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Civilization VI: Windows Defender causing game to get stuck at loading screen

Some Civilization VI owners are finding that Windows 10’s Windows Defender is causing the game to freeze and hang.

Luckily, there’s a fix:

  • Go to Windows Settings > Update & Security >Windows Defender
  • Go to Exclusions > Add an Exclusion > Exclude a Folder
  • Add in your Civilization VI installation folder — by default, that should be C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Sid Meier’s Civilization VI

From there on in, you can enjoy a freeze-free experience.


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Steve Wright

Steve's the owner of this very site and an active games journalist nearing twenty (TWENTY!?!) years. He's a Canadian-Australian gay gaming geek, ice hockey player and fan. Husband to Matt and cat dad to Wally and Quinn.