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A Settlement is the basic unit of a civilization in Civilization VII and its expansions.
Settlements are home to
Citizens who can work the tiles within their borders, providing yields to the empire.
Mechanics[]
Settlements are the foundational components of a civilization's empire. They are directly responsible for generating yields and producing units, which are essential resources for becoming a prosperous and powerful civilization, securing a foothold on the map, and ultimately determining victory or defeat, as losing all
Settlements results in elimination.
Each game begins with a Founder, allowing the player to establish their first Settlement: the
Capital, which serves as the heart and base of the civilization. From that point on, players aim to expand by acquiring more
Settlements through various means: founding new ones with Settlers, conquering and annexing rival
Settlements, or diplomatically incorporating
City-States. This gives players multiple pathways to victory, whether aggressive or peaceful.
City center[]
When founding a Settlement with a Settler, the
City Center is placed directly beneath the unit, surrounded by a border that initially claims the six adjacent tiles. The
City Center functions as a special urban District — the first in any new
Settlement — and always contains one unique
Building: either a City Hall (for regular
Settlements) or the Palace (for the
Capital).
The City Center is the most critical District in a
Settlement, as many core mechanics are tied exclusively to it:
- It always counts as a fortified District, providing +50
HP. If no additional fortifications are present, the
Settlement is lost when the
City Center is captured.
- It provides +10 healing to units resting on the tile.
- It houses key
Buildings that contribute essential yields for early and ongoing
Settlement growth.
- Most trained units spawn on the
City Center tile.
- Adjacent rural tiles never lose their Appeal bonuses due to proximity to the
City Center.
- Borders can expand up to 3 hexes away from the
City Center, forming the maximum territorial range.
These traits illustrate — but do not fully encompass — the strategic value of the City Center. Its placement should be considered carefully, not only for development efficiency but also for its defensibility against enemy capture.
Yield generation[]

Settlement yields
As previously mentioned, Settlements are vital for acquiring yields. This is achieved by:
- Constructing
Buildings
- Constructing
Wonders
- Placing
Tile Improvements
- Training units
- Pursuing projects
Each Settlement controls a number of tiles, shown by borders in the civilization's color. These tiles are where
Buildings and
Improvements can be placed.
Citizens will then work those tiles, generating yields and
Resources tied to each one. Tile control can be expanded by developing the
Settlement — through growth,
Buildings, or
Improvements.
Expanding settlements[]
Because yields are primarily generated through Settlements, expanding your borders — either by acquiring new
Settlements or growing existing ones — is a key strategy. The map becomes a competitive space, with civilizations racing to claim land and snowball into greater wealth and power.
With the introduction of Towns, players should always aim to found or conquer as many
Settlements as possible for optimal empire growth and efficiency. Players typically adopt one of two core expansion strategies, defined by the ratio between
Towns and
Cities in their empire:
- Wide – In this strategy, a large number of
Towns are converted into
Cities, resulting in an almost 1:1 Town/City ratio. These
Cities are usually smaller, as the available resources are spread thin across many
Cities. Each
City will contain core yield
Buildings to provide the necessary empire-wide output.
- Tall – This strategy focuses on a few large metropolises, heavily investing in
Food and population to grow them. The Town/City ratio is typically around 3 or 4:1, meaning each
City is supported by several
Towns funneling their yields inward. This allows for
Cities with high populations and many
Specialists,
Wonders, and
Resource slots, covering more ground per
City, but fewer
Cities overall.
Settlement Limit[]
Settlements cannot be acquired endlessly. At any given time, players have a
Settlement Limit which dictates how many
Settlements they can own at no penalty. Each
Settlement in excess of the limit imposes a -5
Happiness penalty, to a maximum of -35. The
Settlement Limit can be increased by discovering new
Technologies and
Civics, through
Attributes, and by advancing to the next Age.
Settlement management[]
While all Settlements can produce every type of yield, three key yields are especially important for maintaining local development:
Food – Vital during early development.
Food increases population, and each population growth triggers a growth event, allowing players to either:
- Place a
Tile Improvement (expanding borders and unlocking more yields).
- Assign the
Citizen as a
Specialist in a
Building (usually providing stronger empire-wide yields).
- Place a
Production – Crucial at every stage of the game.
Production determines how fast
Buildings,
Wonders, and units are completed. It also speeds up border expansion and accelerates yield generation. High
Production allows for faster and more efficient
Settlement and empire development.
Happiness –
Citizens need to be content to work effectively. If
Happiness drops below 0, yields begin to suffer a -2% penalty per point (to a cap of -50, at which point
Citizens stop working entirely).
Buildings and
Specialists consume
Happiness, requiring players to grow their
Happiness yield alongside their
Settlements. For these reasons, monitoring this resource is vital, as
Unhappy
Settlements will develop more slowly and risk falling into
Unrest.
