Civilization 7: Modern Civilizations Tier List

The Modern Age in Civilization 7 is the most important age in the game. It’s where winners are decided, and where the game comes to an end. That means it’s imperative you press your advantages and make the right choices moving on from the Exploration Age.

The Civilization you choose is key to securing your victory. The Modern Age offers ten civilizations for you to choose from (eleven, if you have the Crossroads of the World DLC). When mixed with the right Civ 7 Leaders, you can produce some extremely powerful synergies. To make your selection easier, here’s our tier list for the best Modern age civilizations in Civ 7.

Civ 7 Modern Civs Tier List

S-tier: America, Meiji Japan

A-tier: French Empire, Mexico, Qing

B-tier: Buganda, Prussia, Russia, Siam

C-tier: Mughal

S-Tier Modern Civs

This is the best of the best Civilization 7 has to offer. From access to good military units, to very powerful resource access, you can largely dominate maps with these choices.

S-tier: America

• Frontier Expansion - Gain 100 Gold every time you improve a Resource. +30% Production towards constructing the Statue of Liberty.
• Marine - American Unique Infantry Unit. Has the Amphibious ability. Cheaper to train.
• Prospector - American Unique Civilian Units. Claims a Land Resource outside of your regular Settlement radius.
• Industrial Park - American Unique Quarter. Created by constructing the Railyard and Steel Mill in the same district. +2 Food in this City for every Resource assigned to this City.
• Railyard - +5 Production. +1 Production Adjacency for Quarters and Wonders. American Unique Production Building. Ageless.
• Steel Mill - +6 Production. Gold adjacency for Resources and Wonders. American Unique Production Building. Ageless.

America has a lot going for it, as it can utilise a lot of resources, making it one of the best civilizations in the modern era. The Frontier Expansion trait can provide some big spikes in gold by improving resources. Elsewhere, the Railyard and Steel Mill coming together to make the Industrial Park means a lot of Food, Production, and Gold. This makes the USA a really varied and rounded civilization that can expand fast and has the production to meet it.

On top of that, the Prospecter can grab important resources, further fueling your yields. The Marine is also a solid unit thanks to the Amphibious ability, making them surprisingly nimble. There’s just a lot to like about this civilization.

S-tier: Meiji Japan

• Goisshin - When you Overbuild a Building, gain Science equal to 50% of the Building’s Production cost. +30% Production towards constructing Dogo Onsen.
• Mikasa - Meiji Japanese Unique Heavy Naval Unit. The first time this Unit is destroyed, it respawns in the closest Settlement you own at 50% HP.
• Zero - Meiji Japanese Unique Fighter Air Unit. Increased range. +4 Combat Strength against other Fighter Air Units. Can intercept enemy Air Units.
• Zaibatsu - Meiji Unique Quarter. Created by constructing the Ginko and Jukogyo in the same District. +1 Gold and Production on Buildings in adjacent Districts.
• Ginko - +5 Gold. +1 Gold Adjacency for Gold Buildings and Wonders. Meiji Japan Unique Gold Building. Ageless.
• Jukogyo - +5 Production. +1 Production Adjacency for Coastal Terrain and Wonders. Meiji Japan Unique Production Buiding. Ageless.

Meiji Japan is very resourceful and has access to some seriously powerful aspects. Goisshin means you can reshape your districts and buildings for your modern needs while getting a decent chunk of Science back for your trouble. Meanwhile, the Zaibatsu Quarter can rack up massive amounts of Gold and Production if you have quarters with a lot of Buildings. It’s a really nice collection of yields that can propel you into the endgame.

On top of that, the civilization has some fearsomely strong Units. The Mikasa can be incredibly strong, and is able to respawn once after death at the closest Settlement. This means you can either protect your investment into the Naval Unit, or potentially reengage a low unit that just killed it to finish the fight. On top of that, the Zero is a nice late-game aircraft that should make you a force to be reckoned with in the skies.

