How to win an Economic Victory in Civilization 7

To win an Economic Victory in Civilization 7, you need to grow your wealth, expand your trade network, and establish your financial influence across the game world. Your goal is to set up a World Bank Office in every civilization’s capital, proving your dominance through economic power.

This guide offers an early and late-game strategy to help you win an Economic Victory in Civilization 7.

---

Economic Victory walkthrough for Civilization 7

Winning an Economic Victory in Civilization 7 requires you to progress through three key ages: Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern.

Unlike Military or Scientific Victories, where brute force or technological breakthroughs secure the win, an Economic Victory is about leveraging wealth and influence to dominate the world stage. You need to control trade, establish key infrastructure, and outmaneuver other civilians financially.

1) Antiquity Age: Laying the foundation

Antiquity age in Civilization 7 (Image via 2K Games)

At the start of the game, your focus should be on building a strong economic base. You must research the code of laws, which will allow you to train merchants.

Merchants are critical because they let you create trade routes, which bring in gold and give you access to foreign resources.

Settling near resource-rich locations is crucial for economic victory (Image via 2K Games)

Expanding your civilization quickly is also essential. Settle your cities near valuable resource tiles to control more goods for trade and production. Resources are the key to a strong economy, so sending settlers to resource-rich areas will put you in a good position for later stages of the game.

To complete the Economic Legacy path in the Antiquity age, slot 20 resources into your cities. Resources are slotted by assigning them to specific buildings or trade networks, so keep expanding and trading until you reach this figure.

Once you do, you will be able to keep all your cities as you progress to the next age.

---

2) Exploration age: Expanding to distant lands

Exploration age in Civilization 7 (Image via 2K Games)

Once you reach the Exploration age in Civilization 7, your focus shifts from local trade to global expansion. Research cartography and astronomy so that you can send ships across the ocean. This is crucial because distant lands hold treasure resources, which are needed to grow your economy further.

To succeed in this age, you must build settlements on other continents, preferably near treasure resources like gold, spices, and tea. These resources can be improved by constructing mines, plantations, and fishing quays, increasing their value. You also need to build a fishing quay in your distant settlements to connect them to your main trade network.

The most important part of this stage is managing treasure fleets. Once your settlements are established, treasure fleets will begin to spawn. You must escort them safely back to your homeland. Each one carries valuable goods that will increase your treasure fleet points.

Economic legacy path in Civilizatyion 7 (Image via 2K Games)

To complete the Economic Legacy path for this age, you need to earn 30 treasure fleet points. The more treasure resources your settlement has, the more points you earn per fleet.

Expanding quickly will make this process easier. The more settlements you have in distant lands, the more treasure resources you can collect.

If you want to speed things up, you can even use your navy to steal treasure fleets from rival civilizations. This can create conflicts, but if you have a strong enough navy, it might be worth the risk.

Once you reach 30 treasure fleet points, you will complete this phase and be ready for the Modern age, where you will turn your financial empire into a global banking system.

---

3) Modern age: Becoming a railroad tycoon

Industrial revolution requires the modern age in your campaign (Image via 2K Games)

The Modern age in Civilization 7 is where you take control of the global economy by industrializing your civilization and spreading your financial influence worldwide. Your first step is to research industrialization, which allows you to build rail stations.

Rail stations are crucial because they connect your settlements, allowing goods and resources to move more efficiently. You must build a rail network that connects at least three settlements, which will improve production and trade.

Next, research mass production and build factories in your rail-connected settlements. Factories allow you to slot factory resources, which work similarly to regular resources but are much more valuable for industrial expansion.

By slotting at least five factory resources, you will start earning railroad tycoon points every turn. The more factories and resources you have, the faster you will generate points.

You must accumulate 500 railroad tycoon points to complete this age’s Economic Legacy path. This process takes time, but you can speed it up by building more factories and rail connections.

While waiting for points to accumulate, continue trading and maintaining good relationships with other civilizations. Keep an eye on your gold reserves, as you will need them for the final step of the victory.

Great banker will appear near your capital in Civilization 7 (Image via 2K Games)

Once you reach 500 railroad tycoon points, a special unit called the Great Banker will appear in your capital. This unit is the key to winning the game.

Send the Great Banker to every civilization’s capital. Use your gold and influence to establish a World Bank Office in each one.

Some civilizations may charge higher prices depending on their opinion of you, so it helps to maintain good diplomatic relations throughout the game.

When you successfully establish a World Bank Office in every capital, you win the game with an Economic Victory.

---

Winning an Economic Victory in Civilization 7 requires careful planning, rapid expansion, and smart trade management. By following these steps and making the right decisions, you can become the world’s financial superpower and secure victory through wealth and diplomacy.