5 Great & Different City Building Games
City-builders are one of our favourite types of games here at Geektown, but they span a huge array of different gameplay, styles and abilities. Here you’ll find a list of six games that show off various play styles, so whether you’re new to the genre or a veteran, you should hopefully find something that catches your eye.
Cities Skylines
For years, SimCity took the crown as the best in the city building genre, but after EA rather killed that franchise, Cities Skylines stepped in and took things to a whole new level. This modern take on the classic city simulation introduces new gameplay 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. Whilst the base game will get you started, there is a huge set of DLC which expand your options, adding more industry, parks, transit, and nightlife, such as casinos. Of course, you’re controlling things from the “god” overseer level, so can’t play the games yourself, but if slot machines are your thing, head over to Wink Slots Free Spins. If you’re playing on PC, there is also a huge amount of support via the Steam Workshop, adding even more content!
Cities Skylines is available on PC, Mac, Linux, Xbox One, PS4 and Switch.
Dorfromantik
Dorfromantik is a really wonderful different take on the city builder. Part builder, part building strategy/puzzle game, where you place a series of hexagonal tiles to create ever-growing, idyllic village landscapes. You start with a stack of procedurally generated tiles. One after the other, you draw the top tile of the stack, place it on one available slot and rotate for the best fit. Thereby groups and combinations of landscapes are formed, such as forests, villages or water bodies, and you are rewarded with points depending on how well the tile fits. There is no timer, so you can take your time, as you expand your beautifully rendered villages, rivers, forests, farms and train lines.
Dorfromantik is available right now on Steam.
Tropico
The Tropico franchise is one of our favourite versions of the other main type of city-builder which, unlike Cities Skylines, gives you direct control over the individual buildings you place. Originally launching in 2001, you are El Presidente, the sole ruler of a remote banana republic. It’s up to you exactly how you wield your power. You can be a benevolent dictator, rule through military strength, or actually allow the people some genuine democracy. There have been six games in the series so far, but the basic premise is the same across all the games. Each level has some sort of victory condition, from appeasing a foreign power so they don’t invade, to expanding your swiss bank account, to stealing the Statue of Liberty! Above all else though, you must find a way to stay in power!
You can find all the Tropico games available now on Steam.
Anno 1800
The Anno franchise has been around since 1998, and is a city builder where you establish a series of colonies on small islands across a map, setting up supply lines to make bigger and better production chains as you expand and grow. The games have been set in both the past and future over the years, but the latest iteration of the franchise, Anno 1800, takes you back to the 19th century at the dawn of the Industrial Age. You start off in the “Old World”, but can eventually expand into the “New World”, setting up transatlantic supply lines, bringing things like coffee and sugar back to your ever-growing population. The game comes with a great story mode, along with a sandbox mode and multiplayer. There is also a stack of DLC, which lets you explore even more regions, such as the Arctic and desert lands.
Find more about Anno 1800 here.
Civilization VI
Originally created in 1991 by legendary game designer Sid Meier, Civilization is a turn-based strategy game in which you attempt to build an empire to stand the test of time. The latest version, Civilization VI, expands on all which came before it, adding new world leaders, technologies, units and amazing wonders for you to build. Once again, the game comes with some great support on the Steam workshop, allowing you to expand the gameplay in a variety of interesting ways, along with a stack of DLC adding even more options and leaders to play with. Be warned, this game will eat up your time, and is well known for coining the phrase “just one more turn…”
Find Civilization VI here on Steam.