A-Tier Modern Civs

You can’t go wrong with an A-Tier civilization. They often have varied access to important resources, and bring some military power to the table too with their special units.

A-Tier: French Empire

• Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite - You can select the Celebration effects of any standard Government in the Modern Age. +30% Production towards constructing the Eiffel Tower.
• Garde Imperiale - French Imperial Unique Infantry Unit. Can make a Ranged attack. +2 Combat Strength when within a friendly Army Commander Radius. More expensive to train.
• Jacobin - A Great Person with one charge. Can only be trained in Cities with an Avenue, and the specific Jacobin received once. Cost increases per Jacobin trained.
• Avenue - French Imperial Quarter. Created by constructing the Jardin a la Francaise and Salon in the same District. +2 Happiness on Quarters in this City.
• Jardin a la Francaise - +5 Culture. +1 Happiness Adjacency for Culture Buildings and Wonders. French Empire Unique Culture Building. Ageless.
• Salon - +5 Happiness. +1 Culture Adjacency for Happiness Buildings and Wonders. French Empire Unique Happiness Building. Ageless.

The French Empire is a really nice synergistic Civilization that is really worth considering if you have plans to take a Cultural victory. Thanks to the Avenue, which is made from the Jardin a la Francaise and Salon, the civilization has a great feedback loop of Culture and Happiness that can propel it through the Modern Age if managed properly. Because of this, you’ll have a lot of Celebrations, feeding into the Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite trait.

Although it’s not a world beater, the Garde Imperiale is a decent Unit to have access to just in case anyone tries to bully you as you build the happiest, most cultured civilization.

A-Tier: Mexico

• Revolucion - Starts with a unique Government, Revolucion. This Government has one Celebration effect, +30% Culture for 10 Turns. Cannot enter any other Government type. +30% Production towards constructing Palacio de Bellas Artes.
• Soldaderas - Mexican Unique Infantry Unit. Adjacent Units heal +10 HP. Does not stack.
• Revolucionario - A Great Person with one charge. Can only be trained in Cities with a Zocalo, and the specific Revolucionario received is random. Each Revolucionario can only be received once. Cost increases per Revolucionario trained.
• Zocalo - Mexican Unique Quarter. Created by constructing the Catedral and Portal de Mercanderes in the same District. +2 Culture for every Tradition slotted into the Government.
• Catedral - +5 Culture. +1 Happiness Adjacency for Culture Buildings and Wonders. Mexican Unique Culture Buiding. Ageless.
• Portal de Mercaderes - +5 Culture. +1 Gold Adjacency for Gold Buildings and Wonders. Mexican Unique Culture Building. Ageless.

Not dissimilar to the French Empire, the Mexican civilization is a Culture powerhouse. While it is slightly less capable of Happiness, that comes with the added bonus of access to more Gold, and a huge helping of Culture. As long as you can stack Happiness with your buildings and initiate Celebrations, your civilization will have access to 30% Culture bonuses. The Zocalo Quarter, made by building the Catedral and Portal de Mercaderes in the same District, provides even more Culture.

The Soldaderas Unit can also be relatively tanky if in the correct formations, with units healing each other. If you are going for Culture and can get an abundance of access to Happiness, Mexico is a prime candidate for a cultural victory.

A-Tier: Qing

• Kang Qian Shengshi - +4 Gold, +3 Culture, +2 Influence, but -1 Science from imported Resources. +30% Production towards constructing Chengde Mountain Resort.
• Gusa - Qiang Unique Infantry Unit. +4 Combat Strength if adjacent to another Gusa.
• Hangshang - Qing Unique Merchant. Civilian who can establish a Trade Route to import Resources from a foreign Settlement. Gain 50 Gold for every Resource acquired when creating a naval Trade Route.
• Huiguan - Qing Unique Quarter. Created by constructing the Qianzhuang and Shiguan in the same District. +35% Influence in this Settlement.
• Shiguan - +6 Science. +1 Happiness Adjacency for Happiness Buildings and Wonders. Qing Unique Science Building. Ageless.
• Qianzhuang - +5 Gold. +1 Gold Adjacency for Gold Buildings and Wonders. Qing Unique Gold Building. Ageless.

