I’ve found that in Civilization, whether you’re aiming for military domination, cultural prestige, or a journey to the stars, it all comes down to one thing: a powerful economy. Your treasury is what fuels everything. It pays for your armies, builds your world wonders, and launches the projects that secure your victory. If your economy isn’t strong, even the best-laid plans will fall apart.
I want to share twelve principles that have helped me turn my empires into economic juggernauts. This isn’t just about building a few Commercial Hubs; it’s about the deeper strategies that can make a real difference. If you can master resource allocation, trade, and policy synergy, you’ll be able to fund any ambition and turn your economy into a tool for victory, no matter which path you take.
Master the Art of City Specialization
It’s easy to fall into the trap of making every city a jack-of-all-trades, but to really dominate economically, you need to specialize. Look at each city’s location and play to its strengths.
A city surrounded by mountains is perfect for a high-adjacency Campus or Holy Site. A city on the coast with lots of sea resources? That’s your future commercial center, built around a Harbor. If you’ve settled near hills and forests, you’ve got the makings of an industrial powerhouse. When you focus a city on what it does best, you create massive yields. A dedicated science city, for instance, with all the right buildings, policies, and a governor like Pingala, will blow away the output of three generalized cities. It’s a more efficient and powerful way to build your empire.
The Early Game Trifecta: Settle, Scout, and Secure
The first 50 turns are critical for building a strong economic base. I focus on three things: settling new cities, scouting the map, and securing resources. You should be aggressive with expansion, getting at least two or three settlers out from your capital early on. More cities means more economic power.
While you’re expanding, your scouts should be out exploring. They’re looking for tribal villages for those sweet early bonuses and finding the best spots for your next cities—places with fresh water and plenty of luxury and strategic resources. Meeting city-states early is also a huge plus, as being their first suzerain gives you powerful economic perks. And don’t forget to clear out barbarian camps with your starting military. They’re a threat to your settlers and trade routes, and clearing them gives you some early gold.
Adjacency Bonuses: The Unsung Heroes of Yield Generation
Districts are everything, and where you place them matters immensely. Just dropping a district on a random tile is a huge missed opportunity. The secret to getting the most out of them is maximizing adjacency bonuses. A well-placed district can easily double or triple what it produces.
Before you place a district, always check the surrounding tiles. A Commercial Hub gets +2 gold for every adjacent Harbor and river. So, putting it on a river next to where you plan to build a Harbor is a simple way to boost your income. An Industrial Zone gets +1 production for each adjacent mine and quarry. I always plan my cities to have “district triangles” or “quads” where multiple districts boost each other. The Government Plaza is amazing for this, giving a +1 bonus to all adjacent districts. Getting good at district placement is a cornerstone of a strong economy.
Trade Routes: Your Empire’s Golden Veins
Trade routes are more than just a way to get gold. They’re the lifeblood of your empire, sending gold, food, and production wherever you need them. Your goal should be to have as many trade routes as possible and to send them to the most profitable destinations.
In the early game, I use internal trade routes to kick-start new cities. Sending food and production from your capital can help a new settlement get up and running much faster. Once you meet other civs and city-states, you can start making serious money with international trade. I always prioritize routes to city-states that give economic suzerain bonuses. Later on, with the right policy cards and buildings like Markets and Banks, your trade routes will become a firehose of wealth that can fund anything you want to do.
The Power of Policy Cards: Tailoring Your Government for Growth
Your government and its policy cards are a flexible toolkit that you should constantly adjust to fit your economic needs. Every time you unlock a new civic, take a look at your policies. About to build a bunch of settlers? Slot in the Colonization card for a 50% production bonus. Building up your cities? The Urban Planning card’s +1 production in all cities is a huge help in the early to mid-game.
Don’t be afraid to swap policies for short-term goals. If you’re about to upgrade your military, the Professional Army card cuts the cost by 50% and can save you a ton of gold. Once you’re done, you can switch to something that boosts your income. Actively managing your policy cards is a sign of an advanced player and key to a responsive economy.
Governors: Your Economic Lieutenants
Governors are your agents of economic change. Each one has unique abilities that can supercharge a city’s output. Putting the right governor in the right city is a major strategic decision.
For a new city, I like Liang the Surveyor. Her extra builder charge helps you improve tiles and boost production quickly. For your main commercial city, Reyna the Financier is the best choice. She can double adjacency bonuses for Commercial Hubs and Harbors and bring in a lot of gold from foreign trade. Magnus the Steward can turn a resource-rich city into an industrial monster by boosting harvest yields and production. Don’t just appoint governors and forget them. Level them up strategically and move them around as your needs change.
