Top 10 City Building Games to Explore in 2023.
Contents
A city building game is a simple simulation game where you build the city of your dreams.
This game allows you to build, decorate and expand your city or town according to your preferences. The city building game is relaxing and challenging, balancing strategic challenges with relaxed gameplay and involving planning for infrastructure, housing, and tourism.
The core game is the same no matter which game you choose. It can be classified as a simulation game dedicated to planning and construction. City building games will serve you well if you are a city planner or want to relax after a long day at work.
What makes city building games fun to play?
Players in a city building game are responsible for overseeing and planning the growth and development of an entire city or town. Such games allow players to design and customize the city according to their preferences.
Players can increase their motivation, focus, and mood by playing these games. These games can also serve as a means of distraction and help keep stress at bay.
An important feature of city building games is that they emphasize dead-end scenarios, which test the mental strength and decision-making ability of the players.
However, these are the best city building games that you can enjoy on all platforms. We are going to explore!
year 1800
Anno 1800 lets you build a thriving industrial metropolis from farmland and warehouses during the Industrial Revolution. You can still attract tourists to your in-game zoos and museums.
Storyline – This game features an interactive story campaign, a customizable sandbox environment, and an exciting multiplayer mode. You can challenge yourself against AI characters or embellish a colossal empire.
The key to winning Anno 1800 is to attract foreign investors and tourists, just like in the popular 4X games. The game has three modes: campaign, multiplayer, and sandbox. You should also be aware of the decisions and reputations of other islands because you will be competing with them.
Your corporate city will grow if you keep your employees happy. There’s even a local newspaper that reports on the successes and failures of your town. While Anno 1800 ignores the dark facts of the time, its captivating story and picturesque scenery make it highly compelling.
Developer – Ubisoft Mainz
Release date: March 16, 2023
Platforms is available on Xbox Series X|S / PlayStation 5
Caesar 3 – PC
Caesar III is part of the popular Caesar series of city building games. In the game, the player controls a Roman governor whose task is to save and protect the citizens of the city from him.
Plot: Caesar III allows players to build cities, define zones, and talk to people in their province. Commerce and leisure are available, but you must stay in your city. Also, disaster can happen if you don’t please the Gods.
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It consists of two game modes: the main campaign mode, in which you progress by completing objectives, and the free-build mode, in which there is no emperor and no objective to worry about. However, invasions and attacks still pose a risk.
The game interface is divided into separate tabs. The “Map of the Empire” allows you to trade with other Roman cities. You will also get other cool features. You are not required to get involved, but it will benefit you.
Developer – Impressions Games
Release date: September 30, 1998
Platforms on which it is available: Windows 98, Windows 95
Cities: Skylines (Nintendo Switch)
City: Skylines is one of the most popular city building games available. Combine old and new elements to make city building more enjoyable. Since its release in 2015, the game has become a fan favorite.
Plot: The game City: Skylines introduces the classic city simulation game in a modern context. It brings you the excitement and challenges of building and protecting a real city while exploring the well-established principles of city-building.
As a city player, you manage the city’s utilities, transportation, road locations, and taxes. It must also monitor the economic, social and environmental conditions of the city.
The classic city simulation game Cities: Skylines has been updated with various gameplay elements to illustrate the excitement and challenges associated with building and maintaining a real city.
Developer – Colossal Order
Release date: September 30, 1998
Platforms where it is available: Windows/MacOS/Linux
Frostpunk – Console Edition
Frostpunk may sound laid back, but it’s not. It is the most challenging game in this genre, crossing survival and strategy. You will think about city building games differently after playing the first Frostpunk game.
Plot: Players assume leadership roles at the end of the 19th century. In this game, you have to build a city during a global volcanic winter, manage resources, decide how to survive, and explore the surroundings for survivors and resources.
In this game, the player leads an arctic settlement in a world where humanity has been abandoned. Players quickly gather resources, carefully expand their cities, and rally around a towering heat core in sub-zero temperatures.
It’s about building a city in a frozen world trying to stay warm. You want to grow and expand, but different factions are fighting for control. Prosper in it, and you will be delighted.
Developer – 11-bit Studios
Release Date: April 24, 2018
Platforms on which it is available: PlayStation 4
kingdoms reborn
Kingdoms Reborn’s main focus is resource management and improving the lives of its residents. You can choose their location, provide them with food and luxury, and expand their area to attract more residents.