The Qing Civilization has plenty going for it, though with a drawback you will have to manage. The Kang Qian Shengshi trait gives you a nice boost in Gold, Culture, and Influence, but it can also make you drag in Science. In the Modern Age, Technology moves fast, so mismanaging this trait can have you lagging behind in discoveries.

That said, with some specific resource, Wonder and Building management, this shouldn’t be an enormous problem, especially as the Shinguan can offset that a little. There’s a lot of useful access to yields here, so there's plenty to recommend this Civ.

On top of that, the Gusa Unit is also potentially pretty powerful in the right formations and as big squadrons, meaning you have good access to some military might.

B-Tier Modern Civs

This is where good civilizations with a decent amount of benefits belong. They may be a little more specialized and viable in fewer scenarios, but generally bring some overall value to most legacy paths.

B-Tier: Buganda

• River Raids - Gain Culture when pillaging Buildings or Improvements equal to the yield or healing gained. Land Military Units gain the Amphibious ability. +30% Production towards constructing Muzibu Azaala Mpanga.
• Abambowa - Bugandan Unique Infantry Unit. Heals +10 HP from Pillaging any tile.
• Mwami - Bugandan Unique Army Commander. 50% yields from pillaging within its Command Radius.
• Kabaka’s Lake - +3 Happiness. Receives Lake yield bonuses, including yields for all Buganda’s abilities and the Muzibu Azaala Mpanga Wonder. Bugandan Unique Improvement. Ageless. Does not remove Warehouse bonuses on a tile. Must be placed on Flat Terrain. One per Settlement.

Bugunda is an interesting choice for those who like to burn places to the ground. You’ll need a strong military to get into enemy territory and start tearing apart your their Settlements. If you do though, you can gain quite a lot of resources. You need to be active and at war often, but if managed correctly, this can go well for you. The River Raids trait, as well as the Abambowa and Mwami units, bring immense value from Pillaging, so you need to do it and do it often.

That’s also because while the Kabaka’s Lake is nice for Happiness and Lake resources, the civilization doesn’t have direct access to important yields in the Modern Age like Science, Culture, Gold, and Influence. So, you’ll have to go pillaging to make up for it. It’s a rather unique style of play, and if you’re strong enough and resourceful enough to target the yields you need access to, it can go well. However, it can also fall apart quickly if you’re unable to be active enough.

B-Tier: Prussia

• Blood and Iron - Units receive +1 Combat Strength for every Unfriendly or worse Civ Relationship.
• Hussar - Prussian Unique Cavalry Unit. Has +1 Movement. +1 Combat Strength for every Movement it has remaining.
• Stuka - Prussian Ground Attack Air Unit. +3 Combat Strength against Land Units.
• Staatseisenbahn - Prussian Unique Railroad. +2 Gold and Production on Rural tiles with a Staatseisenbahn.

Prussia is the choice of Civilization for those who are not afraid to make everyone mad. If you are looking to bully the entire map, Prussia is for you, as you will gain Combat Strength for everyone who dislikes you. This is a civ for those who are not just militarily minded, but pugnacious too. The Hussar and in particular, Stuka, are strong Units too that will have you winning most fair fights.

The problem with Prussia is that it’s a little one-note. This is about throwing yourself at other civilizations and trying to overpower them. You will need to be taking Settlements to keep up with the Science and Cultural needs a strong Military requires. Both are important in the Modern Age, and if you can’t keep pace with quickly evolving Technology, you may end up falling behind even in a Military sense. The Staatseisenbahn will only go so far when it comes to Gold and Production. On top of that, you could end up biting off more than you can chew here. Keeping everyone mad at you is funny, that is, until every civilization on the map simultaneously declares war on you.

