Guide: The Best Civ and Leader Combos To Win a Culture Victory in Civilization 7

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The Culture Victory in Civilization 7 may not be about everyone wearing those blue jeans you established as a trend, but you still get to show the world why your civ is to be admired most.

Becoming the world's main cultural power in Civilization 7 involves studying everyone's roots, excavating ancient artifacts, and displaying them in public. Once you've mastered the past, it becomes time to look toward the future and invite your peers to the World's Fair — and then, with all eyes on the host, the truth of your supremacy will be evident.

The World’s Fair Wonder during its completion in Civilization 7. 2K Games

Learn how to win a Culture Victory in Civilization 7 with the tips below, including the best civs and leader for this win type.

Best Civs and Leaders for a Culture Victory in Civilization 7

Naturally, Culture is the most crucial resource for this win type, as it will allow you to unlock the necessary Civics as quickly as possible. However, Production is cornerstone of this victory as well: Aspects like Wonder construction, recruiting certain units, and completing Projects figure heavily into the Culture Victory, so leaders and civs with corresponding bonuses will be useful.

Best leaders for a Culture Victory in Civilization 7:

• Augustus: Strong Culture generation, high Production for Wonder-hunting.
• Hatshepsut: Strong Culture generation, high Production for Wonder-hunting.
• Himiko (High Shaman): Strong Culture and Happiness generation.
• Friedrich (Baroque): Gains Great Works on conquests.
• Ibn Battuta: Versatile thanks to his Wildcard Attribute Points.
• José Rizal: Strong Culture generation through Narrative Events.
• Lafayette: Strong Culture and Happiness generation.
• Pachacuti: Can maintain lots of Specialists, though dependent on terrain.
• Xerxes (The Achaemenid): Solid Culture generation.

Best civs for a Culture Victory in Civilization 7:

• Antiquity Age: Egypt, Greece, Han, Rome
• Exploration Age: Abbasid, Hawai'i, Majapahit
• Modern Age: French Empire, Mexico, Russia, Siam

Lafayette during a diplomatic exchange in Civilization 7. 2K Games

How To Get a Culture Victory in Civilization 7

It's worth pointing out that you first need to reach the Modern Age to have a shot at winning the game through this victory condition.

Here are the steps you need to take to win a Culture Victory in Civilization 7:

1. Unlock Natural History.
2. Train an Explorer.
3. Build a University or Museum.
4. Use the Explorer's "Research Artifact" ability at a University or Museum.
5. Excavate and display one Artifact.
6. Unlock Hegemony (requires Social Question, Modernization, Natural History, Political Theory, and Nationalism).
7. Display 15 Artifacts.
8. Construct the World's Fair Wonder.

The first step towards a Cultural Victory is unlocking the Natural History Civic and recruiting at least one Explorer. You should also build a University or Museum, as these structures will be required in the following steps.

Explorers need to use their "Research Artifact" ability while visiting a University or Museum — only then can they begin digging up Artifacts. Note that you can use this ability on any University or Museum, even ones built by other civilizations. Another useful thing to keep in mind is that Artifacts must be researched separately for each continent, so you can always expand your search radius for new pieces by doing additional research at a local University or Museum.

Unlocking the Hegemony Civic will provide access to additional Artifacts. Altogether, you'll need to display 15 Artifacts in your empire to unlock the final win condition for the Culture Victory — constructing the World's Fair Wonder.

As is evident from what's been outlined above, Culture and Production are necessary to grab a Cultural Victory — and controlling a lot of land is not a bad idea either, as it will allow for easier access to excavation sites and display spaces.

How To Get Culture Legacy Path Points in Civilization 7

Constructing this Wonder will be easier if you've earned Cultural Legacy Points throughout the game, as each point contributes a discount to its Production cost.

Following the Cultural Legacy Path is pretty straightforward. In the Antiquity Age, it tasks you with building seven Wonders for a Golden Age — the perfect number for this, naturally.

In the Exploration Age, your goal is to collect and display twelve Relics in your empire — it's a bit of a practice run for the Artifacts in the Modern Age. You can obtain Relics by founding a Religion and spreading it. Pay attention to the specific Beliefs you select for your faith, as these will tell you under which conditions you can get your hands on those precious Relics. In addition, you can earn some through City-States, Narrative Events, and leader-specific mechanics.

Working on the Culture Legacy Path will net you some useful Attribute Points for your leader. In general, this victory type offers good synergy with expansionist ideas, so you can often combine it with the Military and Economic Legacy Paths.

For more insights on the game, read our interview with the Civilization 7 developers.