The Best City-building Games - Page 3

Update : Frostpunk 2 added at rank #2.
21

Songs of Syx (2020)

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93
Review score
Logo of Songs of Syx Screenshot of Songs of Syx Screenshot of Songs of Syx Screenshot of Songs of Syx

Linux Mac OS PC Windows

'Songs of Syx' is an immersive fantasy city-builder where you evolve from a tiny colony to a sprawling empire. Battle with legions, manage a diverse population, and shape your society in a living world of gods and creatures. With a blend of strategy and simulation, every decision can lead your kingdom to prosperity or downfall. Ready to rule?


What we like:
  • Unique blend of city-building and grand strategy
  • Tactical battles with huge armies
  • Dynamic world with evolving narrative
  • Deep management of population and resources
  • Regular updates enhancing gameplay
What could be improved:
  • Combat system needs refinement
  • User interface can be unclear in battle and on world map

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

22

Anno (2019)

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78
Review score
Logo of Anno Screenshot of Anno Screenshot of Anno Screenshot of Anno

PC Windows

Anno 1800™ – Lead the Industrial Revolution! Welcome to the dawn of the Industrial Age. The path you choose will define your world. Are you an innovator or an exploiter? A conqueror or a liberator? How the world remembers your name is up to you.


  • city-building
  • strategy
  • economy
  • real-time
  • simulation
  • sandbox
  • management
  • trading
  • empire

23

Grow: Song of The Evertree (2021)

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81
Review score
Logo of Grow: Song of The Evertree Screenshot of Grow: Song of The Evertree Screenshot of Grow: Song of The Evertree Screenshot of Grow: Song of The Evertree

Xbox One Playstation 4 Nintendo Switch PC Windows

Grow: Song of the Evertree is an awe-inducing experience firmly planted between an adventure game and a sweet casual farm game. The game is beautiful with opportunities to explore the world around you and keep it casual with the gameplay, whilst feeding you the story. You get to customize your character and go on a journey to save the Evertree and nurture the world back to health from the Withering. You even get your very own sweet dragon companion!


What we like:
  • Beautiful art style & music
  • Customizable character
  • Relaxed gameplay
  • Dragon companion
  • Non-binary characters supported
  • No punishment or rush for doing things wrong
What could be improved:
  • Slow going
  • Not strictly accessible in terms of customization options

  • farming
  • simulation
  • city-building
  • sandbox
  • open-world
  • exploration
  • wholesome
  • world-crafting
  • management
  • relaxing
  • cute
  • agriculture
  • colourful
  • life
  • adventure

24

Tropical Resort Story (2022)

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98
Review score
Logo of Tropical Resort Story Screenshot of Tropical Resort Story Screenshot of Tropical Resort Story Screenshot of Tropical Resort Story

PC Windows IOS iPhone Android Nintendo Switch Playstation 4

In Tropical Resort Story, you get to develop your own lush island full of nature and create the most luxurious resort possible. From building accommodations to discovering great travel packages, you can make your guests' dreams come true. Improve the ocean water quality by adding marine plants and rocks in the ocean, and releasing fish you've caught while fishing. With more tourists visiting your island, you get to open stores and restaurants, and even create new products. This game will keep you hooked on creating your tropical paradise!


What we like:
  • Ability to create immersive natural environment
  • Opportunity to collaborate with business partners
  • Discovering winning combinations of features
  • Colorful and appealing graphics and sound effects
  • Easy to learn and play
What could be improved:
  • Janky handling on desktop
  • Narrow grid range makes building efficiency difficult
  • Limited challenge, low pressure gameplay

  • colony
  • simulation
  • city-building
  • 2d
  • casual
  • nature
  • building
  • pixel
  • cute
  • colourful
  • relaxing
  • fishing

25

Actraiser Renaissance (2021)

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76
Review score
Logo of Actraiser Renaissance Screenshot of Actraiser Renaissance Screenshot of Actraiser Renaissance Screenshot of Actraiser Renaissance

Android PC Windows IOS iPhone

ActRaiser Renaissance is a video game where you play as God rebuilding human civilization destroyed by evil. With two main parts, simulation and sidescrolling action, guiding and defending your village against monsters is incredibly fun. The challenge ramps up gradually with time, making it addicting. The combat system is competent, with various enemy types, hidden power-ups, and expanded controls. The game is meticulously crafted, genuinely improves on the original game, and maintains the spirit of what made it special. ActRaiser Renaissance is a dark horse to become game of the year and is suitable for players who love simulation and sidescrolling games.