B-Tier: Russia

• Prosveshchenie - +1 Culture on Districts in Cities. +1 Science on Districts in Cities in Tundra. +30% Production towards constructing the Hermitage.
• Cossack - Russian Unique Cavalry Unit. +4 Combat Strength in friendly territory.
• Katyusha Rocket Launcher - Russian Unique Siege Unit. Has +1 Movement. Lower base Combat Strength but has the Splash ability. Dealing damage to enemy Units adjacent to the target Unit.
• Obschchina - +2 Food from adjacent Farms. +2 Culture in Tundra. Russian Empire Unique Improvement. Ageless. Does not remove Warehouse bonuses on a tile. Cannot be placed adjacent to another Obshchina.

Russia has access to some nice yield bonuses on Districts, and the Science and Culture mix is a strong suit for the civilization. That said, these bonuses aren’t enormous, and you’ll only really supercharge your Culture output on Tundra, which could be restrictive for your borders. All things considered, you may trail behind other more specialised civilizations in terms of yields.

The Cossack and Katysha Rocket Launcher are interesting units that will mean you can protect the Science and Cultural forward civilization you are building, but usually only defensively and against big armies where splash damage is relevant.

B-Tier: Siam

• Itsapharahab - Gains a unique Diplomatic Action to immediately become Suzerain of a City-State at a higher Influence cost than Befriend Independent. +30% Production towards constructing Doi Suthep.
• Chang Beun - Siamese Unique Ranged Unit. Has increased Ranged Strength and +1 Movement. Can move after attacking.
• Uparat - A Great Person with one charge. Can only be trained in Cities when an Independent Power has been befriended, and the specific Uparat received is random. Each Uparat can only be received once. Cost increases per Uparat trained.
• Bang - +3 Culture and Happiness. Siamese Unique Improvement. Ageless. Does not remove Warehouse bonuses on a tile. Must be placed on a Navigable River.

Siam has a fairly unique trait, in that it allows you to become the Suzerain of a City-State immediately. This can be strong, especially if you rack up many city-states to support you in other yields. However, the Civilization has no special access to generating the Influence it needs to do so, so it will be reliant on your ageless buildings and your Leader. If you can facilitate that Influence need, though, this trait could serve you well.

The Chang Beun is also a great ranged Unit that can maneuver around enemies and stay out of their reach when played correctly. Otherwise, there’s not a ton here that stands out. The City-States should help you make up lost yields with various benefits, but that is also dependent on the right City-States turning up.

C-Tier Modern Civs

While not bad civilizations, these are often more situational civilizations or civilizations that require a unique playstyle that might be best for more experienced players.

C-Tier: Mughal

• Paradise of Nations - +75% Gold from all sources. -25% to all other yields. +30% Production towards constructing the Red Fort.
• Sepoy - Mughal Unique Infantry Unit. Can make a Bombard Ranged attack.
• Zamindar - Mughal Unique Settler. Civilian Unit capable of founding new Towns. +1 Population on new Settlements.
• Stepwell - +2 Food from adjacent Farms. Mughal Unique Improvement. Ageless. Does not remove Warehouse bonuses on a tile. Must be placed on Flat Terrain. Cannot be placed adjacent to another Stepwell.

Mughal are in no way a bad civilization. With proper setup and circumstances, this civilization can be very strong. That said, it comes with risk. +75% Gold from all sources can be really powerful and will have you easily becoming the richest in the game. However, if you don’t manage to mitigate the -25% on all other yields, you can easily fumble. Since Science and Culture vitally important in this Era, to keep up, you need to make sure the money you’re investing is compensating for that penalty.

Elsewhere, the Mughal’s other traits are fine but don’t jump out as essential to a victory. In the right hands, the Mughal can be really good, but for those less certain, there are many more straightforward options out there.

Patrick is a a freelance journalist with over 13 years of experience who loves going deep on games and getting into their systems. His four-figure hours into both Overwatch 2 and Destiny 2 are a testament to that.