There is a simple version of this and a complete version, and both are below in that order.

Short answer

Do the simple thing first. It is correct more often than the complicated thing people recommend instead.

  • Test it yourself where testing is cheap.
  • Check which version any conflicting advice was written for.
  • Stop and reassess after two failed attempts rather than repeating the third.

Each Civilization entry reshuffles the rules enough that habits from the last one quietly stop working. Most of the disagreement online comes from people describing different versions of Civilization. Testing this yourself takes a few minutes and settles it definitively.

When the usual advice fails

The awkward part is rarely the step itself, it is knowing which step comes first. Nothing here depends on a setting you are unlikely to have. The mechanic behind it is simpler than the discussion around it suggests. The developers have changed their mind about this at least once, which explains the older advice.

The accepted community answer is broadly right and wrong in a specific way that matters here. Edge cases are genuinely rare, which is why the simple answer is usually the correct one. There is no hidden trick here that the game is keeping from you.

The practical answer

It is worth separating what the game does from what players have concluded it does. The community wisdom on this is roughly half right, and the half that is wrong costs the most time. Nothing here assumes a particular playstyle beyond wanting the thing to work.

  • Do not build a routine around an edge case.
  • Try the straightforward approach before the elaborate one.
  • Region and platform change more than people expect, so confirm both.
  • Revisit after a major patch if the behaviour changes.
  • Note the exception cases — they are specific rather than vague.
  • Expect one number in every guide to be out of date; the method is what matters.

Why it works this way

It helps to understand why a step exists, because then you can adapt it when your situation is slightly different. Screenshots age faster than text, which is why this describes rather than shows. The short version is near the top on purpose; the reasoning is there if you want to know why. Treat anything stated without a version number as provisional.

Most of the disagreement you will find online is two people describing different builds. If you are coming to this after a long break, the terminology has probably moved on. A single check up front replaces a lot of guessing later.

What to do instead

Everything below is framed around the current state of Civilization rather than a launch-week impression. Civilization is not shy about hiding useful information two menus deep, so some of this is simply knowing where to look. There is usually a fast way and a reliable way, and it is worth knowing which one you are choosing.

Half the pages on this topic were written for a build that no longer exists, which is why they stop matching what you see. Where something depends on your platform or region, that is called out rather than glossed over. Patch notes move numbers around constantly; the shape of the answer holds even when a specific value shifts.

Worth knowing alongside this

If your result differs from what is described here, note what is different first rather than starting over. If a step reads as obvious, do it anyway — the obvious ones are the ones people skip and then wonder about. None of this needs a paid tool, a third-party launcher or an account on a site you have never heard of.

Where people go wrong

  • Assuming a guide from an older season still describes the current version.
  • Skipping the prerequisite because it looked optional in someone else's summary.
  • Downloading a helper tool for something the game already does in its own menu.

Civ FAQ

What if none of this works for me?

Then something in your setup differs from the assumption — version, region or platform. Check those three before anything else.

What is the short answer?

It is the paragraph near the top. Everything after it exists for the cases where that paragraph does not quite fit.

Is this still accurate after the latest Civilization update?

The method is; individual numbers may not be. If a value on your screen differs, trust the screen and keep the sequence.

Does this change between platforms?

The behaviour does not. Where menu paths or prompts differ, that is noted above.

Come back to the caveats list if it does not work first time — the answer is almost always in there.