Unrest[]
Settlements in
Unrest cannot purchase
Buildings, switch Town-focus, or increase population, as they are considered too unstable for infrastructure growth. There are two main causes of
Unrest:
- Plagues or other
Crises – These can temporarily destabilize
Settlements by destroying
Buildings and damaging affected units.
- Conquest – When a rival
Settlement is captured, it will automatically enter a 10-turn
Unrest period. However, these
Settlements can still generate yields as long as
Happiness is maintained.
Revolt[]
Beyond the standard Unhappiness penalties, Revolts
Crises introduce a far more dangerous consequence:
Unhappy
Settlements can break into open revolt.
A revolt is triggered the moment a Settlement remains
Unhappy for a full turn during one of these
Crises. Once a
Settlement enters revolt, the player has 10 turns to restore a positive
Happiness balance. If not resolved in time, the
Settlement will be permanently lost.
During the revolt:
- One
Building or
Tile Improvement per Age is damaged every turn.
- All yields from the
Settlement are severely reduced.
This creates a dangerous negative spiral — reduced yields and lost infrastructure further decrease Happiness, making recovery increasingly difficult and raising the risk of total loss.
Settlement types[]
Settlements in Civilization VII are divided into three types:
Capitals,
Towns, and
Cities.
Capital[]
The Capital is the
Settlement that is founded by a civilization's Founder at the beginning of the game. It is the only
Settlement which immediately becomes a
City, not a
Town, after being founded. Aside from containing the Palace, the
Capital behaves identically to all other
Cities.
The Capital can be relocated when transitioning to the next Age by selecting the legacy option to change
Capitals. This will upgrade the chosen
Settlement to a
City for free and designate it as the new
Capital, while the original
Capital Capital will revert to a standard
City.
There are several benefits to changing the Capital. The
Capital contains the Palace, which provides significant upgrades compared to a standard City Hall, enhancing the
City's growth and development rate. Relocating the
Capital can be beneficial for boosting a newer
Settlement with ample space for expansion and infrastructure projects, especially if the original
Capital is already well-developed and self-sustaining.
Another key factor is Resource management, as some City
Resources behave differently in value depending on whether they are housed in the
Capital or a regular
City. Because the
Capital is typically the most important and valuable
City, it is generally ideal to position it in a well-protected, strategically located area with room for extensive infrastructure.
For these reasons, swapping Capitals when given the opportunity is often advantageous.
Town[]

Town focus infographic (from launch)
A Town is a
Settlement that is founded by a Settler.
Towns cannot produce
Buildings, but warehouses and some select others can be purchased with
Gold. Additionally, all of their accumulated
Production is converted into
Gold.
Town specialization[]
A Town always begins with the
Growing Town focus, which provides a +50% growth rate bonus to the
Settlement. Once the
Town reaches 7 Population, its owner may select one of the available
Town Specializations listed in the table below. This choice is permanent — after specialization, the
Town can only switch focus between the Growing Town and its chosen specialization.
Town Specialty | Description | Antiquity | Exploration | Modern |
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+1 ![]() |
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+2 ![]() |
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+5 healing to Units and +25 ![]() ![]() |
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+100% ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Antiquity: Barracks, Garden, Library, Market, Monument |
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Bonus ![]() ![]() |
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+1 ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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+1 ![]() ![]() |
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+100% ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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+1 ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
When specializing, all accumulated Food is distributed among connected
Cities. However, if a
Town lacks a connection to a
City, it can continue growing independently. In most cases, specialization halts a
Town's growth, which may initially seem like a drawback. However, this is far from the truth — when utilized correctly, specialization results in a net increase in overall yields, particularly in later Ages. Because of this,
Towns introduce one of the most complex and strategic mechanics in the game, offering nearly limitless possibilities for optimization.
Settlement connection[]
Settlements are considered connected if they have a direct road link over land (not passing through other
settlements), or if both possess a Fishing Quay in the same ocean and are within trade range. Most friendly
Settlements are automatically connected, but in some cases, using the
Build Road to Settlement action through Merchants is advisable — especially to ensure that
Towns are properly linked to key
Cities in need of
Food provisioning.
When to specialize[]
One of the first challenges players face is determining the right time to specialize. On one hand, you want to unlock the Town's bonuses as soon as possible; on the other, the
Town needs sufficient growth to provide enough tiles and yields to make specialization worthwhile. The larger the
Town, the greater its potential value — but waiting too long delays any bonuses, which are better the sooner your
Cities get them.
While specialization timing depends heavily on the game's context and the intended role of the Town, two general rules apply:
- Specialize no later than 30 turns before an Age ends. Ages typically last 75-125 turns, depending on game settings and success. To maximize a
Town's impact, it should contribute to your empire's most crucial phase of development before the Age ends. Specializing too late means missing out on vital yield gains,
City development, and potential Legacy progression.
