Sid Meier’s Civilization VII is the latest 4X strategy game from Firaxis and 2K. Core gameplay features—exploring, expanding, exploiting, and exterminating—should feel familiar to long-time fans of the series. That said, Civilization VII drastically changes the formula. After choosing a leader and starting a campaign in the Antiquity Age, you'll now switch to a different country upon entering a new Age.

Our Sid Meier’s Civilization VII guide discusses how this mechanic works and how to unlock all civilizations. Your initial choice of leader and nation lets you unlock certain civs by default, but we also list the requirements you'll need to meet if you wish to unlock more options for the Exploration Age and Modern Age.

 

Unlockable civs based on your chosen leader

Before you can start a campaign in Sid Meier’s Civilization VII, you must first choose a leader. These historical figures have unique quirks that provide bonuses to food, production, unit combat strength, narrative events, and more.

Most leaders also unlock specific countries automatically upon reaching a given era or Age:

• Amina: Unlocks Songhai (Exploration Age) and Buganda (Modern Age).
• Ashoka, World Conqueror and World Renouncer: Unlocks Chola (Exploration Age).
• Augustus: N/A
• Benjamin Franklin: Unlocks America (Modern Age).
• Catherine the Great: Unlocks Russia (Modern Age).
• Charlemagne: Unlocks Norman (Exploration Age).
• Confucius: Unlocks Ming (Exploration Age) and Qing (Modern Age).
• Friedrich, Baroque and Oblique: Unlocks Prussia (Modern Age).
• Harriet Tubman: Unlocks America (Modern Age).
• Hatshepsut: N/A
• Himiko, High Shaman and Queen of Wa: N/A
• Ibn Battuta: Unlocks Abbasid (Exploration Age).
• Isabella: Unlocks Spain (Exploration Age) and Mexico (Modern Age).
• Jose Rizal: Unlocks Hawai’i (Exploration Age).
• Lafayette: Unlocks French Empire (Modern Age).
• Machiavelli: N/A
• Napoleon: Unlocks French Empire (Modern Age).
• Pachacuti: Unlocks Inca (Exploration Age).
• Tecumseh: Unlocks Shawnee (Exploration Age), as well as America and Mexico (Modern Age).
• Trung Trac: Unlocks Majapahit (Exploration Age).
• Xerxes, King of Kings and The Achaemenid: N/A

Unlockable civs based on your starting nation

You also automatically unlock certain civs in Civilization VII when you choose a particular nation, either at the start of the campaign or later in the game. Here are the options from the Antiquity Age:

• Aksum: Unlocks Songhai (Exploration Age).
• Egypt: Unlocks Abbasid and Songhai (Exploration Age).
• Greece: Unlocks Norman and Spain (Exploration Age), as well as Russia (Modern Age).
• Han: Unlocks Ming and Mongolia (Exploration Age), as well as Qing (Modern Age).
• Khmer: Unlocks Chola and Majapahit (Exploration Age), as well as Siam (Modern Age).
• Maurya: Unlocks Chola and Majapahit (Exploration Age).
• Maya: Unlocks Hawai’i and Inca (Exploration Age), as well as Mexico (Modern Age).
• Mississippian: Unlocks Shawnee, Hawai’i, and Inca (Exploration Age).
• Persia: Unlocks Abbasid and Mongolia (Exploration Age), as well as Mughal (Modern Age).
• Rome: Unlocks Norman and Spain (Exploration Age), as well as America, French Empire, and Prussia (Modern Age).

Next, here are the choices from the Exploration Age with their respective Modern Age unlocks:

• Abbasid: Unlocks Buganda and Mughal.
• Chola: Unlocks Mughal and Siam.
• Hawai’i: Unlocks Meiji Japan.
• Inca: Unlocks Mexico.
• Majapahit: Unlocks Meiji Japan.
• Ming: Unlocks Qing.
• Mongolia: Unlocks Qing and Russia.
• Norman: Unlocks America and French Empire.
• Shawnee: Unlocks America and Mexico.
• Songhai: Unlocks Buganda.
• Spain: Unlocks Mexico.

How to unlock Exploration Age civs

You can also unlock more civs in Civilization VII by meeting certain requirements during your time in the Antiquity Age. Here’s how to unlock Exploration Age civs during the early stages of the campaign:

• Abbasid: Improve three Camel resources.
• Chola: Have three settlements with city centers that are adjacent to coastal tiles. Cities adjacent to lakes do not count.
• Hawai’i: Have two settlements on an island—the landmass must have a maximum of 15 tiles only.
• Inca: Have three settlements with at least three Mountain tiles each.
• Majapahit: Improve three Pearl resources and/or have three Naval Trade Routes.
• Ming: Improve three Silk resources and/or have eight resources slotted in one settlement.
• Mongolia: Have three siege units and/or improve three Horse resources.
• Norman: Improve three Iron resources and/or build five Walls in your settlements.
• Shawnee: Improve three Hide resources and/or be the Suzerain of two city-states.
• Songhai: Have three settlements with at least three navigable River tiles each.
• Spain: Reconquer a lost settlement.

As you can see, many of these requirements involve improving resources or having certain terrain tiles within your empire. Luck plays a crucial role since resource nodes and terrain features are randomized with each Civilization VII campaign.

 

How to unlock Modern Age civs

As you progress further into your Civilization VII campaign, you can tackle additional objectives in order to acquire more options once you eventually reach the Modern Age:

• America: Have three distant land settlements in Plains or Grasslands tiles.
• Buganda: Have two settlements with their city center adjacent to a lake.
• French Empire: Improve three Wine resources.
• Meiji Japan: Improve three Tea resources.
• Mexico: Have three distant land settlements in Desert or Tropical tiles.
• Mughal: Improve three Salt resources.
• Prussia: Have three Army Commanders and/or improve three Niter resources.
• Qing: Improve three Jade resources.
• Russia: Have three settlements on Tundra tiles.
• Siam: Have four Temples and/or improve three Ivory resources.

Some of the above nations can be unlocked for later use even during the Antiquity Age.

Again, it mostly comes down to luck whether you have the required resource nodes or tile types nearby. The “distant lands” category, meanwhile, is a gameplay mechanic that involves sending Settlers across the seas so you can settle new cities on other continents. Come the Exploration Age, you’re encouraged to research the Shipbuilding technology so units can cross deep ocean tiles without taking damage. Eventually, you’ll see another landmass where you can continue to expand your empire.

As you can see, a lot of factors influence which civs you'll get to choose from when you enter the Exploration Age and, later, the Modern Age. A Tecumseh and Rome combination, for example, lets you pick Shawnee, Norman, or Spain for the Exploration Age, and then America, Mexico, French Empire, or Prussia for the Modern Age. Assuming you have cities near a mountainous coast and some Horses and Jade, then you’ll likely be able to expand these options and select Chola, Inca, Mongolia, and Qing, too.

Of course, there might also be instances when you don’t have a lot of options, so it’s important to plan ahead of time.

That does it for our Sid Meier’s Civilization VII civ unlock guide. We hope these tips help you navigate the Ages and make strong strategic decisions!

Sid Meier’s Civilization VII is available now on the Epic Games Store. You can also purchase the Sid Meier's Civilization VII Deluxe Edition, which includes the base game, as well as the Crossroads of the World DLC, the Tecumseh and Shawnee Pack, additional leader personas for Xerxes and Friedrich, and more. Lastly, there’s the Sid Meier's Civilization VII Founder’s Edition, which has all the aforementioned content, along with the Right to Rule DLC collection, bonus leader personas for Himiko and Ashoka, and more goodies.