After 274 AI-only matches, here's the definitive civilization ranking

Sci-Fi, Dystopian & Simulation Game
1

I spent about 1000 hours running 274 games with AI-controlled civilizations. Here’s how I did it:

  • 22 random civs on a huge shuffle map
  • AI difficulty, no start bias, random personalities
  • Only time victory allowed, 500 turn limit
  • Scored based on final position (22 points for 1st, 1 for last)

Here’s a quick rundown of the results:

Bottom tier:
Mongolia was dead last, averaging only 6.9 points per game. They’re too weak to back up their aggression.

Carthage, Assyria, Japan, and Sweden rounded out the bottom 5. Their bonuses just didn’t seem to help much.

Middle of the pack:
Civs like Morocco, Russia, and the Zulus landed in the middle. They had some strengths, but couldn’t consistently compete.

Top performers:
The Inca, Maya, and Celts all did well, averaging around 13 points per game.

The cream of the crop:

  1. Ethiopia (15.2 ppg) - Early religion and great defense made them nearly unbeatable
  2. Iroquois (14.9 ppg) - Rapid expansion and production powerhouses
  3. Venice (13.1 ppg) - Economic might through city-state control

What do you think? Any surprises in the rankings?

2

Wild to see Mongolia at the bottom.

Their early aggression usually gives them an edge.

AI probably doesn’t use their bonuses well.

3

Cool experiment! Surprised Venice ranked so high.

I figured they’d struggle without multiple cities.

Ethiopia’s defensive bonus must be stronger than I thought.

4

Interesting results! Ethiopia’s defense and religion game is no joke. Surprised to see the Iroquois so high though. I always found their forest start tough to work with. Guess the AI handles it better than I do.

5

Interesting results. I’m surprised Mongolia tanked so hard. Their early game rush can be brutal if played right, but I guess the AI doesn’t capitalize on it.

Iroquois in second place is a shocker too. Their start bias can be rough, but looks like the AI handles it well.

Venice doing so well is wild. I usually avoid them in multiplayer since they’re so vulnerable early on.

6

Kinda shocked Venice did so well. I always struggle playing as them.

The Iroquois being up there is cool though. Their forest bonuses can be pretty sweet if you use them right.

Mongolia at the bottom is weird. I thought they were supposed to be aggressive early game?