Civilization 7 offers various paths to achieve victory through the development of civilization. Notably, there is the economic victory, which is a combination of indicators of increasing wealth, development of diplomacy, and industrial might.

Unlike the space race, cultural dominance, or military conquest, for economic victory, players need to master trade, industry, and financial influence to surpass their rivals. The entire strategy boils down to accumulating Railroad Tycoon Points and creating the World Bank.

Main Strategy: Railroads, Factories, and Wealth

The path to economic dominance begins in the Modern Era, when the focus shifts to industrialization and global financial influence. To succeed, you need to create an extensive railroad network, build factories, and accumulate Railroad Tycoon Points by specializing cities in factory resources.

This winning strategy is based on three key aspects:

• Infrastructure expansion – building railway stations and factories in all cities to integrate into a single trade network.
• Resource accumulation – collecting and distributing Factory resources in specialized cities to create Railroad Tycoon Points.
• Wealth generation – using gold to quickly upgrade settlements and finance large-scale projects.

Each city with a railway station and factory becomes a node of your economic network, which automatically generates Railroad Tycoon Points. The ultimate goal is to accumulate 500 Railroad Tycoon Points, granting access to the Great Banker who can create the World Bank and secure victory.

Gold plays a crucial role on the path to economic victory. Large reserves of gold allow for instant settlement upgrades, construction of critical structures, and rapid expansion of the trade network.

To maximize profits, use specialists on high-yield tiles, adopt economic policies that increase income, and develop diplomatic relations for favorable trade deals. In the Modern Era, gold can be earned even faster, particularly through percentage bonuses from social policies and increasing the number of trade routes.

Preparing for Economic Dominance in Early Eras

Economic expansion begins long before the Modern Era. In the Ancient Era, focus on capturing resources and developing trade relations. Studying the Code of Laws, training merchants, and establishing trade routes with neighboring civilizations create a strong foundation for future economic growth.

Empire expansion is crucial, as the more resources under control, the faster wealth and influence accumulate. By laying claim to at least 20 resources, players can complete the economic legacy path for this era and move to the next while keeping all settlements intact.

In the Age of Exploration, the mechanic of treasure fleets is introduced. Players need to establish settlements in distant lands, gather rare resources, and send treasures home. This labor-intensive process significantly boosts the economy by allowing the use of exotic goods.

The optimal approach is to establish settlements near multiple treasure resources to maximize points. A more aggressive strategy involves using a naval fleet to intercept enemy treasure fleets, which can lead to conflicts but allows for quicker completion of the legacy path and an unobstructed transition to the Modern Era.

Step 1: Industrialization and Mass Production – The Foundation of an Economic Empire

As soon as the Modern Era begins, your priority is to research the technologies "Industrialization" and "Mass Production" as quickly as possible. These unlock key buildings for Economic Victory: railway stations and factories.

To accelerate research, it is recommended to follow the Scientific Legacy path in the Age of Exploration. This will allow you to retain Academies and their bonuses, speeding up scientific development and giving you an edge in the Modern Era.

While researching these key technologies, also focus on:

• Increasing production in cities – High production levels will allow for faster construction of railway stations and factories without relying solely on gold.
• Accumulating factory resources – Use trade with other civilizations or send Merchants on journeys to gather resources.
• Expanding trade routes – More trade routes mean more gold, which is crucial for quickly upgrading cities and developing infrastructure.

Prioritizing the development of Industrialization and Mass Production will allow you to outpace rivals in the race for Railroad Tycoon Points.

Step 2: Building Railway Stations and Factories

After researching Industrialization, immediately build railway stations in all cities. This connects each city to your trade network, a prerequisite for obtaining Railroad Tycoon Points. If you have settlements on islands, they must be coastal and have a port before building a railway station.

After researching Mass Production, Factories become available. They can only be built in cities with a railway station and allow for the placement of factory resources. This is where the generation of Railroad Tycoon Points begins.

Once a factory is built, factory resources can be placed in it, generating points each turn. However, each city can specialize in only one type of factory resource. For example, if a city has 3 fish and 2 tea, it will only generate 3 Railroad Tycoon Points for fish. To optimize point generation, each city should focus on one resource.

Step 3: Accumulating 500 Railroad Tycoon Points

There are three main stages on the path to victory: 150 Railroad Tycoon Points, 300 Railroad Tycoon Points, and 500 Railroad Tycoon Points. To quickly reach 500 points, expand cities and specialize them in factory resources.

To accelerate the process:

• Aggressive expansion – Establish new cities, upgrade them to city level, and connect them to the railway network.
• Effective use of gold – Purchase railway stations and factories instead of waiting for their construction.
• Maximizing factory output – Each city should have the largest amount of one type of resource.

Upon reaching 500 Railroad Tycoon Points, the final phase of Economic Victory begins.

Step 4: Creating the World Bank and Winning the Game

After reaching 500 Railroad Tycoon Points, the player receives the Great Banker — a special unit that plays a crucial role in the final stage of the game. His task is to visit each opponent's capital and establish the World Bank there. The number of turns allotted for this mission is double the number of opponents in the game.

The Great Banker has two key abilities: "Journey to the City" and "Activate Great Personality." The first allows instant travel to an opponent's capital, and the second establishes a branch of the World Bank there. Each activation requires gold and influence, and their cost increases if relations with the opponent are tense.

Once the Great Banker establishes the World Bank in all capitals, the game ends. A cutscene plays, showcasing the construction of the World Bank, confirming the player's victory and cementing their status as the world's economic hegemon.

The process looks like this:

1. Use "Journey to the City" – Highlight the capitals of all opponents.
2. Move the Great Banker – Send him to enemy capitals.
3. Use "Activate Great Personality" – Create the World Bank in the capital.
4. Repeat for all opponents – Continue the process until all civilizations have the World Bank.

Strategies to Accelerate Economic Victory

Resource management is the most crucial aspect of economic victory. Players should prioritize collecting rare factory resources and use trade to acquire the most profitable goods. Proper city placement will help optimize resource access, and investments in infrastructure (rail networks, ports) will increase trade efficiency.

Diplomacy is equally important. Establish friendly relations for better trade deals, but be prepared for competitive struggles. The main task is to outsmart rivals by using financial power to dominate the world.