Highlights •The phase structure and mechanical properties of NiCr(MoNb)x-Ag (x = 0, 0.65, and 1.05) films are identified. •The addition of Mo and Nb improves wear resistance and lubricity at RT–600 °C. •High MoNb content results in better high-temperature tribological properties. •Increasing the MoNb content inhibits element diffusion at high temperatures. Abstract The representative FCC structured NiCr(MoNb)x-Ag (x = 0, 0.65 and 1.05) composite films were developed in this work, and the microstructure, mechanical, and tribological properties were studied. It is shown that small amounts of nm-sized Ag particles are dispersed in the thin film matrix. With the increase of Mo and Nb content, the hardness of the films is enhanced while the elastic modulus increases first and then decreases. The NiCr(MoNb)1.05-Ag composite film shows the best tribological performance. The average friction coefficients of the NiCr-Ag, NiCr(MoNb)0.65-Ag and NiCr(MoNb)1.05-Ag films from room temperature to 600 °C are 0.35–0.46, 0.27–0.4 and 0.26–0.32, respectively. NiCr(MoNb)0.65-Ag and NiCr(MoNb)1.05-Ag films show good lubricity at room temperature to 500 °C, and NiCr(MoNb)1.05-Ag film still maintains a low friction coefficient at 600 °C. The wear rate increases with temperature and decreases successively with increasing Mo and Nb content. Moreover, the distribution of elements in the films with higher Mo and Nb content is more stable at high temperatures, which contributes to the improvement of wear resistance.