Civilization 6 Science explained - how to earn Science and how it works

Science has always been our personal favourite of the win-condition resources, thanks to that oh-so-satisfying feeling of steaming through the Tech tree towards the late game, and the payoffs that come with it. Amassing Science in Civilization 6 is no different, and will also play a crucial role in any playthrough thanks to some integral technologies that are unlocked as you progress.

Just about any civilization can benefit from a strong Science income, regardless of your target victory condition, and so maintaining that income is one of the most important things you can do to secure yourself a healthy late game.

Civilization 6 Interview - 18 minutes with lead designer, Ed Beach (plus some new gameplay)

Here, we'll be focusing on explaining how exactly Science works for the newcomers and lapsed Civlization players, whilst also gathering up every single way to earn Science specifically into one all-consuming list. The goal, then, is to have this guide play a complementary role to our other, dedicated Science Victory guide, which contains our more in-depth advice for winning the game through technological advance.

If you're looking for more resource-focused Civ 6 guides, meanwhile, we also have pages on how to earn Gold, how to earn Faith, and how to earn Culture and Tourism in Civ 6, too.

A quick note: we've refreshed out Civ 6 guides for the game's launch on Nintendo Switch, but just be aware that they contain information regarding the Rise and Fall DLC as well as the base game, which means some things only apply if you have that DLC! Otherwise... crack on!

What is Science and how does Science work in Civ 6?

Science is a per-turn income that dictates how quickly you progress through the Technology tree, which is the key to unlocking many of your civilization's most important features. Your military, resource yields, Cultural output, Tourism, Amenities, Housing and more are all affected by the Techs, Wonders, Buildings and more that are unlocked through amassing Science.

You can view the Technology Tree by clicking on the blue circle in the top left of the screen - there, you'll notice that not only are the various Techs listed out, but also their various Eureka moments - a new addition for Civ 6.

Eureka moments are the Tech Tree-specific boosts, which will do exactly that - boosting your progress towards the relative Tech - when triggered. We recommend spending some time going over these in-game, as learning the art of timing Eureka moments with your new Tech research will be a crucial skill, particularly in higher difficulties and online play.

A key point to remember is that, if you've already researched more than half-way through a Tech that then gets boosted, you've wasted however many extra turns of research that took you beyond the halfway point. So always look to either ideally boost before you research a Tech altogether, or at least do so before it reaches the halfway mark, to get the very most out of your precious Science-per-turn.

How to get Science - every method for earning Science in Civilization 6

Amenities

• +5% Non-food yields (which includes Science) when the city is happy (has more Amenities than required).

Citizens

• +0.7 Science per Citizen

Palace

• +2 Science in your Capital city.

Policies

• Military Research: Military Academies and Seaports generate +1 Science;
• Five-Year Plan: +100% Campus and Industrial Zone district adjacency bonuses;
• Market Economy: international Trade Routes provide +1 Gold, +2 Culture and +2 Science per Luxury and Strategic resource improved at the destination;
• Natural Philosophy: +100% Campus district adjacency bonuses;
• Rationalism: +100% Science from Campus district buildings;
• Trade Confederation: +1 Culture and +1 Science from international Trade Routes;
• International Space Agency: +10% Science per city-state you are the Suzerain of;
• Raj: +2 Science, Culture, Faith and Gold from each city-state you are a Suzerain of;
• Inspiration: +2 Great Scientist points per turn;
• Nobel Prize: +4 Great Scientist points per turn.
• Monasticism (Dark Age): Science doubled in cities with a Holy Site, but -25% Culture in all cities.

Great People

• All Great Scientists will provide you with a boost to scientific progress in some form or another, from unlocking Technologies to providing Tech Boosts, but the following will specifically boost your Science income:
• Albert Einstein; Charles Darwin; Galileo Galilei; Hildegard of Bingen; Hypatia; Isaac Newton; Janaki Ammal; Mary Leakey.

