Civilization 7 introduces towns as a new settlement type, initially replacing cities. Unlike cities, towns are built using Settlers (not Founders) and lack a production queue. Expansion and district development rely solely on gold purchases.

Upgrading a town to a city requires additional gold and unlocks the production queue, enabling the construction of buildings, wonders, and unique quarters (some structures are town-exclusive).

Town Management

Towns effectively replace cities, subject to a settlement limit. Exceeding this limit reduces happiness by -5 per excess town. Strategic placement is crucial. Unlike previous iterations, luxury resources and amenities function differently; prioritize early-game resources (Camels, Gold, Silver, Cotton) and freshwater tiles for happiness boosts.

The Settler lens (accessible via the mini-map telescope) suggests optimal town locations. Freshwater tiles (indicated by light blue) grant additional happiness to the City Hall.

Upgrading Towns

Post-settlement, you can purchase districts (Saw Pit, Granary, Altar, etc.) using gold. However, culture buildings, wonders, and certain city-specific structures are unavailable. Each upgrade reduces the cost of transforming the town into a city, with the first upgrade being the cheapest. Upgrading isn't mandatory; specialization offers alternatives.

Town Specialization: A Comprehensive Guide

Towns primarily supply food to nearby cities unless specialized. Specializations, chosen once per age, customize output. Switching between Growing Town and a specialization is possible, but further customization is limited after selection. Specializations unlock at population 7.

• Growing Town (Default): Offers 50% overall growth; all production converts to gold. Maintaining this initially can be beneficial due to slower growth with other specializations.

• Fort Town: Enhances defenses ( 5 unit healing, 25 wall health). Ideal for anticipating attacks. All production converts to gold; food is sent to nearby cities.

• Urban Center: Provides 1 Culture and 1 Science per Quarter (two district buildings on the same tile). Consider this for well-developed towns that might not warrant city status.

• Farming Town: Boosts food production ( 2 Food on Farms, Pastures, Plantations, Fishing Boats). Transforms into a Fishing Town on coastal tiles.

• Mining Town: Increases production ( 2 Production on Camps, Woodcutters, Clay Pits, Mines, Quarries). Converts production to gold.

• Trade Outpost (Antiquity Age): Offers 2 Happiness per resource tile and 5 Trade Route range. Useful for extending trade routes and boosting happiness.

• Religious Site (Exploration Age): Grants 2 Happiness and 1 Relic slot on the Temple. Beneficial for religious victory strategies.

• Hub Town (Exploration Age): Provides 2 Influence per connected settlement (friendly or otherwise). Use Merchants to build roads and connect towns.