-joker-cards.Cr1ne-5F_Z1OYSYM.webp) Game guides_5 min read_ ### Balatro Joker order: when moving cards improves your score Learn when to put +Mult before XMult, why chip Jokers do not always need the first slot, and what to check before rearranging cards on mobile. ](/blog/balatro-joker-order-guide/) [ ![Shattered Pixel Dungeon promotional screenshot of a Warrior facing a snake beside a sewer doorway](/_astro/shattered-pixel-dungeon-beginner-guide-sewer-doorway.CHnWVKex_rXPxM.webp) Game guides_5 min read_ ### Shattered Pixel Dungeon beginner guide: survive the sewers Keep missing snakes or dying before Goo? 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