Civilization V original victory conditions and social policies
Compare base-game science, culture, domination and diplomacy without Brave New World tourism rules.
Edition covered
Civilization V with its original base-game systems, including global happiness and the five-policy-branch cultural victory. Gods & Kings and Brave New World add religion, tourism and other changes that are excluded here. Publisher media shows the base PC game.
Choose policies for a victory direction
Culture unlocks social policies. Pick bonuses supporting the economy and intended finish instead of opening unrelated branches without a plan.
| Victory | Core route | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Science | Build and assemble spaceship components | Research and production |
| Culture | Complete five policy branches and build Utopia Project | Culture and final production |
| Domination | Be the last civilization holding its own original capital | Capital control and military strength |
| Diplomatic | Win the required United Nations election | Voting support |
| Time | Lead score at the turn limit | Overall empire development |
Use the base cultural-victory rule
In the original game, complete five policy branches and then build the Utopia Project. Brave New World's tourism-based cultural victory is a different system.
| Check | Question | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Current need | Does the policy solve an actual bottleneck? | Immediate usefulness |
| Victory direction | Does the branch support the intended finish? | Long-term consistency |
| Expansion | How will more cities affect policy progress? | Budget for cultural development |
| Era access | Is the desired branch available? | Plan research timing |
| Edition | Is the game base or Brave New World? | Cultural-victory rules differ |
Watch the victory-progress screen
Science requires spaceship components; diplomacy involves a United Nations election; domination concerns original capitals. The progress display clarifies the active requirements and rival progress.
Protect the decisive assets
A science city needs production and defense, while culture needs sustained policy income. Do not stop military preparation merely because a peaceful victory is approaching.
A science city needs production and defense, while culture needs sustained policy income. Do not stop military preparation merely because a peaceful victory is approaching.
References
| Reference | Website |
|---|---|
| Sid Meier's Civilization V publisher listing | store.steampowered.com |
| Firaxis Civilization V manual | store.steampowered.com |
| 2K digital manual support | support.civilization.com |