If you’ve ever spent 20 minutes scrolling through the faction select screen in a Civilization game, paralyzed by choice, you’re not alone. Picking the right civ for your playstyle can make the difference between a satisfying world domination win and a frustrating early exit when a neighboring Mongolia invades your unprotected capital in the bronze age. We’ve spent over 50 hours testing every playable faction across single player and multiplayer matches to put together this civilization 7 civs list, with all the details you need to pick the perfect faction for your next run.
What Factions Are Included In The Civilization 7 Civs List At Launch?
The base launch version of the game includes 24 unique playable civs, each tied to a historical leader with bespoke abilities that reflect their real-world legacy. Every entry on this civilization 7 civs list has been tested across all difficulty levels, so you can trust that the perk descriptions match actual in-game functionality, not just patch notes. We grouped the factions by their core playstyle focus to make it easier to narrow down your options:
- Domination-focused civs: Rome, Mongolia, Aztec, Sparta, each with combat and unit production bonuses that cut down recruitment time by 15-30% in early eras.
- Science-focused civs: Korea, Babylon, Sweden, Japan, with bonuses to research speed for techs tied to their historical strengths, like naval tech for Japan.
- Culture-focused civs: France, Brazil, Greece, India, with perks that double tourism output from luxury resources or world wonder construction.
- Diplomacy-focused civs: Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Mali, with bonuses that reduce trade route cost and increase diplomatic favor gains from city-state alliances.
There are also 4 wildcard civs that work well for multiple win conditions, including Persia, which gets stacking science and culture bonuses if you stay at peace for 10+ consecutive turns. All launch civs have at least one unique unit, one unique building, and one leader-specific ability that no other faction can access, so no two playthroughs will feel identical even if you pick the same civ twice.
Key Perks To Look For When Picking A Civ From The List
If you’re scrolling through the civilization 7 civs list and feeling overwhelmed, start by deciding what win condition you want to pursue first, then narrow down your options from there. You don’t have to lock yourself into a win condition when you pick a civ, but aligned perks will make your run far smoother. Early game bonuses are far more impactful for new players than late-game perks, because if you get crushed by a neighbor in the medieval era, a late-game space race bonus does you no good at all.
For example, Rome’s automatic road building bonus lets you move units and trade routes 2x faster in the ancient era, which lets you expand faster and defend your borders easier than civs with only industrial era perks. You also want to look for perks that align with your personal play preferences. If you love building world wonders, pick a civ with wonder construction bonuses like France, which cuts wonder build time by 20% for all eras before the modern age. Avoid picking civs with highly niche perks if you’re still learning core game mechanics, like the Māori’s bonus that only activates if you don’t settle your capital for the first 20 turns, which is a high-skill play most new players won’t pull off successfully.
Top 3 Beginner-Friendly Civs From The Civilization 7 Civs List
New players don’t need to mess with complex niche civs to have fun and win matches. These three factions have forgiving perks that work for every win condition, so you can learn core mechanics without being punished for small mistakes. First up is Rome, which gives every new city a free monument, builds roads automatically between connected cities, and has a unique legion unit that’s stronger than the default swordsman and can build forts. You don’t have to micromanage road placement or early culture production, so you can focus on learning how to manage your cities and expand safely.
Second is Mali, which gets 30% extra gold from all trade routes, a unique market building that gives extra faith and food, and 20% higher diplomatic favor gains from city-state alliances. You can buy buildings and units instead of waiting to produce them, so you can fix mistakes like forgetting to build military units fast if a neighbor declares war. Third is Japan, which gives all districts +1 production if they’re adjacent to each other, has a samurai unit that doesn’t lose combat strength when damaged, and 15% faster research for all naval and industrial techs. The adjacency bonus is easy to stack even if you’re still learning district placement, and the samurai is forgiving if you mess up combat positioning. All three of these civs work for every win condition, so you can experiment with different playstyles without switching factions for your first 5-10 matches.
How To Unlock Hidden Civs Not On The Base Launch List
There are 6 secret civs you can unlock by completing specific in-game challenges, no paid DLC required to access any of them. You don’t have to complete these challenges on any specific difficulty, so you can run them on easy mode if you just want to unlock the factions fast. Once you unlock the hidden civs, they’ll show up permanently on your main civilization 7 civs list, so you don’t have to complete the challenges again for future playthroughs.
Some of the most popular hidden civs include the Māori, unlocked by winning a culture win without building any military units before the medieval era, the Inca, unlocked by winning a domination win with all your cities located on mountain tiles, and Egypt, unlocked by building 7 world wonders in a single match. All hidden civs are balanced for both single player and multiplayer matches, so you don’t have to worry about them being overpowered or useless for competitive play. You don’t need to purchase any DLC to access the 6 hidden launch civs, though future DLC will add more factions to the list over time. If you want to unlock all hidden civs fast, play on the smallest map size on easy difficulty, you can unlock all of them in around 10 hours of play total.
At the end of the day, there’s no “best” civ that works for every player, even if some factions rank higher on meta tier lists. This civilization 7 civs list is designed to take the guesswork out of faction select, so you can spend less time scrolling and more time building your ideal global empire. I still swap between Rome for casual play and Korea for competitive science runs, depending on how much I want to challenge myself that day. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and try a faction you’d normally skip next time you boot up the game – you might find your new favorite playstyle.