Summary
Ever since the early ages of gaming, simulation games have been one of the industry’s leaders. WithTheSimspopularizing the genre and making it mainstream, the series has had quite a massive legacy. The franchise would not exist were it not for the success of 1989’sSimCity.SimCitynot only led to more than one successful spin-off series, but it also inspired a whole new genre. Todaycity-building gamescome in all shapes and sizes. With so many unique sub-genres and flavors for gamers of every pallet, finding a suitable city builder has never been easier.
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Players love the idea of building towns and cities in a meticulous manner, allowing them to pick and choose the best way possible to construct houses, facilities, entertainment centers, and everything else along the same lines. The allure of city builders is pretty self-explanatory because of the satisfaction that players enjoy when all the cogs in the machine are working smoothly, allowing for harmonious development and a jubilant population.
Updated on June 23, 2025 by Ritwik Mitra:City-building gameshave occupied a popular niche in the gaming industry, with many players loving the idea of losing themselves in these detailed simulations that are a blast to experience firsthand. Some games have city-building as a minor part of the proceedings, while others focus on this mechanic to a massive extent. Regardless, there’s something quite engaging about building structures in a meaningful manner to keep settlers happy while maintaining a semblance of law and order in the process.
19Medieval Dynasty
When it comes to checking out games that encompass a lot of gameplay loops, players will be more than satisfied bywhatMedieval Dynastybrings to the table. The game combines survival gameplay with town-building mechanics to make for a unique and engaging time as players scourge for resources and struggle to make a building early on before slowly coming to grips with how the game works.
In no time, players will develop a bustling village with many residents as they try to survive in a medieval world. Watching the player’s village become populated and grow into something special makes for a great time and is easily one ofMedieval Dynasty’s biggest strengths, proving why the game has such a loyal fan following despite some issues popping up here and there.
18Age Of Mythology
WhileAge of Mythologymay be more of an RTS game than a city builder, there’s no denying that players who decide to boost their economy instead of focusing on warfare will find it great to create a massive settlement that is populated with villagers who are hard at work trying to gather the resources required to reach a prosperous age and gain superiority over other factions in the game.
The best part ofAge of Mythologyis the focus on gods and legendary beings, with players being able to utilize the mythological creatures from various civilizations to bolster their armies and become even more awe-inspiring to behold. Each civilization is pretty unique in its own way, making it a blast to play through the game with these different cultures to try and see which one suits the player the most!
17Empire Earth
Players who love classic RTS games likeAge of Empireswill findEmpire Earthto be right up their alley. WhileAoEis more rooted in history as a whole,Empire Earthtakes the concept of developing civilizations to a whole new level. Players do start from the Stone Age, but as they progress to new eras over time, they can even reach the modern age before moving on to the future.
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This novelty is what makesEmpire Earthsuch a blast to play through, with its campaigns covering both historical events and fictional storylines in the future that are pretty engaging in their own right. It may feel a bit close to its core inspiration despite having such drastic changes between the ages, but fans of tight and engaging RTS games won’t mind this in the slightest.
16Pharaoh
Pharaohis a classic title thatmany city-building veterans have definitely heard of. The game lets players develop a city in ancient Egypt while dealing with the various issues that plagued the country during the time, including war, famine, and destruction to a whole new level. Players need to form a careful balancing act between keeping their citizens happy and fulfilling their duties as a city leader and eventual Pharoah if they wish to attain victory in this game.
The campaign mode gives players several tasks to fulfill that are pretty fun in their own right, while the free-build mode allows for more flexibility as players get to build whatever they want and mold the city in their vision instead of having to conform to a strict set of rules and regulations. Regardless of which mode players opt for, there’s no denying thatPharaohwill have more than enough things to perform that will keep players occupied for quite some time.
15Dwarf Fortress
Dwarf Fortressis one of the most complex and beloved titles on this list, enjoying a long history of being played to the moon and beyond before finally receiving a full release that has been quite expansive and enjoyable indeed. The fact that this title influenced genre-defining titles likeRimWorldandMinecraftis proof enough of just how legendaryDwarf Fortress' influence really is.
Despite its rudimentary graphics, it’s the sheer depth of the gameplay present inDwarf Fortressthat makes it such a joy to play through. Fans of deep and engagingcity-building gameswilllove managing a colony of dwarvesand witnessing the procedural systems add a ton of replayability to each and every playthrough.
14Foundation
Sometimes, players don’t want to build cities while there’s a ton of pressure on their heads. Instead, what they would prefer is to sit down and chill out as they develop a city in a unique setting without feeling like they need to accomplish a certain goal within a limited time span.
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This is whereFoundationcomes into the picture, providing players will all the freedom in the player to develop what they want without any issues. Of course, there are goals and objectives that come into the picture, butFoundationis pretty relaxing and a great way for players to relax and create a medieval settlement in the image they see fit.
13Rimworld
When it comes tocity-building games, the depth of gameplay and the breadth of available paths to progress through the game are key to long-term enjoyment. InRimworld, just about everything is customizable, there’s an unimaginable amount of micro-management systems, and in short, it’s one of the most open-ended simulation games ever made.
It’s no wonder the game has continued to slowly grow in popularity since its release in mid-2016.Rimworldhas dedicated communities online that are more helpful than they are exclusive, and while its graphics aren’t anything to write home about, the use of narration and theincredible number of things to domake it one of thebest city (ahem, colony) building gamesout there.
12Northgard
Northgardis an amazingly stylistic take on the medieval management simulator genre. Charged with running a Viking clan,Northgardplayers soon find that there’s a lot more to this game than placing down buildings and gathering resources – there’s a story mode with lots of classic RPG elements, for example.
At its core,Northgardplays similarly to theCivilizationseries, though with a little bit less focus on progression through time and a little more focus on unlocking new potential for the clan. Its simple and beautiful art style, its exploration, and its surprising depth of gameplay make thisone of the best management gamesout there.
11Littlewood
Littlewoodis a lot like Northgard in that it’s acivilization-management gamewith a twist – except instead of taking part in a narrative-driven RPG, the world has already been saved beforeLittlewoodeven starts. In fact, the entire game takes placeafterthe “Dark Wizard” is defeated, and the player is tasked with rebuilding the world after these unseen events.
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Its art style is reminiscent of early Flash games but with a bit more polish. While the graphics are simple, the potential for creativity in the “play your way” approach ofLittlewoodmakes it a must-play for the city-building aficionado. It’s much more relaxing than manycity-building gamesout there, too, thanks to the low stakes of its post-Dark Wizard world.
10Tropico Series
For players that have ever dreamed of being a dictator,Tropicois the series for them. Consisting ofsix main installments, each one allows fans to live out their most tyrannical fantasies.
The mechanics are excellent and varied, with a multitude of factors needing to be considered to run a successful autocracy. Not only is this series immensely entertaining, but it also serves as a surprisingly deep political commentary.