Plot: Kingdoms Reborn’s world map and citizens are artificially generated. Growing your kingdom from a small medieval village to a thriving global empire is easy! It’s up to you if you want to compete against friends or work together.
Kingdoms Reborn offers the unique feature of playing online with other players in real time on the same map. The game can be enjoyed together by sharing gifts and resources or competing by cornering global markets and flexing your muscles.
Playing with a friend makes it even better.
Developer – Earthshine
Release date: November 2, 2020
Platforms on which it is available: Microsoft Windows
Romans: Age of Caesar
Romans: Age of Caesar focuses on the rebuilding of the Roman Empire, one of the most successful city-building empires of all time.
Plot: Stronghold’s latest historical strategy game is Romans: Age of Caesar from Firefly Studios. The Romans allowed players to rebuild an empire by gathering resources, restoring trade routes, and protecting shared cities from barbarians.
During your time in the game, you can build and maintain cities with a team of 16 players while the rest of humanity builds and maintains their cities.
You will get resources to expand your city, defend it from barbarians, and build trade routes and relationships with other cities, just like building a huge digital empire. Participating in it is an honor.
Developer – Firefly Studios
Release Date: April 27, 2022
Platforms where it is available: Microsoft Windows/Android
the sims 4
If you are looking for a nostalgic experience or a city building game, The Sims 4 is one of the best. This game has great graphics, music, and overall experience.
Plot: The Sims allows users to customize their lives according to their preferences. Players must work, build relationships, manage feelings, and even have a family to fulfill their character’s wishes. The game can reflect the real life needs and hopes of the players.
You can change your Sim’s appearance, personality, and emotions. Decide what your Sim’s hairstyle, gait, and fashion will be like.
You can choose traits that allow your Sims to control their minds, bodies, and hearts. There’s so much to see, unique neighborhoods, and worlds to explore. You will meet new people, visit parks with friends and collect things.
Developer – Maxis
Release date: September 2, 2014
Platforms on which it is available: PC, Mac, Xbox One and PlayStation 4
surviving mars
Creating a historical or futuristic city on Earth is easy, but building one on Mars will be difficult. There is only one way to survive on Mars with a colony.
Storyline: Surviving Mars is the latest game from Haemimont Games, the same company that developed Tropico. It is a game where the player is responsible for building an independent colony on Mars. The colony will be able to survive the elements and support life.
In Surviving Mars, you are on a quest to make Mars habitable, which is currently a barren wasteland. You will be able to see a map created with real world data. Only try if you are strong.
Beginners may find the game overwhelming. There’s a steep learning curve and no instructions on how to get started. There is no oxygen, infertile soil, and a deadly atmosphere, so establishing your colony will require a lot of work.
You will get settlers in droves once you build a habitable settlement. Your job is to make sure they survive, which will be challenging and you will have to micromanage them.
Developer: Haemimont Games, Abstraction
Release Date: March 15, 2018
Available platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, macOS, Microsoft Windows, Linux, and Classic Mac OS.
Tropic 6 – PC
Tropico 6 city builder is easy to use. If you want to achieve your overall goal, you will face dishonest officials, depending on the situation.
Plot: There is no better time to be president than now. In Tropico, you can be both a fearsome dictator and a peaceful statesman, shaping the fate of your banana republic over the course of four eras.
Tropico 6 has many options, but making the wrong decision can be devastating. No matter what you do, losing an election is serious business.
As the spectacular presentation of Tropico 6 shows, you will need to take great care of its system, and this will make it a success. As you build more houses, you can monitor your buildings and notifications, whether you are trying to find rebels or shacks.
Developer – Limbic Entertainment
Release Date: March 29, 2019
Available platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, macOS, Xbox Series X and Series S, Microsoft Windows, Linux, SteamOS and Mac operating systems.
furthest border
Farthest Frontier has the potential to become something great. The game takes place in colonial America and you have to establish a settlement somewhere you have never been before.
Plot: There is a story about a group of working-class people tired of being squatted by the rich, so they set off to reach the farthest border. That is the dream.
It is a most challenging city building game. There are droughts, plagues, diseases, bandits, labor shortages, and other realistic challenges.
Those who want a more relaxing experience can accommodate. If you are brave, you would prefer frontier life with all its warts and plagues.
Developer – Crate Entertainment
Release date: August 9, 2022
Platforms on which it is available: Microsoft Windows
Conclusion
Now that you have a better understanding of city building games, it might be time to play one for yourself. So pick any of these from the list and have fun!
You can also check out some cross-platform games below.
