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

Short answer

The direct answer is above the fold; the reasoning underneath is there for when the direct answer does not fit your situation.

  • Revisit after a major patch if the behaviour changes.
  • Note the exception cases — they are specific rather than vague.
  • Region and platform change more than people expect, so confirm both.

Each Civilization entry reshuffles the rules enough that habits from the last one quietly stop working. The accepted community answer is broadly right and wrong in a specific way that matters here. Nothing here depends on a setting you are unlikely to have.

What to do instead

What follows assumes you are on a current install and have not modified it. The mechanic behind it is simpler than the discussion around it suggests. Edge cases are genuinely rare, which is why the simple answer is usually the correct one. The community wisdom on this is roughly half right, and the half that is wrong costs the most time.

It is worth separating what the game does from what players have concluded it does. Testing this yourself takes a few minutes and settles it definitively. Civilization is not shy about hiding useful information two menus deep, so some of this is simply knowing where to look.

Why it works this way

Most of the disagreement online comes from people describing different versions of Civilization. If you are coming to this after a long break, the terminology has probably moved on. If your result differs from what is described here, note what is different first rather than starting over.

  • Test it yourself where testing is cheap.
  • Check which version any conflicting advice was written for.
  • Check the version you are actually running before assuming anything is broken.
  • Do not build a routine around an edge case.

When the usual advice fails

There is no hidden trick here that the game is keeping from you. Do the cheap check before the expensive one — that ordering alone saves most of the frustration. Everything below is framed around the current state of Civilization rather than a launch-week impression. The short version is near the top on purpose; the reasoning is there if you want to know why.

Where two approaches both work, the one with fewer moving parts is the one to keep. Anything that behaves differently on console than on PC is flagged where it matters. Nothing here assumes a particular playstyle beyond wanting the thing to work.

Worth knowing alongside this

Patch notes move numbers around constantly; the shape of the answer holds even when a specific value shifts. It helps to understand why a step exists, because then you can adapt it when your situation is slightly different. A single check up front replaces a lot of guessing later.

Where something depends on your platform or region, that is called out rather than glossed over. There is usually a fast way and a reliable way, and it is worth knowing which one you are choosing. If a step reads as obvious, do it anyway — the obvious ones are the ones people skip and then wonder about.

The practical answer

The awkward part is rarely the step itself, it is knowing which step comes first. Most of the disagreement you will find online is two people describing different builds. Screenshots age faster than text, which is why this describes rather than shows.

Where people go wrong

  • Rushing the last step, which is usually the one with the actual requirement in it.
  • Skipping the prerequisite because it looked optional in someone else's summary.
  • Grinding a method that was patched months ago because a thread still ranks well.

Civ FAQ

Is there a faster method?

Sometimes, at the cost of reliability. Where that trade exists it is described rather than recommended blindly.

Does this work the same on console and PC?

The logic is identical. Menu paths and button prompts differ, and any real difference is flagged above.

Does this change between platforms?

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

Why do people disagree about this?

Mostly because they are describing different versions. Version drift explains the majority of contradictory advice about Civilization.

That is the whole of it — if something here stops matching Civilization, the game changed, not the method.