- Let early-established
Towns grow until they need 10 turns to gain their next
Citizen.
Town growth increases its long-term value, but once reaching a point where acquiring an extra
Citizen takes more than 10 turns, further growth is inefficient. The delayed specialization bonus outweighs the benefit of a single additional tile.
Choosing the right specialization[]
As mentioned, Town specialization depends on game phase and strategic needs at any given time. Below are some of the most straightforward and valuable specializations:
Food distribution for cities[]
The primary benefit of specialization is enabling Towns to supply large amounts of
Food to
Cities. This frees
Cities to focus on
Production and other global yields while relying on
Towns for
Food.
This mechanic is invaluable throughout the game, but it becomes especially crucial in the Modern Age when Cities start running out of tiles for districts and
Wonders, forcing them to be built over any remaining Farms. Without
Towns,
Cities would stagnate, limiting
Specialist growth and thereby slowing Cultural and Scientific progression — both of which are essential for securing victory.
By converting Towns into Farming Towns, they can provide 100–150
Food per turn in the Modern Age, ensuring continuous urban expansion and maximizing the number of
Specialists.
Economic powerhouses[]
Towns also serve as the primary source of
Gold income, as their
Production is converted to
Gold. This makes them vital for maintaining stability, adaptability, and expansion in all game phases.
Mining Towns can significantly boost Gold income by increasing
Production
Improvements within the
Town. However, this focus is only useful when improving a lot of Rough tiles, which comes with a major drawback: slower
Town growth. Because of this, Mining Towns are best utilized from the Exploration Age on, where they can be supported by
Buildings that provide additional
Food and
Resources, allowing them to grow while focusing almost entirely on
Production and
Gold accumulation.
Military & defensive strongholds[]
Towns are less valuable than
Cities, making them ideal as buffer zones to protect core
Settlements. They can be strategically placed to stall enemy advances while supporting your military efforts.
- Defensive Role:
Towns can fortify their centers, purchase units, and serve as garrisons for stationed troops, making them effective defensive positions.
- Vision & Scouting:
Towns provide extra vision, making it easier to anticipate enemy movements and deploy defenses accordingly.
- Healing & Reinforcement: Units heal faster within a
Town's borders and can upgrade while inside. This makes Fort Towns particularly useful when besieging enemy
Settlements, as they act as rally points for reinforcements.
- Naval Warfare: Fort Towns built on islands in the middle of the Open Ocean can serve as safe havens for naval units, as well as buffers protecting Coastal
Cities. This is especially useful in the Exploration Age, when combat at sea significantly increases due to the competition for
Settlements on Distant Lands.
Future city sites[]
In some cases, it's better not to specialize at all if a Town is located in a prime spot for a future
City. Players can allow the
Town to grow rapidly while purchasing cheaper
Buildings with
Gold, making it easier to convert into a fully developed
City later.
Other uses[]
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Share your wisdom!
How do you use Towns? |
How many towns should you establish?[]
Because Towns significantly benefit an empire, players should establish as many as the
Settlement Limit allows — or even exceed it if their empire has a large
Happiness surplus.
Towns typically contain 7–15
Citizens, meaning they require minimal planning and can be placed almost anywhere.
- They require little micromanagement, making them an efficient and low-maintenance feature.
Ultimately, well-managed Towns provide unparalleled flexibility in empire development, making them one of the most powerful and strategic tools in the game.
City[]
A Town can be upgraded into a
City after meeting a certain set of criteria.
While Towns are beneficial to a civilization's strength,
Cities are its true source of power. Like
Towns, they can generate yields such as
Science and
Culture, but the crucial difference between the two is that
Cities generate
Production, which they can use to produce
Buildings, units, and
Wonders. This makes them vital to an empire that wants to engage in combat or construct powerful
Wonders before opponents do.
Independent Power settlements[]
An Independent Power use three special types of
Settlements: Villages, Encampments, and
City-States.
Village[]
A Village can only be founded by an Independent Power. A Village can be dispersed by units or upgraded to a
City-State if a civilization becomes its Suzerain.
Encampment[]
An Encampment can only be founded by the Barbarian Independent Power during the Invasion
Crisis. An Encampment functions like a Village, but unlike it, it uses the name of the people and cannot be upgraded to a
City-State.
City-State[]
Once a civilization becomes the Suzerain of an Independent Power, its Village is upgraded to a
City-State. A
City-State functions as a
Town and can be conquered or incorporated into its Suzerain's empire as a new
Town with a project.
Videos[]
Will you build tall or wide in -Civ7? 🏗️
Towns & Cities Gameplay
See also[]
External links[]
Civilization VII Settlements [edit] | |
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Antiquity | |
Exploration | |
Modern | |
1 Requires DLC |
Civilization VII [edit] |
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