There are a lot of new mechanics in Civilization 7, but something that returns from previous iterations in the series is the Social Policy system. Social Policies unlock with most Civics and grant powerful bonuses that can be swapped in and out. But in Civ 7, Traditions add some spice to this mechanic.
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Because of the Age Transition system, which forces players to swap Civs, Traditions are especially useful because they last throughout the entire game – and offer some of the most powerful bonuses available to each Civ. This guide explains how Social Policies and Traditions compare to one another and how to get Traditions in Civ 7.
What Are Civilization 7 Traditions?
In Civ 7, Traditions are essentially a type of unique Social Policy associated with each Civ. While everyone can research the same Civics to unlock the same Social Policies, each Civ also has access to unique Civ Civics (in a separate tab in the Social Policy window).
These unique Civ Civics will often unlock a Tradition that you can use in your Government the same way you would slot any other Social Policy. While Social Policies reset with each Age Transition, Civ Traditions are available throughout all three Ages – Civ 7 Traditions unlocked in the Antiquity Age will still be available in the Modern Age.
Some Civs, like Rome, benefit from using Traditions instead of Social Policies. In Rome's case, units gain 1 Combat Strength for each Tradition, so if you get more Traditions, Civ 7 Rome players will have significantly stronger military units.
How To Get Traditions In Civ 7
Because Civ Traditions grant such powerful bonuses, often tailored to the strengths of each Civ, you should aim to unlock all Traditions in Civ 7 playthroughs before the end of each Age.
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To get more Traditions, when you are prompted to choose a Civic to research, open the full view of the current Age's Civics Tree, and tab over to your unique Civ Civic Tree. If you hover over each unique Civ Civic, you will be able to see if they unlock any Traditions for your empire to take advantage of.
Just like the normal Civic Tree, you can't progress and research Civics on the right side of the tree before researching Civics on the left side.
After researching one of your unique Civ Civics, the Civic Completed screen will pop up, and you will be asked to change Social Policies. Traditions are always identified with a small Quill icon above the icon for the Civ it is associated with.
Look for this icon to easily tell which of your Social Policies count as Traditions and will carry over between Ages.
Sid Meier's Civilization VII
- Released
- February 11, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Firaxis Games
- Publisher(s)
- 2K
- Franchise
- Sid Meier's Civilization
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC
- Genre(s)
- Grand Strategy, Turn-Based Strategy, 4X
