The Best City-building Games

Update : Against the Storm added at rank #2.
1

Townscaper (2020)

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95
Review score
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PC Windows Nintendo Switch Android Xbox One Xbox Series X IOS iPhone Mac OS

Townscaper is a relaxing and creative town-builder game that lets you design your own picturesque floating towns with ease. With its colorful blocks and shapes that you can mix and match, you can create your dream villages whether you’re fidgeting or multitasking. The absence of missions or objectives allows you to immerse yourself fully in your creative flow and design your perfect idyllic town in no time. Get Townscaper for a soothing and creative gaming experience!


What we like:
  • Simple mechanics
  • Stress-free
  • Perfect for fidgeting
What could be improved:
  • Limited building tools and updates
  • Lack of variety in buildings and structures
  • Unsymmetrical grid pattern
  • No greenery except in enclosed areas
  • Building larger structures can be tedious

  • city-building
  • experimental
  • sandbox
  • building
  • short
  • cute
  • minimalist
  • grid
  • procedural
  • nature
  • relaxing
  • family-friendly
  • stylized
  • colourful

2

Against the Storm (2023)

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92
Review score
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PC Windows

Dive into Against the Storm, a city builder where you brave the wilds, balance the needs of diverse races, and face the Blight Storm's wrath. Forge settlements, manage resources, and unlock new upgrades in this endlessly replayable roguelite adventure. Can you thrive amidst chaos and secure your legacy?


What we like:
  • Innovative mix of city building and roguelite mechanics
  • Engaging survival gameplay with replayability
  • Diverse fantasy races with unique needs
  • Strategic depth with resource and settlement management
  • Regular updates and active developer engagement
What could be improved:
  • Randomized elements may frustrate some players

  • city-building
  • rogue-like
  • management

3

Terra Nil (2023)

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81
Review score
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PC Windows Nintendo Switch Mac OS Linux IOS iPhone Android

Restore the environment to its former glory in Terra Nil, a reverse city-builder game that challenges you to rebuild a barren wasteland. Build grasslands, forests, wetlands and more using advanced eco-technology, and leave behind a pristine wilderness for the animals. With procedurally generated landscapes, each playthrough is unique, challenging and unpredictable. Terra Nil offers a peaceful, meditative experience with lush hand-painted environments, relaxing music and ambient soundscape. Immerse yourself in the natural beauty of the ecosystem you've restored with Appreciate mode.


What we like:
  • Relaxing and engrossing gameplay loop
  • Gorgeous and vibrant hand-painted graphics
  • Procedurally generated maps create a unique experience with each playthrough
  • Effortless and straightforward game mechanics
  • Well-balanced difficulty that is not too challenging nor too easy
What could be improved:
  • Limited amount of content for its price
  • Limited replayability

  • city-building
  • relaxing
  • strategy
  • meditative
  • resource-management
  • puzzle
  • isometric

4

Tropico 6 (2019)

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90
Review score
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IOS iPhone Linux Mac OS PC Windows Xbox One

Tropico 6 is a city-building game that offers an engaging mix of elements such as ruling your own island dictatorship, sandbox mode with customizable goals, missions, and easy controller support. You can be a big picture person and make decisions that impact the entire island or get into the minute details of urban planning.


What we like:
  • Engaging mix of elements
  • Sandbox mode with customizable goals
  • Missions
  • Easy controller support:No need for mouse and keyboard or touchscreen
What could be improved:
  • Minor performance issues

  • city-building
  • simulation
  • economy
  • political
  • sandbox
  • management
  • strategy
  • construction
  • military
  • politics

5

Airborne Kingdom (2020)

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86
Review score
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Xbox One Xbox Series X Mac OS PC Windows Playstation 5 Nintendo Switch Playstation 4

Airborne Kingdom is a strategy simulator game that presents a unique concept of relocating a civilization to the skies. The game has a mysterious set up and setting, which intrigues and immerses the player in a vibrant and alive game world with organic world building and lore. Manage your air kingdom as you move to discover new resources, all while making sure your residents are happy, and enjoy the immersive experience of this visually stunning game world.