Religious and Pantheon Beliefs

• Divine Spark: +1 Great Person point from Holy Sites, Campuses, and Theatre Squares;
• Wat: allows construction of Wats (see buildings, below);
• Stewardship: each Campus or Commercial Hub district in a city following this religion provides +1 Science or +1 Gold respectively.
• Cross-Cultural Dialogue:+1 Science for every 5 followers of this Religion in other civs

Resources

• Mercury (+1);
• Tea (+1);
• Aluminium (+1);
• Iron (+1).
• Turtles (+1).

Wonders

• Great Library: +2 Science, +1 Great Scientist point per turn, +2 Great Works of Writing slots;
• Oracle: patronage of Great People costs 25% less Faith, districts in this city provide +2 Great Person points per turn of their type;
• Oxford University: +20% Science in this city, awards 2 randomly-choses free technologies when completed, +3 Great Scientist points per turn, +2 Great Works of Writing slots;
• Campus Research Grants: district-based project which provides Science and Great Scientist points when completed.

Trading

• Trade Routes provide yields based on the destination city's districts. Trade with a city that has a Campus district to earn Science from that route.
• Routes that pass through Trading Posts (automatically set up in a location once a Trade Route there has successfully completed) grant bonus yields.

If your lust for Civilization 6 knowledge is still going strong, expansion owners should take a look at our Civ 6 Rise and Fall guide hub which takes you through the basics of everything new, whilst we have dedicated pages on Governors and Loyalty, along with how to earn Golden Ages, Era Points and Era Score through Historic Moments, and a full list of new Civs in Civ 6 Rise and Fall and other DLC. Otherwise, our Civilization 6 guide, tips and tricks covers the essentials before you master early game, mid-game and late-game strategies. We also have tips on the new Districts feature, a Leaders list with their Traits and Agendas, plus the best ways to get Gold, Science, and Faith, how to win by Religious Victory, and how to earn the elusive Science Victory and Military domination victory. Finally, here's the Culture Victory, Foreign Tourism, and Domestic Tourism explained in depth.

Campus district

• +1 Great Scientist point per turn; +1 Science from each adjacent Mountain; +1 Science from every 2 adjacent Rainforest tiles; +1 Science from every 2 adjacent district tiles; +2 Science per citizen working Campus tile; +1 food from domestic Trade Route destinations with a Campus; +1 Science from international Trade Route destinations with a Campus.

Buildings

• Library: +2 Science, +1 Citizen slot on Campus tile, +1 Great Scientist point per turn;
• Madrasa (unique to Arabia, replaces University): +5 Science, bonus Faith equal to adjacency bonus of the Campus district, +1 Housing, +1 Citizen slot, +1 Great Scientist point per turn;
• University: +4 Science, +1 Housing, +1 Citizen slot, +1 Great Scientist Point per turn.
• Research Lab: +5 Science, +1 Citizen slot, +1 Great Scientist point per turn.
• Wat: +3 Faith, +2 Science, +1 Citizen slot for Holy Site district.

Diplomacy and City-States

• Geneva - 1 Envoy: +2 Science in your Capital; 2 Evoys: +2 Science in every Campus district; 6 Envoys: Additional +2 Science in every Campus district. Suzerain Bonus: Your cities earn +15% Science whenever you are not at war with any civilization.
• Hattusa - 1 Envoy: +2 Science in your Capital; 2 Evoys: +2 Science in every Campus district; 6 Envoys: Additional +2 Science in every Campus district. Suzerain Bonus: Provides you with 1 of each Strategic resource you have revealed but do not own.
• Seoul - 1 Envoy: +2 Science in your Capital; 2 Evoys: +2 Science in every Campus district; 6 Envoys: Additional +2 Science in every Campus district. Suzerain Bonus: When you enter an era, earn one random Eureka moment for that era.
• Stockholm - 1 Envoy: +2 Science in your Capital; 2 Evoys: +2 Science in every Campus district; +6 Envoys: Additional +2 Science in every Campus district. Suzerain Bonus: Your districts provide +1 Great Person of their type.