Modern Age

By Matt Goodsell , Marloes Valentina Stella , Jen Rothery

Posted: Feb 28, 2025 5:29pm UTC

The Modern Age is the most important Age in an average Civilization 7 game. This is because, it's where you will either win or lose the game, as you make your way towards one of the various win conditions. Technology will also move very, very fast during this age, as you move from basic Army Units, all the way to sending spaceships into orbit. Here’s what you need to know about this crucial Age, so you don’t get left behind.

Modern Age Overview

The Modern Age is the final Age of a Civilization 7 game, and outside of an unlikely Domination win in an earlier Age, it’s where the winners and losers will be decided. While the Antiquity and Exploration Age are important for establishing the base of your empire, and in particular, your borders, the Modern Age is where you’re meant to utilize that foundation to claim victory.

In order to win a game of Civilization, you will need to complete one of the Legacy Paths, be it Military, Scientific, Cultural or Economic. While we will outline the Legacy Paths again here, you can also get a more detailed look at how to achieve each victory in our linked guides.

The other thing to be aware of in the Modern Age is that things are going to move quickly. For example, you were going to go from rudimentary firearm Units, to tanks and fighter jets, to even potentially nuclear warheads. Or, you will go from researching steam engines to sending manned missions to Space.

Modern Age Legacy Paths

Legacy Paths are crucial in the Modern Age as they are the means to how you will win. You should be trying to progress at least one of the tracks at any given time, and especially in this Age, focusing on one, with maybe a secondary as a back up. Completing the Modern Legacy Paths will then lead to your win condition.

Cultural

Step 1: Study the Natural History Civic. Once it has been studied, train an Explorer. These units are capable of researching and excavating Artifects.
Step 2: Have a University or Museum. Have an Explorer research Artifacts there.
Step 3: Once researched, Ruins of the Exploration Age will be identified. Then have your Explorer go to the site and Excavate Artifacts to find a Great Work. Then display it.
Step 4: Study Hegemony and Display 5 Artifacts. This will reward you with the first Milestone along the Geographic Society Legacy Path.
Step 5: Display 10 Artifacts. Researching Hegemony allows you to find Antiquity Artifacts, so you can find more Artifacts that were previously hidden on your continent. You will receive the second Cultural Legacy Point.
Step 6: Display 15 Artifacts. Once completed you will receive the third Cultural Legacy Point and have finished the Cultural Legacy Path.

Here is a guide on how to win a Culture Victory.

Military

Step 1: Study Political Theory, which allows you to establish an Ideology Military Legacy.
Step 2: Study any Ideology Civic, be it Democracy, Fascism, or Communism. Also, research Combustion.
Step 3: Once you’ve established an Ideology, capture an Ideological enemy’s Settlement. On top of this, research Flight.
Step 4: Accumulate 10 Ideology Points. To do this, you will need to capture Settlements of opponents. Once you’ve followed an Ideology, capturing a settlement of a Civilization without and Ideology is worth 2 points. Capturing the Settlement of a Civilization with an opposing Ideology are worth 3 points. Once you complete this you will receive a Militaristic Legacy Point and the Age will progress by 5.
Step 5: The next step is more of the last step. Now you will have to accumulate 15 Ideology points. The same scoring system applies. Once completed you will get a Militaristic Legacy Point and progress the age by 10.
Step 6: Round off by continuing what you were doing. This time, your objective is to get 20 Ideology points. The same points system of the last two steps apply. For doing this, you will gain a Militaristic Legacy Point, unlock the Manhattan Project Wonder.

Here is a guide on how to win a Military Victory.

Science

Step 1: Research Flight to gain access to the Aerodrome building.
Step 2: Construct an Aerodrome, and then complete the Trans-Oceanic Flight Project. Once you complete this you will receive a Scientific Legacy Point
Step 3: Research Aerodynamics to get access to more advanced flight. One done, complete the Break the Sound Barrier Project. After completing this you will receive a Scientific Legacy Point.
Step 4: Now it’s time to start thinking about Space. Research Rocketry, and then construct a Launch Pad. Finally, to complete the Legacy Path, complete the Launch Satellite Project. This will give you the third Scientific Legacy Point.

Here is a guide on how to win a Science Victory.

Economic

Step 1: Research Industrialization, and then build a Rail Station.
Step 2: Research Mass Production and then connect three settlements by Rail. To do this, you need to build Rail Stations in a settlement. The settlements should then automatically connect, as long as there is no water blocking the path. However, you can get around this by building a Port in both Settlements.
Step 3: Now you can build a Factory and finally use those Factory Resources you were unable to allocate. To progress to the next step, build a Factory in a Settlement with a Rail Connection and slot in 5 Factory Resource. You then need to earn 20 Railroad Tycoon Points. You earn these every turn based on how many Factory Resources you have slotted.
Step 4: Earn 150 Railroad Tycoon Points. Doing so will earn you your first Milestone on the Tycoon Legacy Path.
Step 5: Earn 300 Tycoon Points. Doing so will earn you your second Milestone on the Tycoon Legacy Path.
Step 6: Earn 500 Railroad Tycoon Points. Once completed you will have finished the Economic Legacy Path.

Here is a guide on how to win a Economic Victory.

Modern Age General Tips

Here are some general tips to help you through the Modern Age of Civilization 7, which will decide if you win a game or not.

Maintain A Relevant Army

The Modern Age moves fast. You need to keep that in mind when researching Tech, and keeping your borders safe. No matter what win condition you're going for, you're going to want an army that, at the very least, can protect your lands - even when going for Cultural and Scientific victories. Other Civilizations will know the best way to disrupt these more passive win conditions will be to take cities and bully you.

Since the technology does move so fast too, make sure you’re getting relevant units. If you don’t, and merely keep with what you have at the start of the Age, you may find your Infantry and Cavalry having to go up against Tanks and Fighter jets.

Focus On One Legacy Path

While in the Antiquity and Exploration Age, spreading your focus across at least two Legacy Paths is a good strategy, in the Modern Age, you're going to want to start focusing on just one. That’s because, while in the past, Legacy Points feed into your success in future ages, the Modern Age is all about utilizing those accumulated advantages to go for a win.

At the end of the day, you can only win one way, so everything you do in the Modern Age should be done with the express purpose of finishing one of the Legacy Paths. Now, that doesn’t mean you should totally ignore your Military or Economy if you’re going for a Cultural victory, but focuses in those areas should at least be in service of your final win.

Understanding Factory Resources

In the Modern Age, you will lose access to Treasure Fleets and a new way of slotting Resources will open up called Factory Resources. To utilize these, you need to first build Factories. To do this, you will need to research Industrialization to get Railroads, which will allow you to connect your Settlements by rail. Then picking up Mass Production will let you construct Factories, allowing you to slot these resources. This is also imperative to the Economic Legacy Path, so you will have to do this, if you are trying to win that way.