The Best City-building Games for Linux

Update, : Scorchlands added at rank #40.
1

Tropico 6 (2019)

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90
Review score
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Mac OS PC Windows Xbox One Playstation 4 Nintendo Switch Playstation 5 Xbox Series X Linux IOS iPhone

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.


Pros:
  • Engaging mix of elements
  • Sandbox mode with customizable goals
  • Missions
  • Easy controller support:No need for mouse and keyboard or touchscreen
Cons:
  • Minor performance issues

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

2

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

Cities: Skylines is a modern take on the classic city simulation. The game introduces new game play elements to realize the thrill and hardships of creating and maintaining a real city whilst expanding on some well-established tropes of the city building experience.


  • city-building
  • simulation
  • management

3

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.

Buy

Pros:
  • 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
Cons:
  • 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

4

ISLANDERS (2019)

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96
Review score
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Mac OS Linux PC Windows

ISLANDERS is a minimalist strategy game about building cities on colorful islands.

Buy

  • city-building
  • relaxing
  • minimalist
  • strategy
  • colony
  • beautiful

5

Songs of Syx (2020)

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93
Review score
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PC Windows Mac OS Linux

Songs of Syx is a retro-style city-building game that lets you manage a single city with multiple races and cultures while conquering neighboring territories. With real-time combat and a massive world of different gods, creatures, and races, each playthrough is unique. Although it still has some rough edges, the game is promising and worth trying.


Pros:
  • Unique city-building simulation with complex gameplay
  • Ability to control thousands of troops in real-time combat
  • Encourages players to improve the lives of their subjects for tribute
  • Randomized content each playthrough makes it unique
  • Frequent updates to improve the gameplay
Cons:
  • City-building aspect requires better balancing
  • Map is too small for the maximum number of citizens

  • city-building
  • colony
  • grand-strategy
  • simulation
  • base-building
  • moddable
  • building
  • empire
  • fantasy

6

Farlanders (2023)

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92
Review score
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PC Windows Mac OS Linux

Farlanders is a turn-based city builder set on Mars, with a puzzle game mentality and an engaging story that challenges you to think about the right you have to change the face of a planet. You play as Marco, an architect who discovers that all is not what it seems. Balance resources, build structures and manage colony happiness in this demanding but rewarding space colony simulator.


Pros:
  • Vibrant visuals
  • Realistic environments
  • Dynamic building system
  • Strategic choices
  • Challenging gameplay
  • Turn-based city builder
  • Procedurally generated maps
Cons:
  • Complexity can be overwhelming for some players
  • Steep learning curve
  • Requires careful resource management

  • city-building
  • turn-based
  • mars
  • colony
  • resource-management
  • base-building
  • simulation
  • building
  • strategy
  • space
  • procedural
  • pixel
  • management
  • survival

7

Surviving Mars (2018)

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83
Review score
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Xbox One PC Windows Mac OS Linux Playstation 4

There will be challenges to overcome. Execute your strategy and improve your colony’s chances of survival while unlocking the mysteries of this alien world. Are you ready? Mars is waiting for you.


  • city-building
  • simulation
  • mars
  • space
  • colony
  • sci-fi
  • survival
  • base-building

8

Terraformers (2022)

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93
Review score
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Mac OS PC Windows Linux

Transform Mars into a habitable planet in Terraformers. With challenging strategizing and resource management, explore the planet and expand population, all while watching the stunning new natural wonders build up before your eyes. Take on different scenarios and bonuses and create a thriving utopia. Get lost in the addictive puzzle-like game with unique replayability and rewarding graphics and UI.


Pros:
  • Focus on strategy
  • Various difficulty levels
  • Unique victory conditions
  • Nice graphics and UI
  • Rich soundtrack
Cons:
  • Only one way to lose the game
  • Some bugs present
  • Game can become repetitive

  • turn-based
  • strategy
  • city-building
  • 4x
  • board-game
  • resource-management
  • base-building
  • pve
  • space
  • sci-fi
  • building
  • futuristic
  • card
  • simulation
  • economy

9

Kingdoms and Castles (2017)

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94
Review score
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PC Windows Mac OS Linux

Kingdoms and Castles is a city-building simulation game about growing a kingdom from a tiny hamlet to a sprawling city and imposing castle. Make trade agreements, alliance, and war with neighboring AI controlled kingdoms. Each villager and resource is individually simulated.


  • city-building
  • colony
  • simulation
  • dragon
  • economy
  • medieval

10

Dwarrows (2020)

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87
Review score
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Playstation 4 Xbox One PC Windows Linux Mac OS

A peaceful 3rd person adventure and town-building game. Explore, gather, build, befriend, and quest in a beautifully handcrafted world. Build and grow a new settlement and explore the lands surrounding it in this Peaceful Action-Adventure & Town-Builder. Search the lush forests of the Dusken Woodlands for resources, and adventure through mysterious new places to find lost artifacts. Meet strange and quirky characters along the way, invite wandering people to join your town, and befriend cute animals who may help you in your travels. Control your team of three uniquely skilled characters to gather resources, build structures, and find treasure.


  • city-building
  • economy
  • kickstarter
  • -
  • 3d
  • platform
  • soundtrack
  • base-building
  • exploration
  • management
  • open-world
  • third-person
  • building
  • cute
  • puzzle

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