The British people (or Britons) represent the Kingdom of Great Britain and the subsequent British states, a Modern Age civilization in Civilization VII. They are available with the Great Britain Pack within the Crossroads of the World Collection, which was released on March 4, 2025.
The British' civilization ability is Workshop of the World, which reduces the cost of producing and purchasing 
Buildings, but raises the costs of converting 
Towns into 
Cities. Their associated 
Wonder is the Battersea Power Station, and their unique assets are as follows:
Intro[]
Rule, Britannia! Beyond the smoky London skies, beyond the churn of Manchester’s mills, there is a greater glory - the Empire. Ever-hungry mills demand feeding, and ever-full warehouses demand markets. Heed their call, and may the sun never set upon your dominion.
Tips and hints[]
Great Britain loves to have lots of Towns, getting plenty of Gold from the East India Company Tradition and Financial Centre Unique Quarter. Use these Towns to collect Factory Resources for your Cities!
Strategy[]
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Civilopedia entry[]
In 1800, the Act of Union joined the crowns of Ireland and Great Britain (which was already a union of Scotland, Wales, and England) to form the United Kingdom. This was the core of the Second British Empire, which emerged as an industrial power on the world stage, consolidating rule over colonial possessions in India and Africa, and remaining a potent player in European politics.
The wars against France were key to the United Kingdom's early history. These began as reactions against the French Revolution, as the U.K.'s monarchies regarded France as an existential threat. This menace evolved as Napoleon Bonaparte took control of the French Republic and created the First French Empire, embarking on a wave of European conquests. After Napoleon’s defeat, Britain came into its own.
Europe was devastated but Britain was untouched (and the undisputed master of the seas), and so became one of the key players in the later era of colonialism. At this time, the crown took over various trading companies, which were crippled by corruption, plagued by losses, and steadily acquiring a terrible reputation for provoking local conflict. While the British abolished slavery in their colonies and curbed the worst impulses of the trading companies, the tide of imperialism still rose. In Asia, the British staged a coup d’etat in the Malay state of Johor, which gave the British control over Singapore. In India, the East India Company was replaced by direct British rule, despite the threat of constant revolts in differing parts of the Raj (of which Tipu Sultan’s was one of the most famous). These two colonies acted as an opium pipeline to China – a deliberate British strategy to find a commodity the Chinese would buy as the Chinese had heretofore disdained British goods, seeking only silver. This led to the two Opium Wars (out of which Britain gained Hong Kong), which forced China's market to open.
In short, the British created a worldwide system – for the benefit of London. Nearly every continent in the world had British influence (South America largely excepted). Unlike the more war-inclined French, the British used a variety of means of domination. For instance, debt became a key tool; preying on rulers’ desire for finished goods, British merchants urged them to accrue immense debts and then those debts could be “paid” by allowing the British to “manage” the finances. This is how Malaya and Egypt fell to the British. Meanwhile, Central Asia was the site of the “Great Game,” a strategic rivalry against Russia for mastery of the region.
Interestingly, Britain debated getting involved in another war with the United States – the Civil War. The U.K. was closer economically to the South, depended on Southern cotton, and felt more comfortable with Southern aristocracy than the hard-headed Puritan descendants in the Northeast. However, the Emancipation Proclamation underlined that supporting the South meant supporting slavery, and even the British would not cross that line. At least, they wouldn’t by the 1860s.
Internally, Britain epitomized liberal economics, focusing on free trade and property rights. The specter of the French Revolution haunted Britain, so the various parties sought to placate populism by either taking a conciliatory line (Whigs) or a hostile line (Tories).
The latter part of the 19th century housed Britain's Victorian era. This was a time of industrialization, literature, science, and philosophy, a quintessentially British time. As industrialization took over (William Blake’s “dark Satanic mills”), the British industrial class evolved. For one, factories regulated by the clock allowed home life to be separated from work life, which came with attendant gender roles. Another change was the expansion of psychological and other social sciences; the 20th-century notions of race and sexuality were profoundly shaped by this era. This was a world of steam power, of Charles Dickens and Sherlock Holmes, of the Brontë sisters and Dracula, of Jeeves and Wooster and Friedrich Engels, where middle-class respectability became codified and elevated.
In short, the British Empire had multiple faces – industry and politics at home, and blatant imperialism abroad. It was a period based around an unstoppable navy, a world order guaranteed by British force and the omnipresent threat of social upheaval. Conflict always seemed to be lurking in the background, but with the understanding that war would be profoundly different in this brave new world. Which it was.
Cities[]
Citizens[]
| Males | Females |
|---|---|
| William | Mary |
| John | Elizabeth |
| George | Sarah |
| Thomas | Margaret |
| James | Eliza |
| Robert | Ann |
| Henry | Ellen |
| Edward | Jane |
| Charles | Emma |
| Joseph | Hannah |
Age Transition Quotes[]
When age progress reaches 100% or player gets eliminated/retires, one of these quotes will be read depending on the last legacy path completed:
- Culture: "The Globe Theater was global, after all."
- Economic: "The bustling trade routes established by Great Britain saw many visitors—all of whom left with lighter pockets."
- Military: "Great Britain's troops knew that the sweetest sound was the silence of enemy lines."
- Science: "The sun truly never set on the British Empire once they escaped the Earth's shadow."
- Defeat: "The Union Jack hangs limply in the city square, awaiting the next breath of air."
Trivia[]
- The British civilization symbol is the Crown of Queen Camilla, a consort crown created in 1911 for the coronation of Mary of Teck and last used in the coronation of Camilla, wife of current king Charles III.
- The British civilization ability is an expression, first used by Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, commonly used to describe Britain's vast industrial capacity in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Soundtrack[]
| Original Track | № | Based on | Credits | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Great Britain (Modern Age)" | Jerusalem | Sir Hubert Parry, arrangement composed by Geoff Knorr FILMHarmonic Orchestra, Prague |
5:13 |
Gallery[]
.jpg "British city in-game (Civ7).jpg (2.63 MB)")
.png "Revenge in-game (Civ7).png (811 KB)")
.png "Antiquarian in-game (Civ7).png (937 KB)")
.png "Financial Centre in-game (Civ7).png (934 KB)")
.png "Battersea Power Station in-game (Civ7).png (3.48 MB)")
.jpg "British Background (Civ7).jpg (98 KB)")
Videos[]
See also[]
- British in other games
External links[]
| Civilization VII Civilizations [edit] | |
|---|---|
| Antiquity | |
| Exploration | |
| Modern | |
| 1 Requires DLC | |