What we like:
  • Fun tower-defense style missions
  • Meticulously crafted simulation and sidescrolling parts
  • Addictive gameplay
  • Great combat system
  • Gradual difficulty ramp-up
What could be improved:
  • The game can be overly easy on normal mode
  • Hard mode is brutally difficult
  • Magic can be overused during boss fights

  • platform
  • city-building
  • remake
  • simulation
  • side-scrolling
  • action
  • boss
  • tower-defense
  • strategy
  • hack-and-slash
  • 2d
  • classic
  • real-time
  • tower
  • rpg

26

Ixion (2022)

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74
Review score
Logo of Ixion Screenshot of Ixion Screenshot of Ixion Screenshot of Ixion

PC Windows

IXION is a unique and engaging city-building survival game set in space where you manage a space ark while searching for a new hospitable planet. The game's innovative gameplay encourages exploration and introduces external risk factors such as space weather and sentient threats. The graphics and sound design add to the immersion, and the story is presented through unobtrusive recorded dialogue with great performances. With an overall excellent execution, IXION is a must-play for city-building lovers and fans of sci-fi genres.

Buy

What we like:
  • Innovative gameplay that encourages exploration
  • External risk factors add excitement and challenge
  • Graphics and sound design are top-notch
  • Story presented through unobtrusive recorded dialogue with great performances
  • Overall excellent execution.
What could be improved:
  • Some fleet control challenges
  • Sheer amount of tasks, resources and responsibilities may be overwhelming
  • Regular crashes even on an upper mid-tier PC
  • Lack of tutorials may be a deal-breaker for some
  • Hard game, even experienced players may need to bump down the difficulty level.

  • city-building
  • survival
  • management
  • resource-management
  • colony
  • simulation
  • space
  • building
  • base-building
  • exploration

27

Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles (2024)

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74
Review score
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PC Windows Xbox Series X/s j Xbox One Xbox Series X Playstation 4 Playstation 5

Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles is an open world builder with freedom and expression at its core. You are in command of creating the last great settlement upon the Great Ursee - a vast, fantastical oceanic world filled with lost myths and danger.


  • city-building
  • building
  • open-world
  • resource
  • strategy
  • exploration
  • minimalist
  • controller-support
  • sandbox
  • relaxing
  • base-building

28

ISLANDERS (2019)

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90
Review score
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Mac OS Linux PC Windows

Build beautiful cities without the stress of resource management in ISLANDERS. Explore infinite procedurally generated islands, unlock new packs of buildings and expand your settlements to vast cities. With intuitive and rewarding city-building gameplay, a relaxing atmosphere, beautiful vibrant colors, and no complex tutorials or overwhelming menus to navigate, ISLANDERS is the perfect game to just pick up, play and beat your high score. It's a simple game that lets anyone create and explore their own little worlds at an affordable price.


What we like:
  • Very tranquil and calming game
  • Simple yet challenging gameplay
  • Stunning graphics and soothing soundtrack
  • Addictive and time-consuming
  • No complex tutorials or overwhelming menus to navigate
What could be improved:
  • May not be as calming as intended due to the need for improvement in each island
  • May not be what some players expect from a city-building game
  • Limited explanation on where to place pieces and clunky snapping of the pieces together
  • The addition of certain achievements may ruin the game for some players

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

29

Surviving Mars (2018)

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

Colonize Mars and build the first functioning human colonies on the Red Planet in Surviving Mars. Choose a space agency for resources before determining a location for your colony, and then build domes and infrastructure, research new possibilities, and utilize drones to expand your settlement. Keep your colonists alive and unlock the mysteries of this alien world. Each colonist is a unique individual with problems and strengths that influence the behavior of the others, making for a challenging and immersive gameplay experience. Are you ready to build a smart, functional colony on a planet not fit for human life?


What we like:
  • Addictive gameplay loop
  • Good music and graphics
  • Unique "city builder in space" concept
  • Interesting mods available
  • Realistic colonization of Mars theme
What could be improved:
  • Heavily reliant on DLCs for complete experience
  • Shallow gameplay with limited decision-making
  • Slow pace with lack of backstory
  • Inconsistent quality in available buildings and vehicles

  • city-building
  • simulation
  • survival
  • sci-fi
  • mars

30

Floodland (2022)

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71
Review score
Logo of Floodland Screenshot of Floodland Screenshot of Floodland Screenshot of Floodland

PC Windows

Floodland is a post-apocalyptic city-building game with unique ecology themes, putting as much emphasis on dealing with your people as on actual construction. You choose one of four clans with unique strengths and weaknesses, deciding how to gather resources, navigate hazards, and build relationships. With beautiful graphics and tutorials, Floodland's gameplay is slick but accessible. But, while addictive, occasional pacing issues and unwieldy mechanics can be frustrating.

Buy

What we like:
  • Unique themes and narrative paths
  • beautiful and accessible UI
  • addictive gameplay with slick mechanics
  • four clans with unique perks
  • great tutorials
What could be improved:
  • Occasional pacing issues
  • Unwieldy inter-clan mechanics
  • Lack instructions

  • city-building
  • survival
  • simulation
  • post-apocalyptic
  • resource

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