Luxury Resources and Amenities: The Fuel of Productivity
A happy empire is a productive empire. Amenities directly impact your economic output. Cities with extra amenities get a bonus to their yields, while cities with a shortage get a penalty.
Luxury resources are your main source of amenities. Each unique luxury gives one amenity to four of your cities. So, it’s important to settle near luxuries and trade for the ones you don’t have. I regularly sell my extra copies of luxuries to the AI for gold or for a luxury I’m missing. As your cities get bigger, you’ll need to build Entertainment Complexes and Water Parks to keep everyone happy and productive.
The Suzerain System: City-States as Economic Vassals
City-states aren’t just minor players; they’re economic assets waiting for you to use them. When you become the suzerain of a city-state, you get its unique bonus, which can be a huge help to your economy.
Mercantile city-states are especially great for an economic game, giving you bonuses like more gold from trade routes. Industrial city-states can boost your production, helping you build things faster. Even scientific and cultural city-states can help by speeding up your research of key economic techs and civics. I always compete for suzerainty by sending envoys, doing their quests, and protecting them from other civs. A network of loyal city-states will give you a steady flow of resources and bonuses that provide a real economic edge.
The Calculated Use of Builders and Chops
Builders are an investment in your empire’s future. Every charge should be used to improve a tile for a long-term gain. But they also have a more immediate use: chopping resources.
Removing a feature like a forest gives you a one-time boost of production or food. This can be a game-winning move if it helps you finish a critical wonder, district, or settler faster. With the right policy card and Magnus’s Groundbreaker promotion, a well-timed chop can give you a massive production advantage. You don’t want to chop everything, but using it strategically can give you the burst of speed you need to get ahead.
The Mid-Game Transition: From Expansion to Consolidation
The mid-game is where your economic strategy shifts. You’re probably done with your initial expansion, and now it’s time to consolidate your empire and build a more advanced economy. This is when you should invest in your core infrastructure.
Focus on building the second and third-tier buildings in your key districts, like Banks, Universities, and Factories. The Five-Year Plan policy card, which doubles adjacency bonuses for Campuses and Industrial Zones, is incredibly strong at this stage. This is also when you should start specializing your trade routes for maximum gold and thinking about your victory condition. If you’re going for a science victory, for example, your economy needs to be able to fund Spaceports and their projects.
Late-Game Economic Dominance: Power Plants and Global Trade
In the late game, your goal is total economic dominance. This is the time for huge infrastructure projects and global trade. Building Power Plants is a key step, as they provide a massive production boost to all cities within a six-tile radius. A cluster of Industrial Zones powered by a single Power Plant can create an industrial heartland that can build wonders and military units at an incredible rate.
Your trade network should now span the globe, bringing in thousands of gold per turn. The Economic Union policy card is a must-have for any late-game economic powerhouse. At this point, you should be using your massive treasury to buy great people, buildings, and units to fund your final push for victory, whether that’s launching the mission to Mars, attracting tons of tourists, or building an unstoppable army.
The Great People: Your Economic Superstars
Great People aren’t just a nice bonus; they’re game-changers that can give your economy a huge and often unique boost. You should always be trying to get Great Merchants, Engineers, and Scientists.
Great Merchants can do things like create unique luxury resources, give you free trade routes, and grant you huge sums of gold. The Renaissance merchant Giovanni de’ Medici, for example, instantly builds a Bank and a Market and gives you two Great Work slots, which is a massive boost to both your economy and culture. Great Engineers can rush wonders and key buildings, saving you tons of time. Great Scientists can give you eureka moments for important economic technologies. Don’t leave getting these people to chance. Build the districts that generate Great Person points, and if a valuable one comes up, don’t be afraid to spend gold or faith to get them.
To wrap it up, the economy in Civilization isn’t something you can set and forget. It’s a dynamic system that needs your constant attention and strategic thinking. If you go beyond just focusing on gold per turn and embrace these principles of specialization, planning, trade, and policy management, you can build an empire that’s not just rich, but also resilient, adaptable, and ultimately, victorious. A strong economy is the best weapon you have, giving you the power to overcome any challenge and achieve any goal. Build your empire with a golden hammer, and you’ll create a legacy that lasts forever.