Home / Civ VI / Victory Guide / Science Victory

Civilization VI · Science Victory

Science Victory: The Complete Guide

Science Victory is a straight race through four space program milestones. Whoever gets there first wins — no combat, no tourists, no diplomacy required.

The four milestones, in order
  • Launch an Earth Satellite
  • Complete a Moon Landing
  • Establish a Mars Colony
  • Launch the Exoplanet Expedition (built from three separate modules, each in a different city)

How Science Victory Works

Every space project requires a Spaceport and specific strategic resources — Uranium and Aluminum show up repeatedly, so securing them early through mines, trade, or conquest matters more than it first appears. The Exoplanet Expedition is the real bottleneck: its three components (Orbital Habitat, Botanical Garden, and Systems Habitation) each need to be built in a different city, so you'll want at least three well-developed production cities online by the time you reach it.

None of this matters without the Campus infrastructure to get you through the tech tree quickly in the first place — that's where most of a Science game is actually won or lost.

Strategy by Phase

Early Game

Campus Everywhere

Settle with Campus adjacency in mind (mountains, rainforest) and get a Library and University up in every city as soon as you can.

Mid Game

Great Scientists & Research Labs

Prioritize Great Scientist points, build Research Labs, and start scouting the map for Uranium and Aluminum deposits you'll need later.

Late Game

Spaceport & the Space Race

Build Spaceports in your best production cities, secure the strategic resources for each project, and dedicate at least three cities to the Exoplanet Expedition's modules.

Best Civs for a Science Game

Korea, Babylon, and China all lean into this path directly — see our Best Civs by Playstyle guide for the full breakdown.

KoreaBabylonChina

Common Mistakes

Ignoring resources until you need them

Uranium and Aluminum take time to secure — scout and claim them well before your first space project.

Only developing one city

The Exoplanet Expedition needs three separate cities producing its modules — start preparing more than one production hub early.

Neglecting defense

A science game with no military is an easy target — keep enough of an army to deter a rush while you tech up.

Explore the other victory paths

See every way to win, or start with the fundamentals if you're new to the game.

All Victory Types Beginner's Guide