What we like:
  • Innovative mechanics
  • Beautiful visuals
  • Compelling gameplay
  • Relaxing and meditative
  • Ear-worm soundtrack
What could be improved:
  • Lack of replay value & short gameplay time
  • Limited depth in city development
  • Slow progression
  • High price for amount of content

  • city-building
  • relaxing
  • steampunk
  • resource

6

SteamWorld Build (2023)

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76
Review score
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Nintendo Switch Xbox Series X Xbox One Playstation 5 Playstation 4 PC Windows Xbox Series X/s

Break ground on a new frontier as the planet dies around you! Dig deep and build wide to excavate long-lost spacefaring technology, while ensuring everyone has the vital water, fuel and creature comforts they need! Do you have what it takes to reach the final frontier?


  • city-building
  • management
  • robots
  • steampunk
  • economy

7

Cities: Skylines II (2023)

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74
Review score
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PC Windows Xbox Series X/s) (Playstation 5 Xbox One

Dive into Cities: Skylines 2, the city-building simulator that redefines urban strategy in gaming. Experience the thrill of crafting your own metropolis, managing trade, and shaping the lives of your citizens. With smart AI, realistic weather cycles, and endless possibilities for city design, you'll find high replayability and countless hours of creative enjoyment.


What we like:
  • Engaging balance between realism and fun
  • Intuitive UI and automatic linking of buildings to utilities
  • Ability to fine-tune services and manage trade
  • High replayability with multiple maps
  • In-depth tutorials and progression mechanism
What could be improved:
  • Performance issues with larger cities
  • Some bugs and graphical issues
  • Limited options for choosing building aesthetics

  • city-building
  • simulation
  • economy
  • management

8

Paragon Pioneers (2022)

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90
Review score
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Linux Mac OS PC Windows Android IOS iPhone

Paragon Pioneers is a casual island management game where you build and manage a series of island nations. It offers over 100+ buildings to advance through and has an abstract look and mechanics that make it easy to manage on small screens. It's a stress-free game for casual players.


What we like:
  • Detailed explanations and tutorials
  • No ads or premium currencies
  • Easy to pick up and put down
  • Reminiscent of the Anno series with idle gameplay
  • No inherent time limit
  • Over 100+ buildings to advance through
What could be improved:
  • Long waiting times
  • Lack of a thrilling narrative
  • Game mechanics become increasingly complex
  • Colonization aspect may be troublesome for some players
  • Combat has a limited army size and isn't very interesting

  • idler
  • city-building
  • colony
  • tutorial
  • management
  • base-building
  • building
  • simulation
  • medieval
  • crafting
  • economy
  • top-down
  • relaxing
  • 2d
  • resource-management

9

Cities: Skylines (2015)

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94
Review score
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PC Windows Xbox Series X Playstation 5 stadia Playstation 4 Xbox One Linux Mac OS

Build and maintain your own city with Cities: Skylines, where you must balance essential requirements like education, electricity, and healthcare while navigating your city's real economy system. With extensive traffic, district, and policy simulations, you have a multi-tiered and challenging environment to master. Customize and share your creations with other city builders. Don't miss out on this modern take on the classic city simulation game!


What we like:
  • Realistic city building simulation
  • Fun to plan, execute, and manage a city
  • Plethora of mods available
  • DLC adds interesting gameplay
  • Can enjoy the game without purchasing DLC
What could be improved:
  • Vanilla game is very basic

  • city-building
  • simulation

10

Pocket City 2 (2023)

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88
Review score
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Mac OS PC Windows IOS iPhone Android

Pocket City 2 is an addictive and satisfying city-building game for you to enjoy on your mobile. Build every aspect of your city including population, happiness, and quality of life. With features like a research tree, tax rates, and detailed stats, you'll enjoy crafting the perfect city for your citizens. The graphics and music complement each other, and the low poly art style is visually appealing. However, replayability is limited due to the lack of online options.


What we like:
  • Addictive and satisfying gameplay
  • Detailed stats and research tree offer valuable insight
  • Tax rates and micromanaging options add depth
  • Minimalistic graphics and music sync well
  • Low poly art style matches game theme
What could be improved:
  • Limited replayability without online options
  • May get boring after reaching level 50
  • Online multiplayer is not available for those who enjoy competitive play
  • Game can be simplistic in comparison to others in the genre
  • No major innovation from its predecessor

  • city-building
  • simulation
  • cartoony
  • 2.5d

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